Southwell Minster School
Encyclopedia
Southwell Minster School often mistaken for a private institution, is a state funded comprehensive school
in Southwell
, Nottinghamshire
, England
. Its first recorded Schoolmaster was Henry de Hykeling in 1313. It gets the amongst the best GCSE results in Nottinghamshire (including Nottingham), beaten only by two West Bridgford comprehensives in 2011. The school supplies the Minster choir, and until recently there was a boarding section for choirboys in the town.
Voluntary Aided Comprehensive School. It has 400 pupils in the Sixth Form. The Junior Department was established over fifty years ago to provide free education for the choristers of Southwell Minster
and has special facilities for musically gifted pupils. For twenty-five years it has also provided a Junior School curriculum for other pupils who wish to develop their abilities in a musically stimulating environment. Unusually for a secondary school, it takes pupils from the age of seven.
Canon PJ Blinston (a.k.a the man who ate all the pies) is the executive headteacher of the Minster School, and Mrs B White is the main head teacher. Canon PJ Blinston also serves as the Head of Magnus School in Newark, the school which The Minster School has joined with. It is on Nottingham Road next to Southwell Leisure Centre.
It was formerly a selective school, known as Southwell Minster Collegiate Grammar School, and more recently until amalgamation with the local comprehensive merely as Southwell Minster Grammar School. When comparatively small (intake was only about 35 per year during the 1960s) it was located in the heart of the town in red-brick premises vacated 1965 for a site on the south eastern side of the Minster
. Upon amalgamation this site, at some considerable distance from the now main Nottingham Road site, became ever more difficult to justify and integrate into the life of the newly expanded school. When the decision was taken to concentrate redevelopment expansion upon the Nottingham Road site the Church Street site was sold off. Much of this vacated site was then burned down before being razed for housing redevelopment.
Amalgamation continued the school's educational tradition and the school obtained specialist
status in music
and humanities
.
In April 2006, work began on a new £34m school building. On the July 16 2008, Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex
officially opened the new school building, in opertion since September 2007, when he also opened the Veterinary Nursing Centre at the Brackenhurst Agricultural College
. In 2009 The Minster School won the 2009 RIBA Sorrell Foundation Schools Award due to the highly functional design of the school.
results in Nottinghamshire (not including Nottingham LEA). However in 2007 it got the joint second best results with Rushcliffe Comprehensive School, narrowly beaten by West Bridgford School
.
At A level, it again does very well for a comprehensive school, but fourth in Nottinghamshire LEA
, behind two West Bridgford
schools and the National School
in nearby Hucknall
.
Comprehensive 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...
in Southwell
Southwell, Nottinghamshire
Southwell is a town in Nottinghamshire, England, best known as the site of Southwell Minster, the seat of the Church of England diocese that covers Nottinghamshire...
, Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire is a county in the East Midlands of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west...
, 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...
. Its first recorded Schoolmaster was Henry de Hykeling in 1313. It gets the amongst the best GCSE results in Nottinghamshire (including Nottingham), beaten only by two West Bridgford comprehensives in 2011. The school supplies the Minster choir, and until recently there was a boarding section for choirboys in the town.
Admissions
The Minster School is a Church of EnglandChurch of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
Voluntary Aided Comprehensive School. It has 400 pupils in the Sixth Form. The Junior Department was established over fifty years ago to provide free education for the choristers of Southwell Minster
Southwell Minster
Southwell Minster is a minster and cathedral, in Southwell, Nottinghamshire, England. It is six miles away from Newark-on-Trent and thirteen miles from Mansfield. It is the seat of the Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham and the Diocese of Southwell and Nottingham.It is considered an outstanding...
and has special facilities for musically gifted pupils. For twenty-five years it has also provided a Junior School curriculum for other pupils who wish to develop their abilities in a musically stimulating environment. Unusually for a secondary school, it takes pupils from the age of seven.
Canon PJ Blinston (a.k.a the man who ate all the pies) is the executive headteacher of the Minster School, and Mrs B White is the main head teacher. Canon PJ Blinston also serves as the Head of Magnus School in Newark, the school which The Minster School has joined with. It is on Nottingham Road next to Southwell Leisure Centre.
History
The school was founded in about 1300 to educate the choristers at the cathedral.It was formerly a selective school, known as Southwell Minster Collegiate Grammar School, and more recently until amalgamation with the local comprehensive merely as Southwell Minster Grammar School. When comparatively small (intake was only about 35 per year during the 1960s) it was located in the heart of the town in red-brick premises vacated 1965 for a site on the south eastern side of the Minster
Minster
Minster could mean:*Minster *Minster Machine CompanyMinster could also refer to:*Minster, part of Forrabury and Minster*Minster, Ohio*Minster, Swale*Minster-in-Thanet...
. Upon amalgamation this site, at some considerable distance from the now main Nottingham Road site, became ever more difficult to justify and integrate into the life of the newly expanded school. When the decision was taken to concentrate redevelopment expansion upon the Nottingham Road site the Church Street site was sold off. Much of this vacated site was then burned down before being razed for housing redevelopment.
Amalgamation continued the school's educational tradition and the school obtained specialist
Specialist school
The specialist schools programme was a UK government initiative which encouraged secondary schools in England to specialise in certain areas of the curriculum to boost achievement. The Specialist Schools and Academies Trust was responsible for the delivery of the programme...
status in music
Music College
Music Colleges were introduced in 2004 as part of the Specialist Schools Programme in England. The system enables secondary schools to specialise in certain fields, in this case, music. Schools that successfully apply to the Specialist Schools Trust and become Music Colleges will receive extra...
and humanities
Humanities College
Humanities Colleges were introduced in 2004 as part of the Specialist Schools Programme in the United Kingdom. The system enables secondary schools to specialise in certain fields, in this case, humanities. Schools that successfully apply to the Specialist Schools Trust and become Humanities...
.
In April 2006, work began on a new £34m school building. On the July 16 2008, Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex
Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex
Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex KG GCVO is the third son and fourth child of Elizabeth II and The Duke of Edinburgh...
officially opened the new school building, in opertion since September 2007, when he also opened the Veterinary Nursing Centre at the Brackenhurst Agricultural College
Nottingham Trent University
Nottingham Trent University is a public teaching and research university in Nottingham, United Kingdom. It was founded as a new university in 1992 from the existing Trent Polytechnic , however it can trace its roots back to 1843 with the establishment of the Nottingham Government School of Design...
. In 2009 The Minster School won the 2009 RIBA Sorrell Foundation Schools Award due to the highly functional design of the school.
Academic performance
It often gets the best GCSEGeneral Certificate of Secondary Education
The General Certificate of Secondary Education is an academic qualification awarded in a specified subject, generally taken in a number of subjects by students aged 14–16 in secondary education in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and is equivalent to a Level 2 and Level 1 in Key Skills...
results in Nottinghamshire (not including Nottingham LEA). However in 2007 it got the joint second best results with Rushcliffe Comprehensive School, narrowly beaten by West Bridgford School
West Bridgford School
The West Bridgford School & Specialist Technology Academy is a co-educational Comprehensive school in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England,-About the school:* It used to be a grammar school.* The school operates a two week timetable system....
.
At A level, it again does very well for a comprehensive school, but fourth in Nottinghamshire LEA
Local Education Authority
A local education authority is a local authority in England and Wales that has responsibility for education within its jurisdiction...
, behind two West Bridgford
West Bridgford
West Bridgford is a town in the Rushcliffe borough of Nottinghamshire, England. It lies immediately south of the city of Nottingham, delimited by the River Trent; this proximity means that it forms a continuous urban area with Nottingham, effectively makes West Bridgford a suburb of the city, and...
schools and the National School
The National School
The National Academy formely known as The National School, and also its official name Church of England Technology College , is a Church of England secondary school located on Annesley Road in Hucknall, in the Ashfield district of Nottinghamshire, England...
in nearby Hucknall
Hucknall
Hucknall, formerly known as Hucknall Torkard, is a town in Greater Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England, in the district of Ashfield. The town was historically a centre for framework knitting and then for mining but is now a focus for other industries as well providing housing for workers in...
.
Alumni
- Paul FranksPaul FranksPaul John Franks is an English cricketer. He is a left-handed batsman and a right-arm medium-fast bowler. He was born in Sutton in Ashfield, Nottinghamshire, England...
, cricketer - Mathew HorneMathew HorneMathew Frazer Horne is an English actor, stand-up comedian, television presenter and narrator best known for appearing on several BBC sketch shows and sitcoms, most notably Gavin & Stacey portraying Gavin Shipman, The Catherine Tate Show, Teachers and Horne and Corden.-Early life:Horne was born...
, actor and comedian - Tom RyderTom RyderThomas P. "Tom" Ryder is a rugby union footballer who plays at lock for Glasgow Warriors after signing from Saracens in the Summer of 2011...
, rugby player - Marie TomsMarie TomsMarie Louise Toms is a British waterskier. She was a member of the British Waterski Team from 1991 to 2004, after which she took a break from the sport, returning in 2007 to win the British National Slalom Championship in the 25–35 age group...
, former British Waterski champion - Scott LoachScott LoachScott James Loach is an English footballer. He plays as a goalkeeper for Watford in the Football League Championship, having previously spent loan spells with non-league Stafford Rangers and League Two sides Morecambe and Bradford City. He has played for England at under-21 level, and in August...
, football goalkeeper currently of Watford F.C
- Benedict Inman, member of The ChoirboysThe Choirboys (boyband)The Choirboys are an English boy band, made up of cathedral choristers. In 2005, a talent search was held to find a young chorister to bring choral music into the then current music scene, however, the judges could not decide which of its three finalists should be given the recording contract and...
- Hayley TurnerHayley TurnerHayley Turner is a professional jockey based in the United Kingdom. She was born on 3 January 1983.Turner is widely considered to be the first woman to achieve a sustained, day-in, day-out, successful career as a professional jockey in the UK...
, Jockey - Peter SampsonThepeteboxTHePETEBOX is a beatboxer from Southwell, Nottinghamshire, who now lives in Nottingham, UK. He was crowned the Radio 1 beatbox champion in 2005. - Biography :THePETEBOX is a human beatboxer and live looper from the UK...
, Beatboxer - Sian Welby, Five Weather presenter
Southwell Minster Collegiate Grammar School
- Frederick Wollaston HuttonFrederick Wollaston HuttonCaptain Frederick Wollaston Hutton, FRS, was an English scientist who applied the theory of natural selection to explain the origins and nature of the natural history of New Zealand.- Biography :...
, scientist - Alvin StardustAlvin StardustAlvin Stardust is an English pop singer and stage actor.-Career:...
- Humphrey Brailsford (b.1658) Composer and Precentor of Cantebury Cathedral
- William Hodgson BarrowWilliam Hodgson BarrowWilliam Hodgson Barrow was an English Conservative politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1851 to 1874....
, 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,...
(MP) for South NottinghamshireSouth Nottinghamshire (UK Parliament constituency)South Nottinghamshire, formally the "Southern Division of Nottinghamshire" was a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom...
1851-1874.
Further reading
- Gallery: the school designed by teachers and pupils | guardian.co.uk | October 2008
- Guardian article September 2008
- Fire at former site in October 2007
- School flooded in June 2007
- New buildings in April 2006
- Town council unhappy with school plans in March 2003