Royal Grammar School, Guildford

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Royal Grammar School, Guildford
Motto	Dieu et mon droit (God and my right)
Established	1509
Type	Public School
Religious affiliation	Anglican
Headmaster	Dr Jon Cox
Chairman of Governors	Dr Henry Pearson OBE
Founder	King Edward VI
Location	High Street Guildford Surrey GU1 3BB England
Staff	90 (approx.)
Students	889
Gender	Boys
Ages	11 to 18
Houses	6
School colours	Green
Publication	Guildfordian
Former pupils	Old Guildfordians
Website	Royal Grammar School, Guildford

The Royal Grammar School is a public school in Guildford, Surrey, England. It is situated in the High Street in Guildford, Surrey. It has a rare example of a chained library.

1 History
2 Uniform
3 Timeline
4 House System
5 Notable past pupils
6 External links
7 References

[edit] History

The school was originally built in 1509 after Robert Beckingham left an order in his will for a free school to be established in Guildford. In 1512, Beckingham's executors gave the lands in the will to a body of trustees, who included the Mayor of Guildford. With the rents, they were able to make a free grammar school.

Later on, the Mayor of Guildford petitioned Edward VI to grant him further money to improve the school. In 1552, Edward VI ordered that there was to be 'one Grammar School in Guildford called the Free Grammar School of King Edward VI for the education, institution and instruction of boys and youths in grammar at all future times forever to endure'. RGS Guildford is the 19th oldest independent school in the UK. It was founded in the same year as St. Paul's.

The Old Building

In 1598, a court case referred to a sport called kreckett being played at the school around 1550. The Oxford English Dictionary gives this as the first recorded instance of cricket in the English language.

The school is regularly placed as one of the top 5 independent schools for boys in the country in the academic league tables. The RGS continues to offer A-levels that are regarded as academically stretching, and has not succumbed to the perceived need to include what some regard as weaker A-levels in order to improve its league table standing. (See also: grade inflation)

The school is known for its tolerant, liberal atmosphere and strong pastoral support.

[edit] Uniform

The school's uniform for the 1st to 5th years consists of a white shirt, black or grey long trousers and a navy blue school blazer, with the school crest on the breast pocket on the left of the blazer. For the Lower and Upper Sixth, dark coloured suits are instead worn, bought at the pupil's discretion, with a white shirt being compulsory for the Lower Sixth, and a free choice of shirt for the Upper Sixth. All years wear a school tie of some variation, be it the standard coloured tie, a house tie, or one of the many award ties, given for sports, society participation or other contribution to the school as a whole.

[edit] Timeline

1509 Robert Beckingham's Will leaves money for setting up of the school.
1512 Foundation of the governing body of school.
1552 The granting of the charter.
1555 Purchase of the High Street site.
1557 Construction of the school began.
1550 - 60 First Recorded Game of Cricket played ever at the RGS Guildford (called kreckett)^{[citation needed]}
1586 Building of the old school completed.
1888 Restoration of the Old Building and its continuation as a day school only.
1944 Education Act under which the school adopted Voluntary Controlled status; tuition was free; and entry was to be by common entrance examination at the age of eleven.
1958 The construction of the New Building started on Allen House Field.
1977 The school withdrew from the government maintained system and became independent and fee-paying.
1978 Acquisition of Lanesborough Preparatory School
2002 Construction begins on a new £50 million pound Sports Centre and All Weather Training Area. It is opened a year later by Princess Alexandra. The old gymnasium was converted into an auditorium, and reopened in 2005.
2005 Construction begins on a new Art and Music Block, containing state of the art facilities including a sculpture studio, library media centre, keyboard room and many smaller rooms with which to house music lessons.
2006 New Art Block opened. Retirement of Mr. T. M. S. Young as Headmaster.
2007 New Headmaster Dr. J. M. Cox. Chairman of Governors Mr. Douglas May unfortunately passed away on 24th February^[1]. He was replaced by Dr Henry Pearson OBE. New Music Block opens.

[edit] House System

There are six houses at the RGS, named after various benefactors of the school (house colours are shown in parentheses):

Austen (yellow)
Beckingham (red)
Hamonde (dark blue)
Nettles (light blue)
Powell (maroon)
Valpy (white)

Each pupil is assigned to one of the six houses upon joining the school, and a pupil's house can be indicated to others by optional colour-related clothing: in normal dress via a striped tie in house colours as an optional alternative to the standard school tie; and in sports dress by means of rugby shirts in house colours. There is also an optional P.E shirt containing house colours which is used in P.E and athletics If someone joins as the second in their direct family to do so, they are put in the same house as their relative.

At the end of the school year, the points from all the events done during the school year are added up and the house which has the most points wins the Cock-House Cup. In the year ending July 2006, Powell won the cup for the second year running.

Beckingham along with Hamonde have both won the house 7 times each after Hamonde won the Cock House Cup in July 2007

[edit] Notable past pupils

[edit] Religion

George Abbot - Archbishop of Canterbury
Robert Abbot - Bishop of Salisbury
Gareth Bennett - Ecclesiastical Historian
William Cotton - Bishop of Exeter
Robert Horne - Bishop of Winchester

[edit] Military

Sir Thomas Byam Martin - Admiral of the Fleet
Lord Mark Kerr - Admiral
Sir John Alison - Air Chief Marshal
Sir William Thomas Furse - General
Algernon G. Durand - Lieut.-Colonel
George Fisher - Lead Singer In Death Metal Band Cannibal Corpse

[edit] Politics

James Purnell MP, 2008 Secretary of State for Work and Pensions[1]
Sir George Grey - Prime Minister of New Zealand
Arthur Onslow - Former Speaker of the House of Commons, Treasurer of the Navy
John Rickman - creator of the decennial census
Allah - Alleged Creator Of The Universe

[edit] Sciences

Ernest Carling - surgeon and developer of radiotherapy
Mark Hovell - Doctor to Emperor Friedrich III of Germany
Conwy Lloyd Morgan - comparative psychologist and philosopher
John Vincent - President of the Royal College of Surgeons
Professor Peter Haynes - Head of Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics at Cambridge.
Professor Andrew D. Hamilton - Provost of Yale University, future Vice Chancellor of University of Oxford