Bishop Gore School
Encyclopedia
The Bishop Gore School is a secondary school in Swansea
Swansea
Swansea is a coastal city and county in Wales. Swansea is in the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan. Situated on the sandy South West Wales coast, the county area includes the Gower Peninsula and the Lliw uplands...

 in south Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...

, founded on 14 September 1682 by Hugh Gore (1613–1691), Bishop of Waterford and Lismore
Bishop of Waterford and Lismore
The Bishop of Waterford and Lismore is an episcopal title which takes its name after the city of Waterford and town of Lismore in the Republic of Ireland. The title was used by the Church of Ireland until 1838, and is still used by the Catholic Church....

. It is situated close to the A4216
A4216 road
The A4216 is a main road in Swansea, Wales.The road links Sketty with Gendros. It begins at the junction at the bottom of Sketty Lane with Mumbles Road. It continues up Sketty Lane, onto Sketty Park Road then bears right onto Dillwyn Road to the junction with the A4118 at Sketty Cross. It...

, Singleton Park
Singleton Park
Singleton Park is the largest urban park in the city of Swansea and is located in Sketty. The park has hosted many entertainment and cultural events such as Party in the Park and Proms in the Park which were regular events by local stations The Wave & Swansea Sound and other music events held by...

 and the Swansea University
Swansea University
Swansea University is a university located in Swansea, Wales, United Kingdom. Swansea University was chartered as University College of Swansea in 1920, as the fourth college of the University of Wales. In 1996, it changed its name to the University of Wales Swansea following structural changes...

.

Grammar school

Established initially as a Free Grammar School for "the gratuitous instruction of twenty boys, sons of the most indigent burgesses, and in the event of a dissolution of the corporation, to sons of the poorest inhabitants of the town", it has since known several names and locations. Previously known as the boys-only Swansea Grammar School, Bishop Gore Grammar school and briefly Bishop Gore Comprehensive School, it has been on its current Sketty
Sketty
Sketty is the name of an electoral ward, a community and a suburb in the City and County of Swansea, Wales, UK. The community is coterminous with the electoral ward....

 site since 1952 with a large extension built in the 1970s and further Design and Technology extensions in the 1990s. A previous 18th century building designed by Benjamin Bucknall on Goat Street in Swansea city centre was largely gutted by incendiary bombs during World War II although some of the original buildings remain as part of the Swansea Metropolitan University.

Comprehensive

Until 1970, Bishop Gore was an all-boys grammar school, then it merged with the girls' grammar school Glanmor and Townhill Secondary School to become Bishop Gore Co-educational Comprehensive school in 1971.

School today

Currently Bishop Gore has around 1600 male and female students aged 11–18. The school also has a Sixth Form with separate lounge, facilities and uniform. The headteacher currently is Ryan Davies (September 2007+). Set just at the head of Singleton Park
Singleton Park
Singleton Park is the largest urban park in the city of Swansea and is located in Sketty. The park has hosted many entertainment and cultural events such as Party in the Park and Proms in the Park which were regular events by local stations The Wave & Swansea Sound and other music events held by...

, close to the village of Sketty
Sketty
Sketty is the name of an electoral ward, a community and a suburb in the City and County of Swansea, Wales, UK. The community is coterminous with the electoral ward....

 and the seafront, Bishop Gore was built around two quadrangles the red brick building has in the centre the second largest hall in Swansea, second only to the Brangwyn Hall
Brangwyn Hall
The Brangwyn Hall is a concert venue in Swansea. It is named after the artist Frank Brangwyn, whose famous "panels", originally intended for the House of Lords, are displayed there....

. Each pupil is assigned to a House
House system
The house system is a traditional feature of British schools, and schools in the Commonwealth. Historically, it was associated with established public schools, where a 'house' refers to a boarding house or dormitory of a boarding school...

: Gwynne, Mansel, Aberdare or Gore, which they retain throughout their time at the school. Highlights of the school year include the Eisteddfod, the inter-house sports tournaments, the high quality productions by Bishop Gore Theatre Company,and the end of year Balls for the senior students.

In January 2010, an inspection report was published which awarded Bishop Gore the highest possible grades in all categories. As a result of this the school was featured as a 'best practice' case study by Estyn and was named in the chief inspector's annual report - being the only secondary school in Wales to achieve this recognition. Over the past 4 years, there has been a dramatic improvement in results with the performance at GCSE/KS4 in August 2011 placing it as one of the top performing schools in Swansea.

With 87% of pupils in 2011 leaving the school with 5 GCSEs grades A* - C, Bishop Gore is now second only to Bishopston in terms of this statistic.

Dylan Thomas and Bishop Gore

The most famous alumnus of Bishop Gore is almost certainly the poet, playwright and author Dylan Thomas
Dylan Thomas
Dylan Marlais Thomas was a Welsh poet and writer, Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 11 January 2008. who wrote exclusively in English. In addition to poetry, he wrote short stories and scripts for film and radio, which he often performed himself...

. His father, David John (D.J.) Thomas was Senior English Master at the school, then known as Swansea Grammar School. Not a distinguished pupil, he nonetheless gained attention through winning the school's annual one-mile race, and in 1926 publishing his first poem: "The Song Of The Mischievous Dog". He left in 1931 to begin work at The South Wales Daily Post as a junior reporter.

Old Goreans

Notable Old Goreans have included:
  • Martin Amis
    Martin Amis
    Martin Louis Amis is a British novelist, the author of many novels including Money and London Fields . He is currently Professor of Creative Writing at the Centre for New Writing at the University of Manchester, but will step down at the end of the 2010/11 academic year...

    , novelist and journalist
  • Donald Anderson, Baron Anderson of Swansea
    Donald Anderson, Baron Anderson of Swansea
    Donald Anderson, Baron Anderson of Swansea, PC, DL , is a British Labour Party politician, who was a Member of Parliament for Swansea East from 1966 to 1970 and from 1974 to 2005....

    , Labour MP for Swansea East
    Swansea East
    Swansea East may refer to:* Swansea East * Swansea East...

     1974–2005
  • Gareth Armstrong
    Gareth Armstrong
    Gareth S. Armstrong is a British actor.Armstrong was born on 28 September 1948 in Swansea, the son of a Presbyterian minister. He began his career by acting in school plays at the Bishop Gore School, Swansea...

    , actor
  • George Bell CBE, Director of the Plant Breeding Institute at the University of Cambridge
    University of Cambridge
    The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...

     1947–71
  • Timothy Beynon, President from 2000-4 of the British Dragonfly Society
    British Dragonfly Society
    The British Dragonfly Society is a conservation organization in the United Kingdom. It was founded in 1983 and its aims are to promote and to encourage the study and conservation of dragonflies and damselflies and their natural habitats, especially in the United Kingdom.The Society runs the...

  • Kenneth Bryn Thomas, anaesthetist
  • Henry Bruce, 1st Baron Aberdare
    Henry Bruce, 1st Baron Aberdare
    Henry Austin Bruce, 1st Baron Aberdare GCB, PC, FRS was a British Liberal Party politician, who served in government most notably as Home Secretary and as Lord President of the Council....

    , Home Secretary 1868–73
  • Prof Sir John Cadogan
    John Cadogan
    Professor Sir John Ivan George Cadogan CBE DSc FRSE FRSC PLSW FRS is a British scientist, whose speciality is in organic chemistry.Sir John was born in Pembrey, Carmarthenshire...

     CBE, Director General of Research Councils UK
    Research Councils UK
    Research Councils UK is a strategic partnership between the seven UK Research Councils. It enables the Councils to work together more effectively to enhance the overall impact and effectiveness of their research, training and innovation activities, contributing to the delivery of the Government's...

     1994-8, Forbes Professor of Organic Chemistry 1969-79 at the University of Edinburgh
    University of Edinburgh
    The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...

    , former BP
    BP
    BP p.l.c. is a global oil and gas company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the third-largest energy company and fourth-largest company in the world measured by revenues and one of the six oil and gas "supermajors"...

     executive, and President of the Royal Society of Chemistry
    Royal Society of Chemistry
    The Royal Society of Chemistry is a learned society in the United Kingdom with the goal of "advancing the chemical sciences." It was formed in 1980 from the merger of the Chemical Society, the Royal Institute of Chemistry, the Faraday Society and the Society for Analytical Chemistry with a new...

     1982-4
  • Rt Rev Graham Chadwick
    Graham Charles Chadwick
    Graham Charles Chadwick was a British Christian missionary, bishop and anti-apartheid campaigner in South Africa....

    , bishop and anti-apartheid campaigner
  • Ronald Cour, sculptor
  • Sir George Curtis CB, Chief Land Registrar at HM Land Registry
    HM Land Registry
    Land Registry is a non-ministerial government department and executive agency of the Government of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1862 to register the ownership of land and property in England and Wales...

     1947-63
  • Glyn Davies, Marxist-Leninist thinker and Socialist worker
  • David Dykes, Director of the National Museum of Wales
    National Museum Wales
    Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales, formerly the National Museums and Galleries of Wales, comprises eight museums in Wales:* National Museum Cardiff* St Fagans: National History Museum, Cardiff* Big Pit National Coal Museum, Blaenavon...

     1986-9, and President of the British Numismatic Society
    British Numismatic Society
    The British Numismatic Society is an organisation for promoting the study of British coins and medals. It was founded in 1903. Its principal publication is the British Numismatic Journal, commonly abbreviated to "BNJ" in academic references....

     1999–2003
  • Prof Sir Sam Edwards (physicist)
    Sam Edwards (physicist)
    Sir Samuel Frederick Edwards FLSW FRS is a British physicist.-Early life and studies:Sir Samuel was born on 1 February 1928 in Swansea, the son of Richard and Mary Jane Edwards....

     FRS, President of the Institute of Physics
    Institute of Physics
    The Institute of Physics is a scientific charity devoted to increasing the practice, understanding and application of physics. It has a worldwide membership of around 40,000....

     1972-4, Vice-Chancellor of the University of London
    University of London
    -20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...

     1985–90
  • Paul Ferris (author)
    Paul Ferris (author)
    Paul Ferris is a British biographer and novelist.Born in Swansea, Wales, in 1929, he was educated at the Bishop Gore School...

    , journalist, novelist and biographer
  • Charles Fisher (poet)
    Charles Fisher (poet)
    Charles Fisher was a British journalist, writer, poet and adventurer. Charles was the last surviving member of the Kardomah group, a literary and artistic circle in Swansea circa 1930, which included Dylan Thomas, Vernon Watkins and Daniel Jones.Fisher was educated at the Bishop Gore School,...

    , journalist
  • Brian Flowers, Baron Flowers
    Brian Flowers, Baron Flowers
    Brian Hilton Flowers, Baron Flowers FRS was a British physicist and academican.-Early life and studies:The son of Reverend Harold Joseph Flowers, he was educated at the Bishop Gore School in Swansea and at Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge, where he graduated with a Master of Arts...

    , physicist
  • John Ford CBE, Chief Executive of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency
    Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency
    The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency is the organisation of the UK Government responsible for maintaining a database of drivers and a database of vehicles in Great Britain; its counterpart in Northern Ireland is the Driver & Vehicle Agency...

    , and the Driving Standards Agency
    Driving Standards Agency
    The Driving Standards Agency is an executive agency of the UK Department for Transport .DSA’s vision is 'Safe Driving for Life'. Its overall mission is to contribute to the public service agreement objective to achieve 40% reduction in riders and drivers killed or seriously injured in road...

     1993-2000
  • Dr Hywel Davies, cardiologist and author
  • Thomas George, Professor of Geology at the University of Glasgow
    University of Glasgow
    The University of Glasgow is the fourth-oldest university in the English-speaking world and one of Scotland's four ancient universities. Located in Glasgow, the university was founded in 1451 and is presently one of seventeen British higher education institutions ranked amongst the top 100 of the...

     1947–74, President of the Geological Society of London
    Geological Society of London
    The Geological Society of London is a learned society based in the United Kingdom with the aim of "investigating the mineral structure of the Earth"...

     1968–70 and the Palaeontological Association
    Palaeontological Association
    The Palaeontological Association is a charitable organisation based in the UK founded in 1957 for the promotion of the study of palaeontology.-Functions:...

     1962-4
  • Sir Alexander Gordon CBE, architect and President of the Royal Institute of British Architects
    Royal Institute of British Architects
    The Royal Institute of British Architects is a professional body for architects primarily in the United Kingdom, but also internationally.-History:...

     (RIBA) 1971-3
  • Sir William Grove, chemist, barrister and judge
  • Rt Rev Llewellyn Henry Gwynne
    Llewellyn Henry Gwynne
    Llewellyn Henry Gwynne CMG CBE was the first Anglican Bishop of Egypt and Sudan.- Early life :Gwynne was born in Swansea, Wales, in 1863. While at the Swansea Grammar School, the headmaster encouraged him to follow the example of his beloved brother Charlie by working hard and pursuing his...

    , Bishop of Egypt and the Sudan
  • Prof John Howell CBE, Professor of Medicine at the University of Southampton
    University of Southampton
    The University of Southampton is a British public university located in the city of Southampton, England, a member of the Russell Group. The origins of the university can be dated back to the founding of the Hartley Institution in 1862 by Henry Robertson Hartley. In 1902, the Institution developed...

     1969–91, and Dean of the Medical School 1978-83, and President of the British Thoracic Society
    British Thoracic Society
    The British Thoracic Society was formed in 1982 by the amalgamation of the British Thoracic Association and the Thoracic Society. It is a registered charity and a company limited by guarantee.-Function:...

     1988-9, and President of the British Medical Association
    British Medical Association
    The British Medical Association is the professional association and registered trade union for doctors in the United Kingdom. The association does not regulate or certify doctors, a responsibility which lies with the General Medical Council. The association’s headquarters are located in BMA House,...

     1989-90.
  • Alfred Janes
    Alfred Janes
    Alfred George Janes was a Welsh artist, who is also remembered as one of The Kardomah Gang; a group of bohemian friends that included the poets Dylan Thomas and Vernon Watkins, and the composer Daniel Jones....

    , artist
  • Daniel Jones
    Daniel Jones (composer)
    Daniel Jenkyn Jones OBE was a composer of classical music, who worked in Britain. He used both serial and tonal techniques...

    , composer
  • Ernest Jones
    Ernest Jones
    Alfred Ernest Jones was a British neurologist and psychoanalyst, and Sigmund Freud’s official biographer. Jones was the first English-speaking practitioner of psychoanalysis and became its leading exponent in the English-speaking world where, as President of both the British Psycho-Analytical...

    , founder of British Psycho-Analytical Society, biographer of Sigmund Freud
    Sigmund Freud
    Sigmund Freud , born Sigismund Schlomo Freud , was an Austrian neurologist who founded the discipline of psychoanalysis...

  • John Jones, Professor of Economics from 1919-46 at the University of Leeds
    University of Leeds
    The University of Leeds is a British Redbrick university located in the city of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England...

  • Mervyn Jones
    Mervyn Jones
    Mervyn Thomas Jones is a British diplomat who was Governor of the Turks and Caicos Islands from January 2000 to November 2002. Jones was succeeded by acting Governor Cynthia Astwood on 26 November 2002...

    , Governor of the Turks and Caicos Islands
    Governor of the Turks and Caicos Islands
    The Governor of the Turks and Caicos Islands is the representative of the British monarch in the United Kingdom's overseas territory of Turks and Caicos Islands. The Governor is appointed by the monarch on the advice of the British government...

     2000-2
  • The Kardomah Gang, 1930s Swansea literary and cultural circle
  • Prof. Gail Kinman, Professor of Occupational Health Psychology at the University of Bedfordshire
  • Timothy Knowles, Group Managing Director of HTV Group 1986-8
  • Sir Archie Lamb MBE CMG DFC, Ambassador to Kuwait 1974-7, and to Norway 1978–80
  • Mervyn Levy
    Mervyn Levy
    Mervyn Levy was a Welsh artist, art dealer, writer and critic. He is also known for his association with the poet Dylan Thomas as one of The Kardomah Gang....

    , artist and critic
  • Prof Leonard Maunder OBE, Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Newcastle University 1967-92
  • John Metcalf
    John Metcalf
    John Metcalf may refer to:* John Metcalf , British civil engineer* John Metcalf , Canadian writer and editor* John Metcalf , NASCAR series driver, see 1999 NASCAR Winston Cup Series...

    , composer
  • David Miles
    David Miles
    David Miles is a British economist. He is a Visiting Professor at Imperial College London and former Chief UK Economist of Morgan Stanley...

    , chief UK economist
    Economist
    An economist is a professional in the social science discipline of economics. The individual may also study, develop, and apply theories and concepts from economics and write about economic policy...

     at Morgan Stanley, author of the Miles Report for HM Treasury
    HM Treasury
    HM Treasury, in full Her Majesty's Treasury, informally The Treasury, is the United Kingdom government department responsible for developing and executing the British government's public finance policy and economic policy...

  • Hugh David Morgan, philosopher, raconteur and wit
  • Sir Gwilym Morris CBE, Chief Constable of South Wales Constabulary (since 1996 known as South Wales Police
    South Wales Police
    South Wales Police is one of the four territorial police forces in Wales. Its headquarters are based in Bridgend.Covering Wales' capital city, Cardiff, as well as Bridgend, Merthyr Tydfil, Swansea, and the western South Wales Valleys, it is the largest police force in Wales in terms of population,...

    ) 1971-9
  • Sir Douglas Owen CB, Commissioner of HM Customs and Excise 1949–65
  • Prof Dewi Zephaniah Phillips - Professor of Religion and Philosophy at Swansea University
    Swansea University
    Swansea University is a university located in Swansea, Wales, United Kingdom. Swansea University was chartered as University College of Swansea in 1920, as the fourth college of the University of Wales. In 1996, it changed its name to the University of Wales Swansea following structural changes...

     and Claremont Graduate University
    Claremont Graduate University
    Claremont Graduate University is a private, all-graduate research university located in Claremont, California, a city east of downtown Los Angeles...

     California, author and minister
  • Colin Phipps
    Colin Phipps
    Dr Colin Barry Phipps was a British petroleum geologist and formerly a Labour Party politician.-Early life:He was born in Swansea....

    , Labour MP for Dudley West
    Dudley West (UK Parliament constituency)
    Dudley West was a parliamentary constituency, centred on the town of Dudley in the West Midlands. It existed from 1974 to 1997, returning one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom by the first past the post system.-History:The constituency was created...

     1974-9
  • Prof William Price, Wheatstone Professor of Physics at King's College London
    King's College London
    King's College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and a constituent college of the federal University of London. King's has a claim to being the third oldest university in England, having been founded by King George IV and the Duke of Wellington in 1829, and...

     1955-76
  • Sion Probert, actor
  • Prof Lewis Roberts CBE, President of the British Nuclear Energy Society
    Nuclear Institute
    The Nuclear Institute is the professional body representing nuclear professionals in the UK.It is a charity independent of the industry that promotes knowledge of nuclear energy amongst its members and the public and offers a route to professional qualification for those working in the sector,...

     1985-7
  • Sir Melvyn Rosser, Chairman of HTV Group 1986–91 and
  • Dylan Thomas
    Dylan Thomas
    Dylan Marlais Thomas was a Welsh poet and writer, Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 11 January 2008. who wrote exclusively in English. In addition to poetry, he wrote short stories and scripts for film and radio, which he often performed himself...

    , poet, playwright and author
  • Prof Leslie Vaughan, Professor of Veterinary Surgery at the Royal Veterinary College
    Royal Veterinary College
    The Royal Veterinary College is a veterinary school located in London, United Kingdom and a constituent college of the federal University of London. The RVC was founded in 1791 and joined the University of London in 1949...

     1974-91
  • Wynford Vaughan-Thomas
    Wynford Vaughan-Thomas
    Lewis John Wynford Vaughan-Thomas CBE was a British newspaper journalist and radio and television broadcaster. In later life he took the name Vaughan-Thomas after his father....

    , World War 2 war reporter, journalist , founder of HTV
    HTV
    HTV, now legally known as ITV Wales & West, is the ITV contractor for Wales and the West of England, which operated from studios in Cardiff and Bristol. The company provided commercial television for the dual-region 'Wales and West' franchise, which it won from TWW in 1968...

  • Prof Dominic Welsh, Professor of Mathematics at the University of Oxford
    University of Oxford
    The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...

     1992-2005
  • Prof. Rhys Williams, Professor of Clinical Epidemiology at Swansea University
    Swansea University
    Swansea University is a university located in Swansea, Wales, United Kingdom. Swansea University was chartered as University College of Swansea in 1920, as the fourth college of the University of Wales. In 1996, it changed its name to the University of Wales Swansea following structural changes...



Rugby players

In addition, a number of Old Goreans have played rugby for Wales national rugby union team
Wales national rugby union team
The Wales national rugby union team represent Wales in international rugby union tournaments. They compete annually in the Six Nations Championship with England, France, Ireland, Italy and Scotland. Wales have won the Six Nations and its predecessors 24 times outright, second only to England with...

, including, GAD Wheel, Roger Blyth, Haydn Mainwaring, Paul Arnold, Idwal Rees
Idwal Rees
Idwal Rees was a Welsh international rugby union centre who played club rugby for Swansea and Cambridge University.-Rugby career:Rees first played rugby for Swansea Grammar School, but when he graduated to Swansea University at the age of 17, he gave up rugby as he believed he was too light to play...

, Stuart Davies
Stuart Davies
Stuart Davies is a former international rugby union player. A backrow forward, he played his club rugby for Swansea RFC and attained 17 caps for Wales....

, Richie Pugh
Richie Pugh
Richie Pugh is Wales international rugby union player who plays at openside flanker. Pugh was schooled in Brynmill primary and Bishop Gore Comprehensive schools....

 (Wales 7s Captain at the 2006 Commonwealth Games
2006 Commonwealth Games
The 2006 Commonwealth Games were held in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia between 15 March and 26 March 2006. It was the largest sporting event to be staged in Melbourne, eclipsing the 1956 Summer Olympics in terms of the number of teams competing, athletes competing, and events being held.The site...

) and winner of the Rugby World Cup Sevens
Rugby World Cup Sevens
The Rugby World Cup Sevens is the premier international Rugby sevens competition. The event is organised by the sport's governing body, the International Rugby Board , and is contested by the men's national sevens teams every four years. The inaugural tournament was held in 1993 in Scotland, the...

 2009 and 2008 Six Nations Championship
Six Nations Championship
The Six Nations Championship is an annual international rugby union competition involving six European sides: England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales....

 winner and Wales captain Alun Wyn Jones
Alun Wyn Jones
Alun Wyn Jones is a Welsh international rugby union rugby player, currently playing for the Ospreys in the Celtic League. Having previously represented Wales at under-21 level, he made his Test debut for Wales in June 2006 against Argentina. Originally playing as a blindside flanker, he has shown...

.

External links

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