King Edward VI School (Lichfield)
Encyclopedia
King Edward VI School, Lichfield is a co-educational comprehensive school
near the heart of the city of Lichfield
, Staffordshire
, England
. The school is a co-educational comprehensive school maintained by Staffordshire Education Authority and admits pupils from the age of 11 (Year 7), with some 60% electing to continue their education into the Sixth Form, leaving at 18 (Year 13). In the main school (Years 7 - 11), there is a limit of 210 pupils for each year group. In total there are in excess of 1360 pupils on roll.
In 1995, the school celebrated its 500th anniversary, its Quincentenary. During its long history the school has educated some famous names, most notably Samuel Johnson
.
, a home for the elderly. Every day prayers are said for the school in the tiny chapel which forms part of the St. John's almshouses in St. John's Street.
The school takes its name from the Tudor boy king who reigned between 1547 and 1553. The school crest incorporates features of the royal Tudor coat of arms. The Latin inscription beneath, "Deo, Patriae, Scholae", is broadly translated as "for God, Country and School".
In the 18th century a number of eminent people were educated at the school. These included the great scholar and compiler of the first English dictionary, Dr. Samuel Johnson
(the buildings of the former grammar school bear his name), David Garrick
, the actor, and Joseph Addison
, the essayist and politician. Two of the school's four houses are named after Addison and Garrick. (The other houses are named after Bishop Clinton who founded a priory in Lichfield in the 12th century and Erasmus Darwin
, who lived in the City for a number of years).
Until the beginning of the twentieth century the school occupied the school house in St. John's Street, opposite St. John's Hospital. It can still be seen, now forming part of the District Council premises. In 1903 the first building on the present site was opened. Further extensions were added in the 1920s and 1950s to what has come to be known as Johnson Hall.
which had been built on an adjacent site in the 1950s to cater for the City's expanding population. The premises of the former Kingshill School are referred to as Bader Hall in recognition of Douglas Bader
, the World War II fighter ace, who opened that school in 1959. The original grammar school area is referred to as 'Johnson' after Dr Samuel Johnson, the famous British author who was educated at the school and lived in Lichfield for a time.
The school's success as a comprehensive school owes much to the merging of two strong and successful traditions; on the one hand, the tradition of academic excellence associated with the grammar school and, on the other, the modern school tradition of care and support for the individual. Academic challenge and care for the individual remain the twin guiding principles of the school today.
King Edwards has recently had a new music block built worth £1 million and includes state of the art rooms and an ecological design to help improve the school. It has also recently built a new sixth form block where sixth form students can relax and socialise it also contains four class rooms used exclusively for sixth form lessons.
There is also a council committee for sixth form students known as the Ashmole Society. Elected sixth formers discuss topics relevant to the sixth form, and the students.
, with the only better results in Staffordshire being from the Moorlands Sixth Form College
in Cheadle
.
as a Grammar School
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...
near the heart of the city of Lichfield
Lichfield
Lichfield is a cathedral city, civil parish and district in Staffordshire, England. One of eight civil parishes with city status in England, Lichfield is situated roughly north of Birmingham...
, Staffordshire
Staffordshire
Staffordshire is a landlocked 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. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...
, 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...
. The school is a co-educational comprehensive school maintained by Staffordshire Education Authority and admits pupils from the age of 11 (Year 7), with some 60% electing to continue their education into the Sixth Form, leaving at 18 (Year 13). In the main school (Years 7 - 11), there is a limit of 210 pupils for each year group. In total there are in excess of 1360 pupils on roll.
In 1995, the school celebrated its 500th anniversary, its Quincentenary. During its long history the school has educated some famous names, most notably Samuel Johnson
Samuel Johnson
Samuel Johnson , often referred to as Dr. Johnson, was an English author who made lasting contributions to English literature as a poet, essayist, moralist, literary critic, biographer, editor and lexicographer...
.
History
In 1495 Bishop Smythe established the school as a free grammar school as part of the same foundation as St. John's HospitalHospital of St John Baptist without the Barrs, Lichfield
The Hospital of St John Baptist without the Barrs is a Grade I listed building and sheltered housing complex with adjacent chapel in the city of Lichfield, Staffordshire in the United Kingdom...
, a home for the elderly. Every day prayers are said for the school in the tiny chapel which forms part of the St. John's almshouses in St. John's Street.
The school takes its name from the Tudor boy king who reigned between 1547 and 1553. The school crest incorporates features of the royal Tudor coat of arms. The Latin inscription beneath, "Deo, Patriae, Scholae", is broadly translated as "for God, Country and School".
In the 18th century a number of eminent people were educated at the school. These included the great scholar and compiler of the first English dictionary, Dr. Samuel Johnson
Samuel Johnson
Samuel Johnson , often referred to as Dr. Johnson, was an English author who made lasting contributions to English literature as a poet, essayist, moralist, literary critic, biographer, editor and lexicographer...
(the buildings of the former grammar school bear his name), David Garrick
David Garrick
David Garrick was an English actor, playwright, theatre manager and producer who influenced nearly all aspects of theatrical practice throughout the 18th century and was a pupil and friend of Dr Samuel Johnson...
, the actor, and Joseph Addison
Joseph Addison
Joseph Addison was an English essayist, poet, playwright and politician. He was a man of letters, eldest son of Lancelot Addison...
, the essayist and politician. Two of the school's four houses are named after Addison and Garrick. (The other houses are named after Bishop Clinton who founded a priory in Lichfield in the 12th century and Erasmus Darwin
Erasmus Darwin
Erasmus Darwin was an English physician who turned down George III's invitation to be a physician to the King. One of the key thinkers of the Midlands Enlightenment, he was also a natural philosopher, physiologist, slave trade abolitionist,inventor and poet...
, who lived in the City for a number of years).
Until the beginning of the twentieth century the school occupied the school house in St. John's Street, opposite St. John's Hospital. It can still be seen, now forming part of the District Council premises. In 1903 the first building on the present site was opened. Further extensions were added in the 1920s and 1950s to what has come to be known as Johnson Hall.
Recent developments
The present King Edward VI School was created in 1971 by the merger of the grammar school with Kings Hill secondary modern schoolSecondary modern school
A secondary modern school is a type of secondary school that existed in most of the United Kingdom from 1944 until the early 1970s, under the Tripartite System, and was designed for the majority of pupils - those who do not achieve scores in the top 25% of the eleven plus examination...
which had been built on an adjacent site in the 1950s to cater for the City's expanding population. The premises of the former Kingshill School are referred to as Bader Hall in recognition of Douglas Bader
Douglas Bader
Group Captain Sir Douglas Robert Steuart Bader CBE, DSO & Bar, DFC & Bar, FRAeS, DL was a Royal Air Force fighter ace during the Second World War. He was credited with 20 aerial victories, four shared victories, six probables, one shared probable and 11 enemy aircraft damaged.Bader joined the...
, the World War II fighter ace, who opened that school in 1959. The original grammar school area is referred to as 'Johnson' after Dr Samuel Johnson, the famous British author who was educated at the school and lived in Lichfield for a time.
The school's success as a comprehensive school owes much to the merging of two strong and successful traditions; on the one hand, the tradition of academic excellence associated with the grammar school and, on the other, the modern school tradition of care and support for the individual. Academic challenge and care for the individual remain the twin guiding principles of the school today.
King Edwards has recently had a new music block built worth £1 million and includes state of the art rooms and an ecological design to help improve the school. It has also recently built a new sixth form block where sixth form students can relax and socialise it also contains four class rooms used exclusively for sixth form lessons.
School Council
The aim of the School Council is to provide a forum for the discussion by students' representatives of issues raised by students or staff and which affect the life of the school.There is also a council committee for sixth form students known as the Ashmole Society. Elected sixth formers discuss topics relevant to the sixth form, and the students.
Academic performance
It gets good results at GCSE and A-level, with the 6th best results at GCSE in 2009 and A-level results similar to a 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...
, with the only better results in Staffordshire being from the Moorlands Sixth Form College
Moorlands Sixth Form College
Moorlands Sixth Form College is a college located in Cheadle, a historic market town in Staffordshire, England. The college caters for years 12-13, where students can gain A-Level and AS-Level qualifications. The college is owned by Cheadle High School, and has a partnership with local schools:...
in Cheadle
Cheadle, Staffordshire
Cheadle is a small market town near Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England, with a population of 12,158 according to the 2001 census. It is roughly from the city of Stoke-on-Trent, north of Birmingham and south of Manchester...
.
Notable former pupils
since the merger- Helen BaxendaleHelen BaxendaleHelen Victoria Baxendale is an English actress of stage and television, possibly best-known for her roles in Cold Feet, Friends and Cardiac Arrest.-Early life:...
, actress
as a Grammar School
- Elias AshmoleElias AshmoleElias Ashmole was a celebrated English antiquary, politician, officer of arms, astrologer and student of alchemy. Ashmole supported the royalist side during the English Civil War, and at the restoration of Charles II he was rewarded with several lucrative offices.Ashmole was an antiquary with a...
- Stewart Ashurst, Chief Executive from 1995-2005 of Essex County Council
- John EverardJohn Everard (diplomat)John Everard is a former British diplomat. He was formerly the British Ambassador to Belarus, British Ambassador to Uruguay, and British Ambassador to North Korea.-References:...
, Ambassador from 2006-8 to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North KoreaNorth KoreaThe Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...
), and from 2001-5 to Uruguay - Ian Fauset CB, aeronautical engineer and Executive Director from 199-2003 of the Defence Procurement AgencyDefence Procurement AgencyThe Defence Procurement Agency , was an Executive Agency of the United Kingdom Ministry of Defence responsible for the acquisition of materiel, equipment and services, for the British armed forces....
- Admiral Sir Frederic Fisher CVO, younger brother of John Fisher, 1st Baron Fisher
- David GarrickDavid GarrickDavid Garrick was an English actor, playwright, theatre manager and producer who influenced nearly all aspects of theatrical practice throughout the 18th century and was a pupil and friend of Dr Samuel Johnson...
- Very Rev Christopher George HardwickChristopher George HardwickThe Very Rev Christopher George Hardwick is the current Dean of Truro. He was born on 7 October 1957 and educated at King Edward VI School and the The Open University. He gave up a career in banking to study at Ripon College Cuddesdon and was ordained in 1992 he was a curate at Worcester then...
, Dean of TruroTruro CathedralThe Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Truro is an Anglican cathedral located in the city of Truro, Cornwall, in the United Kingdom. It was built in the Gothic Revival architectural style fashionable during much of the nineteenth century, and is one of only three cathedrals in the United Kingdom...
since 2005 - Prof Edward Hitchcock, Professor of Neurosurgery from 1978-93 at the University of BirminghamUniversity of BirminghamThe University of Birmingham is a British Redbrick university located in the city of Birmingham, England. It received its royal charter in 1900 as a successor to Birmingham Medical School and Mason Science College . Birmingham was the first Redbrick university to gain a charter and thus...
, and expert in stereotactic surgeryStereotactic surgeryStereotactic surgery or stereotaxy is a minimally invasive form of surgical intervention which makes use of a three-dimensional coordinates system to locate small targets inside the body and to perform on them some action such as ablation, biopsy, lesion, injection, stimulation, implantation,... - Rt Rev Augustine John HodsonAugustine John HodsonAugustine John Hodson was Bishop of Tewkesbury from 1938 to 1955. Born on 6 May 1879 he was educated at Lichfield Grammar School and Christ Church, Oxford . In 1906 he studied for ordination at St Stephen's House, Oxford followed by a curacy at All Saint’s, Cheltenham...
, Bishop of TewkesburyBishop of TewkesburyThe Bishop of Tewkesbury is an episcopal title used by a suffragan bishop of the Church of England Diocese of Gloucester, in the Province of Canterbury, England. The title takes its name after the town of Tewkesbury in Gloucestershire....
from 1938-55 - Robert JamesRobert James (physician)Robert James was an English physician who is best known as the author of A Medicinal Dictionary, as the inventor of a popular "fever powder", and as a friend of Samuel Johnson.-Life:...
- Samuel JohnsonSamuel JohnsonSamuel Johnson , often referred to as Dr. Johnson, was an English author who made lasting contributions to English literature as a poet, essayist, moralist, literary critic, biographer, editor and lexicographer...
- Peter Iredale, Director from 1987-90 of the Harwell LaboratoryAtomic Energy Research EstablishmentThe Atomic Energy Research Establishment near Harwell, Oxfordshire, was the main centre for atomic energy research and development in the United Kingdom from the 1940s to the 1990s.-Founding:...
- Lt GenLieutenant GeneralLieutenant General is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages where the title of Lieutenant General was held by the second in command on the battlefield, who was normally subordinate to a Captain General....
Louis LillywhiteLouis LillywhiteLieutenant-General Louis Patrick Lillywhite, CB, MBE, QHP is a British Army physician and officer. He was Surgeon-General of the British Armed Forces from 2006 until December 2009.-Background:...
CB MBE, Surgeon GeneralSurgeon-General (United Kingdom)The Surgeon-General is the senior medical officer of the British Armed Forces; the post is held by the senior of the three individual service medical directors....
, Ministry of Defence from 2006-9 - Robin MarlarRobin MarlarRobin Geoffrey Marlar is an English cricketer and cricket journalist. He was educated at Harrow and Cambridge....
, Captain from 1955-9 of Sussex County Cricket ClubSussex County Cricket ClubSussex County Cricket Club is the oldest of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Sussex. The club was founded as a successor to Brighton Cricket Club which was a representative of the county of Sussex as a...
, President from 2005-6 of the Marylebone Cricket ClubMarylebone Cricket ClubMarylebone Cricket Club is a cricket club in London founded in 1787. Its influence and longevity now witness it as a private members' club dedicated to the development of cricket. It owns, and is based at, Lord's Cricket Ground in St John's Wood, London NW8. MCC was formerly the governing body of...
(MCC), and Cricket Correspondent from 1970-96 of The Sunday TimesThe Sunday TimesThe Sunday Times is a British Sunday newspaper.The Sunday Times may also refer to:*The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times... - Leslie Megahey, film director, and Head of Arts and Music from 1988-91 at BBC TV
- Wing CommanderWing Commander (rank)Wing commander is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countries...
micky Ogden - Douglas Taylor, mechanical engineer, and Chairman from 1987-90 of Ricardo plcRicardo plcRicardo plc is a British publicly listed company named after its founder, Sir Harry Ricardo and founded on 30 June 1927 in Shoreham-by-Sea, West Sussex. The company is a leading global multi-industry engineering provider of technology, product innovation and strategic consulting...