St. Bees School
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| Motto | Expecta dominum (Wait for the Lord) |
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| Established | 1583 |
| Type | Independent school |
| Headmaster | Philip J. Capes |
| Founder | Archbishop Edmund Grindal |
| Chaplain | Rev. Lars Nowen |
| Students | 300 (approx.) |
| Location | St. Bees, Cumbria, England |
| Yearbook | "The Pacquet" |
| Website | www.st-bees-school.org |
St. Bees School is a co-educational public school in the West Cumbrian village of St. Bees. Founded in 1583 by the then Archbishop of Canterbury Edmund Grindal as a boys' "free grammar school", today it is a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference with around 300 pupils aged 11 to 18. It accommodates both day pupils and boarders who live in five boarding houses located on the school grounds and in the village. The current headmaster (since 2000) is Philip J. Capes.[1]
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[edit] Overview
St. Bees School is a day and boarding school for a little over 300 pupils drawn from all over the United Kingdom with a significant number of students from China and Eastern Europe. Students spend seven years at St. Bees; each intake enters the "1st Form" and leaves in the "Upper 6th" (UVI). 1st to 3rd Forms constitute the Junior school, and the 4th, 5th, Lower 6th and Upper 6th constitute the Senior school. While most pupils enter the school at age 11, many enter in the 4th Form which marks the start of GCSE study.
There are three terms; Christmas, Easter and Summer. Each term is punctuated by a half term break. 1st to 4th Form pupils each sit two sets of "exams" for every subject studied near the end of the Christmas and Summer Terms. Pupils sitting GCSE exams are subject to "mock" exams in the January before the actual examinations. During the Sixth Form, only A2 modules are taken in January as the school has a policy of sitting all AS examinations in the summer. The only exception is for students resitting AS modules and those sitting Further Mathematics as the alternative would be to sit six modules during the summer period.
Fees are currently £3,107—£4,013 for a Day pupil, £4,856—£6,699 for a full-time boarder and £3,795—£5,441 for a weekly boarder per term.
The school is run by a headmaster who is appointed by the Board of Governors, which is presided over by a chairman elected by the body of governors. A Head Boy or a Head Girl is chosen by the Headmaster and senior staff who answer to the Deputy Headmaster, along with the School Prefects - pupils normally of excellent character and academic achievement who act as an example to younger pupils and enforce discipline.
[edit] History
The school was founded in 1583 by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Edmund Grindal, long believed to have been born in the village of St. Bees. Ill and blind, he refused to resign his position until Queen Elizabeth I signed the letters patent which would create the Free Grammar School at St. Bees. The school was founded a few years after Grindal's death in 1583, but thanks to his making an agreement with The Queen's College, Oxford and his purchase of local tithes, the school was both financially and academically prepared to prosper.
Although specifically incorporated for the education of boys from Cumberland and Westmorland, as early as 1604 people from outside Cumbria were being educated at St. Bees in the low building (now one of the school dining rooms) near the Priory Church. The school slowly expanded, despite one Headmaster who worked his pupils like labourers. The school had enjoyed some financial security for many years, until 1742 when Sir James Lowther managed to extract an eight hundred and sixty-seven year mineral lease from the school for a criminally small amount of money. The school continued to grow, despite this injustice.
In the nineteenth century the school started to look like it is now. Thanks to the redress of the mineral rights obtained through the courts, the school was able to physically expand, with what is now the "Quadrangle" being built, Grindal House (formerly a hotel) purchased and the Headmaster's Residence being constructed. At the turn of the twentieth century the School Chapel was built, along with what is now the Art Department and the School Library, and the swimming baths. By the outbreak of the First World War the school had reached a peak of three hundred pupils, which wouldn't be seen again for a long time.
During the Great War three old boys of the school were awarded the Victoria Cross, the highest award for military gallantry in Britain and many of the British Commonwealth countries (see St. Bees V.C. winners for more details. Old boy Alfred Critchley became one of the youngest Brigadier-Generals in the British Empire at the age of twenty-seven for his heroic conduct (he was older than Roland Boys Bradford, V.C. but younger than Bernard Freyburg, V.C.). One hundred and eighty old boys gave their lives during the war, and a special memorial was built overlooking the sports fields where so many had previously played.
After the war the number of students remained high, but in common with many other schools the numbers decreased and then went into free-fall during the 1930s. The situation became so critical that the Governors of the School attempted to have the school nationalised. In the end, the old boys put together a rescue package and the school remained independent, it being the only one of its kind in Cumberland and Westmorland.
During the Second World War the school had Mill Hill join it in St. Bees after latter's buildings in London were occupied by the government. Seventy-two old boys gave their lives during the conflict, and after the victory a Memorial Hall was erected in their honour. During the 1950s a new science block was built, and in 1970 the school became coeducational. New boarding houses were purchased for both girls and boys, Bega and Abbot's Court respectively, and to celebrate the school's quatercentenary in 1983 an appeal was launched which would give the school a state of the art sports hall, opened in 1988.
The 1990s saw the opening by Prince Charles of the Whitelaw Building, a multi-function business centre and teaching area which was named after the-then Chairman of the Board of Governors, William Whitelaw. In 2000, Barony, the music centre was entirely refurbished and reopened and renamed the Fox Music Centre in memory of old boy Bill Fox. To mark the millennium, a time capsule was buried in the North-East corner of the Quadrangle.
[edit] Grounds
The school is spread over some two hundred and fifty acres which cover a good portion of the village of St. Bees. There are in all four rugby pitches and two hockey pitches, as well as a multi-purpose hardcourt (which can be used for netball, basketball, football and tennis) as well as a large tennis court. Running around the "1sts" rugby pitch (so named for where the 1st XV play) is marked a running track during the athletics season. There are also two cricket nets, a runway and sand-pit for triple jump and long jump as well as a concrete circle for throwing events. The school also owns the local 9-hole golf course, though it is managed by the club and its members.
For indoor events there is an early Edwardian gym with a recently refurbished swimming pool, as well as covered Eton Fives courts. A large sports hall built in 1988 to celebrate the school's four hundredth anniversary provides class facilities, containing a climbing wall, numerous basketball hoops, large cricket nets and markings for many different games. Adjoining it is a converted barn with two squash courts and a weights gym.
[edit] Sports
The school is very sports-orientated, with two two-hour compulsory sports sessions a week, known universally as "games". The juniors and the seniors have their games sessions at different times so as to not totally disrupt the teaching schedule. For the first four years a physical education session is also compulsory, with weekly lesson-long sessions.
For boys Rugby Union is the main winter sport and almost every boy plays it at one time or the other until he reaches the senior school. Participation in rugby matches against other schools is expected. During the summer Cricket takes over, but less emphasis on participation is exacted and pupils are allowed to branch out to other sports activities.
For senior boys there is the option of joining one of the senior Rugby teams (1sts, 2nds, 3rds) or participating in numerous sports-based activities such as jogging, badminton, squash, athletics, archery or weight training.
For girls the emphasis on teams is similar; active participation in field hockey and in summer tennis is in vogue. Girls are also allowed to mix with the boys on many activities as listed above.
[edit] Activities
While classes end around 4pm every day, from Monday to Thursday the school days does not officially end until 5:30 pm. From 4:30 to 5:30 is a period called "activity time", where pupils from 1st to 5th Form are required to sign up for some kind of extracurricular activity. The activities are staff-run and are either academically or sports-related. Some past examples of activities are:
- Five-a-side football
- Chess
- Running
- Art club (required for advanced art students)
- Rugby training
- Archives (looking through school memorabilia)
- Archery
- Cricket practice
[edit] C.C.F.
Every Thursday afternoon, from the end of classes to the end of the activity time the Combined Cadet Force (C.C.F.) musters for its weekly training. There is an army section (usually the larger) and a Royal Air Force section. Participation is compulsory in the 3rd and 4th Forms. The "officers" of the C.C.F. are teachers who are commissioned into the reserve of officers of their respective service. The contingent is large enough to warrant a Lieutenant-Colonel in command. Pupils are taught basic military drill, tactics and weapons handling before deciding which section they want to specialise in. After 4th Form attendance is no longer compulsory but many cadets remain, becoming instructor cadet NCOs themselves.
At one time, all cadets must have attended at least one "Camp", a week long period at the end of the Summer Term spent at an army base where cadets are involved in many military and adventure-training activities. However, since this is now charged to each individual cadet, it is an optional, yet still highly popular, choice.
The current head of the St. Bees School C.C.F. is Lieutenant-Colonel J.D. Evans and the leader of the RAF section is Flight Lieutenant A. Campion, RAFVR. The contingent helps cadets through the The Duke of Edinburgh's Award at all levels and the BTEC National Diploma in Uniformed Services. St. Bees school is currently the holder of the most Gold level Duke of Edinburgh's Award in the country.
[edit] Houses
| Name | B/G | J/S |
|---|---|---|
| Abbots Court | Boy | Junior |
| Bega | Girl | Junior |
| School House | Boy | Senior |
| Grindal | Boy | Senior |
| Lonsdale | Girl | Senior |
There are two junior and three senior houses at St. Bees School. They serve as institutions for students to take pride in (for all pupils) and each also serves as a boarding house. The houses are shown in the table to the left.
Pupils are grouped in the junior houses from the 1st to 4th forms, and from 5th to Upper 6th are grouped in the senior. Each house is run by a resident Housemaster who is also a teacher at the school. The three senior houses each have an Upper 6th pupil who serves as the "Head of House", and is usually also a Prefect. Day pupils can retire to the house during lunchtime and after classes, while after the evening meal (held down in "Foundation") all boarders must report back to their respective houses.
To encourage inter-school competition (until quite recently there had been only four houses) all pupils when they entered the school were designated as either "North" or "South" (colours Blue and Green respectively) and are expected to compete accordingly. The annual "Sports Day" is won by either North or South.
When mentioning a past pupil of the school, it is usual to write their name and then the initial of their senior house and years they were at St. Bees; eg. GH 97-04, indicating someone who entered the school in 1997 and chose to join Grindal House.
[edit] Speech Day
The final event of the school year is the Speech Day, traditionally held on the Saturday following the final day of the Summer Term. In the morning there is a church service in the Priory Church of St. Bees, followed by luncheon in a marquee. In the afternoon the Prize-giving takes place, with the prizes distributed by a notable figure from public life. Of note, prizes have been given by the politician the Lord Lloyd, Oliver Stanley, noted mountaineer, Sir Chris Bonington and the Lord Jones, former Director-General of the Confederation of British Industry.
Recently, in order to accommodate the pupils from the Far East who had to leave before the end of term in order to fly home, Speech Day was moved from the end of the Summer Term to the middle of the term, therefore allowing many more of the pupils the chance to experience the event. The structure of the day was also changed, moving the prize-giving ceremony to 11am (following the priory service), and having lunch after this. This allowed the day to finish sooner, and those that did not want to have lunch could leave after the prize-giving ceremony.
[edit] Old St. Beghians
Former pupils of St. Bees School are styled Old St. Beghians. An "Old St. Beghians' Club" was founded in 1908 by master J.W. Aldous, and today as the Old St. Beghians' Society it provides a link between old boys (and girls) and the school. Amongst other things it organises an "Old St. Beghians Day" once a year, publishes a magazine called the Old St. Beghian twice a year and holds and participates in many golfing tournaments. There are several regional branches of the society which traditionally hold annual meals and get-togethers.
[edit] Notable alumni
- The Rev. William Gilpin, (1724–1804) Painter and clergyman who helped originate the idea of the picturesque.
- Fletcher Christian, (1764–1793) Royal Navy officer, notoriously led the mutiny on HMS Bounty, and founded the settlement of Pitcairn in the Pacific.
- Sir Joesph Turner Hutchinson, (1850–1924) Chief Justice of Grenada, Cyprus and Ceylon and then High Sheriff of Cumberland.
- Sir Vincent Goncalves Glenday, (1891–1970) Colonial administrator, Governor of British Somaliland, Resident at Zanzibar.
- Commodore John Charles Keith Dowding, (1891–1965) Commanded the ill-fated Convoy PQ-17 during the Second World War.
- Lieutenant-General John Hawkesworth, (1893–1945) Infantry commander during the Second World War.
- Captain John Fox-Russell, (1893–1917) RAMC officer and posthumous Victoria Cross (VC) recipient, killed in Mesopotamia.
- The Rt. Rev. George Algernon West, (1893–1980) Bishop of Rangoon, (1935–1954).
- Captain William Leefe Robinson, (1895–1918) Royal Flying Corps officer and VC recipient who shot down the first airship over Britain.
- Captain Richard Wain, (1896–1917) Royal Tank Corps officer and posthumous VC recipient, who showed great bravery during the initial advance of the Battle of Cambrai.
- Sir Edward Gerald Hawkesworth, (1897–1949) Governor of British Honduras (1947–1948).
- The Rev. Leslie Dixon, (1899–1972) Chaplain-in-Chief of the Royal Air Force (1949–1953).
- Robert McCance, (1898–1993) Professor of Experimental Medicine, Cambridge University.
- Owen Lattimore, (1900–1989) Noted Sinologist who was accused by Joseph McCarthy of being the "top Soviet agent" in the U.S.A.
- E.B. Ford, (1901–1988) Leading ecological geneticist.
- Air Chief Marshal Sir Augustus Walker, (1912–1986) Known as the one-armed air marshal, he lost his right arm in 1942 attempting to rescue crashed Avro Lancaster aircrew.
- General Sir William Scotter, (1922–1981) Senior NATO commander, decorated in Burma during WW2. He reviewed the St. Bees C.C.F., at St. Bees, in 1977.
- Douglas Ferreira, (1929–2003) Formerly General Manager of the Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway.
- Rowan Atkinson, (b. 1955) Comedian, writer and actor (Mr Bean).
- Hugh Paxton, (b.1964) Journalist and author, published in 2006 the novel Homunculus.
[edit] See also
- List of Headmasters at St. Bees School
- List of the oldest schools in the United Kingdom
- List of the oldest schools in the world
- List of Victoria Crosses by School
[edit] Citations
- ^ St. Bees School Cumbria - Welcome (HTML). Retrieved on 2008-03-09.
[edit] Reference list
- Aldous, M.A., J.W. (1921). St. Bees School Roll of Honour and Record of Service. Edinburgh: University Press.
- Special Committee, Old St. Beghians' Club (1939). The Story of St. Bees. 1583-1939.. London: Buck & Wooton, Ltd..
- Strype, M.A., John (1710). The History of the Life and Acts of the Most Reverend Father in God, Edmund Grindal. London: Wyat and Hartley.
[edit] External links
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