Tadcaster Grammar School

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The Tadcaster Grammar School crest.

Tadcaster Grammar School is a secondary school near Tadcaster, North Yorkshire. Despite the name, it is a comprehensive school, not a grammar school. It schools children aged 11–18, having an excellent sixth form. Since 1998, the headmaster has been Geoff Mitchell. It has recently been awarded "Business and Enterprise College" status. Students of the school call it "Tad Grammar".

[edit] History

It was founded in 1557 by Owen Oglethorpe, Bishop of Carlisle as a boys school in Tadcaster. It merged with the Dawson's Girls' School at the beginning of the 20th century. Although originating as a grammar school, in 1945 it became one of the first comprehensive schools in the country. Despite the change, the name of the school remained the same.

In 1960 it moved to the site of Toulston Lodge, just outside of Tadcaster. Although Toulston Lodge has now been converted into classrooms, as opposed to living quarters (once belonging to Oliver Cromwell), the original fireplace is still in place, as is the skylight and the wooden elephants that surround it.

Since 2000, the school has seen many new buildings added including a new science block, library, new portacabins for English studies and an extension to the Design Technology block. In addition, a new sixth-form block was constructed which also houses RE classrooms, and there is a new entrance area with two business classrooms.

During Summer 2006, a new entrance was built with automatic doors, a new disabled ramp was built for access to the science block and a new path was built along the school car park to the pottery shed.