Oakwood Park Grammar School
Encyclopedia
Oakwood Park Grammar School is a boys
foundation
grammar school
located in Maidstone
, United Kingdom
. The school is co-educational in the sixth form
(years 12 and 13). The school takes boys at the age of 11 and over by examination (11+) and boys and girls at 16+ on their GCSE results. It is a mathematics and computing specialist college
. The current headteacher is Kevin Moody. The school is popularly known by its initials OPGS.
By the 1950s the school had outgrown these two sites and a new site was found at Oakwood Park, further along on the Tonbridge Road. The school moved into its new premises between September 1958 and September 1959. The new premises were officially opened in September 1959 with a service of dedication performed by the then Archbishop of Canterbury
Geoffrey Francis Fisher.
The advent of comprehensive education in the 1970s meant that Thameside scheme was introduced in the Maidstone area. September 1971 saw the last admission at age of 11. There were no new admissions in the next two academic years. From September 1974 pupils were admitted at the age of 13. At the same time the school was renamed Maidstone School for Boys. Under the Thameside scheme technical schools had in effect become grammar schools but were not allowed to call themselves as such. Now the school had to compete with Maidstone Grammar School
for pupils.
In 1983 the use of the "grammar school" title was relaxed and on 10 October 1983 Maidstone School for Boys became Oakwood Park Grammar School. In the 1980s the school started admitting girls into the sixth form.
Enrollment declined in the late 1980s and Kent County Council
, the local education authority, considered merging OPGS with Invicta Grammar School
, a girls grammar school located in east Maidstone. A vigorous campaign by parents, staff and governors prevented the merger. On 1 April 1992 OPGS became one of the first schools in the area to achieve grant maintained status, giving it independence from KCC. Enrollment increased thereafter and in September 1993 grammar schools across the area started admitting pupils at the age of 11 (year 7).
After the scrapping of grant maintained status in the late 1990s OPGS became a community school, reverting to KCC control. The school became a mathematics and computing specialist college
in 2003. The school is now a foundation school
, giving it some independence from KCC.
The house system was re-introduced in 2009 mainly due to the school's growing size. The school's five houses are:
Single-sex education
Single-sex education, also known as single-gender education, is the practice of conducting education where male and female students attend separate classes or in separate buildings or schools. The practice was predominant before the mid-twentieth century, particularly in secondary education and...
foundation
Foundation school
In England and Wales, a foundation school is a state-funded school in which the governing body has greater freedom in the running of the school than in community schools....
grammar school
Grammar 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...
located in Maidstone
Maidstone
Maidstone is the county town of Kent, England, south-east of London. The River Medway runs through the centre of the town linking Maidstone to Rochester and the Thames Estuary. Historically, the river was a source and route for much of the town's trade. Maidstone was the centre of the agricultural...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The 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...
. The school is co-educational in the 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,...
(years 12 and 13). The school takes boys at the age of 11 and over by examination (11+) and boys and girls at 16+ on their GCSE results. It is a mathematics and computing specialist college
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 current headteacher is Kevin Moody. The school is popularly known by its initials OPGS.
History
OPGS was founded in 1918 as the Co-educational Junior Technical School for Boys and the Junior Commercial School for Girls. The school was based at two sites in Maidstone town centre: Faith Street and Tonbridge Road. The school admitted pupils at the age of 11 and 13. The school was also known as the Maidstone Technical School or the Maidstone Technical School of Boys.By the 1950s the school had outgrown these two sites and a new site was found at Oakwood Park, further along on the Tonbridge Road. The school moved into its new premises between September 1958 and September 1959. The new premises were officially opened in September 1959 with a service of dedication performed by the then Archbishop of Canterbury
Archbishop of Canterbury
The Archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and principal leader of the Church of England, the symbolic head of the worldwide Anglican Communion, and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. In his role as head of the Anglican Communion, the archbishop leads the third largest group...
Geoffrey Francis Fisher.
The advent of comprehensive education in the 1970s meant that Thameside scheme was introduced in the Maidstone area. September 1971 saw the last admission at age of 11. There were no new admissions in the next two academic years. From September 1974 pupils were admitted at the age of 13. At the same time the school was renamed Maidstone School for Boys. Under the Thameside scheme technical schools had in effect become grammar schools but were not allowed to call themselves as such. Now the school had to compete with Maidstone Grammar School
Maidstone Grammar School
Maidstone Grammar School is a grammar school located in Maidstone, United Kingdom. It was founded in 1549.-Admissions:The school takes boys at the age of 11 and over by examination and boys and girls at 16+ on their GCSE results. The school currently has almost 1200 students and approximately 120...
for pupils.
In 1983 the use of the "grammar school" title was relaxed and on 10 October 1983 Maidstone School for Boys became Oakwood Park Grammar School. In the 1980s the school started admitting girls into the sixth form.
Enrollment declined in the late 1980s and Kent County Council
Kent County Council
Kent County Council is the county council that governs the majority of the county of Kent in England. It provides the upper tier of local government, below which are 12 district councils, and around 300 town and parish councils. The county council has 84 elected councillors...
, the local education authority, considered merging OPGS with Invicta Grammar School
Invicta Grammar School
Invicta Grammar School is a grammar school in Maidstone, Kent. The school caters for girls between the ages of 11 and 18. Some boys are accepted into the sixth form.-History:...
, a girls grammar school located in east Maidstone. A vigorous campaign by parents, staff and governors prevented the merger. On 1 April 1992 OPGS became one of the first schools in the area to achieve grant maintained status, giving it independence from KCC. Enrollment increased thereafter and in September 1993 grammar schools across the area started admitting pupils at the age of 11 (year 7).
After the scrapping of grant maintained status in the late 1990s OPGS became a community school, reverting to KCC control. The school became a mathematics and computing specialist college
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...
in 2003. The school is now a foundation school
Foundation school
In England and Wales, a foundation school is a state-funded school in which the governing body has greater freedom in the running of the school than in community schools....
, giving it some independence from KCC.
Extra curricular activities
OPGS's extra curricular activities are extensive and varied. The school has sports teams in football, rugby, cricket, basketball, rowing and athletics which compete at local, county and national levels. There are regular inter-form competitions and an annual sports day. The school has numerous music groups including an orchestra and the Coconut Grove steel band. The school has purpose built drama studio which is home to the drama club. Other school clubs include debating, chess and robotics. The school is a participant in the Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme and has numerous overseas trips.Houses
OPGS used to have houses named after local villages - Allington, Brenchley, Chilham, Detling, Egerton and Farleigh. This house system was abandoned in the 1980s.The house system was re-introduced in 2009 mainly due to the school's growing size. The school's five houses are:
- Broughton (named after Andrew BroughtonAndrew BroughtonAndrew Broughton was Clerk of the Court at the High Court of Justice for the trial King Charles I of England.There are not many records of his early life. He was probably born in Seaton, Rutland as the younger son of Richard Broughton...
, former Mayor of Maidstone and signatory of Charles I of EnglandCharles I of EnglandCharles I was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. Charles engaged in a struggle for power with the Parliament of England, attempting to obtain royal revenue whilst Parliament sought to curb his Royal prerogative which Charles...
's death warrant) - Fisher (named after Geoffrey Francis Fisher, Archbishop of CanterburyArchbishop of CanterburyThe Archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and principal leader of the Church of England, the symbolic head of the worldwide Anglican Communion, and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. In his role as head of the Anglican Communion, the archbishop leads the third largest group...
, who led the dedication service at the official opening of the school's Oakwood Park site) - Hazlitt (named after William HazlittWilliam HazlittWilliam Hazlitt was an English writer, remembered for his humanistic essays and literary criticism, and as a grammarian and philosopher. He is now considered one of the great critics and essayists of the English language, placed in the company of Samuel Johnson and George Orwell. Yet his work is...
, a famous English essayist, playwright and social commentator who was from Maidstone) - Sadler (named after David Sadler, a former OPGS student who went on to play 272 games for Manchester United football club following the devastating Munich air disasterMunich air disasterThe Munich air disaster occurred on 6 February 1958, when British European Airways Flight 609 crashed on its third attempt to take off from a slush-covered runway at Munich-Riem Airport in Munich, West Germany. On board the plane was the Manchester United football team, nicknamed the "Busby Babes",...
, and 4 games for 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...
) - Wilberforce (named after William WilberforceWilliam WilberforceWilliam Wilberforce was a British politician, a philanthropist and a leader of the movement to abolish the slave trade. A native of Kingston upon Hull, Yorkshire, he began his political career in 1780, eventually becoming the independent Member of Parliament for Yorkshire...
, the famous British politician who successfully stood against slavery, who has family in East FarleighEast FarleighEast Farleigh is a village and civil parish in the local government district of Maidstone, Kent, England. The village is located on the south side of the River Medway about two miles upstream of the town of Maidstone...
)
Headmasters
- 2006- Kevin Moody
- 1992-06 Mike J. Newbould
- 1984-1992 A. G. Sanford
- -1984 John A. Skinner
Head boys / school captains
- 2011-2012 Samuel Holland
- 2010-2011 Daniel Crittenden
- 2009-2010 Thomas Murton
- 2007-08 James Kailanathan
- 2006-07 Samuel Mann
- 2005-06 Ryan Leader
- 2003-04 Ganesh Ramanathan
- 1994-95 Robert Bartlett (Deputies: Ian Wilson, Alistair Griffiths and Richard 'Legend' Grist)
- 1993-94 Alex Wilson
- 1992-93 Michael Hyde
- 1991-92 Richard Tuff
- 1990-91 Nicholas A. Tansley
- 1989-90 Khalid S. Garousha