Queens Park High School
Encyclopedia
Queen's Park High School or QPHS is a secondary school
in Queens Park, Chester, in the United Kingdom
. It is a Visual Arts College. The school symbol is the heraldic lion, and the school uniform consists of a blue jumper with a small white lion on the left hand side, and black or blue trousers.
Boy's School
Chester City Grammar School for Boys developed out of a technical day school, which opened at the Grosvenor Museum in 1892. Following the Education Act, 1902, it was decided to adapt the day technical school to meet the requirements of the Act, and its name was changed to City and County School for Boys in June 1907. It was transferred to Chester Corporation in August 1908, but remained at the Grosvenor Museum, with its own Board of Governors (some of them being appointed by Chester Corporation), until 1912. The school then moved to new buildings in Queen's Park. In 1938 its name was changed to Chester City Grammar School for Boys, and in 1941 new premises were opened in Queen's Park. As the 1970's dawned the school came under the scheme for the reorganization of schools in Chester, and Chester City Grammar School for Boys combined with Chester City High School for Girls, with the name of Queen's Park High School. The Headmaster of the combined school was appointed in 1970, and complete amalgamation of the boys' and girls' schools took effect from September 1971.
Girl's School
Chester City High School for Girls was established following the Education Act, 1902, which made provision for secondary education. It began in temporary premises, the Race Stands on the Roodee, on 23 January 1905. On 25 March 1912 new premises were opened in Queen's Park. Originally known as the City and County School for Girls, because the County Education Authority maintained a certain number of the places available to students, the name of the school was changed in 1938 to Chester City High School for Girls. Under the scheme for the reorganisation of schools in Chester, prepared by the City Education Officer in 1968, the City High School for Girls and City Grammar School for Boys combined to form a mixed High School. The headmaster of the combined school was appointed in 1970, but the headmistress of the City High School remained as associate headmistress until July 1971. From that date the City High School for Girls ceased to exist as a separate school.
The plays have included:
In days of yore the school had also been known to put on the odd opera or two, such as Il trovatore and La Tosca and even a good old Gilbert and Sullivan operetta such as Trial by Jury.
-Duke of Edinburgh Award
-Cricket Club
-Football Club
-Rugby Club
-Trampoline Club
-Cartography Society
-Faraday Club (Defunct)
-Debating Society (Defunct)
-Society of St. Sebastian (Defunct)
-Wireless Club (Defunct)
-Caledonian Society (Defunct)
In the winter of 2009 there was a push for the resurrection of the traditional Queen's Park Inkwell under the new name of High Times - Sadly due to various complications the paper never made it off the ground.
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...
in Queens Park, Chester, in the 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...
. It is a Visual Arts College. The school symbol is the heraldic lion, and the school uniform consists of a blue jumper with a small white lion on the left hand side, and black or blue trousers.
History
Queen's Park High School although only coming under its current name in 1971 is the oldest non-public school in Chester.Boy's School
Chester City Grammar School for Boys developed out of a technical day school, which opened at the Grosvenor Museum in 1892. Following the Education Act, 1902, it was decided to adapt the day technical school to meet the requirements of the Act, and its name was changed to City and County School for Boys in June 1907. It was transferred to Chester Corporation in August 1908, but remained at the Grosvenor Museum, with its own Board of Governors (some of them being appointed by Chester Corporation), until 1912. The school then moved to new buildings in Queen's Park. In 1938 its name was changed to Chester City Grammar School for Boys, and in 1941 new premises were opened in Queen's Park. As the 1970's dawned the school came under the scheme for the reorganization of schools in Chester, and Chester City Grammar School for Boys combined with Chester City High School for Girls, with the name of Queen's Park High School. The Headmaster of the combined school was appointed in 1970, and complete amalgamation of the boys' and girls' schools took effect from September 1971.
Girl's School
Chester City High School for Girls was established following the Education Act, 1902, which made provision for secondary education. It began in temporary premises, the Race Stands on the Roodee, on 23 January 1905. On 25 March 1912 new premises were opened in Queen's Park. Originally known as the City and County School for Girls, because the County Education Authority maintained a certain number of the places available to students, the name of the school was changed in 1938 to Chester City High School for Girls. Under the scheme for the reorganisation of schools in Chester, prepared by the City Education Officer in 1968, the City High School for Girls and City Grammar School for Boys combined to form a mixed High School. The headmaster of the combined school was appointed in 1970, but the headmistress of the City High School remained as associate headmistress until July 1971. From that date the City High School for Girls ceased to exist as a separate school.
Musicals and Theatrical Productions
QPHS has a long history of annual school performances which usually run for a week in the spring term.The plays have included:
- 2001 Endgame - Samuel Beckett's classic, (dustbins kindly provided by the school janitor)
- 2002 A Streetcar Named Desire - Tennessee Williams' steamy drama caused quite a stir in the PTA!
- 2003 Mourning Becomes Electra - Eugene O'Neill's seminal play, set to the music of Chaka Khan
- 2004 Bugsy Malone - Alan Parker's musical film of 1976 brought the Prohibition era back to life (much to the annoyance of some parents!)
- 2005 The Wizard of Oz - Friends of Dorothy were pleasantly surprised with this colourful production
- 2006 Oliver! - Dickensian London with all its squalor was achieved with relative ease this year. Dr Grimwig received critical acclaim
- 2007 Little Shop of Horrors - This 'rock musical' was enjoyed by all!
- 2008 Grease - What High School drama dept. worth their salt could avoid this? (Grease had been performed at QPHS previously, in 1996)
- 2009 We Will Rock You - A wonderful set design and lighting effect made up for Queen's greatest hits!
- 2010 Hairspray - An interesting take on the John Waters classic film of 1988
- 2011 Return to the Forbidden Planet - QPHS' closest recent attempt at Shakespeare
- 2012 FAME! - Written and directed by Miss Phillips (who also stars in the lead). This political bio-epic is sure to shock!
- 2013 IN ADVANCED PLANNING - The 60's classic... Hair
In days of yore the school had also been known to put on the odd opera or two, such as Il trovatore and La Tosca and even a good old Gilbert and Sullivan operetta such as Trial by Jury.
Other musical events
Each year QPHS stages a Summer Concert and Candle Lit Christmas Evening. There is an active school orchestra. In February the school has an X-Factor like event called The V-Factor showcasing the talents of the school's pupils. There is an annual Battle of the Bands contest open to students from all local secondary schools.Sports and clubs
-Rowing Club-Duke of Edinburgh Award
-Cricket Club
-Football Club
-Rugby Club
-Trampoline Club
-Cartography Society
-Faraday Club (Defunct)
-Debating Society (Defunct)
-Society of St. Sebastian (Defunct)
-Wireless Club (Defunct)
-Caledonian Society (Defunct)
School magazine
- The Inkwell - from 1923 to 1959
- Cestria - from 1959 to 1970
- Queen's Park High School Magazine - Special issue in 1970
- Newsletter - from 1971 to present
In the winter of 2009 there was a push for the resurrection of the traditional Queen's Park Inkwell under the new name of High Times - Sadly due to various complications the paper never made it off the ground.
Headmasters
- 1893 to 1911, J.A. MacMichael BA. BSc.
- 1912 to 1937, J.K. Wilkins MA. BSc.
- 1938 to 1942, E. Ayres MA.
- 1942 to 1948, R.P. Challacombe CBE. BA.
- 1949 to 1970, C. Race MA.
- 1971 to 1989, K.D. Munden BA.
- 1989 to 2009, A.D. Firman MA. MEd.
- 2009 to present, S.J. Casey BSc. PGCE. NPQH.
Chester City Grammar School
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from 1992-7 - Sir John Enderby CBE
- H. H. WillsHenry Herbert WillsHenry Herbert Wills was a businessman and philanthropist from Bristol.He was the son of Henry Overton Wills III and Alice Hopkinson and was born in Clifton, Bristol, Gloucestershire. He was educated at Clifton College. He was a member of the board for the Imperial Tobacco Company.His name is...
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from 1997-2002, and President of the Institute of PhysicsInstitute of PhysicsThe Institute of Physics is a scientific charity devoted to increasing the practice, understanding and application of physics. It has a worldwide membership of around 40,000....
from 2004-6 - Prof Clifford Formston, Professor of Veterinary Surgery at the Royal Veterinary CollegeRoyal Veterinary CollegeThe Royal Veterinary College is a veterinary school located in London, United Kingdom and a constituent college of the federal University of London. The RVC was founded in 1791 and joined the University of London in 1949...
from 1943-74 - John GoldingJohn Golding (British politician)John Golding was a Labour Party politician and Trade Union leader in the United Kingdom.He was educated at Chester Grammar School, Keele University and the London School of Economics...
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from 1969-86 - Paul Gough, RWA Professor of Fine Arts, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, University of the West of England, Bristol
- Jon LloydJon LloydJonathan Lloyd is the Chief Executive of UK Coal.-Early life:His father was headmaster at the Cheshire primary school he attended. He attended Chester City Grammar School...
, Chief Executive since 2008 of UK CoalUK CoalUK Coal plc is the largest coal mining business in the United Kingdom. The Company is based in Harworth, in Nottinghamshire. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a former constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.-History:... - John G. Robinson, railway engineer
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from 1997-2004 - Keith Harris - Ventriloquist with Orville the Duck
See also
- The Queen's School, ChesterThe Queen's School, ChesterThe Queen's School is an independent day school for girls aged 4–18 located in Chester, England. The school was founded in 1878 and was originally called The Chester School for Girls. In 1882, Queen Victoria issued a royal decree naming the school as The Queen's School, the only school in England...
, a confusingly-similar named independent girls' school founded in the town in 1878