Elvian School
Encyclopedia
The Elvian School was an independent school
in Reading, Berkshire
, United Kingdom
run by the Licensed Trade Charity
as a coeducational, nondenominational Christian school. It was previously the Catholic boys' school Presentation College, Reading, until it went into administration in 2004. In March 2010 it was announced that the school would close at the end of the academic year.
. In May 2003 the Presentation Brothers made the highly controversial decision to close the school the following summer; however, due to the "Save Pres" campaign by staff and students, the Presentation Brothers reversed the decision and the school was transferred to a trust. However, in mid-2004 the school went into administration and was taken over by the Licensed Trade Charity and became the Elvian School. The final head master of the school was Mr. Paul Bevis.
On Sunday, 14 June 2009, one of the school's students, 15 year-old Nicholas Rice, died in an air collision incident over Sutton Courtenay
, Oxfordshire
. His Grob Tutor aeroplane collided with a civilian glider, during an Air Experience Flight
. The pilot of the Grob Tutor, 62 year old Michael Blee, was also killed, while the pilot of the glider, Henry Freeborn, parachuted to safety and survived.
.
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Independent school (UK)
An independent school is a school that is not financed through the taxation system by local or national government and is instead funded by private sources, predominantly in the form of tuition charges, gifts and long-term charitable endowments, and so is not subject to the conditions imposed by...
in Reading, Berkshire
Reading, Berkshire
Reading is a large town and unitary authority area in England. It is located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, and on both the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 motorway, some west of London....
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
run by the Licensed Trade Charity
Licensed Trade Charity
The Licensed Trade Charity is a registered charity in the United Kingdom that cares for publicans and other people in the licensed drink trade and their dependents....
as a coeducational, nondenominational Christian school. It was previously the Catholic boys' school Presentation College, Reading, until it went into administration in 2004. In March 2010 it was announced that the school would close at the end of the academic year.
History
The school opened in 1931 as Presentation College, Reading, an independent boys' day school run by the Presentation BrothersPresentation Brothers
The Congregation of Presentation Brothers is an international Catholic congregation of laymen founded in 1802 in Waterford, Ireland, by a local businessman, Edmund Ignatius Rice, now Blessed Edmund Ignatius Rice....
. In May 2003 the Presentation Brothers made the highly controversial decision to close the school the following summer; however, due to the "Save Pres" campaign by staff and students, the Presentation Brothers reversed the decision and the school was transferred to a trust. However, in mid-2004 the school went into administration and was taken over by the Licensed Trade Charity and became the Elvian School. The final head master of the school was Mr. Paul Bevis.
On Sunday, 14 June 2009, one of the school's students, 15 year-old Nicholas Rice, died in an air collision incident over Sutton Courtenay
Sutton Courtenay
Sutton Courtenay is a village and civil parish on the River Thames south of Abingdon and northwest of Didcot. It was part of Berkshire until the 1974 boundary changes transferred it to Oxfordshire.-Today:...
, Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
. His Grob Tutor aeroplane collided with a civilian glider, during an Air Experience Flight
Air Experience Flight
An Air Experience Flight is a training unit of the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve whose main purpose is to give introductory flying experience to Air Cadets or the RAF section of the Combined Cadet Force...
. The pilot of the Grob Tutor, 62 year old Michael Blee, was also killed, while the pilot of the glider, Henry Freeborn, parachuted to safety and survived.
Closure
In January 2010, staff and parents of pupils were sent letters stating that the future of the school was unclear and that the feasibility of continuing to operate was being considered during a consultation period. On 3 March, a further letter and announcement by the school's Director of Education, Ian Mullins, stated that the consultation had unanimously agreed that the school could not run into the 2010/11 academic year. The school closed in July 2010.Curriculum
The school offered a broad curriculum and included all the subjects of the National CurriculumNational Curriculum
The National Curriculum was introduced into England, Wales and Northern Ireland as a nationwide curriculum for primary and secondary state schools following the Education Reform Act 1988. Notwithstanding its name, it does not apply to independent schools, which may set their own curricula, but it...
.
Old Presentonians
- Michael BondMichael BondThomas Michael Bond, OBE is an English author, most celebrated for his Paddington Bear series of books.-Life:Bond was educated at Presentation College, a Catholic school in Reading...
OBE – children's author - Gerard Johnson – rock musician
- Cormac Murphy-O'Connor – Roman Catholic cardinal
- Damian ThompsonDamian ThompsonDamian Thompson is a British journalist, author and blogger.Thompson was educated at Presentation College, Reading, and read history at Mansfield College, Oxford University. He received his Ph.D in the sociology of religion from the London School of Economics for a thesis on the management of...
– journalist and author - Mike OldfieldMike OldfieldMichael Gordon Oldfield is an English multi-instrumentalist musician and composer, working a style that blends progressive rock, folk, ethnic or world music, classical music, electronic music, New Age, and more recently, dance. His music is often elaborate and complex in nature...
– rock musician - Lawrie SanchezLawrie SanchezLawrence Philip "Lawrie" Sanchez is a former Northern Irish football manager, and a former player. He is currently the manager of League Two side Barnet...
– football player and manager
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