King Edward's School, Bath
Encyclopedia
King Edward's School Bath, Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...

, England is an independent school providing education for 950 pupils aged 3 to 18.
The school is a member of The Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference.

The school was established in the 16th century in a city centre site. In the 1960s it moved to the outskirts onto a multi building site. In addition to the academic curriculum the schools includes drama, music, sport and an army cadet force.

History

The school was founded in 1552 under laws set out in the Charities Act of 1545, which had been passed by Henry VIII to use funds from the dissolution of the monasteries
Dissolution of the Monasteries
The Dissolution of the Monasteries, sometimes referred to as the Suppression of the Monasteries, was the set of administrative and legal processes between 1536 and 1541 by which Henry VIII disbanded monasteries, priories, convents and friaries in England, Wales and Ireland; appropriated their...

 to replace monastic grammar schools such as that run by Bath Abbey
Bath Abbey
The Abbey Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, Bath, commonly known as Bath Abbey, is an Anglican parish church and a former Benedictine monastery in Bath, Somerset, England...

. The Mayor of Bath and one of the members of parliament for Bath
Bath (UK Parliament constituency)
Bath is a constituency in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, previously of the House of Commons of England. It is an ancient constituency which has been constantly represented in Parliament since boroughs were first summoned to send members in the 13th century...

, Edward Ludwell, petitioned Edward VI for land, previously owned by the priory, to establish the school, initially in Frog Lane, and support ten poor people, which also prevented the crown from selling off the land previously held by the priory. In 1583 the school moved to a disused church building by the north gate of the city. The city corporation misappropriated the considerable funds form the land granted under Letters Patent
Letters patent
Letters patent are a type of legal instrument in the form of a published written order issued by a monarch or president, generally granting an office, right, monopoly, title, or status to a person or corporation...

, failing to maintain or improve the school until it was exposed in the Court of Chancery
Court of Chancery
The Court of Chancery was a court of equity in England and Wales that followed a set of loose rules to avoid the slow pace of change and possible harshness of the common law. The Chancery had jurisdiction over all matters of equity, including trusts, land law, the administration of the estates of...

 in 1734. Around 1750 a new building was erected for the school in Broad Street.

The secondary school relocated from its site at Broad Street in central Bath in the 1960s to a 14 acres (56,656 m²) site at North Road in the northeastern edge of the city. The junior school (7 to 11 year olds) remained on the Broad Street site until the summer of 1990 when it transferred to a new building in the North Road school grounds. The old Broad Street site, which was built in 1754 by Thomas Jelly and is a Grade II* Listed building, remains empty. In 1997 an application to turn the building into a public house was refused. A scheme for use as a hotel has also been withdrawn. The building remains on the Buildings at Risk Register but work to repair the roof has reduced the risk to the property.

In the 1990s, while Peter Winter was Headmaster the school took the steps towards full co-education. In 2005 there were plans to move the 'pre-preparatory' school, located in Weston, Bath, on to the North Road site. However for a range of reasons it never materialised. In 2008 the school achieved the best examination results of Bath schools for A level
GCE Advanced Level
The Advanced Level General Certificate of Education, commonly referred to as an A-level, is a qualification offered by education institutions in England, Northern Ireland, Wales, Cameroon, and the Cayman Islands...

 and GCSE
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...

 examination results.

Site

The school is made up of several buildings. The main block is the primary building used for English, Maths, Music, Physics and Chemistry. The main block also incorporates the Wroughton Theatre. Nethersole House, which was built in the 19th century, now houses the Religious and Philosophical Studies department, History, Business Studies and Economics as well as the Headmaster's Study and Reception. The Holbeche Centre is home to the Sixth Form centre, as well as Theatre Studies, Art and Design & Technology classrooms. The Porter Library is next door. The sports hall at the bottom of the site is used for assemblies, as well as sports. The senior school opened a new building in September 2008 which accommodates many departments including Biology, Geography, Modern Languages and ICT.

Drama and music

The school includes both drama and music departments. The drama department puts on a school play each year and recent performances have included Edward Scissorhands
Edward Scissorhands
Edward Scissorhands is a 1990 romantic fantasy film directed by Tim Burton and starring Johnny Depp. The film shows the story of an artificial man named Edward, an unfinished creation, who has scissors for hands. Edward is taken in by a suburban family and falls in love with their teenage daughter...

and A Midsummer Night's Dream
A Midsummer Night's Dream
A Midsummer Night's Dream is a play that was written by William Shakespeare. It is believed to have been written between 1590 and 1596. It portrays the events surrounding the marriage of the Duke of Athens, Theseus, and the Queen of the Amazons, Hippolyta...

as well as new plays such as Drumming in the Deep and Revenge. There is also a lower school play which is aimed for pupils in years 7 to 9 and regularly has casts of up to 80 pupils.

Every year the music department organises the KES Musical Festival which includes concerts throughout Bath as well as numerous performances and concerts in the school itself. The Senior Orchestra was also the overall winner for orchestral music in the Mid Somerset Festival in 2006, 2007, 2009 and 2010.

Sport

The school has playing fields in Bathampton
Bathampton
Bathampton is a village and civil parish east of Bath, England on the south bank of the River Avon. The parish has a population of 1,504.The Kennet and Avon Canal passes through the village and a toll bridge links Bathampton to Batheaston on the north bank of the canal.-History:Bathampton Camp is...

 which are used mainly for playing rugby. Former England Rugby Coach Andy Robinson
Andy Robinson
Richard Andrew 'Andy' Robinson OBE is an English rugby union coach and retired player. He is currently the head coach of Scotland.Robinson played as an openside flanker for Bath, England and the British and Irish Lions...

 used to teach rugby, physical education and mathematics at the school while he was playing (amateur rugby) for Bath Rugby Club
Bath Rugby
Bath Rugby is an English professional rugby union club that is based in the city of Bath. They play in the Aviva Premiership league...

.

In recent years the school has developed strong netball
Netball
Netball is a ball sport played between two teams of seven players. Its development, derived from early versions of basketball, began in England in the 1890s. By 1960 international playing rules had been standardised for the game, and the International Federation of Netball and Women's Basketball ...

 squads over a range of school years. In particular the under 19 squad came third at the national finals in both 2009 and 2010.

Combined Cadet Force

The school also has a Combined Cadet Force
Combined Cadet Force
The Combined Cadet Force is a Ministry of Defence sponsored youth organisation in the United Kingdom. Its aim is to "provide a disciplined organisation in a school so that pupils may develop powers of leadership by means of training to promote the qualities of responsibility, self reliance,...

 (CCF) which was formerly affiliated with the Light Infantry
Light infantry
Traditionally light infantry were soldiers whose job was to provide a skirmishing screen ahead of the main body of infantry, harassing and delaying the enemy advance. Light infantry was distinct from medium, heavy or line infantry. Heavy infantry were dedicated primarily to fighting in tight...

 is now affiliated to the King's Royal Hussars
King's Royal Hussars
The King's Royal Hussars is a cavalry regiment of the British Army. It is part of the Royal Armoured Corps and was formed on 4 December 1992 by the amalgamation of two other regiments:...

 (Royal Armoured Corps). Having been founded in 1900, King Edward's CCF is one of the oldest CCF contingents in the country. In recent years the CCF has also included cadets from Beechen Cliff School
Beechen Cliff School
Beechen Cliff School is a boys' secondary school in Bath, Somerset, England. Founded in 1896, it has 1,145 students aged 11 to 18.There are around 830 boys in years 7 to 11 and a co-educational sixth form of over 200 students...

. Pupils, both girls and boys, may join the CCF from year 9 onwards and enjoy a range of activities each week developing skills which can be put into practice at regular camps throughout the year.

International links

King Edward's School and Wagwer School in Kenya are global development partnership schools, part of the Department for International Development
Department for International Development
The Department For International Development is a United Kingdom government department with a Cabinet Minister in charge. It was separated from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in 1997. The goal of the department is "to promote sustainable development and eliminate world poverty". The current...

 (DFID) initiative, which seeks to encourage an understanding and knowledge of the world though exchange visits and joint curricular work. Under the scheme which is sponsored by the British Government teachers from Kenya are able to visit KES and teachers from KES are able to visit Wagwer.

The school also runs exchange programmes with schools in Aix-en-Provence
Aix-en-Provence
Aix , or Aix-en-Provence to distinguish it from other cities built over hot springs, is a city-commune in southern France, some north of Marseille. It is in the region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, in the département of Bouches-du-Rhône, of which it is a subprefecture. The population of Aix is...

 (France), Braunschweig
Braunschweig
Braunschweig , is a city of 247,400 people, located in the federal-state of Lower Saxony, Germany. It is located north of the Harz mountains at the farthest navigable point of the Oker river, which connects to the North Sea via the rivers Aller and Weser....

 (Germany) and Pamplona
Pamplona
Pamplona is the historial capital city of Navarre, in Spain, and of the former kingdom of Navarre.The city is famous worldwide for the San Fermín festival, from July 6 to 14, in which the running of the bulls is one of the main attractions...

 (Spain).

Controversy

In 2001, the school made national headlines after 26 pupils were taught the wrong Shakespeare
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...

 play (Hamlet
Hamlet
The Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or more simply Hamlet, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601...

) in preparation for an A-level
GCE Advanced Level
The Advanced Level General Certificate of Education, commonly referred to as an A-level, is a qualification offered by education institutions in England, Northern Ireland, Wales, Cameroon, and the Cayman Islands...

 examination. The mistake was only realised after the pupils had entered the examination hall. The OCR exam board decided to award their marks according to previous papers and coursework. In 2002, a 14 year old girl had to be taken to hospital with alcohol poisoning during a trip to France.

Notable alumni

See also :Category:People educated at King Edward's School, Bath

Former pupils of the school are called Old Edwardians and include:
  • Bill Bailey
    Bill Bailey
    Bill Bailey is an English comedian, musician and actor. As well as his extensive stand-up work, Bailey is well known for his appearances on Black Books, Never Mind the Buzzcocks, Have I Got News for You, and QI.Bailey was listed by The Observer as one of the 50 funniest acts in British comedy in...

     - Stand-up comedian, musician
    Musician
    A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....

     and actor
    Actor
    An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...

  • Sebastian Cox
    Sebastian Cox
    Mr Sebastian Cox, MA , is the Head of the Air Historical Branch of the Royal Air Force, a specialist archive and history unit based at RAF Northolt, Middlesex, which seeks to maintain and preserve the historical memory of the RAF and to develop and encourage "an informed understanding of RAF and...

     - Military Historian
  • General Sir Jack Deverell
    Jack Deverell
    General Sir Jack Deverell KCB OBE was Commander-in-Chief Allied Forces Northern Europe.-Military career:...

     - Former Commander-in-Chief Northern Europe
  • Adrian Flook - former Conservative
    Conservative Party (UK)
    The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...

     MP for Taunton
    Taunton
    Taunton is the county town of Somerset, England. The town, including its suburbs, had an estimated population of 61,400 in 2001. It is the largest town in the shire county of Somerset....

  • John Glen - Conservative
    Conservative Party (UK)
    The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...

     MP for Salisbury
    Salisbury
    Salisbury is a cathedral city in Wiltshire, England and the only city in the county. It is the second largest settlement in the county...

  • Jonathan Green - Fantasy Fiction Author
  • Toby Longworth
    Toby Longworth
    Toby Longworth is a British actor who has appeared on film, radio and television. He is originally from Somerset, where he attended King Edward's School, Bath...

     - Actor
  • Ross Lowis Mangles
    Ross Lowis Mangles
    Ross Lowis Mangles VC was a recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces...

     - Recipient of the Victoria Cross
    Victoria Cross
    The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....

  • Sir William Edward Parry
    William Edward Parry
    Sir William Edward Parry was an English rear-admiral and Arctic explorer, who in 1827 attempted one of the earliest expeditions to the North Pole...

     - Rear-admiral and Arctic
    Arctic
    The Arctic is a region located at the northern-most part of the Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean and parts of Canada, Russia, Greenland, the United States, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland. The Arctic region consists of a vast, ice-covered ocean, surrounded by treeless permafrost...

     explorer
  • Tom Payne
    Tom Payne (actor)
    Thomas "Tom" Payne is an English actor. He is best known for playing Brett Aspinall in television drama series Waterloo Road from January 2007 to March 2008....

     - Actor
  • Sir Ian Prosser
    Ian Prosser
    Sir Ian Prosser is a UK businessman.He is Chairman of The Navy Army & Airforce Institutes,Chaiman JKX Oil & Gas, Chairman BP Pension Trustees PLC and a non-executive director of Sara Lee Corporation based in Chicago....

     - Deputy Chairman of British Petroleum
  • Thomas de Quincey
    Thomas de Quincey
    Thomas Penson de Quincey was an English esssayist, best known for his Confessions of an English Opium-Eater .-Child and student:...

     - Author
    Author
    An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...

     and intellectual
  • Chris Rapley
    Chris Rapley
    Prof. Christopher Graham Rapley CBE is a British scientist. He was Executive Director of the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme IGBP from 1994 to 1998, and Director of the British Antarctic Survey from 1998 to 2007. He was appointed Director of the Science Museum in 2007...

     - Director of the Science Museum
    Science Museum (London)
    The Science Museum is one of the three major museums on Exhibition Road, South Kensington, London in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. It is part of the National Museum of Science and Industry. The museum is a major London tourist attraction....

  • Andy Robinson
    Andy Robinson
    Richard Andrew 'Andy' Robinson OBE is an English rugby union coach and retired player. He is currently the head coach of Scotland.Robinson played as an openside flanker for Bath, England and the British and Irish Lions...

     - International rugby player and manager
  • Thomas Rosewell
    Thomas Rosewell
    Reverend Thomas Rosewell was a non-conformist minister of Rotherhithe, Surrey who was found guilty of treason but subsequently pardoned by King Charles II.-Early years and education:...

     - Reverend accused of high treason
    Treason
    In law, treason is the crime that covers some of the more extreme acts against one's sovereign or nation. Historically, treason also covered the murder of specific social superiors, such as the murder of a husband by his wife. Treason against the king was known as high treason and treason against a...

  • John Tilley of the band Kubb
    Kubb (band)
    Kubb are a British indie rock band from London, who had two UK top 40 hits in 2005/6 and a top 30 album. Original member Ben Langmaid went on to become half of the duo La Roux.- Biography :...

    .
  • Andrew Wakefield
    Andrew Wakefield
    Andrew Wakefield is a British former surgeon and medical researcher, known as an advocate for the discredited claim that there is a link between the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine, autism and bowel disease, and for his fraudulent 1998 research paper in support of that claim.Four years after...

     - Former surgeon
    Surgeon
    In medicine, a surgeon is a specialist in surgery. Surgery is a broad category of invasive medical treatment that involves the cutting of a body, whether human or animal, for a specific reason such as the removal of diseased tissue or to repair a tear or breakage...

     and medical researcher famous for the MMR vaccine controversy
    MMR vaccine controversy
    The MMR vaccine controversy was a case of scientific misconduct which triggered a health scare. It followed the publication in 1998 of a paper in the medical journal The Lancet which presented apparent evidence that autism spectrum disorders could be caused by the MMR vaccine, an immunization...

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK