LEEDS GRAMMAR SCHOOL

'Leeds Grammar School' was a independent school in Leeds established in 1552. In August 2005 it merged with Leeds Girls' High School to form The Grammar School at Leeds. The two schools will be physically united by September 2008.
The school was founded in 1552 by Sir William Sheafield to provide free, subsidised or fee-paying education to the children of the City of Leeds. Despite 1552 being the traditional date for the foundation of the school, there is some evidence to suggest that the school existed as early as 1341. In contemporary times, LGS is a selective, independent fee-paying school, (in the UK known as a or Private school), and was a member of the Governing Bodies Association and of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference. The School currently occupies 18.5 million pound modern premises in Alwoodley; which were formally opened in June 1998 by Lord Harewood.

Contents

History

Houses

Departments & Faculty Heads

Merger with Leeds Girls' High School

Notable alumni

Other notable facts

External links

Notes

History

Leeds Grammar School was founded in 1552, following the death of Sir William Sheafield in July 1552; who left £14 13s. 4d. in his will for the setting up of a school; "For all such younge scholars, youths and children as shall come to be taught, instructed and informed…". The date for the foundation of the school still remains in doubt to this day; with records indicating that there was a Grammar School in Leeds as early as 1341. The school's first site is originally thought to have been in The Calls, by the River Aire, near the centre of the city. However, by about 1579 the school was in the New Chapel building at the head of Headingley Lane, where it remained until 1624.

In 1624 John Harrison, a great Leeds benefactor, removed the school "to a pleasant Field of his own which he surrouded with a substantial Wall and in the midst of the Quadrangle built the present Fabrick of the school". Harrison's school was located on North Lane, on the site of the current Grand Theatre Leeds, and opposite St Johns Church. Through the years, the school grew steadily in numbers and in reputation. Harrison's building was added onto in the 1640's by a new Library, thanks to the endowment of Geoffory Lawson (Mayor of Leeds). The Lawson Library remains with the school to this day, making it the oldest library in Leeds. By 1857, the city of Leeds was growing dramatically due to the Industrial Revolution. The city conditions were dirty and Harrison's buildings inadequate for a Victorian education. Therefore in 1857 the decision was made by Rev. Alfred Barry (Headmaster) to move the school to new premises on Woodhouse Moor. The building, ecclesiastical in design, was opened in June 1859. The building was designed by Edward Middleton Barry, brother of the then headmaster, Dr Alfred Barry, after whom one of the eight houses was named. At that time the school roll numbers fewer than 100 boys and the buildings were planned for just 200.

The school was in the Direct Grant scheme in the 1950s to 1970s, the Assisted Places scheme in the 1970s to 1990s.
Throughout the 20th Century the school continued to expand; with the building of a new Swimming Pool, Sports Hall, Theatre, A.D.T Department, Assembly Hall and Classroom block. By the 1990s, the roll had risen to over 1100 boys, with the school operating on three separate sites. Despite continuous improvements to accommodate both increased numbers and the requirements of a contemporary curriculum, no further development of the facilities was economically viable without great detriment to the education of the pupils. On top of this, by 1997 the premises has been surrounded by the Leeds University and the area of Leeds surrounding the school - Headingley - was in apparent decline; therefore the decision was taken by the Governors and Leeds University to swap the Woodhouse Moor, Junior School and Lawnswood premises for a 138 acre site in Alwoodley to the North of Leeds.
In September 1997, following 18.5 million pounds and three years of construction, Leeds Grammar School opened at its new home in Alwoodley Gates. In 1999 the school passed into the 21st Century with the appointment of a new Headmaster- Dr. Mark Bailey. Following the continued shrinking of Leeds' child population, staff shortages and the need of Leeds Girls' High School for more adequate modern buildings the decision was taken to merge with Leeds Girls' High School in 2003. The school will physically pass out of existence at the end of the 2007/2008 academic year- despite being legally dissolved since August 2005.

Houses

Leeds Grammar school has eight houses named after individuals connected with the school or its formation. This system dates back to 1924, with the original school houses being Clarell, Sheafield, Neville and Thoresby. Currently there are eight houses:

★ Barry - after Rev Alfred Barry, PhD, who planned the move of Leeds Grammar School to its site in Woodhouse Moor, which it occupied between 1859 and 1997.

★ Clarell- after Thomas Clarell, Vicar of Leeds from 1430 to 1469, and founder of the Clarell Chantry, in which was employed William Sheafield as chantry priest

★ Ermystead - after William Ermystead, who paid for the construction of the Lady Lane site in the 1590s.

★ Harrison - after John Harrison, benefactor of Leeds, who built the school its third site on North Street. He was also a notable supporter of King Charles I throughout the English Civil War.

★ Lawson - after Godfrey Lawson, Mayor of Leeds, who endowed to the school the Lawson Library - the oldest Library in Leeds

★ Nevile- for Sir John Nevile, one of the first trustees of the school

★ Sheafield - after William Sheafield, who is traditionally thought of as the founder of the school in 1552, by virtue of the date of signature of his will, which endowed the school.

★ Thoresby (after Ralph Thoresby}, topographer of Leeds and alumni of the school.
There are many competitions throughout the school year, the most notable of these being Sports day & House music. Any house activity, be it a win or a draw, results in the acquiring of House Points. All eight houses compete throughout the year for the coveted Bailey Cup- awarded at the end of the year for the house with the most house points.

Departments & Faculty Heads

Considerable staff changes will take place in September 2008 following physical merger with Leeds Girls' High School. The current Senior Staff positions for academic year 2007/2008 are as follows:

★ Headmaster- Dr. M. Bailey

★ Deputy Head- Mr. P. Jolly

★ Head of Operations- Mr. S. Field

★ Head of Teaching- Mr. P. Britton

★ Head of Studies- Mr. E. Medway

★ Head of Sixth Form- Mrs. C. Heatley

★ Head of Upper School- Mr. P. Lunn

★ Head of Middle School- Mr. C. Freeman

★ Head of Lower School- Mr. G. Thompson

★ Astronomy - Mr. D. Fry

★ Art, Design and Technology - Mrs. A Tait

★ Biology - Mr. I. Smith

★ Chemistry - Dr I. Hotchkiss

★ Classics - Mr. D Pritchard

★ Economics and Business Studies- Mr. C. Law

★ English - Mrs. J. Bolton

★ French - Mrs. E. Saurel

★ Geography - Mr S. Knowles

★ German - Mr. F. Hill

★ History - Dr. G. Seel

★ Information and Communications Technology - Mr. R. Evans

★ Mathematics - Mrs. O. Fitzsimons

★ Modern Foreign Languages- Dr. D. Moynihan

★ Music - Mr. A. Wheeler

★ Physical Education - Mr P. Morris

★ Physics - Dr. P. Cramoysan

★ Religious Education - Mrs. H. Stiles

★ Science- Dr. I. Hotchkiss

★ Spanish - Mrs. R. Reed-Purvis

Merger with Leeds Girls' High School

The school administration merged with Leeds Girls' High School in August 2005, however the schools will not physically merge until September 2008. At that time the Senior School (ages 11-18) and Junior School (ages 7-11) will remain at their present Alwoodley Site. The Infant School will move to the former LGHS site at Headingley alongside a new Nursery School. The merged school will be called The Grammar School at Leeds. The main Senior School site of Leeds Girls' High School will be sold to a private developer. Classes for girls and boys between the ages of 11 and 16 will remain segregated, but all extra-curricular activities will be mixed.
The merger of the two schools has caused some controversy due to the expected increase in traffic levels at the Alwoodley site.^[1]

Notable alumni

Alumni from Leeds Grammar School are called or "Old Leo's". Notable Old Leo's include:

★ Robin Blaze - countertenor

★ Sir Stephen Brown KCVO - Group Chief Executive of British Trade International, former ambassador

★ Barry Cryer - Comedian and comedy writer

★ Alan Davidson - author, diplomat, food writer.

★ Lord "Jack" Diamond (John Diamond) sometime leader of the SDP in the House of Lords.

★ George Dixon - MP for Birmingham, also Edgbaston. Educationalist

★ Ernest Farrar (1885–1918) - composer

★ Robin Flower - poet

★ Tony Harrison (b.1937 - ) - poet

★ Sir John Hawkshaw - Engineer (railways, canals, tunnels)

★ George Henderson (b.1854 d.1903) - British soldier and military author most famous for his work regarding the American Civil War and Thomas J. Jackson

★ Sir Jack Hibbert - director of the Central Statistical Office, 1985-1992.

★ John Ireland - composer

★ Samuel W. Johnson - composer

★ Donald Kaberry, Baron Kaberry of Adel - politician

★ Sir Gerald Kaufman - Member of Parliament

★ Reverend Geoffrey Anketell Studdert Kennedy (Woodbine Willy) - priest and counsellor in World War I

★ Colin Montgomerie (attended circa 1980-1982) - Golf Professional

★ Richard Peacock - Engineer; railway locomotive designer

★ Christopher Price - politician

★ John Smeaton (b.1724 d.1794) - civil and mechanical engineer famous for building the third Eddystone Lighthouse, and for many other engineering projects.

★ Godfrey Talbot- war-time BBC correspondent; later the BBC's first officially-accredited royal correspondent.

★ Ralph Thoresby - Merchant, dissenter, and author of the first history of Leeds, ''Ducatus Leodiensis'', in 1715

★ John Rowe Townsend - children's writer

★ Nigel Waterson - Member of Parliament for Eastbourne

★ Ricky Wilson - Lead singer of the Kaiser Chiefs

★ Jeremy Dyson - scriptwriter especially for The League of Gentlemen.

★ Rob Cowen - Singer/songwriter

★ Ken Hodcroft - Chairman of Hartlepool United F.C.

★ Thomas Adamson-Coumbousis - Channel 4 News, TV Reporter/Producer

★ Niall Cook - (racing driver)

★ Joanne Harris - Author of Chocolat fame used to teach there

Other notable facts

★ William Sheafield gave £14 to set up Leeds Grammar School.

★ Serious consideration was given in the 1920s to move the school to Lawnswood- the current site of Leeds University's playing fields.

★ The 1997 Alwoodley Senior School building cost £18.5 million to build.

★ The name The Grammar School at Leeds was given to the new merged school for its neutrailty, however, the name "The Free Grammar School at Leeds" was given to Leeds Grammar School throughout the 17th and 18th Century, albeit unofficially.

★ Ricky Wilson, ex-pupil of the school and Kaiser Chiefs lead singer, can be seen wearing a Neville House Tie in the original video of "I Predict a Riot".

★ Leodiensian, the school magazine, was founded in 1826 and is considered by many to be one of the longest running school magazines.

External links

★ The Grammar School at Leeds Website

★ Leeds Grammar School website

★ GCSE and Value Added statistics from the Department for Education and Skills

★ 16+ statistics from DfES

★ Independent Schools Council listing for LGS, providing concise details of subjects taught, facilities &c.

★ History of Leeds Grammar School, including the full text of a number of books about the school

Notes

1. Ban The School Run Cars Yorkshire Evening Post, June 2006