Dover Grammar School for Boys
Dover Grammar School for Boys is a selective secondary school located in Dover, United Kingdom. The school is situated next to Astor College, a non-selective school.
| Dover Grammar School for Boys | |
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| Address | |
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Astor Avenue , , CT17 0DQ England | |
| Coordinates | 51.128670°N 1.290470°E |
| Information | |
| Type | Foundation grammar school |
| Motto | Fiat lux (Let there be light) Genesis 1:3 |
| Established | 1905 |
| Founder | Fred Whitehouse |
| Local authority | Kent |
| Department for Education URN | 118931 Tables |
| Chairman of the Governors | Ian Donald |
| Head teacher | Phil Horstrup |
| Staff | 47 (2017/18) |
| Gender | Male (11-16); Mixed (16-18) |
| Age | 11 to 18 |
| Number of students | 795 (2017/18) |
| Capacity | 800 (2017/18) |
| Houses | Castle, Channel, Port, Priory, Pharos |
| Former pupils | Old Pharosians |
| Website | www |
History
Founded in 1904 as County School for Boys and Girls, the school was originally mixed-sex but moved into the present building in 1934 from Frith Road, now the home of Dover Grammar School for Girls.[1]
Despite the severe economic circumstances of the depression, the founder and first headmaster of the school, Frederick Whitehouse persuaded the authorities to provide the funds for a new building in Astor Avenue.
Whitehouse believed in the maxim often attributed to Winston Churchill that "we shape our buildings and our buildings shape us" and, architecturally, the school mixes both gothic and classical influences.
Opened by the Duke of York, the future King George VI of the United Kingdom, DGSB is one of few state school in Britain to have a working organ, which is housed in the Great Hall and leaves for Hamburg every 25 years for expert care and maintenance.
During World War II, the school building was requisitioned and used by the Royal Navy as a station for WRNS with pupils and staff evacuated to Ebbw Vale in south Wales.
A notable feature of the school building is a large stained glass window showing St. George and bearing the names of past students of the school who fell in World War Two with a separate memorial to students in World War One.
Post-war developments
Following funding cost pressures, in 1991, the school established a joint 6th form with Dover Grammar School for Girls (DGSG) which continues to this day.
In 1994, the school became Grant Maintained after warding off a series of reorganisation proposals from Kent County Council including a relocation to the ex-Castlemount School Site in 1990[2] as well as the amalgamation of the 2 grammar schools to a new modern construct in Whitfield in 1993.
In 2000, a second tower was erected that differed from the design of the existing tower (known as the Old Tower to pupils) to provide additional access to IT rooms built over the school workshops.
In 2006, as a result of its specialist status as a Business and Enterprise College, the school received additional funding from the government, part of which was invested into a new Business & Enterprise suite.
In 2008 there were new proposals to move the school to Whitfield to be housed in a new building under the Labour government's Building Schools for the Future programme[3] but this was cancelled after the 2010 General Election by Education Secretary Michael Gove.
Students also witnessed the opening of the Brian Haines Suite, formally known as L7 (and previously room 17). This was to commemorate the exceptional amount of time that Brian Haines had served the school, from 1971 to 2009. It was decided that Brian Haines' dedication to the school earned this honour.
In 2019, plans have been drawn to demolish the existing buildings and erect a new modern school on the adjacent playing fields with completion set for 2022.[4]
Athletics
The school has a strong sporting rivalry with Astor College and Sir Roger Manwood's School, a selective Grammar school in Sandwich, Kent. With the arrival to the teaching staff of Major RA Hoeren, USAF Rtd in the early 1970s, American football and softball were particularly popular amongst the student population.
Combined Cadet Force
The school also has a Combined Cadet Force (CCF) which is open to anyone from Year 8 upwards.
Admissions
The school is selective and, in order to gain entry, the prospective student must first pass the 11+ examination, informally known as the "Kent Test".
Headteachers
- Mr Frederick Whitehouse MA (Oxon), (1910-1936)
- Mr John C Booth MA (Oxon), (1936-1960)
- Dr Michael G Hinton MA (Oxon), PhD (London), (1960-1968)
- Mr TS Walker BSc (Manchester), (1968-1969)
- Mr Reginald C Colman MA (Oxon) OBE,[5] (1969-1992)
- Mr Neil A Slater MA (Cantab), (1992-2002)
- Mrs Julia Bell BA (UEA), PGCE (London), (2002-2003)
- Mrs Sally Lees MA (Oxon), (2003-2010)
- Dr Richard Moxham BA, PhD (Manchester), (2010-2014)
- Mrs Sonette Schwartz BEd (Pretoria), (Interim)
- Mrs Fiona Chapman BSc, (2014-2018)
- Mr Phillip Hostrup BA (Southampton), (2018 -)[6]
Notable former pupils
Former pupils are known as "Old Pharosians". The term is derived from the Latin word pharos, which means "lighthouse", and refers to the famous lighthouse at Dubris built by the Romans after their conquest of Britain.
- Prof Bruce Bilby, Professor of the Theory of Materials at the University of Sheffield from 1966 to 1984
- Antony Hook, barrister and Member of the European Parliament
- Arthur Cockfield, Baron Cockfield, President of the Royal Statistical Society from 1968 to 1969, and Secretary of State for Trade from 1982 to 1983, European Commission 1984-88
- Eddie Crush, cricketer
- Harold Gray CMG, Director of the National Association of British Manufacturers from 1961 to 1965
- Sir James Menter, President of the Institute of Physics from 1970 to 1972, and Principal of Queen Mary College, London from 1976 to 1986
- Rt Rev Eric Mercer, Bishop of Birkenhead from 1965 to 1973 and Bishop of Exeter from 1973 to 1985
- Sir John Mummery, aka Lord Justice Mummery, a judge in the Court of Appeal
- Rt Rev Kenneth Newing, Bishop of Plymouth from 1982 to 1989
- Jonathan Parry, historian
- Prof David Thomas, Professor of Geography at the University of Oxford since 2004
- David Elleray, Former top flight Football referee
- Matthew Carley, Current International & English Rugby Union referee
- James Brown, professional footballer for Millwall
- R. J. Unstead, a prolific author of history books for children, attended the school from 1926 to 1934.
- Topper Headon, drummer with The Clash.
- Richard Davey, channel swimmer, world record 1988, France to England.
References
- Wynn, Stephen (2017). Dover in the Great War. Pen & Sword Military. p. 168. ISBN 9781473827936.
- Tutthill, Graham (3 March 1990). "Anger over Merger Bid". East Kent Mercury.
- Zendera, Yamurai (30 October 2008). "Plans to relocate grammar schools". Dover Express.
- Lennon, Sam (27 February 2019). "Plans to demolish and replace 1930s Dover Grammar School for Boys building, involving Department for Education". Kent Online.
- "Honours for England: London and the South". BBC News. 31 December 2001. Retrieved 25 June 2019.
- Ruffell, KH. "The Dover County School 1910-1931". The Pharos. 3, 4 and 5.
External links
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