Bishopshalt School
Encyclopedia
Bishopshalt School is a comprehensive secondary school
based in the London Borough of Hillingdon
. It has been awarded Arts College
status.
, the Director-General
of the BBC
.
Walter Wilks Sawtell was headmaster of the school from its founding in 1907 until 1929. He remained in the position to oversee the move of the school, before resigning to become rector of Madehurst
in Sussex
. The school name was changed to Bishophalt School in 1930 to acknowledge it was no longer in Uxbridge. It is derived from the history of the site as for 500 years, the Bishops of Worcester rested at the grounds of the school on their journeys to and from London.
A Cierva C.19 Mk.3 Autogiro landed on the school field in July 1931, piloted by Cierva Autogiro Company, Ltd., Flying Manager Reginald A.C. Brie, a former pupil of the school. During the Second World War, the school was used for rallies and inspections of the local Girls' Training Corps. Randall's of Uxbridge
, a local family-owned department store, donated three oak chairs to the school in October 1949. In 1969, the school's air raid shelters were removed and replaced by a car park. The shelters had been built in 1939 but remained due to the threat of the Cold War.
The London Borough of Hillingdon held council meetings in the school hall while the Civic Centre in Uxbridge was under construction. In 1977 the school changed from a grammar school
to a comprehensive
.
An episode of Jeeves and Wooster
starring Hugh Laurie
and Stephen Fry
was filmed in the school grounds. The school has also been used as a filming location for the film adaptation of Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging
, directed by Gurinder Chadha
.
The former headmaster, David Bocock, started in 2004;, he was a previous deputy head. He succeeded Vince Hodkinson as Headmaster, who became Headmaster in 1996. The Headmaster prior to Vince Hodkinson was Dr Leslie Bather, from 1970-1996.
Bishopshalt School is a very capable school and specialises in performing arts. It has its own large playing fields and an ornamental garden specifically for the 6th form students. It always achieves high scoring GCSEs, SATs and A-levels making it a very in demand school.
Bishopshalt has six 'houses', named after bishops that rested at the old mansion: Cranmer, De Salis, Evesham, Manor, Stanley and Worcester. The school motto is Fidelis, meaning Faithful.
Secondary school
Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age, takes place...
based in the London Borough of Hillingdon
London Borough of Hillingdon
The London Borough of Hillingdon is the westernmost borough in Greater London, England. The borough's population was recorded as 243,006 in the 2001 Census. The borough incorporates the former districts of Ruislip-Northwood, Uxbridge, Hayes and Harlington and Yiewsley and West Drayton in the...
. It has been awarded Arts College
Arts College
Arts Colleges were introduced in 1997 as part of the now defunct Specialist Schools Programme in the United Kingdom. The system enabled secondary schools to specialise in certain fields, in this case, the performing, visual and/or media arts...
status.
History
The current building within which the school moved to was built in 1858. The school dates back to 1907, when it was first established as Uxbridge County School in the Greenway. It was designed by the architect H. G. Crothall for the Middlesex Education Committee. The Middlesex Education Committe purchased the present site for £6900 in 1925 and in 1928 the school moved there. The original buildings in the Greenway became part of Uxbridge High School. On 6 October the school was officially opened by Sir John ReithJohn Reith, 1st Baron Reith
John Charles Walsham Reith, 1st Baron Reith, KT, GCVO, GBE, CB, TD, PC was a Scottish broadcasting executive who established the tradition of independent public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom...
, the Director-General
Director-General of the BBC
The Director-General of the British Broadcasting Corporation is chief executive and editor-in-chief of the BBC.The position was formerly appointed by the Board of Governors of the BBC and is now appointed by the BBC Trust....
of the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
.
Walter Wilks Sawtell was headmaster of the school from its founding in 1907 until 1929. He remained in the position to oversee the move of the school, before resigning to become rector of Madehurst
Madehurst
Madehurst is a small village and civil parish in the Arun District of West Sussex, England. It is located four miles to the north-west of Arundel, to the west of the A29 road. The civil parish covers an area of 765.96ha and has a population of 105 persons .The village of Madehurst is situated...
in Sussex
Sussex
Sussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
. The school name was changed to Bishophalt School in 1930 to acknowledge it was no longer in Uxbridge. It is derived from the history of the site as for 500 years, the Bishops of Worcester rested at the grounds of the school on their journeys to and from London.
A Cierva C.19 Mk.3 Autogiro landed on the school field in July 1931, piloted by Cierva Autogiro Company, Ltd., Flying Manager Reginald A.C. Brie, a former pupil of the school. During the Second World War, the school was used for rallies and inspections of the local Girls' Training Corps. Randall's of Uxbridge
Uxbridge
Uxbridge is a large town located in north west London, England and is the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Hillingdon. It forms part of the ceremonial county of Greater London. It is located west-northwest of Charing Cross and is one of the major metropolitan centres...
, a local family-owned department store, donated three oak chairs to the school in October 1949. In 1969, the school's air raid shelters were removed and replaced by a car park. The shelters had been built in 1939 but remained due to the threat of the Cold War.
The London Borough of Hillingdon held council meetings in the school hall while the Civic Centre in Uxbridge was under construction. In 1977 the school changed from a grammar school
Grammar school
A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and some other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching classical languages but more recently an academically-oriented secondary school.The original purpose of mediaeval...
to a comprehensive
Comprehensive school
A comprehensive school is a state school that does not select its intake on the basis of academic achievement or aptitude. This is in contrast to the selective school system, where admission is restricted on the basis of a selection criteria. The term is commonly used in relation to the United...
.
An episode of Jeeves and Wooster
Jeeves and Wooster
-External links:*—An episode guide to the series, including information about which episodes were adapted from which Wodehouse stories.*—Episode guides, screenshots and quotes from the four series....
starring Hugh Laurie
Hugh Laurie
James Hugh Calum Laurie, OBE , better known as Hugh Laurie , is an English actor, voice artist, comedian, writer, musician, recording artist, and director...
and Stephen Fry
Stephen Fry
Stephen John Fry is an English actor, screenwriter, author, playwright, journalist, poet, comedian, television presenter and film director, and a director of Norwich City Football Club. He first came to attention in the 1981 Cambridge Footlights Revue presentation "The Cellar Tapes", which also...
was filmed in the school grounds. The school has also been used as a filming location for the film adaptation of Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging
Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging
Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging is a 2008 British coming of age film film co-written and directed by Gurinder Chadha starring Georgia Groome. It is based on two teenage novels by Louise Rennison: Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging and It's OK, I'm Wearing Really Big Knickers...
, directed by Gurinder Chadha
Gurinder Chadha
Gurinder Chadha , OBE, is a British film director of Indian origin. Most of her films explore the lives of Indians living in the United Kingdom. She is best known for the hit films Bhaji on the Beach , Bend It Like Beckham , Bride and Prejudice and Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging...
.
Present day
The current Headmaster is Mr K Rowe, who started in September 2011.The former headmaster, David Bocock, started in 2004;, he was a previous deputy head. He succeeded Vince Hodkinson as Headmaster, who became Headmaster in 1996. The Headmaster prior to Vince Hodkinson was Dr Leslie Bather, from 1970-1996.
Bishopshalt School is a very capable school and specialises in performing arts. It has its own large playing fields and an ornamental garden specifically for the 6th form students. It always achieves high scoring GCSEs, SATs and A-levels making it a very in demand school.
Bishopshalt has six 'houses', named after bishops that rested at the old mansion: Cranmer, De Salis, Evesham, Manor, Stanley and Worcester. The school motto is Fidelis, meaning Faithful.
Dramatic Society
Bishopshalt School runs a dramatic society named Bishopshalt Operatic and Dramatic Society, known as BODS. The company is open to students at the school from the tenth to the thirteenth academic year. They perform annually during December.Academic performance
It gets the third highest A level results in Hillingdon and above average results at GCSE.Notable alumni
- Claire RichardsClaire RichardsClaire Ann Richards is an English singer best known for being the lead singer of Steps from 1997 to 2001. She was a contestant on the second series of Popstar to Operastar before being voted off in the Semi Finals...
, singer (played role of Maria in school adaptation of The Sound of MusicThe Sound of MusicThe Sound of Music is a musical by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II and a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. It is based on the memoir of Maria von Trapp, The Story of the Trapp Family Singers...
in 1992) - Neil ShipperleyNeil ShipperleyNeil Jason Shipperley is a retired English professional footballer, who played as a centre-forward. He is the former manager of Walton Casuals of the Isthmian League Division One South....
, footballer - Warren GoodhindWarren GoodhindWarren Goodhind is a South African professional footballer who plays as a right back for Eastleigh. Active primarily in England, Goodhind made over 200 appearances in the Football League for four different clubs between 1996 and 2007, before beginning his non-League football career.-Career:Born in...
, footballer
Bishopshalt Grammar School
- Leslie Clifford BatemanLeslie Clifford BatemanTan Sri Leslie Clifford Bateman was the last non-citizen of Malaysia to be appointed to any establishment connected to the government of Malaysia, as the Controller of Rubber Research in 1962...
CMG, Malaysian politician - Prof Vernon BogdanorVernon BogdanorVernon Bogdanor, CBE, FBA is Research Professor at the Institute for Contemporary History at King's College London, and a Fellow of Brasenose College, University of Oxford. He is one of Britain's foremost constitutional experts and has written extensively on political and constitutional issues...
CBE, Professor of Government at the University of OxfordUniversity of OxfordThe 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... - Keith Eaton, Chief Executive of the Institution of Structural EngineersInstitution of Structural EngineersThe Institution of Structural Engineers is a professional body for structural engineering based in the United Kingdom. It has 27,000 members in 105 countries. The Institution provides professional accreditation for structural engineers...
since 1999 - John Taylor HughesJohn Taylor HughesJohn Taylor Hughes was an Anglican Suffragan bishop in the mid 20th century. Born on the 12th of April 1908 he was educated firstly in Uxbridge and subsequently at Bede College,University of Durham. He took Holy Orders in 1931 and was successively an assistant chaplain and tutor at his alma mater,...
, Anglican Suffragan bishopSuffragan bishopA suffragan bishop is a bishop subordinate to a metropolitan bishop or diocesan bishop. He or she may be assigned to an area which does not have a cathedral of its own.-Anglican Communion:...
of CroydonBishop of CroydonThe Bishop of Croydon is an episcopal title used by a suffragan bishop of the Church of England Diocese of Southwark, in the Province of Canterbury, England....
1956-1977 and to the ForcesBishop to the ForcesThe Anglican church in the British Armed Forces falls under the jurisdiction of the Archbishop of Canterbury, however for all practical purposes the function is performed by the Bishop to the Forces. His full title is "The Archbishop of Canterbury's Episcopal Representative to the Armed Forces"...
1966-1975. - Oswald MorrisOswald MorrisOswald Norman Morris OBE, DFC, AFC, BSC is a British cinematographer. Known to his colleagues by the nicknames "Os" or "Ossie", Morris' film cinematography career spanned six decades.-Early life and career:...
, cinematographer - Bernard MilesBernard MilesBernard James Miles, Baron Miles, CBE was an English character actor, writer and director. He opened the Mermaid Theatre in London in 1959, the first new theatre opened in the City of London since the 17th century....
, character actor, writer and director - Alan O'Neill, Managing Director of Eastman Kodak UKEastman KodakEastman Kodak Company is a multinational imaging and photographic equipment, materials and services company headquarted in Rochester, New York, United States. It was founded by George Eastman in 1892....
from 1998–2001 - Mel ReadMel ReadImelda Mary Read, known as Mel Read is a British politician, and former Labour Party member of the European Parliament for the East Midlands.She became an MEP in 1994, representing the Nottingham and Leicestershire North West constituency until 1999....
, Labour MEP for the East MidlandsEast Midlands (European Parliament constituency)East Midlands is a constituency of the European Parliament. For 2009 it elects 5 MEPs using the d'Hondt method of party-list proportional representation.- Boundaries :...
from 1999-2004 - Nick SimperNick SimperNicholas John Simper is a bass guitarist, best known as a founding member of Deep Purple.-Biography:...
, Deep PurpleDeep PurpleDeep Purple are an English rock band formed in Hertford in 1968. Along with Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, they are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal and modern hard rock, although some band members believe that their music cannot be categorised as belonging to any one genre...
bass guitarist - Prof Colin Tapper, Professor of Law at the University of Oxford from 1992–2002
- Keith Thompson, Vice-Chancellor of Staffordshire UniversityStaffordshire UniversityStaffordshire University is a university with its main campus based in the city of Stoke-on-Trent, and with other campuses in Stafford, Lichfield and Shrewsbury.- History :...
from 1992-5, Editor of Journal of Education for Teaching from 1968–74, and Principal of Madeley College of Education from 1972-8 - Prof Robert (Bob) Vaughan FRS, Professor of Pure Mathematics at Imperial College LondonImperial College LondonImperial College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom, specialising in science, engineering, business and medicine...
from 1980-1998 and at Penn State UniversityPennsylvania State UniversityThe Pennsylvania State University, commonly referred to as Penn State or PSU, is a public research university with campuses and facilities throughout the state of Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1855, the university has a threefold mission of teaching, research, and public service...
from 1999. EPSRC Senior Fellow 1991-1996. - John Arthur WattsJohn Arthur WattsJohn Arthur Watts was a Conservative Party Member of Parliament in the United Kingdom House of Commons between 1983 and 1997....
, Conservative MP for SloughSlough (UK Parliament constituency)Slough is a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.-Boundaries:...
from 1983–97, and Leader of Hillingdon Borough Council from 1978–84 - Leonard Wood, Chairman of the British Phonographic IndustryBritish Phonographic IndustryThe British Phonographic Industry is the British record industry's trade association.-Structure:Its membership comprises hundreds of music companies including all four "major" record companies , associate members such as manufacturers and distributors, and hundreds of independent music companies...
from 1973–80 and EMIEMIThe EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
executive - Prof. David G. Marsh Dept. Clinical Immunology John Hopkins University U.S.A.