Ravenscroft School (Somerset)
Encyclopedia
Ravenscroft School was an independent day and boarding school
, initially for boys only, but from 1964 co-educational. From 1945 onwards its premises were in Somerset
, England
. It closed in 1996 and many staff and pupils transferred to the new Farleigh College
.
for boys at Yelverton, Devon
, in 1931.. In the course of its existence, it had at least three different homes.
Its first home was a house at Yelverton called Ravenscroft House, on the edge of Yelverton Common, with views over Dartmoor
. This was previously known as 'Hayesleigh' and is now the Ravenscroft Care Home. In 1941, during the Second World War, a new but temporary Royal Air Force
airfield called RAF Harrowbeer
was constructed on part of Roborough Down close to Yelverton, and Ravenscroft House was requisition
ed to become the officers' mess.
From 1945 to 1970, the school occupied Beckington Castle
in the village of Beckington
, Somerset
. This property had previously been the home of Captain Hamilton, Coldstream Guards
, later 3rd Baron Hamilton of Dalzell, and it was the birth place of his second son the politician Archie Hamilton, Baron Hamilton of Epsom
.
In February, 1966, a major fire began in the Castle's boiler room and much of the interior was destroyed. Ravenscroft closed for a week, then continued to operate in its outbuildings while the extensive damage was made good.
In the year 1970, growing numbers of pupils led to a move to a large country house called Farleigh House
near the village of Farleigh Hungerford
. It had previously been owned by Earl Cairns
and the Hely-Hutchinson family, a cadet branch of the Earls of Donoughmore
.
In the late 1960s, while still at Beckington
, the school had established a specialist unit which taught children who were dyslexic, and during the 1970s this unit increased in size until by 1980 the school was reclassified as a special school for children with dyslexia
and other learning difficulties.
During the 1980s, the age range of children taught changed. As a preparatory school
, the range had been from five to thirteen, at which point children proceeded to secondary schools. As a special school, 'O' Level courses (later GCSE) were introduced, and children stayed at Ravenscroft until the age of sixteen or seventeen.
By the year 1995, the school's age range was from eleven to seventeen. The number of pupils was then sixty-six, of whom eleven were girls, and expenditure per pupil was £21,609, with a pupil:teacher ratio of 3.4 to one. All children were boarders, and lived either at the main school or at Houlton Hall, or two houses owned by the school in the neighbouring town of Trowbridge
. There was a Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme, and some pupils attended courses at Trowbridge College.
In 1996, the school was closed and most of the staff and pupils transferred to a new educational institution called Farleigh College
, now located near Mells, Somerset
.
Portrait of Anne-Marie Gillam
Boarding school
A boarding school is a school where some or all pupils study and live during the school year with their fellow students and possibly teachers and/or administrators. The word 'boarding' is used in the sense of "bed and board," i.e., lodging and meals...
, initially for boys only, but from 1964 co-educational. From 1945 onwards its premises were in Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary 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 closed in 1996 and many staff and pupils transferred to the new Farleigh College
Farleigh College
Farleigh College is a mainly residential special school for pupils with Asperger syndrome, situated at North Parade in Frome, Somerset. It previously occupied Farleigh House at Farleigh Hungerford, a few miles to the north, from which it took its name....
.
History
Ravenscroft was founded by Mr H. F. Bailey as a preparatory schoolPreparatory 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 boys at Yelverton, Devon
Yelverton, Devon
Yelverton is a large village on the south-western edge of Dartmoor, Devon, in England.When the village's railway station opened in the 19th century, the village became a popular residence for Plymouth commuters...
, in 1931.. In the course of its existence, it had at least three different homes.
Its first home was a house at Yelverton called Ravenscroft House, on the edge of Yelverton Common, with views over Dartmoor
Dartmoor
Dartmoor is an area of moorland in south Devon, England. Protected by National Park status, it covers .The granite upland dates from the Carboniferous period of geological history. The moorland is capped with many exposed granite hilltops known as tors, providing habitats for Dartmoor wildlife. The...
. This was previously known as 'Hayesleigh' and is now the Ravenscroft Care Home. In 1941, during the Second World War, a new but temporary Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
airfield called RAF Harrowbeer
RAF Harrowbeer
RAF Harrowbeer was a World War II Royal Air Force airfield situated in the parish of Buckland Monachorum, Devon in the UK.-Location:RAF Harrowbeer was located approximately nine miles NNE of the city of Plymouth and approximately six miles south of Tavistock, and also sits within the boundary of...
was constructed on part of Roborough Down close to Yelverton, and Ravenscroft House was requisition
Requisition
A requisition is a request for something, especially a formal written request on a pre-printed form.An online requisition is an electronic document, which can be originated by the requester and then using the company workflow or hierarchy rules, can be submitted to the subsequent levels, until it...
ed to become the officers' mess.
From 1945 to 1970, the school occupied Beckington Castle
Beckington Castle
Beckington Castle is a historic house in in the village of Beckington, Somerset, England. It is a Grade II* listed building.It was built in the early 17th century on the site of a medieval building. It has been home to various nobility and local businessmen, also serving as a hotel and school...
in the village of Beckington
Beckington
Beckington is a village and civil parish in the Mendip district of Somerset, England, across the River Frome from Lullington about three miles north of Frome...
, Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
. This property had previously been the home of Captain Hamilton, Coldstream Guards
Coldstream Guards
Her Majesty's Coldstream Regiment of Foot Guards, also known officially as the Coldstream Guards , is a regiment of the British Army, part of the Guards Division or Household Division....
, later 3rd Baron Hamilton of Dalzell, and it was the birth place of his second son the politician Archie Hamilton, Baron Hamilton of Epsom
Archie Hamilton, Baron Hamilton of Epsom
Archibald Gavin Hamilton, Baron Hamilton of Epsom, PC is a British Conservative Party politician.-Background and education:...
.
In February, 1966, a major fire began in the Castle's boiler room and much of the interior was destroyed. Ravenscroft closed for a week, then continued to operate in its outbuildings while the extensive damage was made good.
In the year 1970, growing numbers of pupils led to a move to a large country house called Farleigh House
Farleigh House
Farleigh House is a large country house in the English county of Somerset that was formerly the centre of the Farleigh Hungerford estate, and much of the stone came from Farleigh Hungerford Castle.The house is a Grade II listed building....
near the village of Farleigh Hungerford
Farleigh Hungerford
Farleigh Hungerford is a village within the civil parish of Norton St Philip in Somerset, England, 9 miles southeast of Bath, 3½ miles west of Trowbridge on A366, in the valley of the River Frome....
. It had previously been owned by Earl Cairns
Wilfred Cairns, 4th Earl Cairns
Lieutenant- Colonel Wilfred Dallas Cairns, 4th Earl Cairns, CMG, DL was a peer of the United Kingdom and a Rifle Brigade officer....
and the Hely-Hutchinson family, a cadet branch of the Earls of Donoughmore
Richard Hely-Hutchinson, 4th Earl of Donoughmore
Richard John Hely-Hutchinson, 4th Earl of Donoughmore PC , styled Viscount Suirdale between 1832 and 1851, was a British Conservative politician.-Background:...
.
In the late 1960s, while still at Beckington
Beckington
Beckington is a village and civil parish in the Mendip district of Somerset, England, across the River Frome from Lullington about three miles north of Frome...
, the school had established a specialist unit which taught children who were dyslexic, and during the 1970s this unit increased in size until by 1980 the school was reclassified as a special school for children with dyslexia
Dyslexia
Dyslexia is a very broad term defining a learning disability that impairs a person's fluency or comprehension accuracy in being able to read, and which can manifest itself as a difficulty with phonological awareness, phonological decoding, orthographic coding, auditory short-term memory, or rapid...
and other learning difficulties.
During the 1980s, the age range of children taught changed. As a preparatory school
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...
, the range had been from five to thirteen, at which point children proceeded to secondary schools. As a special school, 'O' Level courses (later GCSE) were introduced, and children stayed at Ravenscroft until the age of sixteen or seventeen.
By the year 1995, the school's age range was from eleven to seventeen. The number of pupils was then sixty-six, of whom eleven were girls, and expenditure per pupil was £21,609, with a pupil:teacher ratio of 3.4 to one. All children were boarders, and lived either at the main school or at Houlton Hall, or two houses owned by the school in the neighbouring town of Trowbridge
Trowbridge
Trowbridge is the county town of Wiltshire, England, situated on the River Biss in the west of the county, approximately 12 miles southeast of Bath, Somerset....
. There was a Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme, and some pupils attended courses at Trowbridge College.
In 1996, the school was closed and most of the staff and pupils transferred to a new educational institution called Farleigh College
Farleigh College
Farleigh College is a mainly residential special school for pupils with Asperger syndrome, situated at North Parade in Frome, Somerset. It previously occupied Farleigh House at Farleigh Hungerford, a few miles to the north, from which it took its name....
, now located near Mells, Somerset
Mells, Somerset
Mells is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England, near the town of Frome.The parish includes the village of Vobster which had a coal mine of the same name on the Somerset coalfield and quarry, both of which are now disused. The old quarry is now used as a diving centre...
.
Heads of Ravenscroft
Headmasters
- 1931-1955: Mr H. F. Bailey
- 1955-1962: Mr Grantham-Hill
- 1962-1989: Mr J.F.R. Gillam, M.A. (Dublin) (previously a master at Hawtreys SchoolHawtreysHawtreys Preparatory School was an independent boys' preparatory school, first established in Slough, later moved to Westgate-on-Sea, then to Oswestry, and finally to a country house near Great Bedwyn, Wiltshire...
)
Head Teachers
- 1989-1995: Mrs Anne-Marie Gillam, M.A., B.Ed.
- 1995-1999: Mr S. Bradshaw, B.Ed.
Portrait of Anne-Marie Gillam
School Badge
The badge (which until the 1970s was worn on the school's blazers and caps) was a black raven facing to the left.Notable alumni
Notable Ravenscroft students, known as Old Ravens include:- Adrian Arnold-Smith, Fellow of the Royal Society of ChemistryRoyal Society of ChemistryThe Royal Society of Chemistry is a learned society in the United Kingdom with the goal of "advancing the chemical sciences." It was formed in 1980 from the merger of the Chemical Society, the Royal Institute of Chemistry, the Faraday Society and the Society for Analytical Chemistry with a new...
- Guy HandsGuy HandsGuy Hands , is an English financier and investor. He is most notable as the founder and chairman of Terra Firma Capital Partners, one of the largest private equity firms in Europe. Hands also previously served as Chairman of the U.K...
, international business man and financier - Christopher NewburyChristopher NewburyChristopher Newbury is an English politician, a member of the Congress of the Council of Europe since 1998 and an Independent member of Wiltshire Council since 2009.-Early life:...
, Council of Europe