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Royal Wolverhampton School
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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 ".
BuildingsThe school's original premises were at 46 Queen Street, Wolverhampton. However 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.
Hilda Hayward Swimming PoolThe 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's wife who passed away 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.
School's patron The Royal's patron is Prince Edward, the youngest son of the Queen. Prince Edward succeeds his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother, in this role.
CCF The CCF 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 EFL 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, 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 benefitted from a forces bursary as his late father had been a fomer member of the RAF. Idle also benefitted from an Orphan's scholarship.
Notable alumni
External links
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