St. Philip's School
Encyclopedia
St. Philip's RC Grammar School was a Roman Catholic grammar school
for boys located on Hagley Road in Birmingham
, England
.
.
The school started in the Little Oratory on 19 September 1887 until the main building was completed on 13 December 1887. The longest-serving teacher in the school's history was Francis Thomas Leighton,who served as "Second Master" (Deputy Head) from 1911 until 1945, having served as Headmaster when the School was evacuated to Ludlow in 1941. His two sons, and later, grandson, also attended the school. FT Leighton finally left to found an independent Preparatory School, Leighton House School, serving as a "feeder" school for St Philip's, which functioned as a boys' Grammar until 1976. It was at the junction of the A456
and the B4124/B4532, situated between Chad Valley and Ladywood
. This is covered by the Anglican parish of St. George's Church, Edgbaston
.
with around 800 sixth formers. In October 1992, due to only 30% of the intake being Catholic, the board of governors wanted to change it to an 11-16 boys' secondary school. The principal of the college at the time was Edward Picardo. The Catholic governors wanted to move the college in collaboration with the C of E, resulting in the Hagley Road site closing in August 1995. It became a site of South Birmingham College
from 1995. The site was derelict and abandoned when seen in April 2011.
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...
for boys located on Hagley Road in Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, 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...
.
History
St Philip's was founded when two priests of the Birmingham Oratory took over an existing Catholic Grammar School in 1887. It should not be confused with the Oratory school, which was founded by Cardinal Newman in 1859 and later moved to Pangbourne, near ReadingReading, Berkshire
Reading is a large town and unitary authority area in England. It is located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, and on both the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 motorway, some west of London....
.
The school started in the Little Oratory on 19 September 1887 until the main building was completed on 13 December 1887. The longest-serving teacher in the school's history was Francis Thomas Leighton,who served as "Second Master" (Deputy Head) from 1911 until 1945, having served as Headmaster when the School was evacuated to Ludlow in 1941. His two sons, and later, grandson, also attended the school. FT Leighton finally left to found an independent Preparatory School, Leighton House School, serving as a "feeder" school for St Philip's, which functioned as a boys' Grammar until 1976. It was at the junction of the A456
A456 road
The A456 is a main road in England running between Birmingham and Woofferton, Shropshire, south of Ludlow.-History:Much of the road is almost certainly medieval in origin...
and the B4124/B4532, situated between Chad Valley and Ladywood
Ladywood
Ladywood is an inner-city area in Birmingham, England. It is a council constituency, managed by its own district committee. The constituency includes the smaller Ladywood ward and the wards of Aston, Nechells and Soho. In June 2004, Birmingham City Council conducted a city-wide "Ward Boundary...
. This is covered by the Anglican parish of St. George's Church, Edgbaston
St. George's Church, Edgbaston
St. George's Church, Edgbaston is a parish church in the Church of England in Edgbaston, Birmingham.-History:It was built in 1836-8 as a chapel-of-ease to St. Bartholomew's Church, Edgbaston....
.
Sixth form college
It became St Philip's Sixth Form College in 1976, an RC sixth form collegeSixth 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...
with around 800 sixth formers. In October 1992, due to only 30% of the intake being Catholic, the board of governors wanted to change it to an 11-16 boys' secondary school. The principal of the college at the time was Edward Picardo. The Catholic governors wanted to move the college in collaboration with the C of E, resulting in the Hagley Road site closing in August 1995. It became a site of South Birmingham College
South Birmingham College
South Birmingham College is an establishment of further education in Birmingham, England providing full-time and part-time courses for young students following their period of compulsory education and for adults...
from 1995. The site was derelict and abandoned when seen in April 2011.
Notable alumni
- William SlimWilliam Slim, 1st Viscount SlimField Marshal William Joseph "Bill"'Slim, 1st Viscount Slim, KG, GCB, GCMG, GCVO, GBE, DSO, MC, KStJ was a British military commander and the 13th Governor-General of Australia....
- Between 1903 and 1910, William Slim attended St. Phillip's and King Edward's. As Field Marshal Slim, he served as the British Commander in Chief in Southeast Asia during World War II. - J. R. R. TolkienJ. R. R. TolkienJohn Ronald Reuel Tolkien, CBE was an English writer, poet, philologist, and university professor, best known as the author of the classic high fantasy works The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion.Tolkien was Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon at Pembroke College,...
and his brother Hilary Tolkien - In 1902, the Tolkien family moved to a house in Edgbaston next door to the Birmingham Oratory and the school. Tolkien had been attending King Edward's SchoolKing Edward's School, BirminghamKing Edward's School is an independent secondary school in Birmingham, England, founded by King Edward VI in 1552. It is part of the Foundation of the Schools of King Edward VI in Birmingham, and is widely regarded as one of the most academically successful schools in the country, according to...
but was moved to Saint Philip's. Later, he won a Foundation Scholarship to King Edwards and returned to his former school. - Matthew MarsdenMatthew MarsdenMatthew Marsden is an English actor and singer. In the United Kingdom he is widely remembered for playing the character Chris Collins in the popular soap opera, Coronation Street. However, he is best known in the USA as a film actor. He has played the roles of Paris in Helen of Troy, Dr...
, actor - Paul BeardPaul BeardPaul Beard was an author and was the president of the College of Psychic Studies. Beard was based in London, England for sixteen years.The organization was devoted to finding in spiritualism evidence of life after death...
OBE (1901–89), leader of the City of Birmingham Orchestra from 1922–1932, of the London Philharmonic Orchestra from 1932–1936 and of the BBC Symphony Orchestra from 1936-62; he became Professor of Violin at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and also taught at the Royal Academy of Music. - Squadron LeaderSquadron LeaderSquadron Leader is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence. It is also sometimes used as the English translation of an equivalent rank in countries which have a non-English air force-specific rank structure. In these...
Peter Latham, later Air Vice-MarshalAir Vice-MarshalAir vice-marshal is a two-star air-officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force. The rank is also used by the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence and it is sometimes used as the English translation of an equivalent rank in...
, Station Commander of RAF Tengah from 1969–71 - Don MacleanDon MacleanDon Maclean is an English actor and comedian, who appeared on the BBC television series Crackerjack with Michael Aspel, Peter Glaze, and Jan Hunt in the 1970s....
, entertainerLight entertainmentLight entertainment is a term used to describe a broad range of usually televisual performances. These include comedies, variety shows, quiz/game shows, sketch shows and people/surprise shows.-Light entertainment in Britain:...
and presenter of Crackerjack. - Paul Leighton, BroadcasterPresenterA presenter, or host , is a person or organization responsible for running an event. A museum or university, for example, may be the presenter or host of an exhibit. Likewise, a master of ceremonies is a person that hosts or presents a show...
and BBC Radio 2BBC Radio 2BBC Radio 2 is one of the BBC's national radio stations and the most popular station in the United Kingdom. Much of its daytime playlist-based programming is best described as Adult Contemporary or AOR, although the station is also noted for its specialist broadcasting of other musical genres...
Newsreader 1981-2000. - Eamon DuffyEamon DuffyEamon Duffy is an Irish Professor of the History of Christianity at the University of Cambridge, and former President of Magdalene College....
, Professor of the History of Christianity at the University of CambridgeUniversity of CambridgeThe University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally... - Patrick Gallaher CBE, Chairman of North West Gas from 1974–82, and of Wales Gas Board from 1970-4, and President of the IGasEInstitution of Gas Engineers and ManagersThe Institution of Gas Engineers and Managers is a British professional engineering institution founded in 1863. It is licenced by the Engineering Council UK to assess candidates for inclusion on ECUK's Register of professional Engineers and Technicians...
from 1977-78 - Sir Francis Griffin, Director of the NECNational Exhibition CentreThe National Exhibition Centre is an exhibition centre in Birmingham, England. It is near junction 6 of the M42 motorway, and is adjacent to Birmingham International Airport and Birmingham International railway station. It has 20 interconnected halls, set in grounds of 628 acres making it the...
from 1970-74, 1976–80 - John Jenkins, Ambassador to Iraq since 2009
See also
- Saint Philip Neri
- A History of St Philips, from Beginning to Beginning, Margaret Worsley, Wine Press, Tamworth, 1997, ISBN 1-86237-078-8