Colchester Royal Grammar School
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Colchester Royal Grammar School (CRGS) is a grammar school in Colchester, Essex, founded in 1206 AD and granted two Royal Charters by Henry VIII (in 1539) and by Elizabeth I (in 1584). In the early 20th century the school moved from the town centre to its current site on Lexden Road, in the upper middle-class residential area known as Lexden. The school's playing fields are located five minutes' walk away on Queen's Road.
The school is one of the United Kingdom's most academically successful schools, consistently achieving high results in national league tables 1, and regularly places above public schools such as Eton. The school has around 700 pupils aged 11-18, with girls admitted in the two upper years only. The school features extensive gardens, incorporating Gurney Benham House (named after a former Mayor of Colchester) and Elyanore House, as well as playing fields in Lexden. Until 2000 the headmaster traditionally had a house in the school grounds, but this has since been converted into extra classrooms. The school is officially a specialist science school, and has just recently built a new chemistry lab.
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[edit] The boarding house
One of CRGS's defining characteristics is its boarding house, which is home to 30 sixth form students predominantly from the Far East (most are from Hong Kong or elsewhere in China) and from around the United Kingdom and occasionally from elsewhere in the European Union.
The school is noted for the large number of overseas students, primarily from Asian countries, who come to the school in its sixth form and stay either at the Boarding House or under the care of host families.
It is felt by the school that as well as offering excellent opportunities for academic progress, life in the Boarding House prepares the student for the future, when he or she is separated from parents and subject to the demands of university life.
[edit] Inspectors' feedback on the boarding house
The following comments were made by Ofsted, the UK schools inspectorate[citation needed]:
- "The School cares for its students very well and ensures their health and safety. It provides very high levels of support, advice and guidance, which are firmly based on the monitoring of progress. The school consults students and acts on their views."
- "Pastoral care for boarders is very good. Supervision is very good; it is appropriate to the age and maturity of the boarders. Boarding provides very well for students' personal and academic development, and prepares them well for adult life. Relationships between students, and between students and staff are very good. Boarders have good programme of trips and visits at weekends and a very good social space in the games hut."
[edit] Academic success
As a grammar school, CRGS's main aim is to ensure the academic success of its pupils. The school is consistently placed within the top few state schools in the country for A-level results and achieves similar success at GCSE 1. In 2004, it was named as the top state school in the country by the BBC. The headmaster Ken Jenkinson explains this success, saying that "although as a grammar school the academic success of our students is our principal priority, I tend to see the results as the by-product of an ethos where we encourage students to aim high in all that they do and approach challenges with confidence."
The school is one of few remaining in England that still offers teaching in Classics (Latin and Ancient Greek), with the funds for the teaching of Ancient Greek being previously provided by the Greek government. The school was also the first in the country to teach Classical Civilisation at A Level.
The school's success was recognised by Prime Minister Tony Blair who in 1999 invited the then headmaster of CRGS, Stewart Francis, among other heads of the country's top schools, to a meeting to discuss improving education in Britain.
However its position is due partly to its very tough eleven plus entrance exam, which selects only a small percentage of the area's brightest students. The local area utilises the smallest percentage enforced by any eleven plus selection process and in other areas the percentage is much higher, thus making any direct comparison ambiguous.
In 2006 the Financial Times named the school Top State School in the country.
[edit] School houses
The four school houses, named after past headmasters, are as follows:
- Dugard's
Colour: Yellow
Named after William Dugard
Head of House: Mr A Livingston
Motto: Dieu Garde (May God protect us)
- Harsnett's
Colour: Green
Named after William Harsnett
Head of House: Dr P Jones
Motto: Perge (Forward)
- Parr's
Colour: Blue
Named after Samuel Parr.
Head of House: Mr R Heard
Motto: Tout Prêt (All Prepared)
- Shaw Jeffrey's (Jay's)
Colour: Red
Named after Peter Shaw Jeffrey
Head of House: Mrs K Livingston
Motto: Dex Aie (May God help us)
[edit] Awarding of points
There is an annual house competition, in which points are scored by winning at:
- House Quiz (Junior, Middle School and Senior)
- Sport (Including rugby, cross country running, football, swimming gala, year eight cricket day, sports day, tug-o-war and hockey)
- Commendations (awarded on behaviour and work)
- Song Competition (a recent event that has been running for the past few years)
- 24 hour famine (a recent event which has only been running for a few years and won by the house donating the most money)
At the end of the year the house with the most points wins the house trophy.
[edit] Subjects
Subjects studied at the school are:
- Ancient Greek (From Year 8, choice between Greek and German)
- Art
- Biology (From Year 8)
- Chemistry (From Year 8)
- Classical Civilisation (From A level)
- Computing/ICT
- Design & Technology
- Economics (From A level)
- English
- French
- Geography
- German (From Year 8, choice between Greek and German)
- History
- Latin
- Mathematics
- Music
- Physical Education (Years 7-11 only)
- Physics (From Year 8)
- Religious and Social Studies (Years 7-9 and GCSE only, yet possible extension to A-Level)
- Science (Year 7 only - replaced by Biology, Chemistry and Physics at Year 8)
[edit] Uniform
Pupils in the main school wear a distinctive uniform comprising a purple blazer and tie with house badge, as well as a white shirt and black trousers and socks. Students in the Sixth Form do not wear the uniform, but must instead wear smart clothes, typically a suit.
