| Motto | Schola Regia De Ottery |
|---|---|
| Established | 1335 and 1545 |
| Headteacher | Miss Faith Jarrett |
| Founders | John Grandisson (1335), Henry VIII (1545) |
| Specialism | Sports College |
| Location | Barrack Road Ottery St Mary Devon EX11 1RA England |
| Local authority | Devon County Council |
| DfE URN | 113500 |
| Ofsted | Reports |
| Staff | 100 |
| Students | 1103 |
| Gender | Mixed |
| Ages | 11–18 |
| Houses | Coleridge Kennaway Patteson Raleigh |
| Website | www.thekings.devon.sch.uk |
The King's School is an educational institution in Ottery St Mary, Devon, England. It was established as a choir school by the bishop John Grandisson in 1335, but was replaced by a Grammar School by Henry VIII in 1545. It became a comprehensive school in 1982. The schools 1300 pupils are mainly drawn from its five feeder primaries in the surrounding area: Ottery St Mary primary school, West Hill Primary School, Payhembury Church of England Primary School, Feniton Church of England Primary School and Tipton St John Church of England Primary School
The school is a government endowed Sports College with access to facilities also shared by the public - namely the Colin Tooze Sports Centre.
The school has 1100 students and 100 staff. Faith K Jarrett became the headteacher in 2004, succeeding Roger A Fetherstone.
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The King's School is an 11-18 comprehensive school with just over 1100 students and 100 staff. In 1335 Bishop John de Grandisson bought the manor of Ottery St Mary from the Dean and Chapter of Rouen who had owned it since 1061. He obtained a royal licence from Edward III to found his College of Secular Canons and established a choir school in Ottery St Mary in 1335 for eight boys and a Master of Grammar. The school did not start very promisingly in 1337 with the members of the choir-school being accused of "dissolute and insolent behaviour in the parish". Grandisson being a disciplinarian, flogging was the punishment, but this had no effect and consequently the boys were heavily fined for every day's absence from the choir. For over two hundred years the canons carried out Bishop Grandisson's instructions and the choir school boys were educated.
When the English Reformation reached the College in 1545 it was dissolved. Upon some whim or persuasion, however, Henry VIII established a free grammar school in the town - hence "The King's School" and their coat of arms became the Lion and Wyvern. The Romantic poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge's father was headmaster although the writer himself never attended the school.
The site occupied by the school today on the outskirts of the town dates from 1912. It became a comprehensive school in 1982. Faith K Jarrett became the headteacher in 2004, succeeding Roger A Featherstone.
The school is a government-endowed Sports College with access to facilities also shared by the public, namely the Colin Tooze Sports Centre. The King's School was designated as a Specialist Sports College in the summer of 2002. Facilities for PE and sport at King's were already very good but the status as a Sports College has enabled the school to develop these even further. In partnership with East Devon District Council, a purpose built Dance Studio with state-of-the-art sound and lighting systems was completed in 2003.
The Sports facilities also include a floodlight all-weather Astroturf Hockey Football pitch.
In 2009 the school added a new M.U.G.A (Multi Use Games Areas) which has four netball courts and three tennis courts which are also used by the local Ottery St Mary tennis club when not being used by the school.
At the King's School there are four houses, which date to 1912, as witnessed by the old minute book of the Sports Committee. These provide the school with four large vertically grouped cohorts of students, with form groups separated by house rather than year.
The houses have been named after local families:
Coleridge, Kennaway, Patteson and Raleigh
All four houses have separate colours, which are used for inter-house events. Red for Coleridge, Blue for Kennaway, Green for Patteson and Purple for Raleigh.
The School also holds annual inter-house performing arts events, these include House dance, House music and House drama.