The Portsmouth Grammar School

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The Portsmouth Grammar School
Praemia Virtutis Honores
Established 1732
School type Independent Coeducational
Headmaster Dr. T.R. Hands
Location Portsmouth, Hampshire, UK
Website http://www.pgs.org.uk/

The Portsmouth Grammar School is a co-educational independent school located in Portsmouth, England.

Contents

[edit] History

In 1732 William Smith former Mayor of Portsmouth and Physician to its Garrison, died and left his estate to Christ Church College Oxford. This came with instructions to build a new school in Portsmouth - The Portsmouth Grammar School (PGS) was founded.

Since then it has undergone a series of changes - including slight alterations to its location, some of which were due to bombing in World War II, its conversion to co-education, and the abolition of boarding.

At the moment the Upper Junior School (Years 5-6) is situated in a Victorian building (which once contained the whole Grammar School) close to part of the University of Portsmouth. The Nursery, Lower Junior School (Reception to Year 4), Middle School and Upper School are located across the road on the High Street. The majority of that area used to be the Cambridge Barracks: a building used by the army which was ravaged by fire after bombing by the Luftwaffe.

The school colours are red, black and gold, and the school motto is Praemia Virtutis Honores. The current Headmaster is Dr. T.R. Hands.

[edit] Internal Structure

[edit] Houses

In each section of PGS there are four houses, each represented by a colour. Although these colours remain the same, the names change in each section of the School:

[edit] Junior School

  • Hudson (Blue)
  • Jerrard (Yellow)
  • Nicol (Red)
  • Privett (Green)

[edit] Middle School

  • Barton (Blue)
  • Eastwood (Yellow)
  • Hawkey (Red)
  • Summers (Green)

[edit] Upper School

  • Grant (Blue)
  • Latter (Yellow)
  • Smith (Red)
  • Whitcombe (Green)

[edit] Uniform

Any aspects of uniform not specified are the same as any generic uniform - black socks and shoes etc. The uniform remains the same throughout the school, except for what is listed.

[edit] Boys

  • Black trousers (Black shorts for those in Junior School Years R to 4 with the optional trousers for pupils in Years 5 and 6)
  • White shirt
  • Black blazer with red piping and the PGS golden lion embossed on the left-breast pocket

In the sixth form the red piping is lost from the blazer.

[edit] Girls

  • Black skirt with red stripe (Red Tartan Kilt is worn in the Junior School for Girls in Years R to 6, with a white and red striped Summer Dress in the Summer Term)
  • White blouse
  • Black blazer with red piping and the PGS golden lion embossed on the left-breast pocket

In the sixth form the girls are given more freedom, and their uniform is based around a black skirt and jacket suit.

[edit] Ties

These are black, with red diagonal stripes across them. A third stripe, alternated with the red, corresponds with the house of the pupil. In the sixth form, the optional ties of black with the PGS emblem dotted across them can be worn. Special ties for school colours can also be awarded to show outstanding achievement in the school, normally either in music or sport.

[edit] Prefects

Chosen in Year 12 by a combination of discussions between teachers and the Headmaster and a student vote, around forty-five pupils are awarded with diagonally-striped red and gold ties and silver buttons for their blazers. A few pupils have golden buttons, and these are the Deputy Senior Prefects. One select Senior Prefect is also chosen to preside over shared responsibilities.

[edit] Academic performance

The Portsmouth Grammar School is a selective independent school, only allowing those children of high academic ability, through the use of an entrance exam at the age of 11 (within the top 30% nationally in terms of ability). Hence, the school prides itself on its academic excellence, and it is known for being one of the best schools in the area, a view upheld by consistently good league table rankings. For several years an average of a 98% A-C grade pass rate has been maintained at GCSE, with several board prizes awarded at this level each year.

A-Level results are also extremely good, with many candidates achieving straight A grades. As well as public exam results, each year, individual Olympiads especially in Sciences, and Advanced Extension Awards (AEA's) are successfully undertaken.

The school has a good entry rate to top universities, including Oxbridge, especially for very competitive subjects such as Medicine, Law, Engineering and History.

The Portsmouth Grammar School has been named by The Sunday Times as one of the top-ten best value for money co-educational day schools in the country. The league table, published in the newspaper’s Money section, was based on last year’s A-level results and calculated by dividing each school’s term fee by its pupils’ average A level points score to give the cost per point. Points are awarded on a scale from 120 for an A to 40 for an E.

[edit] Discipline

Discipline within the school is mostly good, indeed the ISI inspection report of 2004 commented that in lessons, "discipline is maintained with a soft touch due to the good relations between pupils and teachers."

It is PGS's policy to deal with serious breaches of its code of conduct and school rules severely:

  • On the lowest end of the scale, lunchtime and breaktime detentions can be administered,
  • For more serious breaches, after school detentions on Thursdays can be administered,
  • Above that Headmaster's detentions are carried out on Saturday mornings.
  • For the most serious of breaches of conduct (for example theft) the headmaster has the power to suspend and expel students.

At least two pupils were asked to leave during the academic year beginning in September 2005, and several suspensions have been administered.

Mainly the Surmaster, Mr. N.F.C. Blewett, maintains discipline outside the classroom.

[edit] Extracurricular Activities

Aside from the more common extracurricular disciplines, at the school there is also CCF and several academic clubs, including a Debating Club and a Wildlife Club. For the more adventurous, there are clubs such as; "Miniatures and Modelling Club", "Astronomy society", and "Middle School Textiles Club"

[edit] Drama

GCSE and AS/A-level assessment performances are open to parents and friends, and are usually of a high standard. In terms of extracurricular drama, the scene is varied; a great deal of change has occurred within the drama department recently, with the building of a new theatre and several new ventures being undertaken. A selection of regular drama activities is listed below.

Sixth Form Shakespeare - pupil-organised production of one of the bard's comedies, performed outdoors at hilsea playing fields at the end of the summer term.

Musical - a classic west end musical, organised with the help of a director-in-residence, performed at the King's Theatre, Southsea, in early December.

House Drama Competition - an inter-house contest in which small groups perform an extract from a play or musical for judgement and ranking.

The Middle School Play - with younger members of the school (years 7 and 8); plays have varied from Shakespeare to Kes. Performed in the summer term.

The Year Six Play - undertaken by Junior School members in year six. In 2006, the play was Macbeth.

[edit] Sport

PGS has had numerous sporting successes in recent years, including the hockey team's victory in the National Finals in 2004 and their qualification for the final in 2005 (although they were unsuccessful on both occasions), and the U11 girls' Netball team's achievement in reaching the final of the IAPS National Championships for the second year running.

[edit] CCF

The School has a Combined Cadet Force open to pupils in Year 9 and above. This comprises of the Army, Royal Air Force and Royal Navy sections. CCF gives pupils the chance to learn many skills associated with military careers as well as provides excellent extracurricular experience. Cadets can learn skills of navigation, leadership, drill, outdoor survival, adventure training, flying, sailing and shooting as part of the CCF. Each section has its own residential camps based around the country throughout the year, with opportunities to shoot on ranges, sail, fly in planes and adventure training.

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[edit] Music

The music at PGS is a major reason for pupils' entry to the school, indeed in an article in the September 2006 BBC Music Magazine, the following was written about the music at PGS:

“ At Portsmouth Grammar School, the musical opportunities put those of other, better known establishments to shame. With its own composer in residence...Links with the London Mozart Players mean that scholars get the chance to perform a concerto with a professional ensemble... Commissions for the school include works by Sally Beamish, Lynne Plowman, and Sir Peter Maxwell Davies. ”

There are several ensembles that perform regularly, many conducted by the school's associate conductor, Nicolae Moldoveanu. The most active of these groups is the Chamber Choir which regularly sings with the London Mozart Players, at Salisbury cathedral, a tour (2006) to Salzburg, and at the Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall. There is also an annual tradition of the choir to sing Evensong at Christ Church College Oxford.

[edit] Action This Day

In 2004, the School authorities used its available resources (including the pupils, contributing to their learning programme) to produce a book named, Action this Day, which is a collection of poetry and literature on interviews with old Portmuthian war veterans. This book had its foreword written by the Prime Minister, Tony Blair, and has been presented to the British Library and the Royal Library at Winchester Castle.

[edit] Headmaster

The current Headmaster is Dr. T.R. Hands. Dr. Hands was educated at Kings College London and later at St. Catherine's College Oxford.

Dr. Hands is the author on many books of nineteenth Century literature, these include three acclaimed studies of Thomas Hardy. He is also the editor of an award-winning edition of Thomas Hardy's Jude the Obscure.

Dr. Hands was formally the Co-leader of the London Schools Symphony Orchestra and conductor of the Schola Cantorum of Oxford.

He is currently a member of the HMC/GSA Universities Committee.

In the Autumn term of 2006, it was announced that Dr. Hands will leave to become the Master (Headmaster) of Magdalen College School, Oxford at the end of the Autumn term 2007.

The Govenors recently announced that the next Headmaster will be Mr. J. Priory, the current head of the Sixth Form and assistant head. He will assume the post following Dr Hands' departure in January 2008.

[edit] Other Events

Recently the school hosted an evening with the Poet Laureate Andrew Motion and sculptress Jilly Sutton in which she talked on the sculpture that she recently created of the poet and a bronze cast of which now resides in the school library. Mr. Motion then read some extracts from some books which are in production.

Previously, Mr. Motion had visited the school as part of a "Poetry Workshop" whereby students attending PGS and St. Luke's School (a school near to PGS) would come together in the newly-refurbished Memorial Library.

[edit] Alumni

Alumni are known as Old Portmuthians and may join The Old Portmuthian Club, founded in 1885.

[edit] Notable alumni

[edit] External links

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