Royal Wolverhampton School
Encyclopedia
The Royal Wolverhampton School began life as The Wolverhampton Orphan Asylum in 1850. It was founded by John Lees, a local lock-manufacturer and freemason, after a cholera
epidemic ravaged the town and left many children orphaned. The orphanage was completely funded by voluntary subscription and was dedicated to the education and maintenance of children who had lost one or both parents.
The Royal Orphanage of Wolverhampton was created in 1891 when Queen Victoria
gave permission for the prefix 'Royal' to be used. The charity carried on using this title until the late 1940s when King George VI
permitted it to be re-styled The Royal Wolverhampton School.
The following decade saw a rapid decline in the number of pupils as the newly formed Welfare State
took over some of the school's responsibilities. The cost of caring for orphans also dramatically increased and so the constitution was controversially changed to allow the admission of full fee-paying pupils. Their proportion has steadily grown to the extent that they now constitute around 90% of its students.
The school's motto is Nisi Dominus Frustra - "Except the Lord in Vain ".
. In 1854 it moved to new buildings on Penn
Road. These have been greatly extended over the years but they still form the nucleus of the current school.
wife who died during its construction.
This pool was destroyed in a fire in February 2005. Its replacement, also called the Hilda Hayward swimming pool, cost £2.5 million and was opened by Prince Edward in September 2006.
The Hilda Hayward pool also provides facilities for the Amateur Swimming Association
.
, the youngest son of the Queen. Prince Edward succeeds his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother
, in this role.
is currently commanded by Squadron Leader Darren Ireland who served as an Officer in the Royal Navy before joining the school.
All pupils in Year 8 up until Year 10 are required to be a member of the Combined Cadet Force. Other students (Year 11 onwards) have an option to continue CCF sessions. During the activities (4pm-5pm) period on a Monday afternoon they must participate in either an Army Cadet of RAF Cadet teaching session, due to the school's distance from the sea the option of becoming a Sea Cadet is unavailable as it would be impractical. Those in the CCF learn to shoot and fly, as well as this an assortment of optional and mandatory field trips are included every year. This is an exercise designed to build leadership and survival skills, as well as a good start for those considering a proper forces career.
lessons to those who don't speak English as a first language. These take place when other students are learning English or other languages.
There is a music scholarship which generally reduces the fees by 25%. These are awarded by the Director of Music after an audition. The scholar is also rewarded with free tuition in one instrument. Music scholarships are only available to day pupils.
There are academic scholarships which are awarded to the top eight candidates in an exam. These are available to children aged 11 and 13.
A scholarship is also available for those who enter the sixth form
, the extent of it being based upon their GCSE results in the previous year.
Eric Idle
benefitted from a forces bursary as his late father had been a former member of the RAF. Idle also benefitted from an Orphan's scholarship.
Cholera
Cholera is an infection of the small intestine that is caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. The main symptoms are profuse watery diarrhea and vomiting. Transmission occurs primarily by drinking or eating water or food that has been contaminated by the diarrhea of an infected person or the feces...
epidemic ravaged the town and left many children orphaned. The orphanage was completely funded by voluntary subscription and was dedicated to the education and maintenance of children who had lost one or both parents.
The Royal Orphanage of Wolverhampton was created in 1891 when Queen Victoria
Victoria of the United Kingdom
Victoria was the monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death. From 1 May 1876, she used the additional title of Empress of India....
gave permission for the prefix 'Royal' to be used. The charity carried on using this title until the late 1940s when King George VI
George VI of the United Kingdom
George VI was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death...
permitted it to be re-styled The Royal Wolverhampton School.
The following decade saw a rapid decline in the number of pupils as the newly formed Welfare State
Welfare State
The Welfare State is a commitment to health, education, employment and social security in the United Kingdom.-Background:The United Kingdom, as a welfare state, was prefigured in the William Beveridge Report in 1942, which identified five "Giant Evils" in society: squalor, ignorance, want, idleness...
took over some of the school's responsibilities. The cost of caring for orphans also dramatically increased and so the constitution was controversially changed to allow the admission of full fee-paying pupils. Their proportion has steadily grown to the extent that they now constitute around 90% of its students.
The school's motto is Nisi Dominus Frustra - "Except the Lord in Vain ".
Buildings
The school's original premises were at 46 Queen Street, WolverhamptonWolverhampton
Wolverhampton is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands, England. For Eurostat purposes Walsall and Wolverhampton is a NUTS 3 region and is one of five boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "West Midlands" NUTS 2 region...
. In 1854 it moved to new buildings on Penn
Penn, West Midlands
Penn is an area now divided between Wolverhampton in the West Midlands and South Staffordshire. Originally, it was a village in the historic county of Staffordshire. There is considerable confusion about exactly which areas fall within Penn...
Road. These have been greatly extended over the years but they still form the nucleus of the current school.
Hilda Hayward Swimming Pool
The original Hilda Hayward swimming pool was constructed in the 1970’s with money donated by the Hayward Foundation. It was named in honour of Sir Charles Hayward'sCharles William Hayward
Sir Charles William Hayward, CBE was a Wolverhampton-born entrepreneur and philanthropist.-Early Family:Sir Charles was the second child of John Hayward, a cycle manufacturer, and Mary...
wife who died during its construction.
This pool was destroyed in a fire in February 2005. Its replacement, also called the Hilda Hayward swimming pool, cost £2.5 million and was opened by Prince Edward in September 2006.
The Hilda Hayward pool also provides facilities for the Amateur Swimming Association
Amateur Swimming Association
-History:It was the first Governing Body of swimming to be established in the world and today remains the English national governing body for swimming, diving, water polo, open water, and synchronised swimming....
.
School's patron
The Royal's patron is Prince EdwardPrince Edward, Earl of Wessex
Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex KG GCVO is the third son and fourth child of Elizabeth II and The Duke of Edinburgh...
, the youngest son of the Queen. Prince Edward succeeds his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother
Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon
Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon was the queen consort of King George VI from 1936 until her husband's death in 1952, after which she was known as Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, to avoid confusion with her daughter, Queen Elizabeth II...
, in this role.
CCF
The CCFCombined 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,...
is currently commanded by Squadron Leader Darren Ireland who served as an Officer in the Royal Navy before joining the school.
All pupils in Year 8 up until Year 10 are required to be a member of the Combined Cadet Force. Other students (Year 11 onwards) have an option to continue CCF sessions. During the activities (4pm-5pm) period on a Monday afternoon they must participate in either an Army Cadet of RAF Cadet teaching session, due to the school's distance from the sea the option of becoming a Sea Cadet is unavailable as it would be impractical. Those in the CCF learn to shoot and fly, as well as this an assortment of optional and mandatory field trips are included every year. This is an exercise designed to build leadership and survival skills, as well as a good start for those considering a proper forces career.
Overseas students
The school has many overseas students, particularly from Hong Kong. It offers EFLEnglish language learning and teaching
English as a second language , English for speakers of other languages and English as a foreign language all refer to the use or study of English by speakers with different native languages. The precise usage, including the different use of the terms ESL and ESOL in different countries, is...
lessons to those who don't speak English as a first language. These take place when other students are learning English or other languages.
Scholarships
The school still offers scholarships through its Orphan Foundation, in addition to a number of others.There is a music scholarship which generally reduces the fees by 25%. These are awarded by the Director of Music after an audition. The scholar is also rewarded with free tuition in one instrument. Music scholarships are only available to day pupils.
There are academic scholarships which are awarded to the top eight candidates in an exam. These are available to children aged 11 and 13.
A scholarship is also available for those who enter the sixth form
Sixth form
In the education systems of England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, and of Commonwealth West Indian countries such as Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Belize, Jamaica and Malta, the sixth form is the final two years of secondary education, where students, usually sixteen to eighteen years of age,...
, the extent of it being based upon their GCSE results in the previous year.
Forces bursaries
The children of serving personnel in the British Army, Navy or Royal Air Force are afforded £1,000 a term per child of military personnel in order to help them pay for their children to board. The current fees for boarders is £6,865 per term for those in Year 7 and above, Junior Boarders only pay £6,150 per term, so forces children pay £5,865 and £5,150 respectively.Eric Idle
Eric Idle
Eric Idle is an English comedian, actor, author, singer, writer, and comedic composer. He was as a member of the British comedy group Monty Python, a member of the The Rutles on Saturday Night Live and author of the play, Spamalot....
benefitted from a forces bursary as his late father had been a former member of the RAF. Idle also benefitted from an Orphan's scholarship.
Notable alumni
- Eric IdleEric IdleEric Idle is an English comedian, actor, author, singer, writer, and comedic composer. He was as a member of the British comedy group Monty Python, a member of the The Rutles on Saturday Night Live and author of the play, Spamalot....
- Gilbert HardingGilbert HardingGilbert Charles Harding was a British journalist and radio and television personality. His many careers included schoolmaster, journalist, policeman, disc-jockey, interviewer and television presenter...
- Montagu DawsonMontagu DawsonGroup Captain Montagu Ellis Hawkins Dawson DFC & Bar, DFM was a British bombardier and navigator.Dawson was born at Langley, Buckinghamshire...
- Jonathan PedleyJonathan PedleyJonathan Pedley is a leading UK authority on wine. Pedley was born in Wolverhampton, England, in 1962. As a child he attended the Royal Wolverhampton School where he was Head Boy in the academic year 1979-80....
- Tunde Banjoko OBETunde BanjokoTunde Banjoko was awarded an OBE in the 2008 Queen's Birthday Honours List for his services to employment and training. He is a former pupil of the Royal Wolverhampton School.- Local Employment Access Projects:...