Excell International School
Encyclopedia
Excell International School was a small independent
, co-educational
, day and boarding school
located in Boston, Lincolnshire
, England
for children aged between 3 and 18. An amalgamation of two previous schools, Conway School and Maypole House School. Parents were told in a letter that the school and the Chatterbox Nursery associated with it would close on 16 July 2010, as they had been suffering "financial difficulties due to dwindling numbers"
In 1905 the school was renamed as Conway School and established a good local reputation. The school became coeducational in the 1960s, achieving high levels of annual passes in the 11+ examination. In 2000 Conway School had 100% passes in the 11+ for the third year running.
Simon McElwain was jailed for two years, in October 2007, after admitting the possession of child pornography
images. He stepped down from his position in November 2004. Under McElwain the school had 140 pupils and employed 19 staff.
In April 2005 McElwain sold the school to David and Caroline Wilson who were eager to buy although there were various other parties, including some parents and people working locally in education, also interested and bidding at the time. The new head teacher at this point was Philomena Rynne, who however later relinquished this position. Around this time, as the charges against McElwain became public, student numbers declined somewhat, although on the whole parents were supportive of the teaching staff, whom they knew to be doing their best for the pupils under difficult circumstances. (The contribution of staff was also recognised in a report by one of Her Majesty's Inspectors following a visit in October 2007.)
The pupil roll dropped considerably after the transfer of ownership, and the school closed on 3 January 2007. There was an attempt to make the school a Limited Company, but this was not generally known to parents before the closure, when a letter headed "Conway School (Boston) Ltd" dated 22nd December (incidentally quoting an incorrect postcode and with various errors in spelling and syntax) was sent to the remaining parents. However the matter of the proposed transfer to Limited Company status was mentioned in at least one of the Employment Tribunals brought against the new owners by members of staff.
near Alford
. Maypole House received a Food Hygiene Award from the East Lindsey
District Council in May 2006. In January 2007 the Maypole management team took over the site at Tunnard Street and renamed as Excell International School.
and extended the age range of students from 3-18. The combined school attained unwelcome notability in January 2008 when it was announced that none of their student
s attained five or more A*-C GCSEs
.
Independent school
An independent school is a school that is independent in its finances and governance; it is not dependent upon national or local government for financing its operations, nor reliant on taxpayer contributions, and is instead funded by a combination of tuition charges, gifts, and in some cases the...
, co-educational
Coeducation
Mixed-sex education, also known as coeducation or co-education, is the integrated education of male and female persons in the same institution. It is the opposite of single-sex education...
, day and boarding school
Boarding school
A boarding school is a school where some or all pupils study and live during the school year with their fellow students and possibly teachers and/or administrators. The word 'boarding' is used in the sense of "bed and board," i.e., lodging and meals...
located in Boston, Lincolnshire
Boston, Lincolnshire
Boston is a town and small port in Lincolnshire, on the east coast of England. It is the largest town of the wider Borough of Boston local government district and had a total population of 55,750 at the 2001 census...
, 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...
for children aged between 3 and 18. An amalgamation of two previous schools, Conway School and Maypole House School. Parents were told in a letter that the school and the Chatterbox Nursery associated with it would close on 16 July 2010, as they had been suffering "financial difficulties due to dwindling numbers"
Conway School
The school was established in 1851 by Martha and Mary Gee as Boston Middle Girls School at George Street, Boston and was "intended for female children whose parents are in the rank next above the actual poor". It subsequently moved to its current site at Tunnard Street, at a rebuilding cost of £800.In 1905 the school was renamed as Conway School and established a good local reputation. The school became coeducational in the 1960s, achieving high levels of annual passes in the 11+ examination. In 2000 Conway School had 100% passes in the 11+ for the third year running.
Head teacher controversy and problems with new ownership
Former owner and head teacherHead teacher
A head teacher or school principal is the most senior teacher, leader and manager of a school....
Simon McElwain was jailed for two years, in October 2007, after admitting the possession of child pornography
Child pornography
Child pornography refers to images or films and, in some cases, writings depicting sexually explicit activities involving a child...
images. He stepped down from his position in November 2004. Under McElwain the school had 140 pupils and employed 19 staff.
In April 2005 McElwain sold the school to David and Caroline Wilson who were eager to buy although there were various other parties, including some parents and people working locally in education, also interested and bidding at the time. The new head teacher at this point was Philomena Rynne, who however later relinquished this position. Around this time, as the charges against McElwain became public, student numbers declined somewhat, although on the whole parents were supportive of the teaching staff, whom they knew to be doing their best for the pupils under difficult circumstances. (The contribution of staff was also recognised in a report by one of Her Majesty's Inspectors following a visit in October 2007.)
The pupil roll dropped considerably after the transfer of ownership, and the school closed on 3 January 2007. There was an attempt to make the school a Limited Company, but this was not generally known to parents before the closure, when a letter headed "Conway School (Boston) Ltd" dated 22nd December (incidentally quoting an incorrect postcode and with various errors in spelling and syntax) was sent to the remaining parents. However the matter of the proposed transfer to Limited Company status was mentioned in at least one of the Employment Tribunals brought against the new owners by members of staff.
Maypole House school
Maypole House School was founded in 1884, occupying Well Vale Hall in WellWell, Lincolnshire
Well is a small estate village and civil parish about south of the town of Alford, in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England. It is situated on the foot of the east entry to the Lincolnshire Wolds...
near Alford
Alford, Lincolnshire
- Notable residents :* Captain John Smith who lived in nearby Willoughby* Anne Hutchinson, pioneer settler and religious reformer in the United States* Thomas Paine, who was an excise officer in the town....
. Maypole House received a Food Hygiene Award from the East Lindsey
East Lindsey
East Lindsey is a local government district in Lincolnshire, England. The council is based in Manby near Louth, and other major settlements in the district include Alford, Spilsby, Mablethorpe, Skegness, Horncastle and Chapel St Leonards....
District Council in May 2006. In January 2007 the Maypole management team took over the site at Tunnard Street and renamed as Excell International School.
Merger
Conway School and Maypole House merged in January 2007 to form the Excell International College. They also started to take boardersBoarding school
A boarding school is a school where some or all pupils study and live during the school year with their fellow students and possibly teachers and/or administrators. The word 'boarding' is used in the sense of "bed and board," i.e., lodging and meals...
and extended the age range of students from 3-18. The combined school attained unwelcome notability in January 2008 when it was announced that none of their student
Student
A student is a learner, or someone who attends an educational institution. In some nations, the English term is reserved for those who attend university, while a schoolchild under the age of eighteen is called a pupil in English...
s attained five or more A*-C GCSEs
General Certificate of Secondary Education
The General Certificate of Secondary Education is an academic qualification awarded in a specified subject, generally taken in a number of subjects by students aged 14–16 in secondary education in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and is equivalent to a Level 2 and Level 1 in Key Skills...
.