Dean Close School
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| Dean Close School | |
| Established | 1886 |
| Type | independent |
| Headmaster | Tim Hastie-Smith |
| Location | Cheltenham Gloucestershire  England |
| Website | www.deanclose.co.uk |
Dean Close School is a co-educational independent school in Cheltenham, England. The school is divided into pre-prep, preparatory and senior schools located on separate but adjacent sites outside Cheltenham town centre, occupying the largest private land area in the town. Students may be enrolled as young as 3 in the pre-preparatory school, and continue through to 18 at the senior school. The school adheres to National Curriculum guidelines, while retaining independent status as a selective, fee-paying institution. Dean Close is a public school, and a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference.
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[edit] History
The school, originally "The Dean Close Memorial School", was founded in 1886 in memory of local former Rector of Cheltenham and Dean of Carlisle, Reverend Francis Close (1797-1882). Famous alumni include the poet James Elroy Flecker, whose father was the school's first headmaster (the old Flecker Hall was named after him), Brian Jones of The Rolling Stones and the artist Francis Bacon, who loathed the school so much that he ran away.
In the First World War the school suffered the loss of more than 120 boys; their names, along with the names of boys killed during the Second World War are recorded in the memorial chapel, which was consecrated in 1923. The First World War deaths are recorded on the north wall behind the altar, and those from the Second World War on the south wall. The school buildings were requisitioned by the Home Office during the Second World War, and the staff and pupils were relocated to nearby Monkton Combe School. Ultimately, the buildings were not required by the government, and it was handed back in 1940. In December of the same year, the school was hit by five bombs during air raids. Two of the bombs caused substantial damage to the junior school, and shrapnel damage can be observed on what is now the Careers building.
In 1967, the first girl was admitted for tutorials, and by 1969 the school had started encouraging female applicants to study full-time. Enrolment increased over the next thirty-five years to create a balanced co-educational environment, with equal numbers of boys and girls in boarding and day houses.
The current headmaster is Revd Timothy Hastie-Smith, who took up the post in 1998. He was elected Chairman of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference for the academic year 2008/09.
The Jilly Cooper book 'Wicked!' was based on the school. It is also home to the 600-seat Bacon theatre, which plays host to a number of touring productions, the outdoor Tuckwell theatre and the Bonbernard art gallery, which has exhibited collections of work by artists such as Picasso and David Hockney.
[edit] Academic Achievement
Dean Close's record has continued to improve in recent years. A-Level results in 2007 saw the school achieve a 100% pass rate with 81% of exams graded A-B. These results have put Dean Close in the top 100 schools in the country as ranked by UCAS points per candidate. A majority of pupils attend Russell Group universities, with almost 1 in 6 achieving places at Oxbridge in recent years.
[edit] Houses
There are eight houses:
- Tower - Boys' Boarding
- Gate - Boys' Boarding
- Brook Court - Boys' Boarding
- Field - Boys' Day
- Dale - Boys' Day
- Shelburne - Girls' Boarding
- Fawley - Girls' Boarding
- Mead - Girls' Day
[edit] Notable Old Decanians
- James Elroy Flecker, poet.
- Francis Bacon, artist.
- George Adamson, environmentalist.
- Brian Jones, musician, guitarist and founding member of The Rolling Stones.
- Hugh Quarshie, actor.
- Richard St. Barbe Baker, environmentalist, forester and writer.
- Ben Marsden, hockey player for England.
- Francis Berry, poet and critic.
- G. Wilson Knight, literary critic and academic.
- Richard Hill, international rugby player.
- Verrier Elwin, missionary.
- Denis Burkitt, surgeon.
- Samer Majali, businessman.
- Mpumelelo Mbangwa, cricketer and commentator
- Andrew Goudie, geographer and Master of St Cross College, Oxford.
- William Alfred Dimoline, general
- Robert Moreland, consultant and politician
- Geoffrey Page, fighter pilot and war hero
- Robert John Weston Evans, Regius Professor of Modern History at the University of Oxford
- Bernie Ribeiro, president of Royal College of Surgeons
- John Metcalf, composer
- Gordon H Luce, scholar and member of the Cambridge Apostles
- Christopher Townsend, singer, song writer.
- Manon Vieuwmier, Swiss entertainer.
[edit] Sources
[edit] External links
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