Borden Grammar School
Encyclopedia
Borden Grammar School is a selective boys grammar school
situated in the centre of Sittingbourne
, Kent
, England
which educates students aged 11–18. Whilst the school mainly admits boys, a small number girls have been educated at the school within the Sixth Form. The school holds specialist status in both Sports and Modern Foreign Languages. The school has a Latin motto, nitere porro which translates as "to strive forward".
on College Road, funded with money from then local resident William Barrow. It later moved to its present site in Avenue of Remembrance, Sittingbourne but retained its original name. The old school building is now an Adult Education
Centre.
s in England, Borden had a house system
, however this traditional system was ended in 2002. The original houses were 'Borden', 'Swale', 'Barrow' and 'School'. Aside from the references to the school's location and benefactor, the etymology
of 'Swale' can be explained by reference to the local stretch of water, The Swale
, which runs between Sittingbourne
and the Isle of Sheppey
and also lends its name to the local Borough Council
.
A house system was reinstated at the start of the school year beginning September 2007. The house names are Lords, Wimbledon, Wembley and Twickenham, named after the homes of cricket
, tennis
, football and rugby
in England.
In 2011 the school applied to become an academy
, with the decision currently pending. This would change the flexibility of the curriculum able to be tought at the school as well as increase funding.
The school, along with other Sittingbourne based Secondary schools, Fulston Manor School
and Highsted Grammar School for Girls, maintain a close community and share teaching responsibilities of specialised subject at A-Level, with Borden teaching Economics, Sociology and Psychology.
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...
situated in the centre of Sittingbourne
Sittingbourne
Sittingbourne is an industrial town about eight miles east of Gillingham in England, beside the Roman Watling Street off a creek in the Swale, a channel separating the Isle of Sheppey from mainland Kent...
, Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
which educates students aged 11–18. Whilst the school mainly admits boys, a small number girls have been educated at the school within the Sixth Form. The school holds specialist status in both Sports and Modern Foreign Languages. The school has a Latin motto, nitere porro which translates as "to strive forward".
History
As of 2004, the current headmaster is Harold S. Vafeas. The school was originally built in BordenBorden, Kent
Borden is a village situated immediately south west of Sittingbourne, Kent, from which it is separated by a small area of rural land. The history of the name is questioned. It may be derived from bor and then either from denu or denn...
on College Road, funded with money from then local resident William Barrow. It later moved to its present site in Avenue of Remembrance, Sittingbourne but retained its original name. The old school building is now an Adult Education
Adult education
Adult education is the practice of teaching and educating adults. Adult education takes place in the workplace, through 'extension' school or 'school of continuing education' . Other learning places include folk high schools, community colleges, and lifelong learning centers...
Centre.
Houses
In common with many secondary schoolSecondary 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...
s in England, Borden had a house system
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...
, however this traditional system was ended in 2002. The original houses were 'Borden', 'Swale', 'Barrow' and 'School'. Aside from the references to the school's location and benefactor, the etymology
Etymology
Etymology is the study of the history of words, their origins, and how their form and meaning have changed over time.For languages with a long written history, etymologists make use of texts in these languages and texts about the languages to gather knowledge about how words were used during...
of 'Swale' can be explained by reference to the local stretch of water, The Swale
The Swale
The name The Swale refers to the strip of sea separating North Kent from the Isle of Sheppey.- History :The name "Swale" is Old English in origin, and is believed to mean "swirling, rushing river", or "rushing water"....
, which runs between Sittingbourne
Sittingbourne
Sittingbourne is an industrial town about eight miles east of Gillingham in England, beside the Roman Watling Street off a creek in the Swale, a channel separating the Isle of Sheppey from mainland Kent...
and the Isle of Sheppey
Isle of Sheppey
The Isle of Sheppey is an island off the northern coast of Kent, England in the Thames Estuary, some to the east of London. It has an area of . The island forms part of the local government district of Swale...
and also lends its name to the local Borough Council
Borough
A borough is an administrative division in various countries. In principle, the term borough designates a self-governing township although, in practice, official use of the term varies widely....
.
A house system was reinstated at the start of the school year beginning September 2007. The house names are Lords, Wimbledon, Wembley and Twickenham, named after the homes of cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
, tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
, football and rugby
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
in England.
Modern School
On September 1, 2006 the school was awarded Specialist status for Sports and Modern Foreign Languages. With this status and an associated increase in funding, the school has built many new facilities including a multipurpose games area (MUGA), a new library and a new private study area. In 2011 the school also received a sports bursary, with which it used to construct a climbing wall in the gym.In 2011 the school applied to become an academy
Academy
An academy is an institution of higher learning, research, or honorary membership.The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 385 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the goddess of wisdom and skill, north of Athens, Greece. In the western world academia is the...
, with the decision currently pending. This would change the flexibility of the curriculum able to be tought at the school as well as increase funding.
The school, along with other Sittingbourne based Secondary schools, Fulston Manor School
Fulston Manor School
Fulston Manor School is a secondary School in Sittingbourne, Kent. The head teacher is Alan Brookes. It teaches years 7-13 ....
and Highsted Grammar School for Girls, maintain a close community and share teaching responsibilities of specialised subject at A-Level, with Borden teaching Economics, Sociology and Psychology.
Notable former pupils
- Francis BakerFrancis BakerFrancis Baker may refer to:*Francis Patrick Baker , former member of the Australian House of Representatives*Francis Matthew John Baker , former member of the Australian House of Representatives...
CBE, Governor of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha from 1984-8 - Geoff Beynon, Joint General Secretary from 1979-87 of the Assistant Masters and Mistresses Association (changed its name to the Association of Teachers and LecturersAssociation of Teachers and LecturersThe Association of Teachers and Lecturers is a trade union, teachers' union and professional association, affiliated to the Trades Union Congress, in the United Kingdom representing educators from nursery and primary education to further education...
in 1993) - James Bostock, artist
- Frank Cassell CB, UK representative at the IMFInternational Monetary FundThe International Monetary Fund is an organization of 187 countries, working to foster global monetary cooperation, secure financial stability, facilitate international trade, promote high employment and sustainable economic growth, and reduce poverty around the world...
from 1988–90 - Prof Trevor Dadson, Professor of Hispanic Studies since 2004 at Queen Mary, University of LondonQueen Mary, University of LondonQueen Mary, University of London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and a constituent college of the federal University of London...
, and from 1990-2004 at the University of BirminghamUniversity of BirminghamThe University of Birmingham is a British Redbrick university located in the city of Birmingham, England. It received its royal charter in 1900 as a successor to Birmingham Medical School and Mason Science College . Birmingham was the first Redbrick university to gain a charter and thus... - AdmiralAdmiralAdmiral is the rank, or part of the name of the ranks, of the highest naval officers. It is usually considered a full admiral and above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet . It is usually abbreviated to "Adm" or "ADM"...
Sir Kenneth EatonKenneth EatonAdmiral Sir Kenneth John Eaton GBE KCB is a Royal Navy officer who served as Controller of the Navy between 1989 and 1994.-Naval career:...
, Rear-Admiral of the United KingdomRear-Admiral of the United KingdomThe Rear-Admiral of the United Kingdom is a now honorary office generally held by a senior Royal Navy admiral. Despite the title, the Rear-Admiral of the United Kingdom is usually a full admiral...
from 2001-7, and Third Sea LordThird Sea LordThe Third Sea Lord and Controller of the Navy was formerly the Naval Lord and member of the Board of Admiralty responsible for procurement and matériel in the British Royal Navy...
from 1989–94 - Clifford Hollowell, technical illustrator and publicity manager for the British Aircraft CorporationBritish Aircraft CorporationThe British Aircraft Corporation was a British aircraft manufacturer formed from the government-pressured merger of English Electric Aviation Ltd., Vickers-Armstrongs , the Bristol Aeroplane Company and Hunting Aircraft in 1960. Bristol, English Electric and Vickers became "parents" of BAC with...
(BAC), responsible for its logo, later adopted by British AerospaceBritish AerospaceBritish Aerospace plc was a UK aircraft, munitions and defence-systems manufacturer. Its head office was in the Warwick House in the Farnborough Aerospace Centre in Farnborough, Hampshire... - Sir Stanley HookerStanley HookerSir Stanley George Hooker was a jet engine engineer, first at Rolls-Royce where he worked on the earliest designs such as the Welland and Derwent, and later at Bristol Aero Engines where he helped bring the troubled Proteus and Olympus to market, and then designed the famous Pegasus.Stanley George...
CBE, aeronautical engineer who designed the early jet engines, culminating with the Rolls-Royce PegasusRolls-Royce PegasusThe Rolls-Royce Pegasus is a turbofan engine originally designed by Bristol Siddeley, and now manufactured by Rolls-Royce plc. This engine is able to direct thrust downwards which can then be swivelled to power a jet aircraft forward. Lightly loaded, it can also manoeuvre like a helicopter,... - Thomas KentThomas KentThomas Kent was an Irish nationalist court-martialled and executed following a gunfight with the Royal Irish Constabulary on 2 May 1916, in the immediate aftermath of the Easter Rising.-The Easter Rising:...
CBE, Managing Director in 1977 of the British Aircraft CorporationBritish Aircraft CorporationThe British Aircraft Corporation was a British aircraft manufacturer formed from the government-pressured merger of English Electric Aviation Ltd., Vickers-Armstrongs , the Bristol Aeroplane Company and Hunting Aircraft in 1960. Bristol, English Electric and Vickers became "parents" of BAC with... - Kevin Keohane CBE, (first) Rector from 1976-8 of the Roehamptom Institute of Higher Education (now Roehampton UniversityRoehampton UniversityThe University of Roehampton is a campus university in the United Kingdom, situated on three major sites in Roehampton, south-west London.-History:...
since 2006) - Sir Peter Kitcatt CB
- Air Vice-MarshalAir Vice-MarshalAir vice-marshal is a two-star air-officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force. The rank is also used by the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence and it is sometimes used as the English translation of an equivalent rank in...
Ronald Knott CB DSO DFC AFC, Station Commander from 1959-61 of RAF GüterslohRAF GüterslohThe former Royal Air Force Station Gütersloh, more commonly known as RAF Gütersloh, was a Royal Air Force Germany military airbase, the nearest Royal Air Force airbase to the East/West German border, in the vicinity of the town of Gütersloh. It was constructed by the Germans prior to World War II... - Peter MillicanPeter MillicanPeter Millican is Professor of Philosophy at Hertford College, Oxford University in the United Kingdom. His primary interests include the philosophy of David Hume, philosophy of religion, philosophy of language, and epistemology. Millican is particularly well known for his work on David Hume, and...
, philosopher - Noel Muddiman CBE, Chief Executive from 1995-2004 of MotabilityMotabilityMotability is a United Kingdom scheme which enables disabled people to obtain a car, powered wheelchair or scooter by using their Government-funded mobility allowances....
- Sir Alfred Road CBE, Chief Inspector of Taxes from 1952-6
- Prof Patrick Sims-Williams, Professor of Celtic Studies since 1994 at Aberystwyth University, editor since 1981 of Cambrian Medieval Celtic StudiesCambrian Medieval Celtic StudiesCambrian Medieval Celtic Studies is a bi-annual academic journal of Celtic studies, which appears in summer and winter...
- Rob SmythRob SmythRob Smyth born 22 February 1977 in England is a rugby league player.Rob Smyth's position of choice is on the .He played for London Broncos, Warrington Wolves and Leigh Centurions in the Super League.Smyth was an Ireland international...
- sports journalist, noted for The GuardianThe GuardianThe Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
s over-by-over cricket coverage, was highly commended at the 2009 Sports Journalists Association Awards