Leicester Grammar School
Encyclopedia
Leicester Grammar School (often abbreviated to LGS), is an independent
secondary school
situated in Great Glen, Leicestershire
, England
. It was founded in 1981, after the loss of the city's state-funded grammar schools.
Leicester Grammar School is closely affiliated with Leicester Grammar Junior School, and in general over 95% of Junior School leavers are accepted by the senior school.
The school has just over 70 teaching staff and 650 pupils, all of whom are day-students. It has its own preparatory form
for children in Year 6, and its own sixth form
for Years 12 and 13. Each student at the school is a member of a house
, allowing a system of intra-school competition in sports and other pastimes such as chess
, general knowledge
and karaoke
.
, selective
, co-educational
day school
in an attempt to recapture the standards and traditions of the city’s former grammar schools. Located in four late-Victorian
buildings in Leicester City Centre
, the school was established within close proximity to Leicester Cathedral
and was founded with an Anglican
Christian
ethos. The first headmaster was John Higginbotham and under his stewardship the school grew from just 96 to 560 pupils within 10 years.
and the school has remained in its first division since then. In the same year, the School was ranked 15th nationally on A-Level results and acknowledged as the country’s top co-educational school.
near Great Glen
. The new development allowed for school growth, restricted by its former location within the city centre. Leicester Grammar Senior School now shares the new site with its sister school Leicester Grammar Junior School, each with its own facilities. Previously, the school had no playing fields of its own and had transport pupils to various sporting facilities by bus; the new school has 75 acres (303,514.5 m²) of playing fields. The new site opened in September 2008.
.
There is one main teaching building, which includes a refectory, assembly hall (St. Nicolas) and all classrooms.
and Latin
(Latin is compulsory for years 7 and 8).
to various sporting activities
in and around Leicester
, but since the 2008 relocation many sports are now played on site. There is a water based hockey pitch, one of eight in the country.
, to which they belong for the entirety of their stay at the school. New entrants to the school are always allocated to the same house as their older siblings. The four houses are named after the four original patrons of the school. Each house has a colour, which is incorporated into both the house jumpers and t-shirts
used during sports.
. Leicester Grammar School also issues an obligatory uniform for sports and physical education lessons, with PE shirt collars being the colour of the pupil's respective house.
- a V-necked jumper with a line of colour (of their respective house) running around the neckline, apart from Masters which has yellow instead of dark blue on the jumper (because dark blue wouldn't show up).
several times in the past few years. The school out-performs local state schools in both results and attendance.
, based in Selly Park, Birmingham
http://www.leicestergrammar.org.uk/LGJS%20Internet%20Site/schoolprofile.htm.
Leicester Grammar School remains close with Leicester Cathedral
despite a significant presence of pupils from other faiths in the school. Choir rehearsals, School Foundation Day and Christmas
services are held in the cathedral, as well as most daily school assemblies.
Independent school
An independent school is a school that is independent in its finances and governance; it is not dependent upon national or local government for financing its operations, nor reliant on taxpayer contributions, and is instead funded by a combination of tuition charges, gifts, and in some cases the...
secondary school
Secondary school
Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age, takes place...
situated in Great Glen, Leicestershire
Great Glen, Leicestershire
Great Glen , also known as Glen Magna, is a village and civil parish in Leicestershire, England, about seven miles south-east of Leicester. Its name comes from the original Iron Age settlers who used the Celtic word glennos meaning valley, and comes from the fact that Great Glen lies in part of the...
, 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...
. It was founded in 1981, after the loss of the city's state-funded grammar schools.
Leicester Grammar School is closely affiliated with Leicester Grammar Junior School, and in general over 95% of Junior School leavers are accepted by the senior school.
The school has just over 70 teaching staff and 650 pupils, all of whom are day-students. It has its own preparatory form
Preparatory school (UK)
In English language usage in the former British Empire, the present-day Commonwealth, a preparatory school is an independent school preparing children up to the age of eleven or thirteen for entry into fee-paying, secondary independent schools, some of which are known as public schools...
for children in Year 6, and its own sixth form
Sixth form
In the education systems of England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, and of Commonwealth West Indian countries such as Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Belize, Jamaica and Malta, the sixth form is the final two years of secondary education, where students, usually sixteen to eighteen years of age,...
for Years 12 and 13. Each student at the school is a member of a house
House system
The house system is a traditional feature of British schools, and schools in the Commonwealth. Historically, it was associated with established public schools, where a 'house' refers to a boarding house or dormitory of a boarding school...
, allowing a system of intra-school competition in sports and other pastimes such as chess
Chess
Chess is a two-player board game played on a chessboard, a square-checkered board with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. It is one of the world's most popular games, played by millions of people worldwide at home, in clubs, online, by correspondence, and in tournaments.Each player...
, general knowledge
General knowledge
General knowledge has been defined by differential psychologists as referring to 'culturally valued knowledge communicated by a range of non-specialist media' General knowledge therefore encompasses a wide range of knowledge domains...
and karaoke
Karaoke
is a form of interactive entertainment or video game in which amateur singers sing along with recorded music using a microphone and public address system. The music is typically a well-known pop song minus the lead vocal. Lyrics are usually displayed on a video screen, along with a moving symbol,...
.
Founding
The school was founded in 1981 as an independentIndependent school
An independent school is a school that is independent in its finances and governance; it is not dependent upon national or local government for financing its operations, nor reliant on taxpayer contributions, and is instead funded by a combination of tuition charges, gifts, and in some cases the...
, selective
Selective school
A selective school is a school that admits students on the basis of some sort of selection criteria, usually academic. The term may have different connotations in different systems....
, co-educational
Coeducation
Mixed-sex education, also known as coeducation or co-education, is the integrated education of male and female persons in the same institution. It is the opposite of single-sex education...
day school
Day school
A day school—as opposed to a boarding school—is an institution where children are given educational instruction during the day and after which children/teens return to their homes...
in an attempt to recapture the standards and traditions of the city’s former grammar schools. Located in four late-Victorian
Victorian architecture
The term Victorian architecture refers collectively to several architectural styles employed predominantly during the middle and late 19th century. The period that it indicates may slightly overlap the actual reign, 20 June 1837 – 22 January 1901, of Queen Victoria. This represents the British and...
buildings in Leicester City Centre
Leicester City Centre
Leicester City Centre is an area covering the core inner city area and central business district of the city of Leicester, England. It is roughly delineated from Leicester's suburbs by the A594, Leicester's inner ring road....
, the school was established within close proximity to Leicester Cathedral
Leicester Cathedral
Leicester Cathedral, or the Cathedral Church of St Martin, Leicester is a Church of England cathedral in the English city of Leicester, and the seat of the Bishop of Leicester...
and was founded with an Anglican
Anglicanism
Anglicanism is a tradition within Christianity comprising churches with historical connections to the Church of England or similar beliefs, worship and church structures. The word Anglican originates in ecclesia anglicana, a medieval Latin phrase dating to at least 1246 that means the English...
Christian
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
ethos. The first headmaster was John Higginbotham and under his stewardship the school grew from just 96 to 560 pupils within 10 years.
Development
Over its short history, the school began to achieve a national reputation as one of the country’s leading academic institutions. In 1993, its headmaster was elected to the Headmasters’ ConferenceHeadmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference
The Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference is an association of the headmasters or headmistressess of 243 leading day and boarding independent schools in the United Kingdom, Crown Dependencies and the Republic of Ireland...
and the school has remained in its first division since then. In the same year, the School was ranked 15th nationally on A-Level results and acknowledged as the country’s top co-educational school.
Relocation
In February 2007 construction began on a new school campus, located on a green field siteGreenfield land
Greenfield land is a term used to describe undeveloped land in a city or rural area either used for agriculture, landscape design, or left to naturally evolve...
near Great Glen
Great Glen, Leicestershire
Great Glen , also known as Glen Magna, is a village and civil parish in Leicestershire, England, about seven miles south-east of Leicester. Its name comes from the original Iron Age settlers who used the Celtic word glennos meaning valley, and comes from the fact that Great Glen lies in part of the...
. The new development allowed for school growth, restricted by its former location within the city centre. Leicester Grammar Senior School now shares the new site with its sister school Leicester Grammar Junior School, each with its own facilities. Previously, the school had no playing fields of its own and had transport pupils to various sporting facilities by bus; the new school has 75 acres (303,514.5 m²) of playing fields. The new site opened in September 2008.
Entrance assessment
In common with many other independent schools, it requires prospective pupils to undertake a series of entrance examinations before they are accepted into the school. At entry into year 9 (13+) pupils have to obtain 65% in all of their common entrance examinations. The majority of these pupils take the entrance examination when 10 or 11 years old, and these pupils present a large proportion of new students. An entrance examination for pupils wishing to join the school after studying for GCSEs is also required before entry into the school's sixth formSixth form
In the education systems of England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, and of Commonwealth West Indian countries such as Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Belize, Jamaica and Malta, the sixth form is the final two years of secondary education, where students, usually sixteen to eighteen years of age,...
.
Location
As of 2008 Leicester Grammar School has moved to London Road, Great Glen, a much larger site.There is one main teaching building, which includes a refectory, assembly hall (St. Nicolas) and all classrooms.
Education
Leicester Grammar provides education for approximately 700 (2005/6) pupils aged between 10 and 18, including GCSEs and A-Levels. Some of the rarer subjects offered by the school include Ancient GreekAncient Greek
Ancient Greek is the stage of the Greek language in the periods spanning the times c. 9th–6th centuries BC, , c. 5th–4th centuries BC , and the c. 3rd century BC – 6th century AD of ancient Greece and the ancient world; being predated in the 2nd millennium BC by Mycenaean Greek...
and Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
(Latin is compulsory for years 7 and 8).
Sports
As Leicester Grammar School was situated in the centre of Leicester, pupils were transported by busBus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
to various sporting activities
Sport
A Sport is all forms of physical activity which, through casual or organised participation, aim to use, maintain or improve physical fitness and provide entertainment to participants. Sport may be competitive, where a winner or winners can be identified by objective means, and may require a degree...
in and around Leicester
Leicester
Leicester is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England, and the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest...
, but since the 2008 relocation many sports are now played on site. There is a water based hockey pitch, one of eight in the country.
Houses
On entrance into the school, pupils and teachers are designated a houseHouse system
The house system is a traditional feature of British schools, and schools in the Commonwealth. Historically, it was associated with established public schools, where a 'house' refers to a boarding house or dormitory of a boarding school...
, to which they belong for the entirety of their stay at the school. New entrants to the school are always allocated to the same house as their older siblings. The four houses are named after the four original patrons of the school. Each house has a colour, which is incorporated into both the house jumpers and t-shirts
T-shirt
A T-shirt is a style of shirt. A T-shirt is buttonless and collarless, with short sleeves and frequently a round neck line....
used during sports.
Uniform
Leicester Grammar School pupils are obliged to wear a basic school uniformSchool uniform
A school uniform is an outfit—a set of standardized clothes—worn primarily for an educational institution. They are common in primary and secondary schools in various countries . When used, they form the basis of a school's dress code.Traditionally school uniforms have been largely subdued and...
. Leicester Grammar School also issues an obligatory uniform for sports and physical education lessons, with PE shirt collars being the colour of the pupil's respective house.
Boys
- MaleMaleMale refers to the biological sex of an organism, or part of an organism, which produces small mobile gametes, called spermatozoa. Each spermatozoon can fuse with a larger female gamete or ovum, in the process of fertilization...
sixth form pupils are able to wear suitsSuit (clothing)In clothing, a suit is a set of garments made from the same cloth, consisting of at least a jacket and trousers. Lounge suits are the most common style of Western suit, originating in the United Kingdom as country wear...
and ties as long as they are deemed presentable to the public, - Pupils in lower years must wear navy blue blazerBlazerA blazer is a type of jacket. The term blazer occasionally is synonymous with boating jacket and sports jacket, two different garments. A blazer resembles a suit coat cut more casually — sometimes with flap-less patch pockets and metal buttons. A blazer's cloth is usually durable , because it is an...
s, white shirts and charcoal trousersTrousersTrousers are an item of clothing worn on the lower part of the body from the waist to the ankles, covering both legs separately...
, with a tie embossed with the school emblem.
Girls
- FemaleFemaleFemale is the sex of an organism, or a part of an organism, which produces non-mobile ova .- Defining characteristics :The ova are defined as the larger gametes in a heterogamous reproduction system, while the smaller, usually motile gamete, the spermatozoon, is produced by the male...
pupils in the sixth form are able to wear smart clothes, including suits, as long as they are deemed presentable to the public, - Pupils in lower years must wear a skirt in the school tartanTartanTartan is a pattern consisting of criss-crossed horizontal and vertical bands in multiple colours. Tartans originated in woven wool, but now they are made in many other materials. Tartan is particularly associated with Scotland. Scottish kilts almost always have tartan patterns...
, a white blouseBlouseA blouse is a loose-fitting upper garment that was formerly worn by workmen, peasants, artists, women and children. It is typically gathered at the waist so that it hangs loosely over the wearer's body. Today, the word most commonly refers to a woman's shirt but can also refer to a man's shirt if...
and a navy blue blazer similar to those worn by the boys.
House jumpers
Pupils in years below the sixth form also have the option of wearing a house jumperJumper
-Clothing:*Sweater or heavy sweater pulled on over the head, used in the UK and Commonwealth*Jumper , in the USA, a sleeveless, collarless dress, known elsewhere as a pinafore or pinafore dress* Part of the uniform of the United States Navy...
- a V-necked jumper with a line of colour (of their respective house) running around the neckline, apart from Masters which has yellow instead of dark blue on the jumper (because dark blue wouldn't show up).
Performance
Leicester Grammar School has come within the top 200 schools in Great BritainGreat Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
several times in the past few years. The school out-performs local state schools in both results and attendance.
Local ties
The school is closely linked with Leicester Grammar Junior School, which the Leicester Grammar School Trust was given responsibility to in 1992 by the Sisters of Charity of St. PaulSisters of Charity of St. Paul
The Sisters of Charity of St. Paul of Chartres are a Roman Catholic religious congregation, for teaching, nursing, visiting the poor and taking care of orphans, the old and infirm, and the mentally ill...
, based in Selly Park, Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
http://www.leicestergrammar.org.uk/LGJS%20Internet%20Site/schoolprofile.htm.
Leicester Grammar School remains close with Leicester Cathedral
Leicester Cathedral
Leicester Cathedral, or the Cathedral Church of St Martin, Leicester is a Church of England cathedral in the English city of Leicester, and the seat of the Bishop of Leicester...
despite a significant presence of pupils from other faiths in the school. Choir rehearsals, School Foundation Day and Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
services are held in the cathedral, as well as most daily school assemblies.
Notable Old Leicestrians
Former pupils of Leicester Grammar School are known as Old Leicestrians.- Harry EllisHarry EllisHarry Alistair Ellis is a retired English rugby union footballer who played scrum half for Leicester Tigers, England and the British & Irish Lions....
, a rugby player for the Leicester TigersLeicester TigersLeicester Tigers is an English rugby union club that plays in the Aviva Premiership.Leicester are the most successful English club since the introduction of league rugby in 1987, a record 9 times English champions - 3 more than either Bath or Wasps, the last of which was in 2010...
and EnglandEnglandEngland 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...
. - James OldfieldJames OldfieldJames Oldfield is an English bass-baritone. In 2008 he was awarded a Sybil Tutton Award from the Musicians Benevolent Fund, and in 2010 he was given the Leonard Ingrams Award from Garsington Opera.- Biography :...
, an opera singer. - Luke AbrahamLuke AbrahamLuke Abraham is a professional rugby union player, who currently plays for Lyon OU in the French Top 14 league.A strong and pacy Leicester-born back-row player, Abraham came through the ranks after joining Tigers aged 15...
, a rugby player for the Leicester TigersLeicester TigersLeicester Tigers is an English rugby union club that plays in the Aviva Premiership.Leicester are the most successful English club since the introduction of league rugby in 1987, a record 9 times English champions - 3 more than either Bath or Wasps, the last of which was in 2010...
and has represented England U18 and England U21. - Sarah TeatherSarah TeatherSarah Louise Teather is a British Liberal Democrat politician, Member of Parliament for Brent Central, Minister of State at the Department for Education, and Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Guantanamo Bay....
, a BritishUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
politician who is the Member of ParliamentMember of ParliamentA Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for Brent East - Christopher Bell, military historian
- Michael PotterMichael PotterMichael "Mick" Potter is an Australian professional rugby league football coach and former player. He is currently coaching English Super League club Bradford Bulls. Potter played in the Australian club competition for the Canterbury Bulldogs, St...
, cricket player