Harvey Grammar School
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The Harvey Grammar School is locatedin Folkestone, Kent, England. It is a selective school for boys and has around 960 pupils on its roll in 2006-7. It has been established in the town since 1674, having been started as a small one classroom, one master establishment after the death the famous William Harvey, who left money for the setting up of such a school. His nephew Sir Eliab Harvey founded a of the same name, acting as executor of his uncle's will.
It educates boys from the age of 11-19. Academic standards are high, and many of the boys achieve good GCSE grades, however this is something in which there is scope for improvement. The majority go onto the Sixth Form which is well led by Scott Norman and Simon Goodfellow, and which was highly praised by OFSTED in an inspection in 2006. OFSTED also praised the school for the pastoral care of its students which includes continual revision of targets and parent information evenings for GCSE options, Sixth Form study and parent evenings. The flexibility offered by the school, especially at A Level where it works very closely with the Folkestone School for Girls to provide an extensive range of subjects, makes it a popular choice in the area. The partnership with FSG is flourishing and destined to expand. The Harvey achieved record A Level results in 2006, with a 100% pass rate.
Although the School is officially known as the Harvey Grammar School for Boys, it is called 'The Harvey' by many locals or abbreviated to HGS, as it's partner school the Folkestone School for Girls is known as 'The Girls School' or FSG.
Michael Howard, the local MP and former Leader of the Conservative Party, described the Harvey as "a jewel in Folkestone's crown" at a school prizegiving, whilst the Good State Schools Guide refers to the Harvey as "a potent mix of friendliness and formality, of tradition and innovation".
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[edit] Leadership and structure
Keith Rivers is Headmaster of the school. He took over from John Edwards who served the school from 1986-2002.
The Headmaster is supported by the Executive Group who run the school on a daily basis, this is headed by Mr Rivers, his two Deputy Heads, Mr Phil Harding (Student Development & PR Officer), Mr Bill Wright (School Development) and Mrs Pamela Garrard who is the Director of Community, Development and Personnel. The latter three members of staff have been at the Harvey since 1979, 1981 and 1986 respectively.
However, the Leadership Group is in control of leading the school academically, there to improve and sustain current levels of attainment. This includes the above members of the Executive Group but also Mr Martin Hydes(Assistant Head responsible for Teaching and Learning/Teacher Development), Mr Richard Swan (Assistant Head responsible for 10-14 Education) and Mr Simon Goodfellow (Assistant Head responsible for 14-19 Education).
There are Student Development Leaders responsible for each year group and a Director of Post 16 Education, currently Mr Scott Norman (alumni). Each year is split into forms of around 25 or sometimes less which are headed by a Form Tutor.
Each academic department has a Head or Director and staff below who report directly to this manager and ultimately the Headmaster.
The Sixth Form are given responsibility as prefects, coordinated by the most Senior Prefects and an elected Head Boy. Past Head Boys include David Jed (2004-5), William Dennis (2005-6) and currently Robert Bewick (2006-7)
[edit] The school
The main school site is situated in the Folkestone suburb of Cheriton. It has been here since 1912-3 when the main building was constructed. In 1989, school buildings in the town centre next to the Folkestone Library were closed on completion of a new Science & Technology Block on the main site. A Sports Hall was added in 1997 and in 2001 a further building was added with facilities for ICT, Art, Business Studies and Biology - this was named the John Edwards Centre in 2002, in honour of the school's headmaster from 1986 to 2002. The school also boasts an adjacent sports field with cricket pavilion named after former pupil Les Ames (Kent and England wicketkeeper-batsman), and also benefits from the close proximity of council-owned sports facilities, including a floodlit astroturf pitch.
The Harvey's badge is worn by all boys ages 11-16 on their school uniform. The uniform consists of a black blazer, trousers and shoes, a white shirt and black and red tie (red stripes). The Sixth Form wear a different, less strict but still formal suit of their choice, with a different tie which is plain black with the school badge insignia emblem. Once they have reached the Sixth Form this can rise to have a single red strip across the diagonal to denote prefect status.
Since then the school has grown to what it is today with major facilities across what is a relatively small site.
In 2005, the Harvey was awarded specialist status in Sport with Mathematics. Even before the Sports College status, the Harvey had an excellent record in sport across the county of Kent and wider. It has reached more county football and cricket finals than any other school in Kent, a proud tradition largely established by long-standing Head of PE Alan Philpott (1957-92) (alumni). The school itself has a structure which encourages competition at all levels (not only sport), the House system, like that at any school is even more central at the Harvey. Forms in each year group are given the initial of their house; therefore each year has five forms to match the five houses.
A House Music and Technology competition are examples of two of the non-sport inter-house activities which the Harvey have introduced in recent years to benefit boys who are not wholly interested in Sport.
| House Name | Form Initial (Eg) |
|---|---|
| Cheriton House | C (7C, 8C...etc) |
| Folkestone House | F (7F, 8F...etc) |
| Hythe House | H (7H, 8H...etc) |
| Kent House | K (7K, 8K...etc) |
| School House | S (7S, 8S...etc) |
There have been examples whereby additional forms have been created to split larger year groups up between 6 forms, or if in take in a particular year has been higher than usual. This occurred in the 2002 intake when a V or Mixed form was created.
[edit] Specialist status
It was announced in early July 2005 that the school had achieved the status of a Specialist Sports College with Mathematics. In September 2005 it officially became a Sports College and within the next few years in connection with the Specialist school project this will bring around £500,000 capital investment. New staff have already (Jan 2007) arrived in the Sports department but also new technology (interactive whiteboards in every classroom) and other opportunities have greatly enhanced the education available to students.
As part of the bid, the school hopes to build above the Sports Hall and create a Dance/Gym area as well as classrooms for Sport. The main building houses a dedicated classroom for Sport Studies (previously the Sixth Form Common Room). Mathematics is now housed in the previously named Language Block - this is a temporary structure with well-appointed classrooms but is in need of replacement.
[edit] Outside the school: achievements and recognition
The Harvey promotes charity very strongly and has to date (2006) raised around £110,000 for charity through an Annual Sponsored Walk around the surrounding coastline and/or countryside. Each year around 900 people set out along a marshalled route with sponsored cards to help raise money for charity. In 2006 the Harvey raised over £10,000 for the William Harvey Hospital in Ashford, Kent. The money raised varies from year to year but the highest to date was £15,000 with one pupil James Webb (year 10)raising over £300!
Tag Days (non-uniform days) also raise money for charity such as Comic Relief and Marie Curie Cancer Care.
[edit] From a pupil's perspective
The school offers all a pupil could wish for: tradition, stability, friendly staff and pupils who are very approachable, and a wide range of extra-curricular activities, especially in sport. However, like many schools, the undercurrent of behaviour has its challenges for teaching staff and the most committed students. Despite this great strides are made to ensure those who are disruptive are isolated but on such a small, landlocked site this is a challenge.
There is also an extensive range of trips: to the United States for football, to Barbados for cricket, and Barcelona for hockey and basketball. In the past twenty years, over 1200 students have taken part in the school's annual ski trip. Curriculum-related trips to France, Germany and Italy form an integral part of the school's Languages programme, whilst History trips to the Somme are annual events. There is also a highly-popular Activities Week and excellent opportunities for Work Experience. The school has a flourishing Duke of Edinburgh's Award programme, highly-successful Young Enterprise groups in the sixth form, and an award-winning Debating Group. Music is achieving a much higher profile under the guidance of a new and dynamic Curriculum Leader and a jazz band, The Red Herrings, the brainchild of four Harvey students (Chris Pilgrim, Danny Brookwell, Ed Watkinson and Fred Smith) as well as a member of the Folkestone school for girls (Primrose Briggs) recently staged a charity evening in aid of the Marie Curie Cancer Care Organisation in the school hall, raising £1800 for the charity. They are in popular demand for concerts locally.
The government's programme Building Schools for the Future (BSF) should allow the Harvey to further improve its facilities. However, the new Harvey's Diner (opened in 2005) is a great improvement on the old facility, and offers a wide range of healty-food options under the leadership of a new Catering Manager. The old canteen has been concerted into a Common Room for the Sixth Form, an additional Art Room (with a kiln for pottery), and a CDT workshop.
[edit] Other notes of interest
Former staff members Mr David Philips (ICT & Business Studies) and Mr Adam Kirkton (Art) worked tirelessly to build a resource lead website which helped and encourages those taking ICT at GCSE level. These two former members of staff left to further their careers but this website is something which lives on and has gone from strength to strength.
Mr Stuart McCarthy was the stalwart of the Harvey's history department, he left in September 2006 after over thirty years at the Harvey, but remains in the staff room to this day in the form of a life sized effigy. What a legend.
[edit] Former pupils
Les Ames, Kent and England wicket-keeper-batsman (described by Australian legend Sir Don Bradman as the greatest wicketkeeper-batsman of all time)
Andrew Brownsword, former greeting card magnate and currently owner of Bath Rugby Club, worth £195m (163 Times Rich List 2003). Recently purchased a famous cricket painting from Kent County Cricket Club for £625,000.
Lord Imbert of New Romney, formerly Peter Imbert, Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police. Famous for his role in bringing the Balcombe Street siege to a conclusion.
== The school's secret war contribution at Station X == 
Three former staff and a pupil at the Harvey worked at the now famous but until recently secret code breaking centre at Bletchley Park near Milton Keynes. Their unique roles are honoured on a plaque in the school hall. The school's Headmaster Oliver Berthoud (1952-7) was there, as was the school's long-serving secretary Miss Audrey Wind. Although they worked closely in the school it was not until a discussion one day in Mr Berthoud's office that he managed to get Miss Wind to admit to her involvement and they spoke at length about their time there.
On a visit to the school in late 2006 Miss Wind commented that no one was allowed to talk about their involvement. They were sworn to secrecy and it was amazing that four Harveians had worked for Ultra during the war. She is the sole survivor of the four but now in her eighties still gives talks on the topic at functions and at the school to boys studying the period.
