Kingsmead School
Encyclopedia
Kingsmead School is a Co-educational Independent Day and Boarding School for Boys and Girls aged 2 – 16 located in Hoylake
, on the Wirral Peninsula
. The school was founded in 1904 by Arthur Watts, a Baptist minister and mathematician. In 1911 the school motto
was selected, “Dominus Vitae Robur” – The Lord is the Strength of my Life. Kingsmead is under the Independent Association of Prep Schools (IAPS). The current headmaster is Mark Gibbons.
In 1904 Arthur Watts, one of six sons of a Baptist minister and a gifted mathematician, founded Kingsmead School. His dream was to establish a Christian school in which ‘the environment would be ideal for learning well, for playing good games and keeping physically fit’. All but one of the brothers became involved in the school’s early years; three of them were Cambridge
scholars.
World War I
claimed the lives of 13 old boys, each one was a personal bereavement to Arthur Watts. Two Kingsmeadians won the Military Cross
– a master, Lieutenant Lavery and old boy F W Atherton who was just 19.
The years between the wars were ones of economy and survival as the Depression
took the world in its grip. It would take until 1944 for numbers to return to their 1921 levels. By 1939 Kingsmead was 35 years old and Arthur Watts, aged 68, had just two short years in which he shared the running of the school with his son before Gordon was called up to the RAF. At 70, Arthur was left to steer Kingsmead alone through another war.
After the Second World War, another son, David, returned to Kingsmead in 1949 to run the school in partnership with Gordon. He soon became the sole Head and during his 30-year leadership the school continued to expand, becoming co-educational in the mid-1960s. New facilities followed each other rapidly: an indoor pool, woodland plantation, the Memorial Hall and new science labs. In 1966 an Educational Trust was set up to secure the school for the future.
The 1990s saw more expansion, firstly to include children from the age of two in a new Kindergarten. This was followed shortly afterwards by the extension of the leaving age; the school now educates children up to the age of 16, offering a wide range of GCSEs.
The school still occupies the original site, although Arthur would be astounded and delighted by the changes and developments which have taken place over the years. The long awaited Music Block opened in 1984 and the Centenary Building, which is the flagship of the Senior Department, was opened in 2004, rapidly becoming the centre-piece of the newly-extended 11-16 Kingsmead campus.
Over 100 years after it first opened its doors to offer its brand of education, Kingsmead is now the only school in the Merseyside
region to offer 21st century-style boarding as well as day education.
The school is made up by small classes of no more than twenty which allow pupils to get optimum attention and there is also caring pastoral support
for the personal and social wellbeing of the children.
Hoylake
Hoylake is a seaside town within the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, on Merseyside, England. It is located at the north western corner of the Wirral Peninsula, near to the town of West Kirby and where the River Dee estuary meets the Irish Sea...
, on the Wirral Peninsula
Wirral Peninsula
Wirral or the Wirral is a peninsula in North West England. It is bounded by three bodies of water: to the west by the River Dee, forming a boundary with Wales, to the east by the River Mersey and to the north by the Irish Sea. Both terms "Wirral" and "the Wirral" are used locally , although the...
. The school was founded in 1904 by Arthur Watts, a Baptist minister and mathematician. In 1911 the school motto
Motto
A motto is a phrase meant to formally summarize the general motivation or intention of a social group or organization. A motto may be in any language, but Latin is the most used. The local language is usual in the mottoes of governments...
was selected, “Dominus Vitae Robur” – The Lord is the Strength of my Life. Kingsmead is under the Independent Association of Prep Schools (IAPS). The current headmaster is Mark Gibbons.
History
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
scholars.
World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
claimed the lives of 13 old boys, each one was a personal bereavement to Arthur Watts. Two Kingsmeadians won the Military Cross
Military Cross
The Military Cross is the third-level military decoration awarded to officers and other ranks of the British Armed Forces; and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries....
– a master, Lieutenant Lavery and old boy F W Atherton who was just 19.
The years between the wars were ones of economy and survival as the Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
took the world in its grip. It would take until 1944 for numbers to return to their 1921 levels. By 1939 Kingsmead was 35 years old and Arthur Watts, aged 68, had just two short years in which he shared the running of the school with his son before Gordon was called up to the RAF. At 70, Arthur was left to steer Kingsmead alone through another war.
After the Second World War, another son, David, returned to Kingsmead in 1949 to run the school in partnership with Gordon. He soon became the sole Head and during his 30-year leadership the school continued to expand, becoming co-educational in the mid-1960s. New facilities followed each other rapidly: an indoor pool, woodland plantation, the Memorial Hall and new science labs. In 1966 an Educational Trust was set up to secure the school for the future.
The 1990s saw more expansion, firstly to include children from the age of two in a new Kindergarten. This was followed shortly afterwards by the extension of the leaving age; the school now educates children up to the age of 16, offering a wide range of GCSEs.
The school still occupies the original site, although Arthur would be astounded and delighted by the changes and developments which have taken place over the years. The long awaited Music Block opened in 1984 and the Centenary Building, which is the flagship of the Senior Department, was opened in 2004, rapidly becoming the centre-piece of the newly-extended 11-16 Kingsmead campus.
Over 100 years after it first opened its doors to offer its brand of education, Kingsmead is now the only school in the Merseyside
Merseyside
Merseyside is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 1,365,900. It encompasses the metropolitan area centred on both banks of the lower reaches of the Mersey Estuary, and comprises five metropolitan boroughs: Knowsley, St Helens, Sefton, Wirral, and the city of Liverpool...
region to offer 21st century-style boarding as well as day education.
Ethos
Although Kingsmead is a Christian School, it welcomes children of all beliefs and none. The school day is started with an assembly which includes a bible reading, an address, a hymn and prayers.The school is made up by small classes of no more than twenty which allow pupils to get optimum attention and there is also caring pastoral support
Pastoral care
Pastoral care is the ministry of care and counseling provided by pastors, chaplains and other religious leaders to members of their church or congregation, or to persons of all faiths and none within institutional settings. This can range anywhere from home visitation to formal counseling provided...
for the personal and social wellbeing of the children.
Headteachers
- 1904-1945 Arthur Watts
- 1939-1941, 1945-1953 Gordon Watts
- 1949-1962, 1963-1979 David Watts
- 1962-1963 John Mayor
- 1962-1963 Stanley Payne
- 1979-1986 Nicholas Bawtree
- 1986-1992 John Eadie
- 1992-2006 Edward Hugh Bradby
- 2006-2010 Jonathan Perry
- 2010–Present Mark Gibbons
See also
- List of schools in Merseyside
- List of independent schools in the United Kingdom