King Edward VII and Queen Mary School (KEQMS) is an
HMCThe Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference is an association of the headmasters or headmistressess of 243 leading day and boarding independent schools in the United Kingdom, Crown dependencies and the Republic of Ireland...
public school in Lytham St. Annes,
LancashireLancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Lancashire County Council is based in Preston. However, Lancaster is still considered to be the county town...
,
EnglandEngland 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 and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
The Lytham Schools Foundation was established in 1719 after a flood disaster in the town. In 1908, one hundred and eighty-nine years after the Foundation's initial formation, King Edward VII School was opened to provide an education for local boys. The opening of the girls' Queen Mary School followed in 1930.
The school boasts extensive sports grounds, including a new synthetic hockey pitch, top of the range computing facilities built in 2003, modern language laboratories, modern library and a sea view; it also has a reputation of excellence in sports and a thriving history of drama productions and has links with the
Czech RepublicThe Czech Republic is a country in Central Europe that is sometimes considered to be Eastern European. The country borders Poland to the northeast, Germany to the west and northwest, Austria to the south and Slovakia to the east. The capital and largest city is Prague...
,
FranceFrance , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
and
GermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium,...
, with which exchange trips are frequently held.
The school's motto was 'Sublimis Ab Unda', which is Latin for 'raised from the waves', in reference to the fact the school was funded by the aforementioned flood disaster.
King Edward VII and Queen Mary School (KEQMS) is an
HMCThe Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference is an association of the headmasters or headmistressess of 243 leading day and boarding independent schools in the United Kingdom, Crown dependencies and the Republic of Ireland...
public school in Lytham St. Annes,
LancashireLancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Lancashire County Council is based in Preston. However, Lancaster is still considered to be the county town...
,
EnglandEngland 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 and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
The Lytham Schools Foundation was established in 1719 after a flood disaster in the town. In 1908, one hundred and eighty-nine years after the Foundation's initial formation, King Edward VII School was opened to provide an education for local boys. The opening of the girls' Queen Mary School followed in 1930.
The school boasts extensive sports grounds, including a new synthetic hockey pitch, top of the range computing facilities built in 2003, modern language laboratories, modern library and a sea view; it also has a reputation of excellence in sports and a thriving history of drama productions and has links with the
Czech RepublicThe Czech Republic is a country in Central Europe that is sometimes considered to be Eastern European. The country borders Poland to the northeast, Germany to the west and northwest, Austria to the south and Slovakia to the east. The capital and largest city is Prague...
,
FranceFrance , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
and
GermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium,...
, with which exchange trips are frequently held.
Motto
The school's motto was 'Sublimis Ab Unda', which is Latin for 'raised from the waves', in reference to the fact the school was funded by the aforementioned flood disaster. The two former schools each had a coat of arms, however despite the two schools being separate they shared the same governing body, which itself had a coat of arms. This coat of arms is now used for the combined school since the merger in 1999. The uniforms for both boys and girls were also changed at this time. As of 2008, a new rebrand of the KEQMS brand was launched. A new logo was produced, and the motto was changed to 'Inspiring Personal Excellence'
Amalgamation
After a reduction in student numbers caused by New Labour's abolition of the
Assisted Places SchemeThe Assisted Places Scheme was established in the UK by the Conservative government in 1980. Children who could not afford to go to fee-paying independent schools were provided with free or subsidised places - if they were able to score within the top 10-15% of applicants in the school's entrance...
in 1997, the two single-sex schools were forced to merge. Now fully co-educational and housed in and around the old King Edward VII building, it consists of a Kindergarten, Infant, Junior and Senior School, plus a Sixth Form, which is situated on the first floor of the House, and in the old Lecture Theatre. The Queen Mary site was sold in order to raise money for the continuing development of the new school, and is now housing.
Continuing Development
Since the sale of the Queen Mary site, a new block has been built in 2003 to house the junior school on the ground floor, and 11 new senior classrooms on the first floor, housing three computer labs, a multimedia language lab, and classrooms for art and modern languages.
The 1960s block (housing music, food technology, maths and english) was also refurbished at the same time; the kitchen/dining room was moved into the former bike sheds at this time too.
In 2005 the library was relocated back to its former location (in the original dining room) and this underwent extensive refurbishment.
The summer of 2007 saw refurbishment of ground floor classrooms in the original 1908 building, and the replacement of many original wooden windows. Further, Summer 2008 saw science laboratories upgraded and improved as well as an improved careers and further education advice room.
During Autumn 2008, the Main School Hall was restored, with the original stage re-instated, as well as the addition of state of the art lighting and sound equipment to suit many hall configurations, including theatre 'in the round'.
Leadership
Principals of King Edward VII and Queen Mary School
- Robert Karling (2003 - Present)
- Julian Wilde (1999 - 2003)
Headmasters of King Edward VII School
- Julian Wilde (1993 - 1999)
- David Heap (1982 - 1993)
- Christopher J Lipscomb (1966 - 1982)
- CDA Baggley (1957 - 1966)
- John Bell (1942 - 1957)
- WN Weech (1940 - 1942)
- DGO Ayerst (1937-1940)
- JRL Penry (1913 - 1937)
- H Bompas-Smith (1908 - 1913)
Headmistresses of Queen Mary School
- Mrs S Piggott (1998 - 1999)
- Miss M Ritchie (1981 - 1998)
- Miss J Charlton (1970 - 1981)
- Miss JL Harley (1952 - 1970)
- Mrs D Bailey (1930 - 1951)
Houses
The senior school has had 2 house systems. Prior to the
amalgamationConsolidation or amalgamation is the act of merging many things into one. In business, it often refers to the mergers or acquisitions of many smaller companies into much larger ones. The financial accounting term of consolidation refers to the aggregated financial statements of a group company as...
, the girls' school did not have a house system; the boys' school had five houses (each having its own flag - the house logo on a dark blue background):
- Argonauts (Motto: Ludite integre; nollite cessare)
- Adventurers (Motto: Redde cuique quod suum est)
- Lancastrians (Motto: Vel primus, vel cum primis)
- St Johns (Motto: Pro Domo)
- Templars (Motto: Quo non audebis, eo non habesis)
And post amalgamation (1999) it changed to:
- Ashton
- Lowther
- Talbot
- Clifton
All the houses have a house leader and a group of captains.
Former pupils
Notable former pupils (Lidunians) include:
- Malcolm Archer
Malcolm Archer is an English organist, conductor and composer. He is widely renowned as one of the foremost church musicians of his generation and combines this work with an extensive recital career...
, Organist and Director of Music, St Paul's Cathedral
- Lee Blackett
'Lee Blackett' is a rugby union footballer for Leeds Carnegie. His usual position is at centre. He went to school at King Edward VII and Queen Mary School in Lytham, and played some of his earlier rugby at Fylde Rugby Club.-Background:The Tykes initially signed Blackett, a former Rotherham Earth...
, Leeds Carnegie centre
- Simon Brailsford
Squadron Leader Simon Brailsford was Equerry to Her Majesty The Queen 1998-2001. He was a career Royal Air Force officer, specialising as a navigator. He was promoted to Squadron Leader 1 January 1997, and was later promoted to Wing Commander....
, Equerry to Her Majesty the Queen
- Michael Mingos
David Michael Patrick Mingos FRS was Principal of St Edmund Hall, Oxford from 1999 to 2009, and Professor of Inorganic Chemistry in the University of Oxford...
, Principal of St Edmund Hall, OxfordSt Edmund Hall is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Better known within the University by its nickname, "Teddy Hall", the college has a claim to being "the oldest academical society for the education of undergraduates in any university"...
- John Sunderland
Sir John Michael Sunderland is a British businessman who was President of the Confederation of British Industry from 2004 to 2006, where his priority was restoring confidence in business after a series of corporate scandals. Until 2008 he was non-executive Chairman of Cadbury Schweppes and was...
, Chairman of Cadbury SchweppesCadbury plc is a British confectionery and beverage company with its headquarters in London, United Kingdom, and is the world's largest confectionery manufacturer...
and President of the Confederation of British IndustryThe Confederation of British Industry is a not for profit organisation incorporated by Royal charter which promotes the interests of its members, some 200,000 British businesses, a figure which includes some 80% of FTSE 100 companies and around 50% of FTSE 350 companies.-Role:The CBI works to...
- Andy Inglis, Head of Exploration and Production , Board Member ,British Petroleum
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