King Edward VI Grammar School (Chelmsford)

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Key Facts
Formal Name: Libera Schola Grammaticalis Edwardi Sexti
Translated: The Free Grammar School of Edward VI
Motto: Quicquid agas sapiens age fortiter ex animoque
Translated: Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might (Ecclesiastes 9:10)
Date of Foundation: 1551, refoundation of the Chelmsford Chantry School
Founder: Edward VI
Head master: Dr. Mike Walker
Location: Chelmsford

King Edward VI Grammar School, or KEGS, is a British grammar school located in the town of Chelmsford, roughly in the middle of the county of Essex. It takes pupils from the ages of 11 (Year 7, formerly the First Year) to 18 (Year 13, formerly the Upper Sixth). From Year 7 to year 11 it is a boys-only school, although it becomes mixed in the sixth form (Year 12 and Year 13).

The present headmaster is Dr. Mike Walker, who succeeded Anthony Tuckwell in 1999, having previously taught history at the school as senior deputy headmaster. The current deputy headmasters are Mr. Bevan and Mr. Newman.

Contents

[edit] History of the school

KEGS was one of many grammar schools founded by King Edward VI. Its current form resulted from a royal warrant dated March 24, 1551, although evidence of this school exists from as far back as the 13th Century, possibly earlier. Indeed, the school of 1551 was merely a "rebranding" of the Chelmsford Chantry School, a Roman Catholic institution which had been abolished along with the monasteries during the English Reformation. The school was moved to its present site on Broomfield Road in 1892. Once a boarding school, it was one of many grammar schools to fully join the state sector and abolish the (nominal) fees. The last boarders left in the 1970s, with the first girls joining the sixth form the following September.

The school has been very successful academically over recent years, ranking in the top 20 schools in the country in national examination league tables. KEGS is a Foundation and Leading Edge school, and has also recently become a Specialist Science College. In spite of its status as a Specialist Science College, the school is strong in all areas of academic education.

In 1981 it was named by The Sunday Times as the most successful state school as measured by Oxbridge open awards. In 1998, it was rated by the Financial Times as the most successful state school at GCE advanced level in the period 1993-1998. In 2001 the school was named Sunday Times School of the Year. In 2003 the Daily Mail called the school "one of England's most ancient and traditional grammar schools". The 2006 Good Schools Guide names KEGS as the top school (independent or maintained) in England for A-level Chemistry, and the top selective state school for boys in English Literature at A-level.

[edit] Prefect system

Like many similar schools, KEGS appoints a number of sixth formers to be prefects.

[edit] Election of prefects

In March each year, members of the lower sixth who wish to be made prefects put their names forward. The electoral college (school staff, current prefects and all members of the lower sixth are enfranchised) selects thirty-five candidates to become prefects. If a prefect is later selected as captain of his house, then he leaves the prefect body and is replaced by the thirty-sixth most popular candidate as a prefect.

[edit] Selection of the Head Boy

The top ten candidates, as well as being made prefects, are interviewed by the senior management team for the position of Head Boy (often called School Captain, Head Prefect or Senior Prefect). A head boy and deputy (more recently two) are appointed, and the other seven prefects who were in the top ten become team leaders, with some authority over other prefects in their team.

[edit] House system

In 1907, with the school growing larger than it ever had been before, headmaster Frank Rogers set up the system of "Houses" — Holland, named for Philemon Holland; Mildmay, probably for Sir Walter Mildmay; Strutt, for Joseph Strutt; and Tindal, for Nicholas Conyngham Tindal, dividing the school into four forms in each year. The four houses, each with a staff housemaster and a team of house officials drawn from the Upper Sixth, including a House Captain and deputy/ies, compete throughout the year in sporting, musical and theatrical events, among others, to gain points towards the house championship. Each House is represented by a colour: Holland has blue, Mildmay is yellow, Tindal red, and Strutt's colour is green. Members of a house who been particularly loyal will gain 'house colours', a small strip of ribbon to be placed over the pocket of a blazer displaying the house's colour. New entrants to the school are generally allocated a house by being sorted in alphabetical order — however, if there is a family connection the pupil may choose to be in the 'traditional' family house.

[edit] House officials

The office of house official was originally created when the school had boarders. House officials were effectively prefects who had duties within their boarding houses after the school day had finished. Nowadays, they instead have a motivational role organsing younger pupils in house events. Since house officials are entirely responsible for the organisation of the younger members of their houses during inter-house events, appointments of house officials are made only after a rigorous selection procedure. Those lucky enough to be successful commence their duties during the final term of the Lower Sixth, and continue until they leave the school at the end of the Upper Sixth. While time-consuming and stressful, the duties of a house official can be incredibly rewarding, and are an excellent way of developing leadership skills.

[edit] House events

There is a variety of events for which points are awarded in the House competition. The most popular are explained below.

[edit] Standards

At what was once the end of the House Year (June — the House Year now runs from Easter to Easter) there is the event of Standards. This is when large amounts of each house partake in various athletic events and attempt to get either a set time/distance considered to be a 'high standard', worth 3 points, a time/distance considered to be a 'medium standard' (2 points), or if a participant does not achieve a significant score to warrant 2 or 3 points a single point is given just for turning up at the event, emphasising mass participation.

[edit] House Music

House Music is the largest event of the school calendar, taking place generally around mid-November. Each house is designated 25 minutes to present a musical extravaganza of five acts (i.e., average of 5 minutes per act), including a house choir that normally performs last and a Junior Piece (an act presented only by pupil/s in Years 7 to 9). Each house gets a mark out of 100 (i.e., 20 marks per act) from an external judge who is guest of honour for the day.

[edit] House drama

House drama is also a major event. It generally takes the form of 'theatre in the round' and is enjoyed by all the school. There are many different categories, such as: monologue, duologue and house piece.

[edit] House film

The newest house competiton to arrive at KEGS is the Film competition, where students are invited to make a 2 minute film on a given subject. Recently, however, the house element has been scaled down, and now the main focus of the competition is to win prizes.

[edit] Student councils

[edit] The student council

Each form in the school (there are four forms in each year group, each with about 28 pupils; except in the sixth form where there are more, smaller forms) sends one representative (three representatives in lower school forms) to the school council which meets twice a term on a Thursday from 13:30 to 14:30. The council discusses matters of concern to pupils, and has its own annual budget of £2000 with which it may improve the school. It is run by three sixth-formers, elected by the council, known as the core team.

The school council also has a constitution. It is designed to further improve democracy and fairness. Some key points:

  • The lower school form representatives (3 of them) must take it in turns to attend a meeting.
  • When the council votes on an idea, it must have a majority of at least ⅔ to happen.
  • The council meets twice a term on a Thursday after the end of school.

It is often criticised because it does not normally bring about any changes. Also, the recent change of meetings from after-school to during lessons, designed to make all of the representatives attend, is directly contradicting the constitution. Many also claim that the budget is also only theoretical.

[edit] Student voice

A group of students who go to special events and workshops, and have a hand in choosing new teachers. The very existence of the SV has already raised concern within the school, as it is argued that there is already a democratically elected student body, the Student Council.

[edit] Extra-curricular activities

[edit] Combined Cadet Force and Corps of Drums

The school maintains an Army contingent of the Combined Cadet Force (CCF), which is also open to students of Chelmsford County High School for Girls. The contingent's band, a Corps of Drums playing drums, flutes and bugles, wears the full dress scarlet tunics of The Essex Regiment, incorporating the purple facings which gave the Essex Regiment its nickname 'The Pompadours'. It carries the drums of the 4/5th Battalion (Territorial Army) emblazoned with the Regiment's battle honours.The corps recently performed at Moulsham Street at the lighting of the christmas lights. It was the current drum major's last show.

[edit] KEGS music

The school has a many ensembles, of which the orchestras include members from other schools, though the majority are from KEGS and Chelmsford County High School for Girls. The other ensembles are exclusive to KEGS students (and teachers!). Below is a list of the ensembles correct for September 2006:

  • Junior Orchestra
  • Senior Orchestra
  • KEGS Strings
  • Chamber Ensemble
  • Choir
  • Wind Band
  • Jazz Ensemble

[edit] The Duke of Edinburgh's Award

KEGS has a number of pupils currently preparing for The Duke of Edinburgh's Award. In order to train students in the necessary skills required for the expedition training sessions are held twice weekly. The skills required involve: first aid, campcraft and navigation.

[edit] World Challenge

Many students take part and a major portion of their time is devoted to fund raising. The customary 'Wash The Cars' day takes place in February despite the cold weather. Also Band Night is a regular World Challenge event that takes place.

[edit] Debating

Debating has been an integral part of every boy's education since the school's foundation. Today, debating enjoys a strong tradition in the 6th form, with the two main, student-run debating societies (the entertaining FDL and the more serious HPA) enjoying high turnout at their weekly debates.

Debates at KEGS follow the standard format used in many other schools and debating organisations — although in the FDL, the final summary by the chairman is usually a piece of stand-up comedy loosely based on the debate title which is often an amusing end to a debate. In HPA this is generally a serious summary of the points of contention in the debate.

[edit] The Fleur De Lys Society

Perhaps the most conspicuous of the school's many extra-curricular societies, the FDL is a sixth form body which takes on the combined roles of debating society and charity fundraising society. Even since the foundation of the HPA it is still the more important organisation and much better attended. The FDL is believed to be over 150 years old (the influential headmaster Frank Rogers started recording its debates in about 1906, although there is good evidence to suggest that the society predates Rogers' tenure). The current constitution and debate format dates from 1946, when it changed from a Simulated legislature format (based on the House of Commons) to its current format, and drew up a set of conventions for committee elections. It holds debates weekly on a variety of topical subjects, chaired by a member of the FDL committee, which is fully elected by the sixth form. While debates are often on serious topics, speakers are invited to inject a large amount of humour into their speeches. Many speeches contain a high level of political and social satire. The politician Lord Fowler and TV presenter Mike Smith honed their now famous oratorical skills debating in the FDL, along with a host of other alumni who have gone on to careers in politics, the law and journalism. There is a "Fleur de Lys announcement" every Friday in assembly (to announce that there will be a debate that lunchtime) where they combine satire and subtle humour with outright slapstick.

[edit] The FDL Dinner

The FDL Dinner is open to all sixth form students. A black tie event in February every year, it has come to be known as one of the highlights of the sixth form calendar, raising large amounts of money for worthy causes. Tickets are always in great demand due to the popularity of the event. Held at a local hotel or golf club, there is a dinner, followed by some speeches and awards given by the FDL committee, and then dancing.

[edit] FDL Week

Since 1980 the FDL has been holding its annual charity week, usually the final week of Spring Term. FDL Week involves events for the entire school, where huge sums of money are raised for chosen charities- in 2005, for the first time, the £5000 mark was broken, and this money was divided among J's Hospice, The Teenage Cancer Trust and The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Events include The Slave Auction, where sixth form students in fancy dress are sold to the lower school as slaves, the food competitions such as Baked Bean Drinking and Chubby Bunny, raw onion eating and fizzy milk, and the now notorious Transvestite Netball, which sees male 6th form pupils dress as girls to play the game.'Teacher in the stocks' is popular with junior pupils. The FDL also publishes a satirical magazine called the Rag Mag which is sold for £1, proceeds going to charity.

[edit] Kabaddi

In previous years, Kabaddi matches were played in FDL week, with spectators making a donation to watch the games. However, the school version of Kabaddi has been modified somewhat after it was brought to the school by the sons of the Raj in the mid-19th century, making it significantly more brutal than the traditional Indian version. Indeed, the World Kabaddi Federation does not recognise Chelmsfordian Kabaddi as a true form of Kabaddi at all, since that organisation requires that attacking players hold their breath in an opponent's half (Kabaddi originally means "to hold one's breath") while the rules at KEGS have no such restriction. Chelmsfordian Kabaddi is a full-contact sport with very few limitations on when and how a tackle may be made. Recently banned due to Health and Safety restrictions, it is officially frowned upon by the staff.

[edit] The Historical and Political Association

The HPA was set up as an alternative to the FDL in the 1980s when some VI formers thought that the satire in FDL speeches meant that FDL was becoming more of a comedy club than a debating society. Even though the FDL remains the pre-eminent debating society within the school, the HPA considers itself the only 'real' debating society. Like the FDL, the HPA is entirely run by a 6th form committee.

[edit] Notable alumni

[edit] Of the Chelmsford Chantry School (before the Royal Charter of 1551)

  • John Dee, noted mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, geographer, occultist, and consultant to Queen Elizabeth I; responsible for the English translation of Euclid's work.

[edit] Pre 1900

[edit] Post 1900

[edit] External links

[edit] The school's websites

[edit] Other links

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