King Edward's School, Bath
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| King Edward's School, Bath | |
| Motto | Dieu et mon droit (God and my right) |
| Established | 1552 |
| Religious affiliation | Church of England |
| Headmaster | Crispin Rowe |
| Chairman of the Governors | A Greening |
| Founder | King Edward VI |
| Location | Bath Somerset England  |
| Staff | 70-90 |
| Students | 700 |
| Gender | Co-educational |
| Ages | 3 to 18 |
| School colours | Maroon and navy blue |
| Former pupils | Old Edwardians |
| Website | www.kesbath.com |
King Edward's School (KES), Bath in South-West England is a Public School providing education for pupils aged 3 - 18. It regularly tops the tables of Bath schools for A level and GCSE examination results.[citation needed] It was founded in 1552 and thus is the oldest school in the city of Bath.
The secondary school relocated from its central Bath Broad Street site in the 1960s to a 14 acre site at North Road in the Southeastern edge of the city. The junior school (7-11 year olds) remained on the Broad Street site until the summer of 1990 when it transferred to a new building in the North Road school grounds. In 2005, plans were drawn up to move the 'pre-preparatory' school, currently located elsewhere in Bath, on to the North Road site by 2009. These plans have more recently been shelved due to ongoing disputes with the local planning authorities over road access to the site.
The old Broad Street site was sold by the school when it moved but has remained empty since and today the 1754-built Grade II Listed building tops the list of buildings at risk in Bath.
The school has playing fields in Bathampton which are used mainly for playing rugby. Former England Rugby Coach Andy Robinson used to teach Rugby, Physical Education and Mathematics at the school whilst he was playing (amateur rugby) for Bath Rugby Club.
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[edit] Departments
The senior school has invested in a new building which is under construction and will accomodate many departments including Science, Geography, Modern Languages and ICT. A name has yet to be decided but in common with many buildings former staff like the loyal and long serving Lang Jones and the soon to depart Headmaster Crispin Rowe are favourites.
The Information Technology infrastructure is showing significant signs of recent enhancement including the purchase of quality software from adobe and microsoft.
The drama department has produced several notable alumni, such as Andy Steggall, who has made a name for himself recently directing Jeremy Irons in A Soldier's Tale, by Stravinsky. The department, led by Sue Curtis, puts on a school play every year, most recently a jazz opera entitled Revenge, adapted from a Jacobean play called The Revenger's Tragedy by Curtis, with music written by pianist Jools Scott. The school's most notable production was Dracula: A Rock Opera, which was written entirely by Curtis and John Tilley, a 14 year old pupil at the time. It went on to tour Transylvania, and a documentary was filmed for television.
The music department has recently made considerable advances under the direction of Mr. Rob Hughes and Mr. Rupert Drury, recent achievements include becoming the overall winner for orchestral music in the Mid Somerset Festival and the featuring of the school choir on Blue Peter. Notable musical alumni include John Tilley who has gone on to play in the band Kubb.
The school also has a Combined Cadet Force (CCF), formerly affiliated with the Light Infantry is now affiliated to the King's Royal Hussars (Royal Armoured Corps) which comes under the command of 43 Wessex Brigade.
Pupils from Beechen Cliff school have also joined the school's CCF so that Beechen Cliff can start their own CCF.
[edit] Headmaster
Crispin Rowe has recently announced his resignation as headmaster of the school, moving to St Paul’s School, São Paulo, Brazil in August 2008. He will be replaced by Martin Boden in September 2008. Mr Rowe has had a long and distinguished career at King Edward’s, arriving in 1992 as Deputy Head, and becoming Headmaster in the summer term of 2004. His appointment as Headmaster of St. Paul’s, one of the top schools in Brazil, is an exciting opportunity for Mr Rowe to experience education in an international environment. Mr Rowe will continue as Headmaster of King Edward’s until the end of the Summer Term 2008. Current chairman of the governors, Andrew Greening, says the following on the Kesbath website [1]:
Mr Rowe has had a distinguished career at King Edward’s and like many staff that find great positions as a result of their experiences at our School, this is a significant appointment and one that deserves our congratulations. This is also a significant opportunity for King Edward’s, which is poised for launching into one of the most progressive phases of its development since the 80’s. We anticipate announcing the appointment of a new Head by Christmas, with the successful candidate taking up post from September 2008.
—Andrew Greening, Chairman of the Governors
[edit] Notable alumni
- Bill Bailey
- Thomas de Quincey
- Adrian Flook
- Simon Kitson
- Sir William Edward Parry
- Sir Ian Prosser
- Tom Payne
[edit] Further reading
- The Luncheon Club
