The King's School, Chester
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| The King's School, Chester |
|
| Established | 1541 AD |
| Type | Independent co-educational primary, secondary and sixth form |
| Headmaster | Mr T J Turvey |
| Founder | King Henry VIII |
| Students | Just over 900 |
| Grades | Years 3 to 13 |
| Location | Chester, Cheshire England |
| Campus | Suburban |
| Colours | Green, blue and white |
| Website | www.kingschester.co.uk |
The King's School, Chester, a private school in Chester, England. It is one of seven schools established, or in some cases re-endowed and renamed, by King Henry VIII in 1541 during the Dissolution of the Monasteries for the education of 'poor friendless boys'.
Contents |
[edit] Summary
The King's School, Chester has about 900 pupils, from 7 to 18 years old. Once part of Chester Cathedral, the school moved to its present site on the Wrexham Road in 1960. A single sex school for much of its history, it has been fully co-educational since September 2004.
Its current headmaster is Tim Turvey, a biologist, who was appointed in 2000 having served as headmaster of Hulme Grammar School. His predecessor was Roger Wickson, a medieval historian, who presided over the school for nineteen years between 1981 and 2000 having taught at several public schools throughout southern England. Tim Turvey has recently announced his retirement at the end of the next school year - the consequence of a contractually enforced retirement age of sixty.
Notable old boys of the school include talkSPORT presenter Mike Parry and mathematician and ex-puzzle writer for New Scientist Rob Eastaway and Randolph Caldecott. Also the commander of 3 Commando Brigade Royal Marines during the 2003 invasion of Iraq, Major General James Dutton, was a pupil at the school. TV vet and BBC presenter, Steve Leonard, also attended the school.
[edit] Notable teachers past and present
- Barry Horne - Director of Football / Chemistry and Former Everton F.C. Midfielder
- Timothy Heavisides - Head of English and Acclaimed Musician/Novelist.
- Paul Shannon - Head of Modern Languages and Renowned Train Enthusiast. Author of "Railway freight operations" (Ian Allan 1999)
- Roger Wickson - Former headmaster and author of "The community of the realm in thirteenth-century England" (Longmans 1970)
- Russel Hornby- Hockey Extraordinaire and ex- England defender
[edit] Development
The school is currently going through a period of development, in which many new facilities are being built.
Completed Development
- All-weather outdoor sports pitch
- Expansion to the Art and Design Technology departments
- Four new general purpouse classrooms for the Junior School
- Two specialist classrooms for the Junior School
- New Tennis/Netball courts
- More land acquired for football pitches
- Additional toilets and changing facilities
- A new classroom for the Senior School
- New medical centre
- New music school
Future Developments
- Improved facilities for a larger Sixth Form
- Improved facilities for girls at the rowing club.
- Improved catering facilities
- Fitness Suite
- Facilities for teaching drama, which have been delayed multiple times
[edit] Sport at Kings
King's has had much success at most sports during its history. The School has produced internationals at hockey and rowing and many other sports. In football, you will read below about its success in the ISFA cup. With the introduction of girls, such sports as netball and rounders have been given a boost.
[edit] Football
King's has had much success in football over the years. With the newly built astro turf pitch and the new Director of Football (Barry Horne, former Welsh captain and F.A Cup winner) this success seems set to continue.
[edit] ISFA Cup
The school beat hot favourites Millfield School (2-1) in the 2005-2006 ISFA Cup national soccer tournament final and are currently the Boodles ISFA National Champions. Millfield took the lead early on however King's equalised 15 minutes later through Jack Minshaw. The score at half time was 1-1. Five minutes into the second half Minshaw scored again to give King's a 2-1 lead which they held onto until the final whistle.
Many officials from the professional game were involved in some capacity, including
- Referee Steve Bennett
- Linesman Matt Messias and Mike Riley
- Chief executive of The FA Brian Barwick presented the trophy
King's defeated Bolton School 2-0 in the semi-final, and Bury Grammar School 2-1 in the quarter final round. The soccer team is managed by ex-Everton and Wales star and TV-commentator Barry Horne. The final was hosted by Leicester City FC, and took place at Leicester City's ground, the Walker's Stadium, on Monday 20th March 2006.
King's began their title defence at home to Highgate School. However they lost 2-4 with Liam West and Nick Hardie scoring for King's.
[edit] The Rowing Club
The King's School's rowing club is amongst the best school boat clubs in the country with recent successes being a bronze in Championship Eights at the National Schools' Regatta 2006 and losing finalists in the Princess Elizabeth Challenge Cup at Henley Royal Regatta 2006. The school also has a good record of producing outstanding individual oarsmen including Tom James, James Ball, Chris Bartley and Jim Walker.
[edit] The coaches
King's has some of the country's best coaches. They include Neville Orme, an internationally recognised coach.
[edit] The Boat House
The beautiful King's boat house is situated next to the River Dee in the centre of Chester. It stores over 100 boats ranging from beginner to Olympic standard.
[edit] Combined Cadet Force
The King's School's CCF is a contingent within the Combined Cadet Force of the Ministry of Defence in the United Kingdom, originally formed during the First World War. It consists of the mandatory Army Section, with an additional RAF Section. Its nominal roll currently includes approximately 130 cadets.
The contingent is well-renowned as one of the best in the country, with an excellent record for both individual cadet and section achievements.
[edit] Contingent Headquarters
Contingent Commander: Sqn Ldr K L Shapland RAFVR(T)
OC Army Section: Capt A Joseph BEM
OC RAF Section: Flt Lt P Robins RAFVR(T)
Officers of the Army Section: Lt D Joseph, 2nd Lt M Lee
Officers of the RAF Section: Plt Off R Parry RAFVR(T), Plt Off G Shapland RAFVR(T)
SNCO Army Section: RSM W Wilson-Theaker
SNCO RAF Section: Sgts Pranav Khamar & Lewis Croft
[edit] Recent Achievements
The RAF section produced a valiant display at the ground training competition. The team of elite cadets came 3rd and 4th in the air recognition and command task exercises respectively. They finished an overall 10th in the region which was a good result despite the relatively inexperienced team. Sgt Pranav Khamar was awarded the highest mark in the air recogniton task. Out of the whole region.The section has also recently done AEF (air experience flying) which was a memorable occasion for all who attended.
[edit] Past Contingent Commanders
2005 - Present: Sqn Ldr K L Shapland RAFVR(T)
2004 - 2005: Maj I Kelly
1979 - 2004: Wg Cdr B Ball RAFVR(T)
[edit] Section Commanders - Army
2006 - 2007: RSM William Wilson-Theaker
2005 - 2006: RSM Clement Barber
2004 - 2005: RSM Nick Wilcox
2003 - 2004: RSM Nick Wilcox
2002 - 2003: RSM Jim Bligh
2001 - 2002: RSM Jamie Wignall
2000 - 2001: RSM Chris Whittaker
1999 - 2000: RSM Tom Storrar
[edit] Past Section Commanders - RAF
2006 - 2007 Sgts Lewis Croft & Pranav Khamar
2005 - 2006: CWO Aaron Ferguson
2004 - 2005: CWO Gareth Probert
2003 - 2004: CWO Richard Sawyer
2002 - 2003: FS Richard Sawyer
[edit] Individual Achievements
Geoffrey DeHavilland Flying Foundation Medal for Achievement - CWO Aaron Ferguson (2006), CWO Richard Sawyer (2004)
Certificate of Outstanding Service - CWO Aaron Ferguson (2006), CWO Gareth Probert (2005), CWO Richard Sawyer (2004)
International Air Cadet Exchange Placement - CWO Aaron Ferguson (Israel - 2006), CWO Richard Sawyer (UK Escort - 2004)
Army Officer Scholarships - RSM Clement Barber (2006), RSM Nick Wilcox (2005)
RAF Flying Scholarships - Flt Sgt Adam James (2005)
Royal Navy Special Flying Awards - CWO Aaron Ferguson (Powered - 2005)
[edit] Contingent Achievements
2005 - Welbeck Pentathalon Competition | Jnr Team 1st Place, Snr Team 2nd Place
2003 - Welbeck Pentathlon Competition | Snr Team 1st Place, Jnr Team 2nd Place
2002 - Welbeck Pentathlon Competition | Jnr Team 1st Place
Several wins of the 'Cheshire Cup' over several years
Numerous Gliding Sholarships, Leadership & Personal achievements have been gained.
[edit] History of the Contingent
The contingent was formed from the former ACF in 1979/1980 when an RAF section was added.
[edit] See also
- The King's School
- The King's School, Canterbury
- The King's School, Ely
- The King's School, Gloucester
- The King's School, Peterborough
- The King's School, Rochester
- The King's School, Worcester
