Silcoates School

Silcoates viewed in the direction of the Headmaster's House, formerly Silcoates Hall

Silcoates School is a coeducational independent school in the village of Wrenthorpe near Wakefield, England. It was founded in 1820 as the Northern Congregational School at Silcoates House, for the board and education of the sons of Nonconformist clergy; it was located close to Ossett and Horbury, each of which had unusually large Nonconformist populations.

It was a boys' boarding school until 1995, attracting pupils from all over the world. Girls were admitted in the sixth form from 1976, with female boarders accommodated in the Coach House. The school now exists as a co-educational day school with a large and attractive campus straddling the border between the West Yorkshire villages of Wrenthorpe and Alverthorpe.

Silcoates School is made up of three separate, but closely linked, sections:

The Senior School, for boys and girls aged 11 to 18 (Year 7 to the Upper Sixth Form);

The Junior School, for boys and girls aged 5 to 11 (Year 1 to Year 6);

Sunny Hill, for boys and girls aged 2 to 5 (Nursery, Foundation and Reception).^[1]

Motto

The school's motto is Clarior ex Ignibus (brighter through the flames), commemorating the Great Fire of 1904 which forced the school to move into temporary exile in Saltburn, on the coast of North Yorkshire between Whitby and Middlesbrough.

Houses

There are four houses representing notable headmasters:

• Evans' (Yellow and school green tie)
• Spencer's (Blue and school green tie)
• Moore's (Light green and school green tie)
• Yonge's (Red and school green tie)

Curriculum

Recent inspection reports have been highly complimentary about the school’s academic performance. Nearly all pupils sit a minimum of 9 GCSEs, 4 AS and 3 A2 Levels, and the vast majority go on to degree courses. There is great flexibility of subject choice at GCSE and A Level. Small class sizes and good facilities create a positive atmosphere for learning. Value added scores are very strong.

Games and Activities

Games and Activities. Drama, art, music and sport all flourish at Silcoates. The school has an excellent record of individual and collective achievement in all of its extra-curricular activities. The outstanding sports facilities include an indoor pool and extensive sports pitches. There is a well-equipped Music School. The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award programme makes extensive use of various venues in the north of England and abroad.

Entrance Scholarships

Academic Scholarships are offered at 11+ and above; Sixth Form entrants are eligible for these awards. Bursaries are available for the sons and daughters of Ministers and Missionaries of the United Reformed Church or of the Congregational Church, and of other recognised Christian denominations and to other parents subject to a financial assessment.

Notable former pupils

• Theodore Cooke Taylor (1850–1952) Businessman, Liberal politician, Profit-sharing pioneer
• Inga Brooksby (born 1988) Actress, starred in series Down to Earth
• James Guinness Rogers (1822–1911), Nonconformist divine
• William Thomas Stead (1849–1912), journalist, campaigner, victim of RMS Titanic disaster
• Sir George Newnes (1851–1910) Liberal Party MP for Newmarket and then Swansea Town, publisher, entrepreneur
• Sir Henry Norman Rae (1860–1928) Liberal MP for Shipley
• J. S. Fletcher (1865–1935), historian, writer of historical and detective novels
• Sir William Peel (1875–1945), colonial governor of Hong Kong
• Maurice Yonge (1899–1986), zoologist
• David Suratgar (born 1938), Senior British banker and lawyer
• John Horam (born 1939), Conservative Party Member of Parliament (MP) for Orpington
• Andrew Burt (born 1945), Actor
• Tim Stimpson (born 1973), International rugby player
• David Stiff (born 1984), County Cricketer
• Richard O'Dwyer (born 1988), Creator of TVShack.net
• Hugh Banton (1949), Progressive rock icon, member of Van der Graaf Generator
• George Entwistle (born 1962) Former Director General of the BBC
• Louis Marriette (born 1981), Milliner
• Michael Berman CBE (born 1944). Entrepreneur and Founder of Southbank Sinfonia

Financial information

The Independent Auditors’ Report to the Governors states "The charity incurred a net loss of £406,000 during the year ended 31 March 2011 and, at that date, the charity had net current liabilities of £4,902,000. These conditions, along with the other matters explained in the accounting policies to the financial statements, indicate the existence of a material uncertainty which may cast significant doubt as to the charity's ability to continue as a going concern".

After making enquiries, the Governors have a reasonable expectation that the Foundation has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future. Accordingly, they continue to adopt the going concern basis in preparing the financial statements. ^[2]

Although the Foundation has current net liabilities of £4,902k, it has total net assests of £3,163k, which allows the Governors' great confidence in the financial future of the Foundation.

References

External links

• Silcoates School