John Beddoes School
Encyclopedia
John Beddoes School is a secondary or comprehensive school
for boys and girls. The school is based on one site in the town of Presteigne
. It has a complement of approximately 425 pupils aged 11 – 18 years. It has a largely rural catchment area in east Radnorshire
including the towns and villages of Presteigne
, Knighton, Beguildy
, New Radnor
Knucklas
, Gladestry
, Whitton
and Norton
. It's also situated 1/2 mile away from the Welsh/English border
and also educates pupils from Herefordshire
and Shropshire
.
in Wales
. It was founded by John Beddoes, a wealthy woollen manufacturer who provided for the establishment of a Free Grammar School to bring up the youth ... in virtue, discipline and learning. The school was to be maintained from the rents of local properties.
John Beddoes endowed the school with the rent from “Bell Meadow” to pay the ringer. He stipulated that should the Curfew
cease to be rung then the school should be closed and the financial endowment
revert to his heirs. With financial help from the composer Mike Oldfield
the tradition continues today.
The school moved to its current site on Broadaxe Lane in 1907
John Beddoes Grammar School and Knighton Secondary Modern School amalgamated in 1970 to form the current comprehensive school.
Currently (2009) the senior staff are:
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...
for boys and girls. The school is based on one site in the town of Presteigne
Presteigne
Presteigne is a town and community in Powys, Wales. It was the county town of the historic county of Radnorshire, and is in the Diocese of Hereford...
. It has a complement of approximately 425 pupils aged 11 – 18 years. It has a largely rural catchment area in east Radnorshire
Radnorshire
Radnorshire is one of thirteen historic and former administrative counties of Wales. It is represented by the Radnorshire area of Powys, which according to the 2001 census, had a population of 24,805...
including the towns and villages of Presteigne
Presteigne
Presteigne is a town and community in Powys, Wales. It was the county town of the historic county of Radnorshire, and is in the Diocese of Hereford...
, Knighton, Beguildy
Beguildy
Beguildy is a village in mid Wales. It lies in a remote tract of countryside, on the B4355 8 miles north west of Knighton, Powys and on the road to Newtown. It lies near the headwaters of the River Teme and is 235 metres above sea level...
, New Radnor
New Radnor
New Radnor is a village in Powys, mid Wales. It was the original county town of Radnorshire. The population today is around 400, a higher than normal proportion of which are pensioners...
Knucklas
Knucklas
Knucklas and Heyop are two small but inseparable villages in Powys, Wales. They lie off the B4355 road and are served by Knucklas railway station on the Heart of Wales Line...
, Gladestry
Gladestry
Gladestry is a small village and community in Powys, Mid Wales, close to the border with England at the end of the Hergest Ridge.In the 2001 census the population of the community was 419.- Amenities :...
, Whitton
Whitton
-People:* Charlotte Whitton , Canadian feminist and Mayor of Ottawa* David Whitton, Scottish politician* Donald Whitton , Canadian cellist, and teacher* Evan Whitton, Australian journalist...
and Norton
Norton, Powys
Norton is a village in Powys, Wales, approximately from the Welsh border town of Presteigne....
. It's also situated 1/2 mile away from the Welsh/English border
Wales–England border
The Wales–England border, between two of the countries of the United Kingdom, extends for about from the Dee estuary, in the north, to the Severn estuary in the south....
and also educates pupils from Herefordshire
Herefordshire
Herefordshire is a historic and ceremonial county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire" NUTS 2 region. It also forms a unitary district known as the...
and Shropshire
Shropshire
Shropshire is a county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. It borders Wales to the west...
.
Foundation
Founded in 1565 it is the second oldest grammar SchoolGrammar school
A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and some other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching classical languages but more recently an academically-oriented secondary school.The original purpose of mediaeval...
in Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
. It was founded by John Beddoes, a wealthy woollen manufacturer who provided for the establishment of a Free Grammar School to bring up the youth ... in virtue, discipline and learning. The school was to be maintained from the rents of local properties.
John Beddoes endowed the school with the rent from “Bell Meadow” to pay the ringer. He stipulated that should the Curfew
Curfew
A curfew is an order specifying a time after which certain regulations apply. Examples:# An order by a government for certain persons to return home daily before a certain time...
cease to be rung then the school should be closed and the financial endowment
Financial endowment
A financial endowment is a transfer of money or property donated to an institution. The total value of an institution's investments is often referred to as the institution's endowment and is typically organized as a public charity, private foundation, or trust....
revert to his heirs. With financial help from the composer Mike Oldfield
Mike Oldfield
Michael 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...
the tradition continues today.
The school moved to its current site on Broadaxe Lane in 1907
John Beddoes Grammar School and Knighton Secondary Modern School amalgamated in 1970 to form the current comprehensive school.
Headmaster and teachers
Welsh schools are no longer included in Education League Tables but figures are available for 2001. Some outline GCSE results are available on the school's siteCurrently (2009) the senior staff are:
- Headmaster - Mr G Richards
- Deputy Headmaster - Mr P Wardell
- Assistant Headmistress - Miss V Dodd
- Senior Teacher - Mrs J Washington
Notable former pupils
- Artist Joseph Murray InceJoseph Murray Ince-Life:Joseph Murray Ince was born in 1806 and he spent his childhood in Presteigne in Radnorshire. Ince was certain of his career and as a career choice took immediately to painting. FRom 1823 to 1826 he was a pupil under the painter David Cox. In 1826 he moved and exhibited at the Royal Academy...
(1806–1859). - Former world-champion bowlsBowlsBowls is a sport in which the objective is to roll slightly asymmetric balls so that they stop close to a smaller "jack" or "kitty". It is played on a pitch which may be flat or convex or uneven...
player, Rob Weale - Motorcyclist, Chaz DaviesChaz DaviesChaz Davies , is a Welsh motorcycle racer. He is the 2011 World Supersport champion.-Early years:...
