Queen Mary's School for Boys, Basingstoke
Encyclopedia
Queen Mary's School for Boys (QMSB) was a maintained (state funded) grammar school
in Basingstoke
, Hampshire
, England for boys aged 11–18. The school existed between 1556 and 1970 and was latterly funded by the Hampshire County Council
Education Authority
.
in 1556, when the pre-existing Chantry Chapel of the Holy Ghost, Basingstoke, was reopened as the Holy Ghost School, with the priest able to teach ten boys of the town. The Chapel had previously been closed during the reign of King Edward VI. The Holy Ghost School survived the death of Queen Mary in 1558, remaining at the Chapel, until a purpose built structure was erected in the Worting Road, Basingstoke, in 1870.
; pupils were assigned to Chapel, Sandys, White or Vyne, with Inter-House sports fixtures. House colours were as follows; Chapel - maroon with light blue, Sandys - scarlet with white, White - green with white, and Vyne - amber with black. Chapel house was named after the Holy Ghost Chapel where the school had originated. Sandys house was named after the Sandys local noble family. White house was named after Gilbert White
, a noted local naturalist and writer and Vyne House drew its name from a nearby eponymous Elizabethan country estate.
, Association Football and Hockey
, as well as Basketball
; in Summer, the sports were Cricket
, Lawn Tennis and Athletics, as well as swimming in the unheated open air swimming pool. There was a Combined Cadet Force, (CCF), with a small field gun and ex-British Army Lee Enfield Mk.3 0.303 rifles stored fairly securely on the premises, together with Bren guns. The RAF section of the Combined Cadet Force had access to a catapult-launched single seat training glider.
The number of boys in the school, in the last years of its separate existence, was about 650, with three forms of entrance, each of about 20–25 children per class. Pupils took "O" Levels
at the age of 16, and those who stayed on into the Sixth Form, took "A" Levels at the age of 18. Latin
was taught to all Junior boys; Ancient Greek
was still taught in the Sixth Form, although to a very small number of pupils, as of the academic year 1967–68.
M.A. (Cantab.), left the school in 1969, to take up a career in conducting and radio broadcasting with the BBC in Manchester. The senior geography teacher, Mr. Eric Stokes, had had a notable wartime RAF career, having gained, amongst other decorations, the Distinguished Flying Cross and bar, and attaining the rank of Wing Commander. Ernest Warburton
was head of music from 1960-4.
, and abolish 11+ selection, Queen Mary's School merged with the Charles Chute Secondary Modern School, a secondary modern school
which had been built next door. The combined schools became known initially as Queen Mary's and Charles Chute School. The first headmaster of the combined school was Wilfred Harry Rhodes, who was the last Headmaster of Queen Mary's School for Boys. The name of the comprehensive school was later changed to The Vyne Community School
, which remains to this day a coeducational maintained school for the 11–16 age group. The "Queen Mary's" name was transferred to the 16-18 Sixth Form College
in Cliddesden Road, Basingstoke, Queen Mary's College
.
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...
in Basingstoke
Basingstoke
Basingstoke is a town in northeast Hampshire, in south central England. It lies across a valley at the source of the River Loddon. It is southwest of London, northeast of Southampton, southwest of Reading and northeast of the county town, Winchester. In 2008 it had an estimated population of...
, Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
, England for boys aged 11–18. The school existed between 1556 and 1970 and was latterly funded by the Hampshire County Council
Hampshire County Council
Hampshire County Council is the county council that governs the majority of the county of Hampshire in England. It provides the upper tier of local government, below which are district councils, and town and parish councils...
Education Authority
Local Education Authority
A local education authority is a local authority in England and Wales that has responsibility for education within its jurisdiction...
.
Foundation
Queen Mary's School for Boys, Basingstoke, owes its origin to Queen MaryMary I of England
Mary I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from July 1553 until her death.She was the only surviving child born of the ill-fated marriage of Henry VIII and his first wife Catherine of Aragon. Her younger half-brother, Edward VI, succeeded Henry in 1547...
in 1556, when the pre-existing Chantry Chapel of the Holy Ghost, Basingstoke, was reopened as the Holy Ghost School, with the priest able to teach ten boys of the town. The Chapel had previously been closed during the reign of King Edward VI. The Holy Ghost School survived the death of Queen Mary in 1558, remaining at the Chapel, until a purpose built structure was erected in the Worting Road, Basingstoke, in 1870.
New building
In 1938, the school moved to Vyne Road, Basingstoke, in a newly constructed building in the functional, modernist style of brick architecture of the period. A "Junior School" block, in a subsequent style was opened in 1965. In imitation of the independent schools, Queen Mary's School for Boys had HousesHouse 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...
; pupils were assigned to Chapel, Sandys, White or Vyne, with Inter-House sports fixtures. House colours were as follows; Chapel - maroon with light blue, Sandys - scarlet with white, White - green with white, and Vyne - amber with black. Chapel house was named after the Holy Ghost Chapel where the school had originated. Sandys house was named after the Sandys local noble family. White house was named after Gilbert White
Gilbert White
Gilbert White FRS was a pioneering English naturalist and ornithologist.-Life:White was born in his grandfather's vicarage at Selborne in Hampshire. He was educated at the Holy Ghost School and by a private tutor in Basingstoke before going to Oriel College, Oxford...
, a noted local naturalist and writer and Vyne House drew its name from a nearby eponymous Elizabethan country estate.
Traditions
An Old Boys' Association continues to flourish with an annual reunion dinner held on the final Saturday of November, attended by former pupils and masters.Uniform
The school uniform was a black blazer, grey trousers, and white shirt for Senior Boys and a grey shirt for Junior Boys, worn with the school tie which had pale blue and navy blue diagonal broad stripes. The school badge was a white dove descending on a black background, with the letters Q.M.S.B. beneath. A subfusc suit could also be worn in place of the blazer and grey trousers, but latterly the habit had declined. Boys in the lower school, up to 4th form, wore a black peaked cap with a silver emblem of the dove descending.Motto
The school motto was, Spiritum Nolite Extinguere, (Never extinguish the Spirit), which was also the title of the school song.Activities
During the Winter and Spring terms, the school played Rugby FootballRugby football
Rugby football is a style of football named after Rugby School in the United Kingdom. It is seen most prominently in two current sports, rugby league and rugby union.-History:...
, Association Football and Hockey
Hockey
Hockey is a family of sports in which two teams play against each other by trying to maneuver a ball or a puck into the opponent's goal using a hockey stick.-Etymology:...
, as well as Basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
; in Summer, the sports were Cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
, Lawn Tennis and Athletics, as well as swimming in the unheated open air swimming pool. There was a Combined Cadet Force, (CCF), with a small field gun and ex-British Army Lee Enfield Mk.3 0.303 rifles stored fairly securely on the premises, together with Bren guns. The RAF section of the Combined Cadet Force had access to a catapult-launched single seat training glider.
The number of boys in the school, in the last years of its separate existence, was about 650, with three forms of entrance, each of about 20–25 children per class. Pupils took "O" Levels
Ordinary Level
The O-level is a subject-based qualification conferred as part of the General Certificate of Education . It was introduced as part of British educational reform in the 1950s alongside the more in-depth and academically rigorous Advanced Level in England, Wales and Northern Ireland A-level...
at the age of 16, and those who stayed on into the Sixth Form, took "A" Levels at the age of 18. 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...
was taught to all Junior boys; Ancient Greek
Ancient 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...
was still taught in the Sixth Form, although to a very small number of pupils, as of the academic year 1967–68.
Former teachers
The last Headmaster, the late Mr W.H. Rhodes M.A. (Oxon.) (ca. 1924-2005)1 and the last Deputy-Headaster, Mr. J. J. Evans M.A. (Cantab.) had both been Classics Masters. The Music Master, Mr. Peter MarchbankPeter Marchbank
Peter Marchbank, is a British conductor.- Biography :Peter Marchbank studied Music at Cambridge University, was briefly the Music Master at Queen Mary's School for Boys, Basingstoke and then joined the BBC in 1969. In 1977, he was appointed Senior Producer of the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra...
M.A. (Cantab.), left the school in 1969, to take up a career in conducting and radio broadcasting with the BBC in Manchester. The senior geography teacher, Mr. Eric Stokes, had had a notable wartime RAF career, having gained, amongst other decorations, the Distinguished Flying Cross and bar, and attaining the rank of Wing Commander. Ernest Warburton
Ernest Warburton
Ernest Warburton was a noted musicologist who specialized in the music of Johann Christian Bach...
was head of music from 1960-4.
Destiny
In September 1970, as part of the programme to make most UK maintained schools comprehensiveComprehensive 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...
, and abolish 11+ selection, Queen Mary's School merged with the Charles Chute Secondary Modern School, a secondary modern school
Secondary 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 next door. The combined schools became known initially as Queen Mary's and Charles Chute School. The first headmaster of the combined school was Wilfred Harry Rhodes, who was the last Headmaster of Queen Mary's School for Boys. The name of the comprehensive school was later changed to The Vyne Community School
The Vyne Community School
The Vyne Community School, Basingstoke was created out of the merger of two pre-existing schools, Queen Mary's School for Boys, Basingstoke a selective Grammar School, also known as QMSB, and Charles Chute Secondary Modern School, which occurred in 1970. Initially the school was known as Queen...
, which remains to this day a coeducational maintained school for the 11–16 age group. The "Queen Mary's" name was transferred to the 16-18 Sixth Form College
Sixth form college
A sixth form college is an educational institution in England, Wales, Northern Ireland, Belize, Hong Kong or Malta where students aged 16 to 18 typically study for advanced school-level qualifications, such as A-levels, or school-level qualifications such as GCSEs. In Singapore and India, this is...
in Cliddesden Road, Basingstoke, Queen Mary's College
Queen Mary's College
Queen Mary's College is a sixth form college in Basingstoke, Hampshire, England.-The College:The majority of the college's classrooms are housed in a single, two-storey, wide spread main building with a few smaller buildings and four temporary buildings providing most of the rest of the teaching...
.
Notable alumni
- John ArlottJohn ArlottLeslie Thomas John Arlott OBE was an English journalist, author and cricket commentator for the BBC's Test Match Special. He was also a poet, wine connoisseur and former police officer in Hampshire...
, a national celebrity as a BBC radio and television cricket commentator, speaking with a slow, carefully controlled voice, noted for its Hampshire accent - Gordon CoppuckGordon CoppuckGordon Coppuck is a British racing car designer who was chief designer for McLaren and later worked for March and co-founded Spirit....
, racing car designer - Rev John Cowdrey, historian
- John Freeman DunnJohn Freeman DunnJohn Freeman Dunn was an English banker and stockbroker, barrister and Liberal Party politician.-Family and education:...
, Liberal MP from 1923 for Hemel HempsteadHemel Hempstead (UK Parliament constituency)Hemel Hempstead is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.- Boundaries :... - Lt-Col Dennis 'Haggis' Ford
- John Guy OBE, High Commissioner to Papua New Guinea from 1991-4
- John James (c 1673- 15 May 1746) architect.
- David Pascall CBE, Chairman from 1991-3 of the National Curriculum Council
- Dr Martin Read, Chief Executive from 1993-2007 of Logica
- Peter Thornton, instrumental in setting up commercial radio in the UK
- George WiggGeorge WiggGeorge Edward Cecil Wigg, Baron Wigg PC was a British politician who only served in relatively junior offices but had a great deal of influence behind the scenes, especially with Harold Wilson. Wigg served in the British Army for almost all his career up to his election as Member of Parliament...
, an Army Officer, later a LabourLabour Party (UK)The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
M.P.Member 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,...
, Junior Minister, and a Life PeerLife peerIn the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the Peerage whose titles cannot be inherited. Nowadays life peerages, always of baronial rank, are created under the Life Peerages Act 1958 and entitle the holders to seats in the House of Lords, presuming they meet qualifications such as... - Gilbert WhiteGilbert WhiteGilbert White FRS was a pioneering English naturalist and ornithologist.-Life:White was born in his grandfather's vicarage at Selborne in Hampshire. He was educated at the Holy Ghost School and by a private tutor in Basingstoke before going to Oriel College, Oxford...
, 18th-C. English naturalist.