Bishop Wordsworth's School

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Bishop Wordsworth's School is a Church of England boys' day grammar school located in the centre of Salisbury, England. In 2002 there were 789 pupils aged between 11 and 18.

The full name of the school is Bishop Wordsworth's Church of England Grammar School for Boys, abbreviated as BWS or as Bishop's, while the pupils are known informally as "Bishop's Boys". The school's motto is Veritas in Caritate, or "Truth Through Caring", and originates from the epitaph of Bishop Wordsworth's father.

In the OFSTED inspection of 2001, the committee reported that "This is a highly effective school. Outstanding leadership creates a climate in which students are very keen to learn. Challenging lessons for all students lead to very high standards."

The school was inspected once again in December 2006 and received the highest grade 1 rating.

Contents 1 History 2 Entrance 3 Houses 4 Senior Prefects 5 Extra-curricular 6 Notable Staff 7 Headmasters 8 Notable alumni 9 References 10 External links

[edit] History

The foundations of the school came in June 1889, when the bishop of Salisbury, John Wordsworth announced to his friend Canon Woodall, "I should like to see Salisbury a great educational centre. I should like to found a school which shall be equal to the greatest and best of our public schools." His initial desire that working class boys were not to be admitted caused much controversy. Fees were initially set at £1.10.0d, and boarding fees were £9 per term; however, the fees were raised to £2 in 1894 to meet the unexpected costs of the school. The first year was taught in the Bishop's palace of Salisbury Cathedral itself. Bishop Wordsworth personally donated £3000, which was used to purchase a portion of land in the cathedral close and build the original school buildings. After Bishop Wordsworth's death, the school was renamed to Bishop Wordsworth's School, having been previously known as "The Bishop's School".

In 1905 the school became a grammar school , existing of the current Chapel Block, and Bishopgate. Until 1928 the school admitted girls, but with the founding of a girls' grammar school (South Wilts Grammar School) in 1927, the school became boys only.

In 1931 a hall, science laboratories and a library were built. By the 1930s, the school had achieved a reputation for pioneering educational work, and in 1936 became a public school, but in 1948 the Governors accepted voluntary controlled status. Boarding at the school in the Bishopgate buildings ended in the 1950s, and the buildings were used for teaching thereafter. During the Second World War, pupils from the Priory School in Portsmouth moved to BWS to avoid the bombing of the city.

The school now educates boys aged 11 to 18, with some joint classes in the Sixth Form Form with South Wilts Grammar School. In 2002, a major re-development of the school's buildings began.[1]

[edit] Entrance

Entry to the school is by examination (the '11+') at the age of 10 or 11 for entry into the boys' seventh year of education. There are also limited 12+ and 13+ entrances, similarly by examination. VI form admission is decided by the head of VI form, and is graded on GCSE results, a personal statement, and recommendation from former head of school.

[edit] Houses

There are four Houses, these are named after previous Bishops of the cathedral: Jewell (1560-1571), Martival sometimes Mortival (1315-1330), Poore (1240-1270) and Osmund (1078-1099). The houses take their crests from the heraldry of the Bishops. All boys are attached to a house when they join the school. Throughout the year there are inter-house competitions including the music festival, sport events and drama.

[edit] Senior Prefects

The prefect system in the school is effective but slightly complex. All members of the sixth form are prefects and expected to perform duties. A smaller group of about 20 boys are Senior Prefects, selected by a ballot of staff and peers and interviews conducted by senior members of the school. Within this group are the Head Boy and Deputy Head Boy, the Cathedral Prefect, five Patrol Leaders and the Heads of House. These senior prefects are responsible for the day to day running of the prefect system, and also for assisting at school functions such as Founders Day and Speech Day (Prize giving).

The positions of office are held from the start of the Summer term to the end of the subsequent Easter term, with the announcement of positions, and presentations of ties traditionally being made by the headmaster in the last assembly of term before the Easter holiday. Over the Years there has been much speculation over the privileges of the Head Boy. The only one to be substantiated is that Head Boys may marry in the Cathedral. One criticism is that a large percentage of the senior prefects are rugby players, and a non-rugby playing Head Boy hasn't been seen for a long time.

[edit] Extra-curricular

The school has a strong sporting tradition, particularly in rugby, but also in athletics and, more recently, football and basketball. There are regular sport fixtures, and the Rugby teams regularly compete in the Daily Mail Cup and the Wiltshire schools cup.

The school has a strong choir, with entrance by audition. The choir regularly sings in Salisbury Cathedral, other cathedrals, colleges and at many other functions. The choir practice four times a week in term time, and in the spring there is a biennial trip to France.

The choir's webspace

[edit] Notable Staff

Sir William Golding, author of the novel Lord of the Flies and winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature, was a schoolmaster teaching Philosophy and English in 1939 and then English from 1945 to 1962. A plaque was placed at the school to commemorate this in March 2005. [2]

Headmaster Frederick Crossfield Happold, who studied as an undergraduate at the University of Cambridge was awarded an honorary LLD from the University of Melbourne for his pioneering work and publications on education. He wrote a number of books after his time as Headmaster at the school on the subject of religion now popularly used in undergraduate study, which included: This modern age : An introduction to the understanding of our own times, Mysticism: a study and an anthology, Religious faith and twentieth-century man, and The journey inwards: A simple introduction to the practice of contemplative meditation by normal people.

Headmaster Happold was also noted for the foundation of the "Company of Honour and Service". Father Kenelm Foster O.P. wrote "[the Company is] a sort of modernist Grail (for Boys) or Solidarity which Dr Happold founded in 1935 at Bishop Wordsworth's School, Salisbury. This is his nucleus, his 'order', his new aristocracy, which is to permeate England: a little cohort of leaders, of seers, of doers." (Cited in Happold, 1964, pp. 33).

[edit] Headmasters

1928-1960 Dr. Frederick Crossfield Happold (Cantab.)

1960-1963 Dr. Sabben-Clare

1963-Unk Mr. RCR Blackledge (Oxon.)

Unk-1992 (definitely Headmaster from 1979 onwards), Mr. Glyn Evans

1992-2002, Mr. Clive Barnett (Oxon.)

2002-Present, Dr. Stuart Smallwood (Cantab.)

[edit] Notable alumni

The "Old Wordsworthian" AGM and lunch is traditionally held after the Cathedral service and Founder's Day celebrations in July. Notable alumni include:

• Lieutenant Colonel Tom Adlam, Victoria Cross recipient [3]
• Mervyn Alexander, Roman Catholic Bishop of Clifton [4]
• Dr. David Atterton, industrialist and central banker. [5]
• Cecil Chubb Esq., Last private owner of Stonehenge [6]
• Prof. Andrew Copp, leading neurobiologist [7]
• David Egerton, England XV rugby international player [8]
• Ralph Fiennes, actor [9]
• Richard Hill, England XV rugby international captain (flanker) [10]
• Richard Hill, England XV rugby international player (scrum half) [11]
• Alexander Phillip Hague Jones, DJ
• Major Anthony Robert Klitz, artist
• Brigadier Andrew McLaughlin
• Chris Moon MBE
• Marcus Olsen England under-21s XV rugby international [12]
• Otto Plaschkes, movie producer [13]
• Lord of Redlynch, Colin Sharman, Chairman of KPMG International [14]
• John Shaw, England XI hockey captain and Olympian [15]
• Edmund Bolton,appeared as a contestant on Beauty and the Geek (UK TV series)[16]
• Andrew Harvey, BBC Newsreader
• Barnaby Sollars Circumnavigating Yachtsman
• James George (reality TV star) appeared as a contestant on Shipwrecked UK TV series

[edit] References

• Happold, Frederick Crossfield, Bishop Wordsworth's School 1890 – 1950, 1950. (Published privately, no ISBN) [17]
• Happold, Frederick Crossfield, Religious Faith and Twentieth-Century Man, 1964, Pelican Original.
• 'Roman Britain in 1954: I. Sites Explored: II. Inscriptions', The Journal of Roman Studies, Vol. 45, Parts 1 and 2. (1955), pp. 121-149.

[edit] External links

• BWS Website
• Statistics on BWS from the BBC
• Information on the school from the Salisbury Cathedral
• William Golding at BWS

Wiltshire Schools
Comprehensive Schools: Sheldon school | St John's School and Community College
Grammar Schools: South Wilts Grammar School for Girls | Bishop Wordsworth's School
Independent Schools: Avondale School | Kingwell Court Preparatory School | Grittleton House School | La Retraite Swan School
Public Schools: Dauntsey's School | Marlborough College
Former Schools: The Old Ride School | Hawtreys

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