Hymers College
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| Hymers College | |
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| Motto | High Merit, High Reward |
| Headmaster | Mr. David Elstone |
| Type | Independent school |
| Year of Foundation | 1893 |
| Enrollment | ~1000 |
| Location | Hull, Yorkshire |
| LEA | Hull |
| Surroundings | Urban |
| College website | www.hymers.hull.sch.uk |
Hymers College is a co-educational independent school located on the site of the old Botanic Gardens of Hull, Yorkshire, England. It was established in 1893 as a boys' school, but expanded to include girls from the 1970s onwards.
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[edit] History
The Reverend John Hymers, Rector of Brandesburton, died in 1887 leaving money in his will for a school to be built “for the training of intelligence in whatever social rank of life it may be found”. Hymers College opened in 1893. It soon established itself as a centre of academic excellence, and parents from Hull and the East Riding were keen for their sons to be admitted. The numbers expanded and buildings were added. The first Headmaster, Mr Charles Gore, was admitted to the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference (HMC), which represents the leading independent schools in the country, and all succeeding Headmasters have been members.
Scholarships and bursaries were provided from the start to allow pupils to attend whose parents could not pay the school fees. In 1946 Hymers became a Direct Grant school with many of the pupils now paid for by the Local Authority. In 1971, when the direct grant scheme was abolished, the Governors had to decide whether the school should become part of the comprehensive system that Hull was adopting at the time or become an independent school. The decision was made to go fully independent. The introduction of the Government-funded Assisted Places scheme allowed the school to offer 25 places in each year group to pupils who needed financial support, and when this scheme was abolished in 1997 the Governors decided that bursaries would be provided from the school’s resources so that the wishes of its founder and its practice for over a hundred years could be maintained.
Girls came into the Sixth Form throughout the 1970s and 1980s, and the decision was taken in 1989 to go fully co-educational. Now over 40% of the pupils are girls. The opening of the Humber Bridge in 1981 further extended the catchment area and in the 1990s the school’s roll expanded to just under a thousand pupils. At the same time curricular developments allowed pupils to study newer subjects up to A level, such as Psychology, ICT and Physical Education, as well as the more traditional subjects.
Mr. John Morris, MA (Oxon), retired in July 2006. His successor is Mr. David Elstone, BA, previously Deputy Rector of Hutchesons' Grammar School, Glasgow.
[edit] Army Cadet Force detachment
Unlike most independent schools who have a CCF (Combined Cadet Force) unit, Hymers has its own ACF (Army Cadet Force) detachment currently containing around 40 cadets ranging from recruits to senior NCOs.
Hymers College (RLC) Detachment is affiliated to 150 Transport Regt Royal Logistic Corps. The detachment is in B Company of Humberside and South Yorkshire ACF (Army Cadet Force).
In the early 1990s , a pupil (who was also a cadet at another detachment in Hull) approached a teacher who had previously been in the army and suggested that the college should form its own cadet unit. Much time and thought was put into the scheme and the arrangements were made. The detachment's regimental affiliation was uncertain, many old Hymerians had fought during the wars in various units but one above all others featured in the records: The Parachute Regiment. No sponsor Parachute Regiment unit was available. The local (TA) unit was the only option, that was Royal Corps of Transport (TA) in Hull at the time the detachment formed. The detachment had the Royal Corps of Transport cap badge for only a few months before the amalgamation of the Royal Corps of Transport into the Royal Logistic Corps. For many years the detachment made use of the college's biology labs and then the school gymnasium. The gymnasium had space for drill indoors, air rifle shooting as well as a small armoury, this was a great improvement on science labs. The detachment commander became the company commander of E company (South Humberside) while the detachment remained in B company. When the detachment commander became the commander of A company instead of E company the detachment became part of A company (east Hull and eastern part of East Yorkshire), this only lasted about a year and the detachment and its commander returned to B company. The detachment moved out of the gymnasium building into a new pre-fabricated building as couple of years ago. A concrete .22 shooting range has recently been added next to the main building.
The detachment commander is the same teacher who started the detachment in the early 1990's. Other adult instructors have also assisted with APC training, some of these have been Old Hymerians. The cadets are taught the same APC subjects at the detachment as all other Army Cadet Force (ACF) Detachments in the UK these include: Skill at Arms, Fieldcraft, Map and Compass, etc.
This detachment is the only one in the country to have 12 above standard certificates for its annual inspections. The land on which the detachment is built is on a 99 year lease to the Ministry of Defence and receives no funding from the College.
[edit] Hymers today
There has been a steady development of buildings and facilities. In recent years additional land has been purchased, a theatre (opened by and named after Dame Judi Dench), science laboratories, an all-weather sports pitch, and other sports facilities have been constructed. A new junior school has also been built. A swimming pool has recently been added in 2005. The school library was closed in 2001, with the majority of books being redistributed to decentralised 'resource rooms', much to the chagrin of a number of pupils. This was upon the advice of government inspectors, who argued that the library in its previous form was underused.
Hymers College is the best performing school in Kingston-upon-Hull in terms of examination results and league-table position, consistently producing an A2 Level pass rate of 92% (updated 2006 figure). The school often claims to be the 'best value for money' independent school in the country with school bills at about £8000 p/a. It is a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference (HMC).
In addition to academic success, Hymers students are known for achieving excellence in other extra-curricular areas. Mainstream sports are rugby and cricket, hockey and netball and as a measure of these teams it is worth noting that the 2004/2005 1st rugby team only lost to one school on their tough fixture list, St Peter's School, York, including victories over Stonyhurst, Ampleforth and Bradford Grammar School. In Summer of 2005 a 1st/2nd rugby team toured Canada, visiting Calgary, Edmonton and Banff amongst other places.
A regular series of concerts showcase the prodigious musical talent in the school; highlights in the music department include a tour of the Rhineland area of Germany in Summer 2005 and regular visits by professional musicians and groups to perform with Hymers players and conduct masterclasses. World class cornet player Roger Webster visits in November 2006.
Former pupils are know as Old Hymerians and the Old Hymerians Association exists for their benefit.
A masonic lodge linked to the school exists, the website of which can be found at http://www.6885.org.
