Deacon's School
| Established | 1721 |
|---|---|
| Closed | 2007 |
| Type | Foundation school |
| Religion | Church of England |
| Headteacher | Mr Michael Griffiths |
| Founder | Thomas Deacon |
| Location |
Queen's Gardens Peterborough Cambridgeshire PE1 2UW England Coordinates: 52°35′15″N 0°14′11″W / 52.58740°N 0.23651°W |
| Local authority | Peterborough |
| DfE number | ???/5401 |
| DfE URN | 110901 Tables |
| Students | 1059 |
| Gender | Coeducational |
| Ages | 11–18 |
| Fate | Closed and rebuilt in 2007 to become an academy |
Deacon's School was located in Dogsthorpe, Peterborough, England. In 2007, the school was demolished and replaced by the Thomas Deacon Academy.
History
The school opened in 1721 as Mr. Deacon's Charity School in Cowgate. In his will, Thomas Deacon, a successful wool merchant, provided for the creation of a school for 20 poor boys. In the 1830s, Deacon's School merged with The Island School for Girls, which had been established by a Mrs Island in her will.[1]
New accommodation for the school was built on Queen's Gardens in Dogsthorpe, opened in 1960 as Deacon's Grammar School. It was a voluntary aided school with about 450 boys in the 1960s.
It became a voluntary controlled co-educational comprehensive school in 1976. It became a grant maintained school in the 1990s and applied to become a Technology College, becoming a specialist school in 1994. The building remained in Dogsthorpe for 47 years until the Academy was built on the same site.[2] Administration moved from Cambridgeshire to Peterborough in 1998.
The Deacon's School Trust, created by Thomas Deacon's will, partially funds the Academy[3] with Perkins Engines. The school merged with John Mansfield School on Western Avenue and the Hereward Community College[4] (a former secondary modern school on Reeves Way[5] in Eastfield) to form a £46m Academy. Plans were approved on 11 August 2004, and it was originally due to open in 2006 and cost £34m. Construction began in July 2005.
Notable alumni
- Mixed comprehensive
- Ajaz Akhtar (1968–), cricketer
- Adrian Durham, radio presenter
- MJ Hibbett, singer-songwriter[6]
- Matthew Etherington, footballer[7]
- Simon Toyne (1968–), novelist
- Moses Samandar, Poet and Writer
- Boys' grammar school
- Ron Jacobs (rugby player)
- Richard Littlejohn, columnist with the Daily Mail[8]
References
- ↑ "Joe Heppel's Search for the soul of Deacon's School".
- ↑ "Deacon's School 1722–2007". Peterborough Council. Archived from the original on 25 January 2007. Retrieved 2 December 2009.
- ↑ "Thomas Deacon Academy".
- ↑ http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/82185
- ↑ http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/82186
- ↑ http://www.peterboroughtoday.co.uk/lifestyle/the-guide/peterborough_is_the_star_of_new_album_from_mj_hibbett_the_validators_1_3487111
- ↑ http://www.peterboroughtoday.co.uk/sport/football/peterborough-united/the_young_ones_the_youngest_players_ever_to_wear_a_peterborough_united_shirt_1_3214930
- ↑ http://www.pressgazette.co.uk/story.asp?storycode=34562