Royal Grammar School, Guildford

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RGS Guildford
Founded: 1509
Motto: 'Dieu et mon droit'
Headmaster: Dr. John Cox
Pupils: 894

Contents

[edit] History

The Royal Grammar School is an independent public school in Guildford, Surrey, United Kingdom. It is situated in the High Street in Guildford, Surrey

The school was originally built in 1509 after Robert Beckingham left an order in his will for a free school to be established in Guildford. In 1512, Beckingham's executors gave the lands in the will to a body of trustees, who included the Mayor of Guildford. With the rents, they were able to make a free grammar school.

Later on, the Mayor of Guildford petitioned Edward VI to grant him further money to improve the school. In 1552, Edward VI ordered that there was to be 'one Grammar School in Guildford called the Free Grammar School of King Edward VI for the education, institution and instruction of boys and youths in grammar at all future times forever to endure'. RGS Guildford is the 19th oldest independent school in the UK. It was founded in the same year as St.Paul's.

In the 1990s the school regularly placed in the top 10 secondary schools in the country in the league tables of GCSE and A-level results, but by 2004 this has slipped to being merely top 40 [1]. This it not to indicate that the school's actual performance has declined - on the contrary statistics show that RGS exam results have actually improved year on year [2] - but rather that its relative performance has improved as national GCSE and A-Level results have improved faster than RGS's own rate of improvement. The RGS itself still only offers the traditional A-levels and has not succumbed to the need to include what are regarded as weaker A-levels in order to improve its league table standing.(See also: grade inflation)

[edit] Timeline

  • 1509 Robert Beckingham's Will leaves money for setting up of the school.
  • 1512 Foundation of the governing body of school.
  • 1552 The granting of the charter.
  • 1555 Purchase of the high street site.
  • 1557 Construction of the school began.
  • 1586 Building of the old school completed.
  • 1888 Restoration of the Old Building and its continuation as a day school only.
  • 1944 Education Act under which the school adopted Voluntary Controlled status; tuition was free; and entry was to be by common entrance examination at the age of eleven.
  • 1958 The construction of the New Building started on Allen House Field.
  • 1977 The school withdrew from the government maintained system and became independent and fee-paying.
  • 1978 Acquisition of Lanesborough Preparatory School
  • 2002 Construction begins on a brand new £3 million pound Sports Centre and All Weather Training Area. It is opened a year later by Princess Alexandra. The old gymnasium was converted into an auditorium, and reopened in 2005.
  • 2005 Construction begins on a new Art Block, containing state of the art facilities including a sculpture studio, library and media centre, to be opened 2006.
  • 2006 Construction completed on the new art block, opened early 2006. 2006 also will see the retirement of the current headmaster Mr T M S Young.

The next phase in redevelopment is the total renovation of the Music facilites and the construction of a new Sixth Form Centre.

[edit] House System

There are six houses at the RGS. These being:

  • Austen (yellow)
  • Beckingham (red)
  • Hamonde (dark blue)
  • Nettles (light blue)
  • Powell (maroon)
  • Valpy (white)

Their house colours are also shown.

These six houses are named after various benefactors of the school.

Each pupil is assigned to one of the six houses upon joining the school, and a pupil's house can be indicated to others by a range of optional colour-related clothing: in normal dress via a striped tie in house colours as an optional alternative to the standard school tie; and in sports dress by means of rugby and football shirts in house colours.

At the end of the school year, the points from all the events done during the school year are added up and the house which has the most points wins the Cock-House Cup. In the year ending July 2006, Powell won the cup for the second year running.

Since house assignations are arbitrary and non-dormitory related (as is the case in most public schools and in university house and collegiate systems), the houses lack any real sense of rivalry.

[edit] Notable Past Pupils

[edit] Religion

[edit] Military

  • Sir Thomas Byam Martin - Admiral of the Fleet
  • Lord Mark Kerr - Vice-Admiral
  • Sir John Alison - Air Chief Marshal
  • Sir William Thomas Furse - General
  • Algernon G. Durand - Lieut.-Colonel

[edit] Politics

[edit] Sciences

[edit] Sport

  • Bob Willis - England Cricket Captain
  • Miles Betts - England Rugby Football International
  • A.E. Knight - Captain of England Association Football Team
  • K. Lintott - England Association Football International
  • Martin Tyler - Sky Sports Football commentator
  • Simon Lazenby - Sky Sports Rugby Pundit

[edit] Administration

  • D.W. Stable - Director of the Prudential Assurance Company
  • W.B. Chode - Chairman of the Railway Commission

[edit] Arts

[edit] External links

[edit] References

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