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Reading School
Motto Floreat Redingensis
Established 1125 (refounded in 1486)
Type Foundation grammar
Principal J I Weeds
Chaplain Rev Chris Evans
Specialism Humanities
(English, Classics and Geography)
Location Erleigh Road
Reading
Berkshire
RG1 5LW
Flag of England England
LEA Reading Borough Council
Ofsted number 110097
Students 867
Gender Male
Ages 11 to 18
Houses School(green, orange, blue)
County (burgundy)
East (pink)
West (Gold)
School colours Navy Blue, Silver, House colours. In England and Wales, a foundation school is a type of school which has a degree of independence from the Local education authority. A grammar school is one of several different types of School in the history of education in the United Kingdom and other English-speaking countries Humanities Colleges were introduced as part of the Specialist Schools Programme in the United Kingdom. English studies is an academic discipline that includes the study of Literatures written in the English language (including literatures from the U "Classical literature" redirects here For literature in Classical languages outside the Graeco-Roman sphere see Ancient literature. Geography (from Greek γεωγραφία - geografia) is the study of the Earth and its lands features inhabitants and phenomena Reading (ˈrɛdɪŋ as Redding) is a town in England, located at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, midway between Berkshire (ˈbɑːkʃə or /ˈbɑːkʃɪə/ say Baak-shuh/-sheer sometimes abbreviated to Berks) is a Home County in the South England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Reading (ˈrɛdɪŋ as Redding) is a town in England, located at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, midway between
Publication Reading Rag
Website Reading School Website

Reading School is a grammar school in the town of Reading, Berkshire, England. A grammar school is one of several different types of School in the history of education in the United Kingdom and other English-speaking countries Reading (ˈrɛdɪŋ as Redding) is a town in England, located at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, midway between Berkshire (ˈbɑːkʃə or /ˈbɑːkʃɪə/ say Baak-shuh/-sheer sometimes abbreviated to Berks) is a Home County in the South England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland It is a single-sex boys' school, which selects incoming students on the basis of examined ability, usually at age 11, with a few entrants at age 13 and 16. Single-sex education ( SSE) is the practice of conducting Education where male and female students attend separate classes or in separate buildings It is state-funded, so there are no fees for day pupils, and boarders only pay for food and lodgings, not schooling. The current principal, since Autumn 2006, is John Weeds, replacing Patricia Daniels, who was acting headteacher for one year, and also the first female headteacher in the 882-year history of the school. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar.

Reading is a foundation school, and an OFSTED report concluded that "examination results place the school in the top five per cent nationally", "Pupils' attitudes to learning are outstanding" and "The school goes to exceptional lengths to broaden and enrich the education of all pupils". In England and Wales, a foundation school is a type of school which has a degree of independence from the Local education authority. The 2005 Key Stage 3 results were both the best in the country for value-added and for the average points score of each student. Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Key Stage 3 is the legal term for the three years of schooling in maintained schools in England and Wales normally known as Year 7 Year 8 and Year 9 when [1] In the 2004 school league tables for England (including fee-paying schools), it came eighth for GCSE-level results (average 602. "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " 5 points), 106th for A-level results (average 409. 3 points) and 170th for value-added between ages 11 and 16 (score of 1037. 7 compared with a baseline of 1000). It has recently become a DFES specialist school for the Humanities, specialising in English, Geography and Classics – the first school to specialise in Classics – despite entry being selected by Mathematics and verbal and non-verbal logic ability. The Department for Education and Skills (DfES was a United Kingdom government department between 2001 and 2007 The specialist schools programme is a UK government initiative which encourages Secondary schools in England to specialise in certain areas of the curriculum Humanities Colleges were introduced as part of the Specialist Schools Programme in the United Kingdom. English studies is an academic discipline that includes the study of Literatures written in the English language (including literatures from the U Geography (from Greek γεωγραφία - geografia) is the study of the Earth and its lands features inhabitants and phenomena "Classical literature" redirects here For literature in Classical languages outside the Graeco-Roman sphere see Ancient literature. The School prides itself on offering A-Level Latin to any student who has an interest in studying the subject. The School will also offer Ancient Greek if numbers permit bringing in outside staff.

In 2005 the school was awarded the highly prestigious Sportsmark gold award for a four-year period. In the same year Reading was one of just 35 schools nationally to be made a Microsoft Partner School. Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational Computer technology Corporation, which rose to dominate the Home computer [2] Reading School has had a partnership with Akhter Computers in Harlow, Essex, since 1998. Harlow is a New town and local government district in Essex, England. Essex is a county in the East of England. The County town is Chelmsford, and the highest point of the county is Chrishall Common The company has installed networks throughout the school and in the boarding house. It has also furnished the library with a special system which enables the school to record, edit and distribute video across the network. [3] In 2007, the school was identified by the Sutton Trust as one of only 20 state schools among the 100 schools in the UK responsible for a third of admissions to Oxford and Cambridge Universities over the five preceding years. The Sutton Trust is an educational charity in the United Kingdom which aims to provide educational opportunities to young people from non-privileged backgrounds The University of Oxford (informally "Oxford University" or simply "Oxford" located in the city of Oxford, Oxfordshire, England is the The University of Cambridge (often Cambridge University) located in Cambridge, England, is the second-oldest university in the 16. 0% of pupils went to Oxbridge and a 62. 1% in total went to universities identified by the Sutton Trust as "top universities". [4]

Contents

History

A view of Reading School from the drive
A view of Reading School from the drive

Reading School was founded as part of Reading Abbey. Reading Abbey is a large ruined Abbey in the centre of the town of Reading, in the English county of Berkshire. The date of the Abbey's charter, June 29, 1125, is taken as the foundation date, making it the 10th oldest school in England, although there are hints that there may have been a school running in Reading before this. Events 512 - A Solar eclipse is recorded by a monastic chronicler in Ireland. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland

In 1486, the school was refounded as a "Free Grammar School" ("free" here meaning teaching the free, or liberal, arts, not that no fees were paid) by Henry VII on the urging of the then Abbot, John Thorne. The word abbot, meaning Father, is a title given to the head of a Monastery in various traditions including Christianity. After the dissolution of Reading Abbey in 1539, the school fell under the control of the corporation of Reading, its status being confirmed by Letters Patent issued by Henry VIII in 1541. The Dissolution of the Monasteries, sometimes referred to as the Suppression of the Monasteries, was the formal process between 1536 and 1541 by which Henry VIII disbanded A corporation is a separate legal entity usually used to conduct business Letters patent are a type of Legal instrument in the form of an Open letter issued by a Monarch or Government, granting an office right Henry VIII (28 June 1491 &ndash 28 January 1547 was King of England and Lord of Ireland, later King of Ireland and claimant to the Kingdom of This was reconfirmed in the Royal Charter granted to the corporation of Reading by Elizabeth I in 1560, which made the corporation liable for the salary of the headmaster and gave them the power of appointing him. A Royal Charter is a Charter granted by the Sovereign on the advice of the Privy council to legitimize an incorporated body such as a city company

There were interruptions to schooling in 1665, when Parliament, forced out of London by the Great Plague, took over the schoolhouse. The Parliament of England was the Legislature of the Kingdom of England. London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. The Great Plague (1665-1666 was a massive outbreak of Disease in England that killed 75000 to 100000 people up to a fifth of London 's population The civil war also interrupted, with the school being used as a garrison by royalist forces. The English Civil War (1642-1651 was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists. The school prospered at the start of the nineteenth century, but by 1866 disagreements between the town and school, which had become increasingly exclusive, and problems with the lease on the school buildings had led to falling numbers and the school closed briefly when (according to legend), the inspectors, on asking to see the school, were told "He's runned away". Year 1866 ( MDCCCLXVI) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common

The school soon restarted, however, with the Reading School Act (1867) setting out its administration and funding. Year 1867 ( MDCCCLXVII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting The foundation stone for new buildings, designed by Alfred Waterhouse, was laid by the Prince of Wales in 1870, and in 1871 the school moved in. Alfred Waterhouse (19 July 1830 – 22 August 1905 was an English Architect, particularly associated with the Victorian Gothic revival. Prince of Wales (Tywysog Cymru is a title traditionally granted to the Heir Apparent to the reigning monarch of the United Kingdom (and formerly the Kingdom Year 1870 ( MDCCCLXX) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Year 1871 ( MDCCCLXXI) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common In 1915 Kendrick Boys' School (founded in 1875 from the legacy of John Kendrick), which had a large endowment but poor facilities, was taken over by Reading, which was poorly funded but had excellent facilities – this caused considerable controversy at the time but was ultimately seen as successful. Year 1915 ( MCMXV) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year Year 1875 ( MDCCCLXXV) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common John Kendrick (1573 &ndash 30 December 1624 was a prosperous English Cloth merchant and patron of the Towns of Reading and Newbury

The 1944 Education Act saw the abolition of fees (apart from boarding charges), with the cost of education now being met by the local authority. The Education Act 1944 changed the education system for secondary Schools in England and Wales. The 1960s saw the rise of comprehensive education, which threatened Reading's status. The 1960s decade refers to the years from the beginning of 1960 to the end of 1969 However, Reading was exempted in 1973 (along with the girls' grammar school in Reading, Kendrick) after a petition of over 30,000 local people (a third of the voters of Reading) was handed to the government. Year 1973 ( MCMLXXIII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar of the 1973 Gregorian calendar. Kendrick Girls' Grammar School is a selective girls' grammar secondary Foundation school situated in the centre of Reading, Berkshire

In 1986 the school celebrated the quincentenary of its refounding, and was graced by a visit by Queen Elizabeth II. Year 1986 ( MCMLXXXVI) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link displays 1986 Gregorian calendar) For the ship see RMS Queen Elizabeth 2 Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Context States headed by Elizabeth II A history of the school by Michael Naxton was published that year by Reading School Parents' Association.

Reading School
Reading School

On 6th July 2007 Reading School was officially designated as the landing site for the Thames Valley and Chiltern Air Ambulance when it needs to transport patients to the nearby Royal Berkshire Hospital. Previously, seriously injured or ill patients from the Reading area had to be flown either to Wexham Park Hospital near Slough, or to the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford for treatment. Slough ( ˈslaʊ is a Borough and Unitary authority within the ceremonial county of Berkshire, England. Oxford is currently bidding for the 2010 Wikimania Conference Oxford () is a city, and the County town of Oxfordshire, The new arrangement means that the school field can now be used for emergency touchdowns. Patients are transported by land ambulance from the school to the hospital's accident and emergency department across the road. [5]

School site

A photo of the School, covered in snow, taken on 8 February 2007.
A photo of the School, covered in snow, taken on 8 February 2007.

The current school site consists of a main block (with two wings), a Science block, the Page building, the John Kendrick building, South House, Music School (formerly known as Junior School) and a chapel. The main school building, the chapel, South House and the building to the east of South House have all been designated as Grade II listed buildings by English Heritage. [6][7][8][9]

The main block consists of 11 teaching rooms, as well as most of the school's administrative rooms. The classrooms here are mainly used to teach English, Economics, Classics, Latin and Ancient Greek; but the two Drama studios are used exclusively for Drama. The block is built around a central quadrangle, with the main teaching rooms down the east side, and the Drama studios to the west. In Architecture, a quadrangle is a space or courtyard usually square or rectangular in plan the sides of which are entirely or mainly occupied by parts of a large building Over the northern entrance to the 'quad' is Big School, the school hall. There are also two wings: East Wing and West Wing. East Wing serves as a boarding house, while West Wing houses the staff room, sixth form common room, administrative entrance and reception, the newly re-named 'Middleton room' (ICT suite) and Religious Studies department. The sixth form, in the English, Welsh and Northern Irish education systems Commonwealth West Indian countries such as Barbados, Belize

The Science block, situated on the south-east of the site, contains a workshop for Technology classes, three Physics labs, three Biology labs, three Chemistry labs and a lecture theatre.

South House is a boarding house, although it also contains four teaching rooms and the 'Epstein room', which functions as a secondary Mathematics office.

The Page Building, located between South House and the Science block, contains two Art rooms, two Technology labs (Graphics and Electronics), three Mathematics rooms, the main Mathematics office and an ICT suite.

The John Kendrick building, opened in 2002, is to the west of the site, housing the Library (formerly the Learning Resources Centre), two Geography rooms, two History rooms and four language classrooms. The adjoined 'Coach House' contains another Geography room, a History room, and two offices.

The chapel at Reading School
The chapel at Reading School

The chapel is where the school's Christmas and Easter services take place, and every student attends once a week. Easter ( Greek: Πάσχα Pascha or Pasxa) is the most important religious feast in the Christian Liturgical year. The chapel has four groups of pews, facing towards the central aisle. Above the entrance is the organ, and at the far end is the altar and vestry. The pipe organ is a Musical instrument that produces sound when pressurized air (wind is driven through a series of pipes, controlled by a keyboard

Music School (formerly Junior School) has a teaching room, an ICT suite, a hall (used for orchestra and choir practices) and four smaller individual teaching rooms (used for individual music lessons). An orchestra is an instrumental ensemble, usually fairly large with string brass woodwind sections and possibly a percussion section as well The school is developing an arts area in the unused part of the building. The building is situated at the far end of the drive, on the left of the main entrance.

An outdoor eating area has recently been developed on the school site, which is situated close to the tuck shop. A tuck shop is a small food-selling retailer found in schools and youth clubs

Subjects taught

Subject Taught at KS3 Taught at GCSE Taught at A level
Ancient Greek No Yes No longer available
Art Compulsory Yes Yes
Biology Compulsory Compulsory Yes
Business Studies No Yes No
Chemistry Compulsory Compulsory Yes
Drama Compulsory Yes Yes
Economics No Yes Yes
English Compulsory Compulsory Yes
French Compulsory Yes Yes
Geography Compulsory Yes Yes
German Compulsory from Year 8 Yes Yes
History Compulsory Yes Yes
ICT Compulsory Yes (DiDA) No
Latin Compulsory Yes Yes
Mathematics* Compulsory Compulsory Yes
Music Compulsory Yes Yes
Physical Education Compulsory Compulsory Compulsory**
Physics Compulsory Compulsory Yes
Religious Education*** Compulsory Compulsory Offered in special cases
Spanish No Yes No
Technology Compulsory Yes Yes

*Additional Maths is taken by some students at the same time as GCSEs. Key Stage 3 is the legal term for the three years of schooling in maintained schools in England and Wales normally known as Year 7 Year 8 and Year 9 when The General Certificate of Secondary Education ( GCSE) is the name of an academic qualification awarded in a specified subject generally taken in a number of subjects by The A-level, short for Advanced Level, is a General Certificate of Education qualification in England, Northern Ireland and Wales, The Ancient Greek language is the historical stage in the development of the Hellenic language family spanning the Archaic (c Art refers to a diverse range of Human activities creations and expressions that are appealing to the Senses or Emotions of a human individual Foundations of modern biology There are five unifying principles Business studies is the name of an academic subject taught at higher level in Australia Ireland and the United Kingdom (at both GCSE and Chemistry (from Egyptian kēme (chem meaning "earth") is the Science concerned with the composition structure and properties Drama is the specific mode of Fiction represented in Performance. Economics is the social science that studies the production distribution, and consumption of goods and services. English studies is an academic discipline that includes the study of Literatures written in the English language (including literatures from the U French ( français,) is a Romance language spoken around the world by 118 million people as a native language and by about 180 to 260 million people Geography (from Greek γεωγραφία - geografia) is the study of the Earth and its lands features inhabitants and phenomena The German language (de ''Deutsch'') is a West Germanic language and one of the world's major languages. History is the study of the past particularly the written record Those who study history as a Profession are called Historians Etymology In the United Kingdom, Information and Communication Technology ( ICT) is a subject in Education, and a part of the National Curriculum Latin ( lingua Latīna, laˈtiːna is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Mathematics is the body of Knowledge and Academic discipline that studies such concepts as Quantity, Structure, Space and Music is an Art form in which the medium is Sound organized in Time. Physics (Greek Physis - φύσις in everyday terms is the Science of Matter and its motion. In Secular usage religious education is the Teaching of a particular Religion (although in England the term religious instruction would refer Design and Technology (also Craft Design and Technology, D&T, D Further Maths is optional at A Level.

**In the sixth form, P. The sixth form, in the English, Welsh and Northern Irish education systems Commonwealth West Indian countries such as Barbados, Belize E. can optionally be taken as an examined AS-Level. Those that do not do this must still take part in games weekly, though this is not examined or graded in any way.

***Unless of a non-Christian background, in which case the student studies for a paper appropriate for his religion. A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth .

Notable "Old Redingensians" (former students)

Deceased Old Redingensians (chronological order):

Name Year of birth Year of death Notable achievements
Sir Thomas White 1492 1567 Founder of St John's College, Oxford and Lord Mayor of London in 1553
Sir Francis Moore 1559 1621 MP for Reading
John Blagrave c. Sir Thomas White (1492 – 12 February 1567) was an English Cloth merchant, civic benefactor and founder of St John's College Oxford __FORCETOC__ St John's College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. The Right Honourable Lord Mayor of London is the legal title for the Mayor of (and head of the City of London Corporation. Sir Francis Moore (1558-1621 was a prominent Jacobean barrister A Member of Parliament, or MP, is a representative elected by the voters to a Parliament. John Blagrave (c 1561 &ndash 1611 was an English Mathematician. 1561 1611 Mathematician
William Laud 1573 1645 Chancellor of the University of Oxford 1629–1645, Archbishop of Canterbury, 1633–1645, beheaded in 1645 during the Civil War
John Kendrick 1573 1624 Elizabethan/Jacobean merchant and philanthropist
Daniel Blagrave 1603 1668 Regicide (Signatory of the death warrant of Charles I in 1649). Archbishop William Laud (7 October 1573 - 10 January 1645 was Archbishop of Canterbury from 1633 to 1645 The University of Oxford (informally "Oxford University" or simply "Oxford" located in the city of Oxford, Oxfordshire, England is the The Archbishop of Canterbury is the chief bishop and principal leader of the Church of England, the symbolic head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the The English Civil War (1642-1651 was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists. John Kendrick (1573 &ndash 30 December 1624 was a prosperous English Cloth merchant and patron of the Towns of Reading and Newbury Daniel Blagrave (1603 &ndash 1668 was a prominent resident of the town of Reading, in the English county of Berkshire. Charles I, (19 November 1600 &ndash 30 January 1649 was King of England, Scotland and Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution. Escaped to exile in Aachen at the Restoration in 1660
Sir Thomas Stampe (or Stamp) Lord Mayor of the City of London in 1691
Sir Constantine Phipps 1656 1723 Lord Chancellor of Ireland
Henry Addington 1757 1844 1st Viscount Sidmouth (1757 –1844) – Prime Minister and Chancellor of the Exchequer 1801 –1804
Thomas Noon Talfourd 1795 1854 Judge and writer
Captain Hastings Harington 1832 1861 Awarded the Victoria Cross as a lieutenant with the Bengal Artillery for conspicuous gallantry in the relief of Lucknow, 1857; died at Agra
Joseph Wells 1855 1929 Warden of Wadham College, Oxford 1913–1927, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford 1923–1926
Arthur Negus 1903 1985 broadcaster and antiques expert
John Boulting 1913 1985 Film director and producer
John Minton 1917 1957 Artist, lecturer and teacher
Sir Clifford Charles Butler 1922 1999 Physicist, co-discoverer of hyperons and K-mesons

Living Old Redingensians (alphabetical order):

Name Year of birth Notable achievements
Ross Brawn 1954 Former Technical Director of Ferrari F1, Technical Director of Honda F1
Tom Burrows 1985 Hampshire County Cricket Club 1st Team
Mark Field 1964 MP – Shadow Financial Secretary to the Treasury
Cris Freddi 1955 Author
Haydn Middleton 1955 Author
David Gold 1979 England International Bridge Player
Damian Green 1956 MP – Former Shadow Secretary of State for Transport
Oliver Heald 1954 MP – Shadow Constitutional Affairs Secretary
Christopher Renshaw Theatre Director
Lord Roper of Thorney Island 1935 Liberal Democrat chief whip in the House of Lords
Andrew Smith 1952 MP – Former Secretary of State for Work and Pensions and former Cabinet Minister

Bibliography

References

  1. ^ "Grammar boys are simply the best", Reading Evening Post, 2006-03-30. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 240 BC - 1st recorded Perihelion passage of Halley's Comet.  
  2. ^ Andrew Linnell. The Headmaster's Letter. The Old Redingensian, May 2005, p2 (PDF).
  3. ^ Case Study. Video Broadcast over the Network at Reading School (PDF)
  4. ^ University Admissions by Individual Schools, Sutton Trust, 2007, <http://www.suttontrust.com/reports/UniversityAdmissionsbySchool.pdf> 
  5. ^ Reading School – "New Landing Site for Air Ambulance". The South Central Ambulance Service NHS Trust
  6. ^ Main school building, Images of England reference no. 38922
  7. ^ Lecture Theatre at Reading School, Images of England reference no. 38923
  8. ^ South House, Images of England reference no. 38924
  9. ^ Building to the east of South House, Images of England reference no. 38925

See also

External links

The list of Schools in the United Kingdom is divided into several parts List of schools in England List of schools in Wales This list is a work-in-progress as it is built from various sources This is a list of extant schools excluding universities and higher education establishments The schools of Britain, the British Empire, and later the Commonwealth, have contributed greatly to their armed forces with some schools having lost hundreds of former The Specialist Schools and Academies Trust (SSAT is an independent not-for-profit membership organisation in the United Kingdom, working in partnership with schools to The Abbey School is an independent selective School for girls in Reading, Berkshire, England. Kendrick Girls' Grammar School is a selective girls' grammar secondary Foundation school situated in the centre of Reading, Berkshire
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