Chislehurst and Sidcup Grammar School
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| Chislehurst and Sidcup Grammar School | |
| Location | |
|---|---|
| Hurst Road Sidcup, Kent, England |
|
| Information | |
| Head teacher | Dr. Joe Vitagliano |
| LEA | Bexley |
| Gender | Coeducational |
| Age | 11 to 18 |
| Type | Grammar school |
| Motto | abeunt studia in mores |
| Established | 1931 |
| Homepage | http://www.csgrammar.com/ |
Chislehurst and Sidcup Grammar School (colloquially referred to in the local area as Chis 'n' Sid) is a mixed gender grammar school located in Hurst Road, Sidcup in the London Borough of Bexley, United Kingdom. The school is well known in the local area for its distinctive purple blazers and reputation for high standards of education. In the 1960s - when it was boys only - the school was ranked second in the country behind Manchester Grammar. The current headteacher is Dr. Joe Vitagliano, who took up the position in 2004. The school motto is 'Abeunt studia in mores' - Latin for "Through study character grows" - while the unofficial motto is 'Helping the learners of today become the leaders of tomorrow'. Each year group is split into houses named after the founders of the school - Davies, Edlmann, Lester, Staff, Townshend and Williams (usually abbreviated as D, E, L, S, T and W). A self-published book entitled Past Purple was written about the history of the school by former teacher Charles Wells.
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[edit] Notable Departments
- Chislehurst and Sidcup Grammar School has a large and successful PE Department with a long rugby heritage and joint sports specialism with Hurstmere Comprehensive School. The school Cricket and Netball team is currently raising money to undertake a tour to Saint Lucia.
- The Classics Department is also very successful with a significant number of pupils taking Latin and Classical Civilisation for GCSE and A-Level. Greek is also offered to a very small number of pupils at GCSE level. This all-female department is the best in the school, offering trips to Bath, Pompeii and Fishbourne Roman Palace
- The Modern Foreign Language department offers French, German and Italian at A-Level and offers trips to Berlin, Nice, Belgium, the Loire Valley and Normandy. Students in Year 12 can do a MFL Leader Award course.
- The Music Department is well-known in the area as one of the top in the S.E. London Area with several students consistently being admitted to study at the top Conservatories across the U.K. The Senior Choir is well-known across the country as being one of the top at the Secondary school level while also gaining international acclaim in recent International Competitions. They have also had several works commissioned for them by American Composer James Sclater. The Rock Groups have also gained attention in the U.K. by becoming the first groups at the school to make four consecutive National Finals. They have also been featured on the station XFM twice during the XFM Rock School competition. The Music Technology area received the 2005 award for highest grades amongst selective secondary schools in AS Music Technology. The Music Technology Lab was recently renovated with 16 custom built machines and a dedicated music server. The Music Department takes several national and international trips per year.
[edit] Recent Successes
The school has an excellent reputation. Standards have improved significantly over the last three years (as verified by government data) and continues to seek further improvements. From 2009 the school intends starting delivery of the International Baccalaureate and its high ability intake will be well suited to its greater demands. Students have made a major contribution to the school's improvements and involve themselves in many aspects of school life (from the popular charity committee to all kinds of leadership activities). Staff members work hard and have good working relationships with staudents. The school is well led and its financial position is very sound. Uniform has been improved in recent years and parents take a large part in the life of the school.
[edit] Recent Criticisms
While the school attains a popular image within the local community, it is felt by many that standards are slipping. Both students and staff have noted the decline in student morale and standards under the 'new' senior leadership team. A number of more senior experienced staff have made way for newly qualified teachers which lack the skills of their predecessors. While this maybe seen as a national problem, many are keen to attribute this to the incumbent headteacher, Dr. Joe Vitagliano. The most notable changes have occurred since the James Rouncefield era, who left for a more senior post at the Bexley Education Authority. 'Jim' as he was affectionately known spent a significant quantity of his personal free time improving the school, before his promotion. The new headteacher, it would seem, has installed a new, younger leadership team more focussed on cosmetics such as uniform rather than true educational standards, embarking on a cost-cutting exercise, 'papering' over the cracks with an image not truly representative of the truth.
[edit] Notable students and staff
- Quentin Blake, illustrator, attended Chislehurst and Sidcup Grammar School and opened up the Quentin Blake Building, the new Art and Technology block in 2007.
- Peter Birks, Regius Professor of Civil Law at Oxford until his death in 2004, was a pupil from 1957-61.
- Eva Jackson (1902-2002), Head of Classics until 1966, died one month short of her 100th birthday.
- British writer and columnist Will Hutton attended Chislehurst & Sidcup Grammar School.
- George Anthony Vignaux, Emeritus Professor, Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand. Pupil -1953
- Morris Gleitzman, writer of popular stories for young people, attended the school from 1964 till his family emigrated to Australia in 1969
- Brad Smith, philosopher extaordinair, later went on to a career in policing, eventually to become head of the Metropolitan Police.
[edit] Notable events
- On 4th May 1971, four home-made bombs were found in the woods adjoining the school. The authorities thought these belonged to the Angry Brigade [1][citation needed] although they were likely the work of the same students who devised improvised bombs as an experiment on a school trip to Norway in 1970.
- In 1973 the compulsory wearing of the school cap was abolished and nobody has worn one at the school since.
- In January 1983 the school featured on the front pages of all the national tabloids. Excessive drinking at the 1982 Sixth Form Christmas Party resulted in the suspension of the majority of the sixth form for one day. The story was reported by all national newspapers. The Sun nicknamed the school "Sozzlehurst and Hiccup".
- Matthew Rowland, a student at the school created a memorial site for the Head of Sport when he sadly passed way. Get Off The West Field received large numbers of hits and hundreds left messages for Mr Horrobins family.
