King Edward VI Grammar School, Louth

King Edward VI Grammar School (sometimes abbreviated to KEVIGS) is a grammar school in Louth, Lincolnshire, England.

History

King Edward VI Grammar School is one of the oldest schools in the country. As early as the 8th century schooling was available at Louth,^[1] but the oldest reference to a school is in a passage by Simon De Luda, the town's schoolmaster, in 1276.^[1] According to records the school was funded by the town's religious and merchant guilds, and a Chantry established by Thomas of Louth in 1317. The dissolution of the monasteries in 1548 placed the future of education in Louth at risk.^[2] Leading figures in the local community petitioned the King, Edward VI, to secure the school's future, and on 21 September 1551 the school was given a plot of land and money raised from three fairs by the king,^[1] which was administered by a Foundation which exists to this day. In 1564, Elizabeth I granted the manor of Louth and some additional property to support the school.^[1]

Until 1964 King Edward's was a boys' school. In 1903 a girls' boarding school for 400 pupils was established nearby in Westgate House on Westgate, which became King Edward VI Girls' Grammar School. Both schools amalgamated in 1965 when administered by the Lindsey Education Committee. In the same year the amalgamated school took pupils from age 14–18, as part of the 'Louth Plan' which stipulated that education be provided by one selective 14–18 school and three 11–16 high schools (Monks' Dyke, Cordeaux and John Birkbeck). When the Louth Plan was rescinded in 1997 the school returned to receiving 11–13 year olds as part of its intake. The school achieved Foundation status in 1998 and became a Specialist Science College in 2003.

School male boarders lived at The Lodge on Edward Street until 1971, afterwards at The Sycamores on Westgate, and later at an old maternity hospital on Crowtree Lane next to the main school building. Girls boarded at Masson House and The Limes houses on Westgate.

In 2007 the school made the news after agreeing to pay a former teacher £625,000 - the largest ever teacher compensation package - following a 3 year long battle by teachers' union NASWUT, after he was permanently crippled by an electric shock caused by faulty wiring in a science lab. ^[3]

Admissions

Pupils pass the Eleven Plus examination to attend the school, and many come from satellite villages surrounding it.

Extracurricular activities

The School's Edwards Theatre Company performs at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe annually. The Company is open to students aged 15 and above. The school organises school trips and outings, including an annual ski trip, annual music tours to European countries, and trips to the USA, and also day outings to various parts of the UK.

The school runs a Combined Cadet Force, with an Army section (afflitated to the 2nd Battalion Royal Anglian Regiment) and an RAF section. It has over 100 Cadets attending weekly parade nights and training weekends, and each section attends a summer camp at the end of the school year.^[4] Recent army camps include those at Nesscliffe Training Area and Penally, and recent RAF camps include those at RAF St Mawgan and RAF Lossiemouth.

Notable former pupils

• Corinne Drewery, lead singer of pop group Swing Out Sister
• Rt Rev William Elsey, Bishop of Kalgoorlie from 1919–50
• Edward John Eyre (5 August 1815 – 30 November 1901), explorer of the Australian continent and Governor of Jamaica
• Andrew Faulds, Labour MP from 1966–74 for Smethwick, and from 1974–97 for Warley East
• Frederick Flowers
• Sir John Franklin, author and explorer, who attended from 1797 to 1800
• Rt Rev Field Flowers Goe, Bishop of Melbourne from 1887–1901
• Simon Hanson, drummer with the band Squeeze
• Augustus Charles Hobart-Hampden (1 April 1822 – 19 June 1886), English naval captain and Turkish admiral.
• Tom Hood, playwright
• Francis Hopwood, 1st Baron Southborough CMG CB
• Christopher Maltman, Opera Singer
• Robert Mapletoft, Master from 1664–77 of Pembroke College, Cambridge
• Nathan McCree, music producer and composer of the original Tomb Raider game music
• Philip Norton, Baron Norton of Louth, Professor of Government since 1986 at the University of Hull
• Captain John Smith, a mercenary and the first elected president of Virginia, famous for his relations with Pocahontas attended from 1592 to 1595
• Major Peter Surtees MC^[5]
• Charles Heathcote Tatham, (1772–1842) architect
• Chris Wright, founder and chairman of Chrysalis Group
• Alfred Lord Tennyson, poet, who attended from 1816 to 1820.^[6]
• Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Watson VC^[7]

References

External links

• King Edward VI Grammar School, Louth
• EduBase