King's School Ottery St. Mary
Encyclopedia
The King's School is an educational institution in Ottery St Mary
, Devon
, England
. It was established as a choir school by the bishop John Grandisson
in 1335, but was replaced by a Grammar School by Henry VIII
in 1545. It became a comprehensive school
in 1982. The schools 1300 pupils are mainly drawn from its five feeder primaries in the surrounding area: Ottery St Mary primary school, West Hill Primary School, Payhembury Church of England Primary School, Feniton Church of England Primary School and Tipton St John Church of England Primary School
The school is a government endowed Sports College
with access to facilities also shared by the public - namely the Colin Tooze Sports Centre.
The school has 1100 students and 100 staff. Faith K Jarrett became the headteacher in 2004, succeeding Roger A Fetherstone.
who had owned it since 1061. He obtained a royal licence from Edward III to found his College of Secular Canons and established a choir school in Ottery St Mary in 1335 for eight boys and a Master of Grammar. The school did not start very promisingly in 1337 with the members of the choir-school being accused of "dissolute and insolent behaviour in the parish". Grandisson being a disciplinarian, flogging was the punishment, but this had no effect and consequently the boys were heavily fined for every day's absence from the choir. For over two hundred years the canons carried out Bishop Grandisson's instructions and the choir school boys were educated.
When the English Reformation
reached the College in 1545 it was dissolved. Upon some whim or persuasion, however, Henry VIII
established a free grammar school in the town - hence "The King's School" and their coat of arms became the Lion
and Wyvern
. The Romantic poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge
's father was headmaster although the writer himself never attended the school.
The site occupied by the school today on the outskirts of the town dates from 1912. It became a comprehensive school in 1982. Faith K Jarrett became the headteacher in 2004, succeeding Roger A Featherstone.
with access to facilities also shared by the public, namely the Colin Tooze Sports Centre. The King's School was designated as a Specialist Sports College in the summer of 2002. Facilities for PE and sport at King's were already very good but the status as a Sports College has enabled the school to develop these even further. In partnership with East Devon District Council, a purpose built Dance Studio with state-of-the-art sound and lighting systems was completed in 2003.
The Sports facilities also include a floodlight all-weather Astroturf
Hockey
Football pitch.
In 2009 the school added a new M.U.G.A (Multi Use Games Areas) which has four netball courts and three tennis courts which are also used by the local Ottery St Mary tennis club when not being used by the school.
The houses have been named after local families:
Coleridge
,
Kennaway
,
Patteson
and
Raleigh
All four houses have separate colours, which are used for inter-house events. Red for Coleridge, Blue for Kennaway, Green for Patteson and Purple for Raleigh.
The School also holds annual inter-house performing arts events, these include House dance, House music and House drama.
Ottery St Mary
Ottery St Mary, known as "Ottery" , is a town in the East Devon district of Devon, England, on the River Otter, about ten miles east of Exeter on the B3174. It is part of a large civil parish of the same name, which also covers the villages of West Hill, Metcombe, Fairmile, Alfington, Tipton St...
, Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
, 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...
. It was established as a choir school by the bishop John Grandisson
John Grandisson
John Grandisson was a medieval Bishop of Exeter.Grandisson was born at Ashperton near Hereford in 1292. His father William, Lord de Grandisson, was a Burgundian in the household of Edmund, Earl of Lancaster, brother of King Edward I of England. He studied theology at the University of Paris, and...
in 1335, but was replaced by a Grammar School by Henry VIII
Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
in 1545. It became a comprehensive school
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...
in 1982. The schools 1300 pupils are mainly drawn from its five feeder primaries in the surrounding area: Ottery St Mary primary school, West Hill Primary School, Payhembury Church of England Primary School, Feniton Church of England Primary School and Tipton St John Church of England Primary School
The school is a government endowed Sports College
Sports College
Sports Colleges were introduced in 1997 as part of the Specialist Schools Programme in the United Kingdom. The system enables secondary schools to specialise in certain fields, in this case, PE, sports and dance. Schools that successfully apply to the Specialist Schools Trust and become Sports...
with access to facilities also shared by the public - namely the Colin Tooze Sports Centre.
The school has 1100 students and 100 staff. Faith K Jarrett became the headteacher in 2004, succeeding Roger A Fetherstone.
History
The King's School is an 11-18 comprehensive school with just over 1100 students and 100 staff. In 1335 Bishop John de Grandisson bought the manor of Ottery St Mary from the Dean and Chapter of RouenRouen Cathedral
Rouen Cathedral is a Roman Catholic Gothic cathedral in Rouen, in northwestern France. It is the seat of the Archbishop of Rouen and Normandy.-History:...
who had owned it since 1061. He obtained a royal licence from Edward III to found his College of Secular Canons and established a choir school in Ottery St Mary in 1335 for eight boys and a Master of Grammar. The school did not start very promisingly in 1337 with the members of the choir-school being accused of "dissolute and insolent behaviour in the parish". Grandisson being a disciplinarian, flogging was the punishment, but this had no effect and consequently the boys were heavily fined for every day's absence from the choir. For over two hundred years the canons carried out Bishop Grandisson's instructions and the choir school boys were educated.
When the English Reformation
English Reformation
The English Reformation was the series of events in 16th-century England by which the Church of England broke away from the authority of the Pope and the Roman Catholic Church....
reached the College in 1545 it was dissolved. Upon some whim or persuasion, however, Henry VIII
Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
established a free grammar school in the town - hence "The King's School" and their coat of arms became the Lion
Lion (heraldry)
The lion is a common charge in heraldry. It traditionally symbolises bravery, valour, strength, and royalty, since traditionally, it is regarded as the king of beasts.-Attitudes:...
and Wyvern
Wyvern
A wyvern or wivern is a legendary winged reptilian creature with a dragon's head, two legs , and a barbed tail. The wyvern is found in heraldry. There exists a purely sea-dwelling variant, termed the Sea-Wyvern which has a fish tail in place of a barbed dragon's tail...
. The Romantic poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Samuel Taylor Coleridge was an English poet, Romantic, literary critic and philosopher who, with his friend William Wordsworth, was a founder of the Romantic Movement in England and a member of the Lake Poets. He is probably best known for his poems The Rime of the Ancient Mariner and Kubla...
's father was headmaster although the writer himself never attended the school.
The site occupied by the school today on the outskirts of the town dates from 1912. It became a comprehensive school in 1982. Faith K Jarrett became the headteacher in 2004, succeeding Roger A Featherstone.
Facilities
The school is a government-endowed Sports CollegeSports College
Sports Colleges were introduced in 1997 as part of the Specialist Schools Programme in the United Kingdom. The system enables secondary schools to specialise in certain fields, in this case, PE, sports and dance. Schools that successfully apply to the Specialist Schools Trust and become Sports...
with access to facilities also shared by the public, namely the Colin Tooze Sports Centre. The King's School was designated as a Specialist Sports College in the summer of 2002. Facilities for PE and sport at King's were already very good but the status as a Sports College has enabled the school to develop these even further. In partnership with East Devon District Council, a purpose built Dance Studio with state-of-the-art sound and lighting systems was completed in 2003.
The Sports facilities also include a floodlight all-weather Astroturf
AstroTurf
AstroTurf is a brand of artificial turf. Although the term is a registered trademark, it is sometimes used as a generic description of any kind of artificial turf. The original AstroTurf product was a short pile synthetic turf while the current products incorporate modern features such as...
Hockey
Hockey
Hockey is a family of sports in which two teams play against each other by trying to maneuver a ball or a puck into the opponent's goal using a hockey stick.-Etymology:...
Football pitch.
In 2009 the school added a new M.U.G.A (Multi Use Games Areas) which has four netball courts and three tennis courts which are also used by the local Ottery St Mary tennis club when not being used by the school.
House System
At the King's School there are four houses, which date to 1912, as witnessed by the old minute book of the Sports Committee. These provide the school with four large vertically grouped cohorts of students, with form groups separated by house rather than year.The houses have been named after local families:
Coleridge
Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Samuel Taylor Coleridge was an English poet, Romantic, literary critic and philosopher who, with his friend William Wordsworth, was a founder of the Romantic Movement in England and a member of the Lake Poets. He is probably best known for his poems The Rime of the Ancient Mariner and Kubla...
,
Kennaway
Kennaway Baronets
The Kennaway Baronetcy of Hyderabad in the East Indies, is a title in the Baronetage of Great Britain. It was created on 25 February 1791 for John Kennaway, British Resident at the Court of the Nizam, in recognition of his part in the negotiation of the 1790 alliance between the Nizam and the East...
,
Patteson
John Coleridge Patteson
John Coleridge Patteson was an Anglican bishop and martyr.Patteson was educated at The King's School, Ottery St Mary, Eton and then Balliol College, Oxford. He was ordained in 1853 in the Church of England...
and
Raleigh
Walter Raleigh
Sir Walter Raleigh was an English aristocrat, writer, poet, soldier, courtier, spy, and explorer. He is also well known for popularising tobacco in England....
All four houses have separate colours, which are used for inter-house events. Red for Coleridge, Blue for Kennaway, Green for Patteson and Purple for Raleigh.
The School also holds annual inter-house performing arts events, these include House dance, House music and House drama.
Key dates
- 1900 - 28 boys – Headteacher Mr Frank Wyatt of Dawlish.
- 1906 - Two classrooms – full forms
- 1907 - Scheme to transfer the school to a new building and convert it to a co-educational grammar school.
- 1909-ish - Current site bought for £557 16s 3d., from Exeter Episcopal Charities.
- 1911 - Contract for new school – W J Granger of Whimple – for £6275.
- 1912 - 23 January 1912 – new school opened. The old school site of The Priory was let for £40 – eventually became the Police Station.
- 1920 - School’s first girl graduate – E Joyce Seward.
- 1921 - 285 pupils – mainly fee paying, with some free places.
- 1924 - James Johnson of Melton Mowbray succeeded Mr Wyatt as Headteacher.
- 1927 - Only 99 boys and 44 girls in attendance.
- 1934 - Nine boys went on a school cruise to Norway and Denmark.
- 1935 - Electric lights replaced gas.
- 1937 - New cricket pavilion.
- 1939 - 86 evacuees came to the school. Trenches were dug to accommodate the whole school.
- 1945 - Incident with local farmer over drainage problems. £20 settled the issue!
- 1946 - Mr. Crowther appointed Headteacher.
- 1947 - New dining rooms – Miss Pollard – Cook-Supervisor.
- 1950 - Mr. Sydney Andrew becomes Headteacher.
- 1953 - New Library/Art Block – girls playground asphalted.
- 1955-56 - New Chemistry/Biology block.
- 1958 - Mains water. Entry of 75 to First Year. The Sixth Form was 40.
- 1963 - New Hall, Library, Changing Rooms, new Physics Laboratory.
- 1966 - Swimming Pool built.
- 1972 - Dr. M E Denning appointed Headteacher.
- 1976 - New Craft Block built.
- 1982 - Drama, Art, Music and Science provision increased. School intake became non-selective.
- 1987 - Final grammar school entrants complete Sixth Form; school population all non-selective
- 1988 - Mr. Larry Watkins appointed Headteacher.
- 1989 - Mr. Barry Teare appointed Headteacher.
- 1996 - New teaching block for Geography, History, RE and Foreign Languages.
- 1997 - Mr. Roger Fetherston appointed Headteacher.
- 2001 - New Dining Hall added to the Humanities & Language Block/Reception Area greatly expanded.
- 2002 - Sport College Status achieved.
- 2003 - New Teaching Rooms for Math & English and a New Dance Studio added to the Colin Tooze Sports Centre.
- 2004 - Miss Faith Jarrett appointed as Headteacher. The school now has just over 1010 students.
- 2009 - New Geography Rooms and Sixth Form Centre built.
- 2011 - Awarded Outstanding Status by Ofsted.