Sir Joseph Williamson's Mathematical School
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| Motto | Sub Umbra Alarum Tuarum Under the shadow of thy wing |
|---|---|
| Established | 1701 |
| Type | "11-18 Voluntary Controlled Grammar School" |
| Affiliations | Medway LEA |
| Founder | Sir Joseph Williamson |
| Students | c.1100 |
| Grades | Y7-13 |
| Location | Rochester, Kent, UK |
| Campus | Maidstone Road, Rochester |
| Colours | Yellow, Blue, Navy and Black |
| Website | www.sirjosephwilliamson.medway.sch.uk |
Sir Joseph Williamson's Mathematical school is a boys' grammar school in Rochester, Kent, often known as Rochester Math or The Math. The 17th-century politician Sir Joseph Williamson left £5,000 to set up the school and another in Thetford, Norfolk. The school was called a mathematical school because it specialised in the teaching of navigation and mathematics to the sons of freemen of the city of Rochester, the Chatham Naval Dockyard being nearby. One of the six houses of the school is named Thetford in honour of the sister school.
The school was originally in Rochester High Street, spanning the city wall. The building was demolished in the late 1960s and the site is now a car park next to a nightclub. The school's playing fields and swimming pool were originally by the River Medway off Rochester Esplanade; they are now off Maidstone Road, Rochester, next to the area known as Priestfields (not to be confused with Gillingham FC's ground, Priestfield). An annexe (now known as P block) was built at the Maidstone Road site in the 1950s, housing all the first forms, and two classes each from the second and third years. In autumn 1968, the whole school moved to the site. Initially this featured a main block, hall, sports hall, gymnasium, 25-metre indoor swimming pool and science block. A music block has been recently expanded, to include a new teaching room and several new practice rooms.
In the 1990s a sixth form centre was constructed and at the turn of the century a maths block was created upon the old staff car park. The sixth form centre which houses a series of classrooms (for the use of pupils throughout the school) is also the base for careers education with a careers library within the building. There are still two sets of temporary classrooms. The school has also extensive sports facilities, including an artificial turf pitch (Astroturf) for hockey, two cricket pitches, tennis courts, and rugby pitches as well as the swimming pool, gym, and sports hall.
A mathematics centre opened in 2002, in line with the Math's status as a specialist school in maths and computing. The incorporation of a computing discipline contrasted markedly with the school's attitude towards computing as an educational discipline in the late 1980s, where it was stated that "there's no future in software".[citation needed] While still receiving specialist funding for the subject, the school ended its computing programme in 2005.[citation needed]
The Thetford School and the nearby the Rochester Grammar have become a sister schools to the Math.
In the 1990s, girls were admitted to the school for the first time, but only to pursue sixth-form education. The school was granted an "outstanding" status in its Ofsted report in 2006, and was given specialist status for humanities — history and geography.
Several pupils have won the Medway young musician of the year award. Music teachers attend the school on a weekly basis.
Former pupils are known as Old Williamsonians, or more jocularly as "Old Willies".
Every year on the saturday nearest to the 7th July there is a founders day. Pupils attend Rochester Cathedral firstly in the morning for a service and then the pupils go back to school site later in the afternoon for sports day which also includes fun and games for non participants. The monday after founders day pupils do not attend school because of the annual day off in lieu of founders day.
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[edit] Rivalry
The school's most noted rivals are The King's School, Rochester. Rugby derby matches against that school are often fierce.
[edit] House system
The school has seven academic years, from ages 11 to 18 and each year group contains six houses: Bridge (green), Castle (red), Gordon (blue), Pitt (yellow), River (purple) and Thetford (light blue). River and Thetford are comparatively new and were formed as the school expanded: River house in 1993 and Thetford in 1996. Another house, Tower — named after Jezreel's tower in Gillingham and intended for boys from that borough — was disbanded between the wars. All compete for the Cock House competition, a scholastic and athletic annual contest.
Here are some facts about every house:
Bridge: Have won the cock house cup from 1999 to 2006.
Castle: Have had a tie win in the cock house cup of 1999.
Gordon: Have won the cock more times than any other house.
Pitt: Named after William the Pitt. Founded in 1916.
River: Named after the River Medway. Founded in 1993.
Thetford: Named after Thetford School in Norfolk. Won the cock house cup only once.
[edit] Prefects
Prefects are elected from Year 12 and hold office until the December of Year 13, when new prefects are elected by staff and Year 12 pupils.
The prefect hierarchy has three main levels:
- The top three: the school captain (incumbent Charlie Bradley) and his two deputies (Sam Day and Tom Ward). These pupils have overall control of the prefect system and are in charge of organising school events, as well as having to read aloud on public occasions.
- Senior prefects: eight prefects are elected to ensure that junior prefects are doing the correct thing at the correct time.
- Prefects: these 42 junior prefects are accountable to their relevant senior. Prefects undertake roles such as ensuring chairs are stacked in the lunch hall and patrolling the school's three main playgrounds.
- Specialist prefects: a small number of pupils have been appointed subject prefects, so far, in Mathematics, ICT, Geography, History, Music and as a librarian.
All prefects wear a plain navy blue tie with the school's crest printed below the knot.
[edit] Famous pupils
- David Garrick (1717–1779), actor, playwright and theatre manager. Briefly a pupil, apparently under the headmaster's private tutelage
- Bob Bean (1935–1987), Labour MP for Rochester and Chatham 1974-1979
- Ronald "Ronnie" Thomas Verrell (1926–2002), drummer with the Ted Heath Orchestra, the Syd Lawrence Orchestra — and inspiration for Animal in The Muppet Show
- The British educationist Frank Blackwell (1917/18-2008), project director (1970–76) for the National Council for Educational Technology and chief of division (1976-80) for the Bernard Van Leer Foundation in the Netherlands
- Harry Arnold, war correspondent and royal reporter on a number of national newspapers, including the Daily Mirror and The Sun
- Nitin Sawhney, musician, composer and disc jockey
- James Taylor, musician, founder of the James Taylor Quartet
- Matt Letley, percussionist, current drummer for Status Quo
- Peter Cole, actor who played golom in 'lord of the rings'
