Gad's Hill School
Encyclopedia
Gad's Hill School in Kent
, England
was formerly Gads Hill Place
, the country home of Charles Dickens
. It became an independent, private day school in 1924.
The evening before the Christmas holidays, the pupils and their families visit Rochester Cathedral
to attend the annual Carol Concert. During this concert chosen pupils read the lesson of the Bible
, the choir sings traditional carols and a chosen pupil is honoured to sing the first stanza of ‘Once in royal David’s city.’
On the last day of the winter term the whole school has an annual cross country run. The younger students run around the rugby
fields a few times. Juniors run a 2.5 km and the seniors run a 3.5 km.
In June 2008, the school was shown in the Channel 4
TV docudrama
Dickens' Secret Lover, presented by actor Charles Dance
, on Dickens' alleged affair with the actress Ellen Ternan
during the last 13 years of his life. Charles Dickens died in what is now the school's dining room. Cedric Charles Dickens
, the author's great-grandson, was a governor of the school until his death in 2006. Marion Dickens, the author's great great granddaughter, is a former pupil of the school and is a member of the Board of Governors.
, had claimed £100,000 in damages.
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
was formerly Gads Hill Place
Gads Hill Place
Gads Hill Place in Higham, Kent, sometimes spelt Gadshill Place and Gad's Hill Place, was the country home of Charles Dickens, the most successful British author of the Victorian era....
, the country home of Charles Dickens
Charles Dickens
Charles John Huffam Dickens was an English novelist, generally considered the greatest of the Victorian period. Dickens enjoyed a wider popularity and fame than had any previous author during his lifetime, and he remains popular, having been responsible for some of English literature's most iconic...
. It became an independent, private day school in 1924.
Traditions
Gad’s Hill School has many traditions. Year 11 pupils sign the lead on the roof which has many names from years past. This tradition began when there were plays and dances in the grounds and the pupils would come and write their names to commemorate the occasion.The evening before the Christmas holidays, the pupils and their families visit Rochester Cathedral
Rochester Cathedral
Rochester Cathedral, or the Cathedral Church of Christ and the Blessed Virgin Mary, is a Norman church in Rochester, Kent. The bishopric is second oldest in England after Canterbury...
to attend the annual Carol Concert. During this concert chosen pupils read the lesson of the Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
, the choir sings traditional carols and a chosen pupil is honoured to sing the first stanza of ‘Once in royal David’s city.’
On the last day of the winter term the whole school has an annual cross country run. The younger students run around the rugby
Rugby football
Rugby football is a style of football named after Rugby School in the United Kingdom. It is seen most prominently in two current sports, rugby league and rugby union.-History:...
fields a few times. Juniors run a 2.5 km and the seniors run a 3.5 km.
In June 2008, the school was shown in the Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
TV docudrama
Docudrama
In film, television programming and staged theatre, docudrama is a documentary-style genre that features dramatized re-enactments of actual historical events. As a neologism, the term is often confused with docufiction....
Dickens' Secret Lover, presented by actor Charles Dance
Charles Dance
Walter Charles Dance, OBE is an English actor, screenwriter and director. Dance typically plays assertive bureaucrats or villains. His most famous roles are Guy Perron in The Jewel in the Crown , Dr Clemens, the doctor of penitentiary Fury 161, who becomes Ellen Ripley's confidante in Alien 3 ,...
, on Dickens' alleged affair with the actress Ellen Ternan
Ellen Ternan
Ellen Lawless Ternan , also known as Nelly Ternan or Nelly Robinson, was an English actress who is mainly known as the woman for whom Charles Dickens separated from his wife Catherine.-Life:...
during the last 13 years of his life. Charles Dickens died in what is now the school's dining room. Cedric Charles Dickens
Cedric Charles Dickens
Cedric David Charles Dickens , author and businessman, was the last surviving great-grandson of British author Charles Dickens and steward of his literary legacy.-Biography:...
, the author's great-grandson, was a governor of the school until his death in 2006. Marion Dickens, the author's great great granddaughter, is a former pupil of the school and is a member of the Board of Governors.
In the news
On August 28, 2002 Lorna Hurrell, a teacher at Gad's Hill School who was fighting a second bout of cancer, was dismissed from the school after she was unable to return to work full time. In 2003 an employment tribunal found the school had acted unfairly and had discriminated against her on grounds of a disability. She was awarded £17,400 in compensation. Headmaster David Craggs stated in an interview after the hearing that he felt the amount awarded to Mrs Hurrell vindicated the school's actions, because she and her union, the NUTNational Union of Teachers
The National Union of Teachers is a trade union for school teachers in England, Wales, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man. It is a member of the Trades Union Congress...
, had claimed £100,000 in damages.