King's School, Chester

53°10′01″N 2°54′00″W / 53.167°N 2.900°W / 53.167; -2.900

The King's School, Chester
Address
Map
Wrexham Road

, ,
CH4 7QL

England
Information
TypePrivate day school
Cathedral school
MottoRex dedit, benedicat Deus
(The King gave it, may God bless it)
Religious affiliation(s)Church of England
Established1541; 483 years ago (1541)
FounderKing Henry VIII
Local authorityCheshire West and Chester
Department for Education URN111485 Tables
Chairman of the GovernorsE. M. Johnson
HeadmasterGeorge Hartley [1]
GenderCo-educational
Age4 to 18
Enrolment1,045 (approx.)
Houses8[2]
Colour(s)Green, blue and white, red        
Former pupilsOld King's Scholars
AffiliationHMC
Rowing clubThe King's School Rowing Club
Websitehttp://www.kingschester.co.uk/

The King's School, Chester, is a co-educational private day school for pupils aged 4 to 18. It is one of the seven 'King's Schools' established (or re-endowed and renamed) by King Henry VIII in 1541 after the Dissolution of the Monasteries.

It is situated outside the city of Chester, England. The school is a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference. The school comprises an Infant school (years 4–7), a Junior school (years 7–11), a Senior school (years 11–16) and a Sixth form (years 16–18) in which the students choose their A-level subjects.[3]

History

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An ancient foundation, attached to a monastery that King Henry VIII had dissolved, it still served a purpose teaching grammar to potential ordinands. It was reconstituted in 1541 as a joint church state enterprise and operated for 400 years in the former monks' refectory. It was one of seven schools in this category, the others being Canterbury, Rochester, Peterborough, Worcester, Gloucester, and Ely. In 1869 new school buildings were constructed and they were formally opened by Gladstone.[4] The school motto is "Rex dedit, benedicat Deus” (The King gave it, may God bless it), which was given by John Saul Howson, Dean of Chester. John Saul Howson was the chief instrument in the building and endowing of the King's School, and in its reorganization on a broader basis.[5]

Description

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Since 1960, The King's School has been based at its Wrexham Road site on the outskirts of Chester.[1] It has a Sixth Form Centre, a library (the Wickson Library) and a music school (the Tim Turvey Music School). Sports facilities include a swimming pool, all-weather sports pitches, grass sports pitches, a cricket pavilion, and a boat house on the River Dee.[citation needed]

Academia

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In September 2011, King's adopted a new curriculum alongside its shift from an eight-period to a five-period day. This involved substantial changes, introducing 'enrichment' lessons and replacing the GCSE courses with IGCSE.[6]

Extra-curricular activities

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The school's pupils engage the Duke of Edinburgh's Award scheme. The King's School's Combined Cadet Force (CCF) is a voluntary contingent within the CCF. It consists of the mandatory Army Section, with an additional RAF Section.[7] The King's School has also been successful in the F1 in Schools competition, sending a team to the global finals in 2016.[8]

Publications

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The Herald is the school's magazine and is published on a termly basis for parents and pupils. Its articles are about current pupils, teachers and former pupils.[9]

Sports

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Hockey

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In 2011, King's appointed hockey coach Simon Egerton, who is a member of the England hockey team.[10]

Rowing

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The King's School Rowing Club has been in existence since 1883 with the school's boat house situated on the River Dee in the centre of Chester and is affiliated to British Rowing.[11] Rowing is offered as part of the sports curriculum from the third year onwards.

The King's rowers often compete in the top levels of school's competitions, and count numerous ex-Boat-Race crew members alongside National and Olympic squad members amongst it Old King's Scholars Alumni including seven Olympians, three in the London 2012 games. Gold and silver medallists – two gold and one silver Olympic medallists. Olympic Finalists – three in 2012. 14 x Oxford and Cambridge Blues. 47 x GB Senior World Championship representatives – since 1960 and 36 x GB Junior International representatives – since 1970.

 
Kings Chester Boat House 2019

Headmaster

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The school's headmaster (since 2017) is George Hartley. He has an undergraduate degree in geography and an postgraduate degree in Environmental Sciences. He has previously been the headmaster/principal of two other British schools.[12]

Previous headmasters

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  • 2007–2017 - Chris Ramsey, linguist
  • 2000–2007 - Tim Turvey, biologist
  • 1981–2000 - Roger Wickson, historian

A full list of previous headmasters are engraved on a board displayed in the school.[12][13]

Notable alumni

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Post-1900

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Pre-1900

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The Chester Association of Old King's Scholars (CAOKS), founded in 1866, exists to maintain links between former students. It is one of the longest established alumni associations in the country. The school has recently established OAKS (Organization of Alumni of The King's School) to maintain relations with former pupils. OAKS is free to join and open to all alumni.[30]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "ISI Regulatory Compliance Report 2018" (PDF). ISI. Retrieved 3 December 2020.
  2. ^ "Our new structure". 14 February 2017.
  3. ^ "The King's School Chester - Junior School". Kingschester.co.uk. 15 October 2011. Retrieved 20 July 2012.
  4. ^ "History". The King's School Chester. 1 June 2016. Retrieved 3 December 2020.
  5. ^ Venables, Edmund. "Howson, John Saul" . Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 28. pp. 130–132.
  6. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 October 2012. Retrieved 16 February 2012.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  7. ^ "Leadership". 12 January 2017.
  8. ^ Chronicle, Chester (1 May 2016). "King's School team reaches F1 world final in America". chesterchronicle. Retrieved 7 December 2019.
  9. ^ "The King's School Chester Herald, Spring 2012". Kingschester.co.uk. Archived from the original on 11 June 2012. Retrieved 30 April 2012.
  10. ^ "King's hockey coach wins European Indoor Gold Medal with national team". The King's School Chester. 1 February 2010. Archived from the original on 26 April 2012. Retrieved 2 December 2011.
  11. ^ "Club details". British Rowing.
  12. ^ a b "Staff and Governors". 3 January 2018.
  13. ^ "Headmasters of the King's School". 3 January 2018.
  14. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as "Inspirational Alumni Members". The King's School Chester. Archived from the original on 15 December 2011. Retrieved 2 December 2011.
  15. ^ The Steel Construction Institute (2012). Owens, Graham W.; Davison, Buick (eds.). Steel Designers' Manual (7th ed.). Chichester: Wiley-Blackwell. pp. xix. ISBN 978-1-4051-8940-8.
  16. ^ Gummer, John (4 December 2002). "Obituary: George Guest". The Guardian. Retrieved 30 April 2012.
  17. ^ "Members of Parliament | Matthew Hancock MP". The Conservative Party. 20 March 2012. Archived from the original on 22 February 2014. Retrieved 30 April 2012.
  18. ^ "Profile: Tom James". BBC Sport. 1 December 2008. Retrieved 30 April 2012.
  19. ^ Paul Taylor (21 February 2007). "Mr Supersaver's on a mission". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 30 April 2012.
  20. ^ "Obituary: Hugh Lloyd". The Daily Telegraph. London. 14 July 2008. Retrieved 30 April 2012.
  21. ^ "Profile: Patrick Mercer". BBC News. 8 March 2007. Retrieved 25 November 2008.
  22. ^ Wheelock, Paul (13 December 2017). "British GT champion Seb Morris parts ways with title-winning team-mate". Cheshire Live. Retrieved 25 June 2019.
  23. ^ Wheelock, Paul (30 April 2009). "Chester City FC: Mike Parry's on a mission". Chester Chronicle. Retrieved 30 April 2012.
  24. ^ Dickinson, P. L.; Ireland, G. K. (12 January 1994). "Obituary: George Squibb". The Independent. London. Retrieved 30 April 2012.
  25. ^ "The King's School Chester - news archive". Kingschester.co.uk. Retrieved 30 April 2012.
  26. ^ Watson, Raymond C. (2009). Radar Origins Worldwide:History of Its Evolution in 13 Nations Through World War II. Victoria BC, Canada: Trafford Publishing. p. 44. ISBN 978-1-4269-2110-0.
  27. ^ "Britain's men win gold and women bronze in eights". BBC Sport. Retrieved 3 August 2024.
  28. ^ Helps, Arthur (2005) [1888]. Life and Labours of Thomas Brassey, 1805–1870. Elibron Classics. p. 12. ISBN 978-1-4021-0563-0.
  29. ^ "Parry, William (d.1585)" . Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1885–1900.
  30. ^ "The King's School website". Kingschester.co.uk. Retrieved 29 May 2012.
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