Truro School
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| Truro School | |
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Esse quam videre (Latin: To be rather than to seem to be)
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| Location | |
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| Truro, Cornwall | |
| Information | |
| Headmaster | Mr Paul Smith |
| Staff | 65 |
| Students | 810 |
| Type | Co-educational Independent |
| Established | 1880 |
| Homepage | www.truroschool.com |
Truro School is a mixed independent school in the city of Truro, Cornwall. It was founded in 1880 and is a Methodist school. Its name upon foundation was "Truro Middle Class College for Boys". It became fully co-educational in 1990 after a successful integration of sixth-form girls into the school.
It had 810 pupils in the 2005-2006 academic year.
The current headmaster of Truro School is Paul Smith. The deputy headteachers are Simon Price and Anita Firth.
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[edit] School Entrance and Fees
Pupils have to take an entrance exam, the equivalent of an 11+ exam, although some pupils take the 13+ exam equivalent, as some local schools still teach up to year 9 (year 3). Academic, (and occasionally music, artistic and sporting) scholarships are awarded, as are means-tested bursaries as part of the assisted place scheme.
Current Fees are £6,150 per term for boarders, and £3,900 per term for day pupils.[1] In November 2005 the school was one of the 50 independent schools named by The Times newspaper for allegations of price-fixing and in February 2006 was fined £10,000. The headmaster, Paul Smith, appeared on the front page of the Cornish Guardian (Truro/Falmouth Edition) defending his actions by pleading his ignorance of the law.
[edit] Site and Facilities
Built on a hilltop overlooking the city of Truro, and its nineteenth century Cathedral, its facilities include the School Chapel, Burrell Theatre, a covered and heated swimming pool, two gymnasiums, 40 acres of sports fields, a running track, tennis and squash facilities, and an astro-turf pitch. However the school has poor disabled access, being almost entirely situated on a hill with only two of the buildings having a disabled access lift situated within.
[edit] Form and House System
The school still uses the traditional numbering system for year groups: The lower school - years 1 to 5, and the sixth form - lower- and upper-sixth years. This is equivalent to years 7 to 13 in modern state schools.
In years 1 to 3, the year is split into forms which most lessons are taken with. Maths and Foreign languages are split according to ability. For the GCSE years, 4 and 5, the forms are split into slightly smaller groups, with lessons taught according to subject choices. This continues into the sixth form.
Each pupil is placed into a school 'house' used for inter-house competitions and for sports matches:
- Wickett (Red)
- Vinter (Gold)
- School (Green)
- Smith (Blue)
[edit] Boarding
Though the majority of students are day-pupils, there are also about ninety-five boarders, of whom a quarter are from overseas, including a dozen German temporary students who spend up to three terms in the Lower Sixth.
The school has two separate boarding houses for boys and two for girls:
- Trennick - Boys, 2nd year to sixth form
- Pentreve - Junior Girls, years 1 -5
- Malvern - Senior Girls - Sixth form
Trennick is the only boarding house situated in the school's original 'Main Building', although all three are still on the campus. They are family-run communities with married house staff and other teachers who live on site.
[edit] Preparatory and Pre-Preparatory School
Truro School has its own feeder school from age 3 - 11. Formerly known as Treliske School from its founding in 1936, it is situated in the grounds of Truro Golf Course, near Treliske Hospital. It has recently been rebranded as Truro School Preparatory School, or TruroPrep. It became co-educational in 1989, and the Pre-Preparatory building Willday House was added in 1991. Its current headmaster is Matthew Lovett.
[edit] School Uniform
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The school uniform for the lower years consists of a blue with brown and white diagonal striped tie and navy blazer with the white school crest on the breast pocket. Until recently, different ties were awarded for performance in certain activities which could either be full or half colours; these featured a plain blue tie with a crest on it (previously a full colour pattern of the schools crest). Also, certain clubs and societies within the school offered similar ties, however this was mainly through sporting activities and the School's Christian Union. This system has been changed to one of 'badges', worn on the blazer (lower school) or jacket (VIth form), awarded for music, drama and sports. The rest of the uniform consists of a white shirt/blouse, with black trousers or a school kilt for the girls. In 2004, the sixth form moved away from the more traditional dress to a more business-minded approach. Jackets must still be worn, with a formal shirt and tie for the boys, plain blouse for the girls.
[edit] Subjects Taught
The school teaches the sciences as three separate subjects, as it is believed that this allows students a greater choice of options at A-Level and beyond. For the school year 2007/2008, it has introduced the separate sciences as compulsory for GCSE, whereas before students had an option to take up combined science in the 4th year. Geology has also been introduced as an option for GCSE; previously pupils had to have extra-curricular lessons if they wanted to study Geology at GCSE level. French and German are both taught in the 1st year and students have the option to take Spanish at GCSE.
[edit] Notable Alumni
- Michael Adams, Chess Grandmaster
- Ben Ainslie, Olympic sailor and two-times gold medallist
- Julia Goldsworthy, Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament
- Geoffrey Healey, car designer
- Benjamin Luxon, Baritone (Opera Singer)
- Paul Myners, Businessman
- David Penhaligon, Liberal Member of Parliament
- Mark Prisk, Conservative Party (UK), Member of Parliament
- John Rhys-Davies, actor, (The Lord of the Rings film trilogy, Raiders of the Lost Ark)
- Robert Shaw, actor (From Russia With Love, The Sting, Jaws)
- Roger Taylor, drummer and vocalist for pop group Queen
- Luke Vibert, musician and recording artist within the electronica genre
[edit] School Publications
The students produce two long-standing school magazines: Apparatus Criticus (English) and Rigor Mortis (History), both enjoy a modest following among the pupils.
In 2005, a book was produced commemorating 125 years of the school. Entitled High on the Hill, the 208 page book written by the school archivist, Joanna Wood, is published by Blue Hills, ISBN 0954900510.
At the beginning of each new school year the students receive a copy of 'Terraces', a magazine highlighting events from the previous year. This magazine is produced within the school by a member of staff and is contributed to by the pupils. A twice yearly newsletter is sent to the homes of pupils.
[edit] External links
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