Gosford Hill School
Encyclopedia
Gosford Hill School is a co-educational comprehensive
secondary school in Kidlington
, Oxfordshire
and a Specialist College of Mathematics and Computing
; the first school in Oxfordshire to receive this award. In 2007 the school celebrated the 75th anniversary of its founding in 1932.
in the village was not able to accommodate them. By combining the number of over-11s from Kidlington with those from the church schools in the surrounding villages of Begbroke
, Cassington
, Hampton Poyle
, Islip
, Noke
, Oddington
, Shipton-on-Cherwell
, Thrupp and Yarnton
a sufficient number was achieved to justify the cost of a new school.
The first Headteacher, when the school opened on 7 September 1932, was Herbert Chapman who had been the head of the National School
The original buildings, designed by R Fielding Dodd, ARIBA and GT Gardner consisted of 4 classrooms and a Practical Studies Centre. Two more classrooms were added in 1934. The site of 4 acres (16,187.4 m²) had been part of Gosford Hill Farm, which itself had been turned into Oxford Zoological Gardens by Frank Gray
by the time the school was built.
In 2007 the school has over 1200 students and over 90 staff. The headteacher since September 2007 is Dr Stephen Bizley. there has been major building work going on at the school and he is still there in 2010 - a new Design & Technology block and science block have been built and in use.
Comprehensive school
A comprehensive school is a state school that does not select its intake on the basis of academic achievement or aptitude. This is in contrast to the selective school system, where admission is restricted on the basis of a selection criteria. The term is commonly used in relation to the United...
secondary school in Kidlington
Kidlington
Kidlington is a large village and civil parish between the River Cherwell and the Oxford Canal, north of Oxford and southwest of Bicester.-History:...
, Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
and a Specialist College of Mathematics and Computing
Mathematics and Computing College
Mathematics and Computing Colleges were introduced in England in 2002 as part of the Government's Specialist Schools Programme which was designed to raise standards in secondary education. Specialist schools focus specifically on their chosen specialism but must also meet the requirements of the...
; the first school in Oxfordshire to receive this award. In 2007 the school celebrated the 75th anniversary of its founding in 1932.
History
The school, originally called the Kidlington Church of England Central School, was built to teach children over the age of 11 whose numbers had grown during the 1920s to the point where the National SchoolNational school (England and Wales)
A national school was a school founded in 19th century England and Wales by the National Society for Promoting Religious Education.These schools provided elementary education, in accordance with the teaching of the Church of England, to the children of the poor.Together with the less numerous...
in the village was not able to accommodate them. By combining the number of over-11s from Kidlington with those from the church schools in the surrounding villages of Begbroke
Begbroke
Begbroke is a village and civil parish in Oxfordshire about west of Kidlington and northwest of Oxford.The toponym "Begbroke" is Old English for "Little Brook". This refers to Rowel Brook which runs through the village and was the reason for its early settlement...
, Cassington
Cassington
Cassington is a village and civil parish in Oxfordshire about northwest of Oxford. The village lies on gravel strata about from the confluence of the River Evenlode with the River Thames. The parish includes the hamlet of Worton northeast of the village and the site of the former hamlet of...
, Hampton Poyle
Hampton Poyle
Hampton Poyle is a village beside the River Cherwell, about northeast of Kidlington in Oxfordshire.-History:In the 13th century Hampton Poyle was granted to Walter de la Poyle. Its toponym combines his surname with the Old English for a village or farm....
, Islip
Islip, Oxfordshire
Islip is a village and civil parish on the River Ray, just above its confluence with the River Cherwell in Oxfordshire, England. It is about east of Kidlington and about north of Oxford. This village in Oxfordshire is not related to Islip, New York...
, Noke
Noke, Oxfordshire
Noke is a small village and civil parish in Oxfordshire about northeast of Oxford. It is on the southeast edge of Otmoor and is one of the "Seven Towns of Otmoor".The toponym is derived from Old English and means "at the oak trees"...
, Oddington
Oddington, Oxfordshire
Oddington is a village and civil parish about south of Bicester in Oxfordshire, England. The village is close to the River Ray on the northern edge of Otmoor.-History:...
, Shipton-on-Cherwell
Shipton-on-Cherwell
Shipton-on-Cherwell is a village on the River Cherwell north of Kidlington in Oxfordshire, England. The village is part of the civil parish of Shipton-on-Cherwell and Thrupp.-Manor:...
, Thrupp and Yarnton
Yarnton
Yarnton is a village and civil parish in Oxfordshire about southwest of Kidlington and northwest of Oxford and southeast of Woodstock.-Archaeology:Early Bronze Age decorated beakers have been found in the parish...
a sufficient number was achieved to justify the cost of a new school.
The first Headteacher, when the school opened on 7 September 1932, was Herbert Chapman who had been the head of the National School
The original buildings, designed by R Fielding Dodd, ARIBA and GT Gardner consisted of 4 classrooms and a Practical Studies Centre. Two more classrooms were added in 1934. The site of 4 acres (16,187.4 m²) had been part of Gosford Hill Farm, which itself had been turned into Oxford Zoological Gardens by Frank Gray
Frank Gray (politician)
Frank Gray was a British politician. He served as a Liberal Member of Parliament for Oxford from 1922 to 1924....
by the time the school was built.
In 2007 the school has over 1200 students and over 90 staff. The headteacher since September 2007 is Dr Stephen Bizley. there has been major building work going on at the school and he is still there in 2010 - a new Design & Technology block and science block have been built and in use.
- For the last four years the school has run a trip to Marlow Camp, this was started by Mr Phillips in 2003 and is a great success.
- In 2008 a narrowband radio station was set up for its students named GHS Radio.
Notable alumni
- Ford Ennals - Chief Executive Officer of Digital Radio UK
- David RodiganDavid RodiganDavid Rodigan, born 24 June 1951 on a military base in Hanover, Germany, is a British radio DJ who also performs as a selector for his sound system...
- Reggae DJ and radio presenter - Tim SuppleTim SuppleTimothy Supple is an English theatre and opera director.Tim Supple began working as an assistant director at the York Theatre Royal. Between 1988 and 1991 he directed at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, Leicester Haymarket and Chichester Festival Theatre Timothy (Tim) Supple (b. 1962) is an...
- Theatre and opera director - David Aston - disgraced driving instructor, currently serving 4 years for luring young girls into woodland and encouraging them to kick him in the groin.
- Four of the founding members of the Candyskins attended Gosford Hill.