Cheadle Hulme School
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- This article is about the independent school. There is also the state-funded Cheadle Hulme High School nearby.
| Cheadle Hulme School | |
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| In Loco Parentis (Latin: "In the place of a parent") |
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| Established | 1855 |
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| School type | Independent day school |
| Headmaster | Paul Dixon |
| Second Master | Laurence Carr |
| Location | Cheadle Hulme, Cheshire, England |
| Original name | The Manchester Warehousemen and Clerks' Orphan Schools |
| School song | Jerusalem |
| Website | Cheadle Hulme School |
Cheadle Hulme School (CHS) is an Independent day school in Cheadle Hulme in the North-West of England. It is for both boys and girls aged 4–18 years old. It was formed as The Manchester Warehousemen and Clerks' Orphan Schools in 1855, and from an original pupil body of six pupils has grown to over 1,400.
The school's motto is In Loco Parentis (in the place of a parent).
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[edit] History
In the mid 1850s, life expectancy for those working in the inner-cities was extremely poor, and many were worried about what would happen to their children should they die. After a series of meetings, they decided to establish a school where their children could be sent should their father die.
Initially, it was intended to set up a single school in London for the orphans of warehousemen and clerks from across the country, and indeed upon the first meeting the London delegation had already begun to set up a school in London, now known as the Royal Russell School in Croydon. However, there was a strong feeling that mothers of orphans (an orphan being defined as a child who had lost his or her father) would not want to send their child away to London, and so the idea of establishing a school in the North was created.
When the school was first established, it had no building or teachers, and the pupils were sent to a school in Shaw Hall, Flixton. However, six years later they moved to Park Place, Ardwick, in the centre of Manchester. By this time it had already been decided that a new school should be built and the foundation stone of the main building was laid in 1867. The School moved to its present site two years later.
Since the beginning, the school had been a boarding school, originally for the orphans (known as "foundationers") which it was set up for. As time progressed, it started to accept paying boarders and also paying day pupils. Over the years, as the factories that had originally supplied its pupils dwindled, and state education increased, "foundationers" also decreased.
In the 1950s and 60s it was a major direct grant Grammar School, but it became Independent in 1976 when the Labour government abolished the Direct Grant Scheme. By the 1990s, the vast majority of pupils were paying day students. The school reluctantly closed the boarding school in 1993, and also reformed the foundation scheme, finally ending the link with the factories and requiring all current pupils to become subscribers.
[edit] Extra-curricular activities
Cheadle Hulme School students enjoy and excel at a wide range of extra-curricular activities, ranging from sport to music, dance to drama. Regular mock elections and referendums are held, giving sixth-form students a chance to lead a campaign, followed by a school-wide vote. The school Think Tank club has played host to guest speakers such as shadow Chancellor George Osborne and UKIP MEP John Whittaker.
The school also plays host to annual Question Time events. In the most recent, local candidates answered questions from voters in advance of the 2005 General Election.
Other extra-curricular activities include the business startup scheme Young Enterprise, Model United Nations Cheadle Hulme MUNCH, which is a popular MUN conference attended by schools from across the country, Chess Club, German Film Club, and participation in a local Mock Trial competition. There are many more activities which cover a wide range of areas including cooking, building, photography, and much more.
[edit] Sport
CHS pupils are involved in a range of sporting activities. There are major teams in football, rugby, netball and field hockey who all toured South Africa during the 2005 Summer Holidays. The school also currently has a number of players in the school who play for England squads in rugby and hockey.
In addition to the Team sport all pupils play at least an hour of sport each week as part of their timetable. The sports available include badminton, tennis and yoga, in addition to the more popular options like football and rugby.
[edit] Drama
CHS has a large Drama departmant which produces a number of annual plays involving wide areas of the school. In recent years the school has produced Billy Liar, Midsummer Night's Dream, Blue Remembered Hills and Westside Story.
[edit] Annual Events
Since 2000, all students, parents and staff attend an evening entitled Celebration of Cheadle Hulme School once a year at the Bridgewater Hall, where the achievements of the previous year are celebrated through a series of speeches, and the talents of students are put on display. The school song, Jerusalem, is also sung by all in attendance. A speech is also given by a special guest, often an alumnus of the school. Previous speakers have included Lord Alf Dubs and Katie Derham. This event replaced Founder's Day, which was held at St. George's Church, Stockport.
Originally, the Celebration event was also used to award the school prizes to those who had graduated in previous years. There are school prizes in each subject, as well as special prizes for things such as overall academic achievement, achievement in sport, and to thank those who served on the school council. Recipients of these prizes were invited back to be presented with them. However, since 2005, prizes have been presented at a special graduation ceremony in a marquee in the school grounds.
It is traditional for departing Upper Sixth students to take part in pranks on their final day, which are usually done in good humour and with the consent of the school. They are also treated to a free cooked breakfast in the dining hall, served by teaching staff.
[edit] Notable Old Waconians
Alumni of Cheadle Hulme School are known as "Old Waconians", a remnant of the original name of the school ("Warehousemen And Clerks").
- Billy Hughes (1914–1995), educationist and politician, Principal of Ruskin College, Oxford, 1950–1979
- Alf Dubs, Baron Dubs (born 1932), Labour politician
- Chris Davies (born 1954), Liberal Democrat MEP
- Susan Bullock (born 1958), soprano
- Nick Robinson (born 1963), BBC political editor
- Toby Sawyer (born 1969), actor
- Katie Derham (born 1970), ITV Evening News presenter
- Sarah Wilmshurst (born c.1972), weather presenter
- Clare Wilkinson (born 1976), mezzo-soprano
- Richard Fleeshman (born 1989), actor
- Kirsten Cassidy (born 1990), actress
[edit] Headmasters
- 1855-61 - Mr. McDougall
- 1861-63 - Mr. Henry Adkin
- 1863-64 - Mr. Harrison
- 1865-66 - Mr. Edward Eversden
- 1867-80 - Mr. William Laurie
- 1880-84 - Mr. Alfred Stone
- 1884-1906 - Mr. George Board
- 1906-22 - Mr. Robert Purdy
- 1922-54 - Mr. T.T.R. Lockhart
- 1954-62 - Mr. Douglas Whiting
- 1962-63 - Mr. David Wilcox (Acting Head)
- 1963-74 - Mr. Leslie Johnston
- 1974-76 - Mr. David Wilcox
- 1977-89 - Mr. Colin Firth
- 1990-2000 - Mr. Donald Wilkinson
- 2001-01 - Mr. Andrew Chicken (Acting Head)
- 2001- - Mr. Paul Dixon
[edit] 150th Anniversary
2005 was the school's 150th Anniversary, and it celebrated this event with reunions and a special logo.
[edit] References
- Heads and Tales: The 150 Year Story of Cheadle Hulme School. Melanie Richardson.
