Verulam School
Encyclopedia
Verulam School is a state secondary school for boys in St Albans
, Hertfordshire
, UK. It was founded in 1938 and was originally named St Albans Boys' Modern School. The name was changed in the 1940s to St Albans Grammar School for Boys and subsequently, following its change of status to a comprehensive in 1975, to Verulam School.
The Headmaster is currently Paul Ramsey. He came to the school from Watford Grammar School as Head of English in January 2000, became Deputy Head and subsequently Acting Headmaster on the resignation of Mr David Kellaway in December 2008; he was appointed Headmaster in May/June 2009.
The school caters for boys between the ages of 11 and 19. Boys can stay on into the Sixth Form, which also welcomes male and female students from other schools. The school has six houses: Brampton, Churchill, Hamilton, Jennings, Park and York, all named after roads near the school.
The school works in partnership with two neighbouring schools to enhance post-16 educational provision. This partnership is known as the "BeauSandVer" consortium and consists of Sandringham School
, Verulam School and Beaumont School
.
In February 2009 a fire occurred at the school, started by an arsonist, which destroyed some of the languages rooms and further caused water damage to an adjacent computer suite.
A summer-uniform alternative is also available. It consists of a white short-sleeved shirt with a school crest embroidered on the pocket and may be worn without a blazer or tie to and from the school in hot weather.
In the Sixth Form uniform regulations are relaxed but male and female students are still required to wear clothes which would be acceptable in a professional environment.
award scheme, taking students through all of the phases from bronze to gold, with expeditions in places such as The Chilterns on Bronze, Dartmoor
and Exmoor
on Silver, and Scotland
, New Zealand
and Morocco
on the expeditions for the Gold award.
The school is also home to the Verulam Big Band, a Jazz
–Swing band composed of students. The composition of the band varies with each year, and the band has had as many as fifty musicians during some academic years. The band has played many significant local events, such as the Mayor's annual dinner at Sopwell House
Hotel, and embarks upon a tour most years to a European country. The band has previously visited Lake Garda
in Italy
, Barcelona
in Spain
and the Mosel
valley in Germany
.
St Albans
St Albans is a city in southern Hertfordshire, England, around north of central London, which forms the main urban area of the City and District of St Albans. It is a historic market town, and is now a sought-after dormitory town within the London commuter belt...
, Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
, UK. It was founded in 1938 and was originally named St Albans Boys' Modern School. The name was changed in the 1940s to St Albans Grammar School for Boys and subsequently, following its change of status to a comprehensive in 1975, to Verulam School.
The Headmaster is currently Paul Ramsey. He came to the school from Watford Grammar School as Head of English in January 2000, became Deputy Head and subsequently Acting Headmaster on the resignation of Mr David Kellaway in December 2008; he was appointed Headmaster in May/June 2009.
The school caters for boys between the ages of 11 and 19. Boys can stay on into the Sixth Form, which also welcomes male and female students from other schools. The school has six houses: Brampton, Churchill, Hamilton, Jennings, Park and York, all named after roads near the school.
The school works in partnership with two neighbouring schools to enhance post-16 educational provision. This partnership is known as the "BeauSandVer" consortium and consists of Sandringham School
Sandringham School
Sandringham School is a secondary school in Marshalswick, St Albans, Hertfordshire. It was established in 1988 following a merger of two local schools, Marshalswick School and Wheathampstead School. It occupies the former Marshalswick site, adjacent to Wheatfields Infant and Junior schools...
, Verulam School and Beaumont School
Beaumont School (St Albans)
Beaumont School is a state maintained mixed secondary school in St Albans, Hertfordshire, England. It was founded in 1938 and has become a school of over 1200 students, including 300 in the sixth form. It is situated to the east of St Albans in Hertfordshire and is within access of the city centre...
.
In February 2009 a fire occurred at the school, started by an arsonist, which destroyed some of the languages rooms and further caused water damage to an adjacent computer suite.
Uniform
The uniform in Years 7 to 11 consists of: a navy blazer with badge; dark grey or black trousers of conventional cut; House tie; school pullover (ordinary grey v-necked pullover may also be worn); white or pale blue shirt with appropriate collar; black shoes suitable for formal wear; dark grey or black socks.A summer-uniform alternative is also available. It consists of a white short-sleeved shirt with a school crest embroidered on the pocket and may be worn without a blazer or tie to and from the school in hot weather.
In the Sixth Form uniform regulations are relaxed but male and female students are still required to wear clothes which would be acceptable in a professional environment.
Houses
Each of the six houses has its own colour: Brampton, Light Blue; Churchill, Red; Hamilton, Green; Jennings, Purple; Park, Yellow and York, White. Students' ties vary to display the corresponding house colour. The house system is used to divide each year group into 6 form groups, which remain the same throughout each year, e.g. a student who is placed in 7B (Year seven, Brampton) upon entry will proceed into 8B, 9B, 10B and 11B. Inter-house competition is encouraged, with a rugby and football tournament taking place in each of the five compulsory years.Extra-curricular
The school participates in the Duke of EdinburghDuke of Edinburgh
The Duke of Edinburgh is a British royal title, named after the city of Edinburgh, Scotland, which has been conferred upon members of the British royal family only four times times since its creation in 1726...
award scheme, taking students through all of the phases from bronze to gold, with expeditions in places such as The Chilterns on Bronze, 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...
and Exmoor
Exmoor
Exmoor is an area of hilly open moorland in west Somerset and north Devon in South West England, named after the main river that flows out of the district, the River Exe. The moor has given its name to a National Park, which includes the Brendon Hills, the East Lyn Valley, the Vale of Porlock and ...
on Silver, and Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
and Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
on the expeditions for the Gold award.
The school is also home to the Verulam Big Band, a Jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
–Swing band composed of students. The composition of the band varies with each year, and the band has had as many as fifty musicians during some academic years. The band has played many significant local events, such as the Mayor's annual dinner at Sopwell House
Sopwell House
Sopwell House is a historic country house, now a 128 room luxury hotel, in the southern part of St Albans, Hertfordshire, England. It has gained fame as the gathering place for the England national football team before international football events...
Hotel, and embarks upon a tour most years to a European country. The band has previously visited Lake Garda
Lake Garda
Lake Garda is the largest lake in Italy. It is located in Northern Italy, about half-way between Brescia and Verona, and between Venice and Milan. Glaciers formed this alpine region at the end of the last ice age...
in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
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...
and the Mosel
Mosel
Mosel may mean the following:* Moselle , a European river, named Mosel in German* Mosel , a German appellation, formerly known as Mosel-Saar-Ruwer** Mosel wine, wine produced in the region...
valley in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
.
Alumni
- Ernest GellnerErnest GellnerErnest André Gellner was a philosopher and social anthropologist, described by The Daily Telegraph when he died as one of the world's most vigorous intellectuals and by The Independent as a "one-man crusade for critical rationalism."His first book, Words and Things —famously, and uniquely...
(1925–1995) Distinguished philosopher and social anthropologist; at the age of 17 won a scholarship to Balliol College Oxford; member of the British Academy, fellow of King's College Cambridge, author of numerous academic works. - Alan McWhirr (1937–2010) Schoolteacher, lecturer and archaeologist. Honorary Fellow in the School of Archaeology and Ancient History, Leicester University.
- Jim RodfordJim RodfordJim Rodford is a musician who played with The Kinks, The Swinging Blue Jeans and was a founding member of Argent...
(b. 1941) Bass guitarist, played with The Zombies, The Kinks, The Swinging Blue Jeans and Argent. - Mike ChaplinMike ChaplinMichael James Chaplin NDD, RWS, RE, FRSA is a British artist, known primarily for his work in the mediums of etching and watercolour. He was guest art expert on the Channel 4 art programme Watercolour Challenge with Hannah Gordon.-Life:Mike was born at Little Barford, to the south of St...
(b.1943) Artist and resident art expert on Channel 4Channel 4Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
's Watercolour ChallengeWatercolour ChallengeWatercolour Challenge was a daytime television programme broadcast in the United Kingdom.It was presented by Hannah Gordon and directed by Tim Conrad and was shown on Channel 4 from 1998 until 2001....
. - Colin BlunstoneColin BlunstoneColin Blunstone is an English pop singer-songwriter, best known as a member of the pop group The Zombies, and for his participation on various albums with The Alan Parsons Project.-Biography:...
(b.1945) Pop singer and songwriter, member of The ZombiesThe ZombiesThe Zombies are an English rock band, formed in 1961 in St Albans and led by Rod Argent, on piano and keyboards, and vocalist Colin Blunstone. The group scored a UK and US hit in 1964 with "She's Not There"...
pop group, together with Chris WhiteChris White (musician)Chris White was the bass guitarist and songwriter with the 60s British Invasion band The Zombies.Although born in Barnet, Hertfordshire, he was brought up in Markyate where his parents owned a village shop...
, also an alumnus. - John GoslingJohn Goslingnot to be confused with John Gostling John Gosling , is an English classically trained organist and pianist....
(b.1948) Classically-trained pianist and organist, former member of The KinksThe KinksThe Kinks were an English rock band formed in Muswell Hill, North London, by brothers Ray and Dave Davies in 1964. Categorised in the United States as a British Invasion band, The Kinks are recognised as one of the most important and influential rock acts of the era. Their music was influenced by a...
pop group. - John SessionsJohn SessionsJohn Gibb Marshall , better known by the stage name John Sessions, is a Scottish actor and comedian. He is known for comedy improvisation in television shows such as Whose Line Is It Anyway?; as a panellist on QI; and as a character actor in numerous films, both in the UK and in Hollywood.-Early...
(real name John Gibb Marshall) (b.1953) Actor and comedian. He played Sir Geoffrey Howe in BBC TV's drama Margaret (2009). - Simon EvansSimon EvansSimon Evans , is an English comedian, born in Luton and currently living in Hove.-Early life:Simon Evans attended Verulam School in St Albans and then studied law at Southampton University, graduating in 1986.-Stand-up comedy:...
(b.1965) Stand-up comedian. - Jeremy ("Jez") Butterworth (b.1969) Playwright, film-script writer and film director. His works have been staged in the West EndWest End theatreWest End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London's 'Theatreland', the West End. Along with New York's Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English speaking...
and New York. Jez's work has included various collaborations with his brothers, all of whom attended Verulam School; in order of seniority they are Tom, Stephen, Jez, and John-Henry. - Roughton ("Rou") Reynolds (b.1986) Member of Enter ShikariEnter ShikariEnter Shikari are a British band, that combine post-hardcore with elements of various electronic genres, formed in 2003 in St Albans, Hertfordshire. The band is named after a boat belonging to Roughton "Rou" Reynolds' uncle, and a character in a play which he wrote before forming the band, both of...
(lead singer), together with Chris Batten (bass player), also an alumnus.