| Established | 1139 |
|---|---|
| Type | Community school |
| Headteacher | Julie Craig |
| Founder | Edward VI of England |
| Specialism | Maths & Computing |
| Location | Mill Hill Lane Pontefract West Yorkshire WF8 4JF England |
| Local authority | City of Wakefield |
| DfE number | 384/4020 |
| DfE URN | 108275 |
| Ofsted | Reports |
| Staff | 55 |
| Students | 1027 (year 7 105) |
| Ages | 11–16 |
| Website | www.kings.wakefield.sch.uk |
The King's School Specialising in Mathematics and Computing in Pontefract, West Yorkshire, England is one of the four oldest schools in Yorkshire. It dates from 1139[1] and was refounded by King Edward VI in 1548.[2]
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It was founded in 1139. Little documentation survives from its early years, and it was refounded in the reign of King Edward VI. It has been associated with the Duchy of Lancaster since 1588 when it was given an endowment to allow it to continue functioning. In 1792 it was refounded yet again by George III who is the eponymous king. Annual payments of £50 were made by the Duchy of Lancaster until 1869. It closed in the 1880s but reopened on 4 May 1890[3] since when it has enjoyed a continuous existence up to the present day, although it was relocated in 1932.
The present buildings were opened on 14 July 1932 by Sir F. Stanley Jackson.[4] It was a boys' grammar school with around 650 boys, operated by the West Riding County Council.
It became a comprehensive with a sixth form in 1978.[5] Pontefract Girls' High School, the girls' grammar school became New College, Pontefract, and 11-18 school. In 1987, Pontefract schools lost their sixth form, with a sixth form college being established at NEW College, Pontefract.
John D Lean was Headmaster before Mr. Aldous, and died 1958
It is currently situated on a raised area near the Ackworth Road in Pontefract, along Mill Hill Lane, south-west of the town centre and the A645/A639 crossroads. The school today has over 1,000 pupils, 55 full-time and 8 part-time teaching staff as well as similar number of additional staff. Its current headteacher is Julie Craig. The King's School, Carleton Community High School and many of the Primary Schools in the two pyramids are now members of The Pontefract Education Trust whose main purpose, along with providing the best education possible for all Pontefract children, is to co-operate with each other for the benefit of all.
The school is heaped in tradition, especially when it comes to sporting traditions, with its major sporting events being rugby union (the year 11 team reached the final of the Yorkshire Cup in 2006) and athletics, with a lot of athletes going on to achieve many local and national honours. [6]
It gets above-average GCSE results, the seventh best in Wakefield LEA.