St. Edwards Church of England School
Encyclopedia
St. Edward's Church of England Comprehensive School
is a coeducational school for eleven to eighteen year olds in Romford
, Greater London
, England
. It is a specialised Language College
and Science College
, and also contains a sixth form
for sixteen to eighteen year olds. It was founded in 1710, making it the oldest school in the area.
Following recent expansion from a six form to eight form entry and a larger sixth form, there are currently 1288 students in the school, aged between 11 and 18. The school is located on London Road. The current Headmaster is Rev. Alan Perry.
"whereas a charity school is erecting or setting up with all possible speed to be set up and opened in this town of Romford... for the educating of poor children and teaching them to Read and Write and instructing them in the knowledge and practice of the Christian
religion as professed and taught in the Church of England
".
For the first eighteen years the school was accommodated in two houses, but in 1728 it moved to a new building in the Market Place in Romford, where it remained until the mid 1960s when the primary and secondary classes separated and moved to their present sites.
St. Edward's Comprehensive School and St. Edward's Primary School are now run independently, but they still work very closely together. Most of the primary school pupils transfer to the comprehensive school at 11, and they account for over one third of the 210 pupils who join every September.
Every year there is a production put on by the schools drama department.
The school was recently made into a Language College
. This has given it access to further funding for courses in Spanish, French and German to up to A level, as well as lessons in Mandarin
up to GCSE. It is now also specialising in science.
The school recently underwent more building works in the lower block of the school. These created a new extended and modernized library, and a brand new 'Jack Petchey' suite (in honor of the grant money provided by the Jack Petchey
Foundation) in the former Sixth Form library which is above the main library. The PE facilities have also been expanded giving a new PE office, store, changing rooms and fitness suite.
A new sports pavilion on the edge of the 'Westlands' field is near completion.
–the school's female
under 17 team qualified for the World Schools Volleyball Championship in Croatia
, where they represented the whole of England. The school also has teams in rugby, basketball, swimming (girls), athletics, cricket, football and softball.
As of February 2010, the school is also the training ground for the Chelmsford Clippers baseball club.
in France
and Zaragoza
in Spain
. It also has developed links with a school in Beijing
to support the teaching of Mandarin as a GCSE course. They also have links with a school in Cologne
, and in Easter 2008 five year 10 pupils, a few sixth formers and teachers travelled to Cuba
to develop further links.
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...
is a coeducational school for eleven to eighteen year olds in Romford
Romford
Romford is a large suburban town in north east London, England and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Havering. It is located northeast of Charing Cross and is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the London Plan...
, Greater London
Greater London
Greater London is the top-level administrative division of England covering London. It was created in 1965 and spans the City of London, including Middle Temple and Inner Temple, and the 32 London boroughs. This territory is coterminate with the London Government Office Region and the London...
, 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 is a specialised Language College
Language College
Language Colleges were introduced in 1995 as part of the Specialist Schools Programme in the United Kingdom. The system enables secondary schools to specialise in certain fields, in this case, modern foreign languages...
and Science College
Science College
Science Colleges were introduced in 2002 as part of the now defunct Specialist Schools Programme in the United Kingdom. The system enabled secondary schools to specialise in certain fields, in this case, science and mathematics...
, and also contains a 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,...
for sixteen to eighteen year olds. It was founded in 1710, making it the oldest school in the area.
Following recent expansion from a six form to eight form entry and a larger sixth form, there are currently 1288 students in the school, aged between 11 and 18. The school is located on London Road. The current Headmaster is Rev. Alan Perry.
History
The original St. Edward's school was founded as a charity school in 1710. The vestry book for St. Edwards Church in Romford records an entry on September 5 of that year"whereas a charity school is erecting or setting up with all possible speed to be set up and opened in this town of Romford... for the educating of poor children and teaching them to Read and Write and instructing them in the knowledge and practice of the Christian
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
religion as professed and taught in the Church of England
Church 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...
".
For the first eighteen years the school was accommodated in two houses, but in 1728 it moved to a new building in the Market Place in Romford, where it remained until the mid 1960s when the primary and secondary classes separated and moved to their present sites.
St. Edward's Comprehensive School and St. Edward's Primary School are now run independently, but they still work very closely together. Most of the primary school pupils transfer to the comprehensive school at 11, and they account for over one third of the 210 pupils who join every September.
Every year there is a production put on by the schools drama department.
Recent history
Recently approximately £2million has been spent expanding the school by building a new block, which includes five science labs, a computer suite, two large drama studios and fifteen regular classrooms.The school was recently made into a Language College
Language College
Language Colleges were introduced in 1995 as part of the Specialist Schools Programme in the United Kingdom. The system enables secondary schools to specialise in certain fields, in this case, modern foreign languages...
. This has given it access to further funding for courses in Spanish, French and German to up to A level, as well as lessons in Mandarin
Standard Mandarin
Standard Chinese or Modern Standard Chinese, also known as Mandarin or Putonghua, is the official language of the People's Republic of China and Republic of China , and is one of the four official languages of Singapore....
up to GCSE. It is now also specialising in science.
The school recently underwent more building works in the lower block of the school. These created a new extended and modernized library, and a brand new 'Jack Petchey' suite (in honor of the grant money provided by the Jack Petchey
Jack Petchey
Jack Petchey CBE is a businessman, now involved in many charitable enterprises. He was born and brought up in the East End of London. During the second world war, he served in the Royal Navy, and used his Navy discharge pay to start a car hire and car sales business. This grew into a business...
Foundation) in the former Sixth Form library which is above the main library. The PE facilities have also been expanded giving a new PE office, store, changing rooms and fitness suite.
A new sports pavilion on the edge of the 'Westlands' field is near completion.
School newsletter
A monthly newsletter is published by the school. This is entitled "Reachout" and keeps students up to date on current affairs within the school and can mark out special activities or events, such as sporting events, "rag week" and the end of year prom.Sporting successes
The school competes in a number of sports, most notably in volleyballVolleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
–the school's female
Female
Female is the sex of an organism, or a part of an organism, which produces non-mobile ova .- Defining characteristics :The ova are defined as the larger gametes in a heterogamous reproduction system, while the smaller, usually motile gamete, the spermatozoon, is produced by the male...
under 17 team qualified for the World Schools Volleyball Championship in Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
, where they represented the whole of England. The school also has teams in rugby, basketball, swimming (girls), athletics, cricket, football and softball.
As of February 2010, the school is also the training ground for the Chelmsford Clippers baseball club.
School links
The School has links within the local area and internationally. It works alongside two local churches, St Edward's and St Andrew's, and with St Edwards Primary School. Internationally, it runs exchanges with a school in ParisParis
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and Zaragoza
Zaragoza
Zaragoza , also called Saragossa in English, is the capital city of the Zaragoza Province and of the autonomous community of Aragon, Spain...
in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. It also has developed links with a school in Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
to support the teaching of Mandarin as a GCSE course. They also have links with a school in Cologne
Cologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
, and in Easter 2008 five year 10 pupils, a few sixth formers and teachers travelled to Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
to develop further links.
Notable alumni
- Steve Williams, former Southampton, Arsenal and England professional footballer
- Katy HillKaty HillKaty Hill is an English television presenter, who worked on the BBC children's magazine programme Blue Peter for five years.-Biography:...
, former Blue PeterBlue PeterBlue Peter is the world's longest-running children's television show, having first aired in 1958. It is shown on CBBC, both in its BBC One programming block and on the CBBC channel. During its history there have been many presenters, often consisting of two women and two men at a time...
and children's TV presenter - Christine OhuruoguChristine OhuruoguChristine Ijeoma Ohuruogu MBE is an English athlete, who specialises in the 400 metres; the event for which she is the current Olympic and former World and Commonwealth Champion...
, OlympicOlympic GamesThe Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
400m gold medallist - Guvna BGuvna BGuvna B is a British urban contemporary gospel rapper and composer.He was born in Barking, London, England to parents originating from Accra, Ghana. He attended St Luke’s Primary School and St. Edwards Church of England School...
, Recording Artist, Award Winning Musician