Bournemouth School is a boys'

grammar school A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching Latin, but more recently an academically oriented secondary school ...

and co-educational

sixth form In the education systems of England, Northern Ireland, Wales, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago and some other Commonwealth countries, sixth form represents the final two years of secondary education, ages 16 to 18. Pupils typically prepare for A-l ...

in Charminster,

Bournemouth Bournemouth () is a coastal resort town in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole council area of Dorset, England. At the 2011 census, the town had a population of 183,491, making it the largest town in Dorset. It is situated on the Southern ...

Dorset Dorset ( ; archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the unitary authority areas of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and Dorset (unitary authority), Dors ...

, England, for children aged 11 to 18.

History

Bournemouth School, Architect's Illustration, 1901

The school was founded by Dr. E. Fenwick and opened on 22 January 1901, admitting 54 boys. The 1906 syllabus included natural science, drawing, vocal music, drill, and gymnastics alongside history, geography, shorthand, and book keeping. During the First World War, at least 651 young men who had been or were attached to the school served, and 98 of those died, while 95 were wounded. The roll of honour for the former students who died in service can be found inside the school's main entrance. The school moved to the present East Way site in 1939, formerly occupying buildings in Porchester Road and Lowther Road. From 1939 to 1945, the school housed over 600 members from Taunton's School, Southampton (then a grammar, now a

sixth form college A sixth form college is an educational institution, where students aged 16 to 19 typically study for advanced school-level qualifications, such as A Levels, Business and Technology Education Council (BTEC) and the International Baccalaureate Di ...

), due to evacuation from large cities. Among the Taunton staff was English master Horace King, later Lord Maybray-King,

Speaker of the House of Commons Speaker of the House of Commons is a political leadership position found in countries that have a House of Commons, where the membership of the body elects a speaker to lead its proceedings. Systems that have such a position include: * Speaker of ...

. On 2 June 1940, about 800 French soldiers evacuated form

Dunkirk Dunkirk (french: Dunkerque ; vls, label=French Flemish, Duunkerke; nl, Duinkerke(n) ; , ;) is a commune in the department of Nord in northern France. The original Victorian school buildings occupied a plot in Porchester Road. Adjacent to the main school was the purpose-built boarding house (pictured), in which the headmaster and a select number of boarders lived (at an annual fee of 12 guineas). As the number of students increased (200 in 1904, 306 in 1914, 479 in 1925), so too did the accommodation; the school encompassed a former Royal Victoria Hospital in 1925 for lower school classes, which was situated in the nearby Lowther Road. The two sites were known within the school as "Porchester" and "Lowther". In 1935, planning for new school buildings on the northern fringe of Charminster began. Various proposals were considered and the Council decided to allocate 10 acres for the new school in East Way. Building operations were begun early in 1937 and the Foundation Stones were laid on 25 May. They were erected from the designs and under the supervision of W. L. Clowes, Borough Engineer and Architect from 1936 onwards. They opened in 1939 and were first occupied by the boys from Porchester and Lowther and evacuees from Taunton's School in Southampton. Soon after, HORSA huts were erected to the north of the main buildings to house more classrooms. Further extensions to the buildings were made in subsequent years, with the canteen (previously above the Old Gym) built in 1957, a new physics laboratory built in 1958, Rooms 40 and 41 (now 9 and 10) in 1959, a new chemistry laboratory in 1961, a steel-framed structure above the single-storey north-eastern section (at the time of building, notorious for rocking in the wind) in the early 1990s and office space for Housemasters and admin staff later in 1992 (at the time the present House system was introduced). Larger scale building works include the Sixth Form Block in 1968, the Art & Technology blocks in the 1990s (replacing the HORSA huts), the Maths Blocks, which at the time of construction (between 2005-2007) was used for Religious Studies and

Mathematics Mathematics is an area of knowledge that includes the topics of numbers, formulas and related structures, shapes and the spaces in which they are contained, and quantities and their changes. These topics are represented in modern mathematics ...

but now the 8 classrooms are exclusively purposed for the latter and the Sir David English Centre in 1999 (replacing the increasingly neglected, vandalised and subsequently demolished pavilions that were used for physical education and sports events). The Sixth Form Block made no provision for social space, and so the Sixth Form Memorial Hall (now an unused Drama Studio) was opened in 1974 to provide a common room for use by the students. What was formerly a bike shed beneath the Junior Playground, and then a woodwork room, now forms the Sixth Form common room. Bournemouth School from the sky

In 1973, the school hall burnt down. Evidence of the fire can be seen in the wooden flooring tiles in the doorway of Room 21. The new hall was opened in 1975. Its floorpan encompassed what had previously been two corridors running along either side of the old hall, thereby making much better use of space. Furthermore, the old hall had no electricity supply or dressing rooms, meaning that despite the short-term disruption, Bournemouth School now has a larger and much better-equipped facility for assemblies, productions and other events. The old sites in Porchester Road and Lowther Road were used by Portchester School from 1940 until 1989, when it moved to Harewood Avenue. The boarding house was demolished to make way for the Wessex Way, "Lowther" was demolished in the 1980s, the site being redeveloped into the new Malmesbury Park Primary School, and "Porchester" was redeveloped in 1990 into Fenwick Court, a housing estate. Nothing, therefore, of the pre-East Way buildings remains. In mid-2021, the school started work on a new building, planned to accommodate for the increasing number of pupils. It was set to be completed for September 2022 but is still under construction.

Grammar school status

From the mid-1950s, 'grammar streams' were introduced in all Bournemouth

secondary modern school A secondary modern school is a type of secondary school that existed throughout England, Wales and Northern Ireland from 1944 until the 1970s under the Tripartite System. Schools of this type continue in Northern Ireland, where they are usually ...

s, and they effectively became bilateral schools. This idea was pioneered by the Chief Education Officer of the County Borough of Bournemouth from 1956–72, Walter Smedley (who died aged 98 in June 2006) who was a former technical college lecturer, and allowed easier movement between the 'grammar streams' in these schools and the grammar schools. The system was nationally recognised, as it allowed greater flexibility, as is possible in

comprehensive school A comprehensive school typically describes a secondary school for pupils aged approximately 11–18, that does not select its intake on the basis of academic achievement or aptitude, in contrast to a selective school system where admission is res ...

s, but allowed academic standards to be maintained - people's ability was still recognised. Movement was down as well as up. The system was well supported by parents. The rate of pupils staying on at school in the sixth form was 50% higher than the national average in the 1960s. Selection to the grammar schools from 1965 was not assessed by a single exam, but continuously. In the late 1960s, Bournemouth's schools were producing GCE results 250% better than comprehensives in London's ILEA. However, in 1969,

Edward Short, Baron Glenamara Edward Watson Short, Baron Glenamara, (17 December 1912 – 4 May 2012) was a British Labour Party politician and deputy leader of the Labour Party. He was Member of Parliament (MP) for Newcastle upon Tyne Central and served as a minister du ...

, the Labour education secretary, condemned Bournemouth's education system. Once Smedley left in 1972, the bilateral schools later became comprehensives. The last school of this type was

Oakmead College of Technology Oak Academy (formerly Oakmead College of Technology) is a co-educational secondary school located in the northern outskirts of Bournemouth in the English county of Dorset. History Previously a foundation school administered by Bournemouth ...

. Entrance exams for the grammar schools were also reintroduced. Bournemouth LEA still gets very good exam results, especially at A level. Dorset County Council took over from 1974-97. In 2011, Bournemouth School ceased to hold its "selective grammar school" status, as it became an academy. The school kept its original name as well as its uniform and entrance examination through the change, but is now directly funded and overseen by the government rather than a local education authority.

Affiliations

The school shares playing fields with

Bournemouth School for Girls Bournemouth School for Girls is a grammar academy school located in Bournemouth, Dorset, England. It is a girls grammar school and sixth form college, teaching girls aged 11 to 18. Academics Since September 2005, it has been a humanities specia ...

and co-operates with them in theatre productions. Sixth form students often visit local primary schools to aid with teaching. All Bournemouth School students use the Sir David English Sports Centre for physical education lessons. It has an indoor sports hall, four tennis and netball courts and three

artificial turf Artificial turf is a surface of synthetic fibers made to look like natural grass. It is most often used in arenas for sports that were originally or are normally played on grass. However, it is now being used on residential lawns and commer ...

football pitches. Charminster, evening sun reflected in Bournemouth School - geograph

The annual sports day, acting as the climax of the House Competition, takes place at the King's Park athletics stadium.

Girls in the sixth form

Bournemouth School accepted 15 female applicants to the sixth form for the first time in September 2012, and this number has risen since and in September 2013 37 female students joined the school.

Notable former pupils

* Mark Austin, journalist and newscaster, current presenter of ''

The News Hour with Mark Austin ''The News Hour with Mark Austin'' is a weekday news programme in the United Kingdom on Sky News, presented by Mark Austin. It combines rolling-news coverage with analysis and interviews on the day's issues. The show airs between 5 pm7 pm Mon ...

'' on

Sky News Sky News is a British free-to-air television news channel and organisation. Sky News is distributed via an English-language radio news service, and through online channels. It is owned by Sky Group, a division of Comcast. John Ryley is the hea ...

* Daniel Avery,

electronic music Electronic music is a genre of music that employs electronic musical instruments, digital instruments, or circuitry-based music technology in its creation. It includes both music made using electronic and electromechanical means ( electroac ...

producer and DJ *

Christian Bale Christian Charles Philip Bale (born 30 January 1974) is an English actor. Known for his versatility and physical transformations for his roles, he has been a leading man in films of several genres. He has received various accolades, including ...

, actor, left at age 16 *

Morley Bury John Morley Bury (1919-1999) was a British painter. Early life John Morley Bury was born in Bournemouth in 1919 and grew up in the village of Holdenhurst. Bury attended Bournemouth School and later Arts University Bournemouth, Bournemouth Mu ...

, painter and artist *

Dennis Curry Dennis Curry (18 May 1912 – 3 March 2001) was a British businessman, geologist and philanthropist. He was born into the family that owned and ran the Currys electrical goods retail chain, and took his place in the family business, rising to bec ...

, geologist, president from 1963-65 of the

Geologists' Association The Geologists' Association, founded in 1858, is a British organisation with charitable status for those concerned with the study of geology. It publishes the ''Proceedings of the Geologists' Association'' and jointly with the Geological Society ...

, grandson of Henry Curry (founder of

Currys Currys (branded as Currys PC World between 2010 and 2021) is an electrical retailer and aftercare service provider operating in the United Kingdom and Ireland, specialising in white goods, consumer electronics, computers and mobile phones. E ...

) *

Sir David English Sir David English (26 May 1931 – 10 June 1998) was a British journalist and newspaper editor, best known for his two-decade editorship of the ''Daily Mail''. Biography English was born in Oxford, and educated at Bournemouth School. His father ...

, journalist and editor of the ''

Daily Mail The ''Daily Mail'' is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper and news websitePeter Wilb"Paul Dacre of the Daily Mail: The man who hates liberal Britain", ''New Statesman'', 19 December 2013 (online version: 2 January 2014) publish ...

'' from 1971–92 *

Charlie Ewels Charlie Ewels (born 29 June 1995 in Bournemouth, England) is an English professional rugby union player who plays at lock for Premiership club Bath. Personal life Ewels grew up in Bournemouth, attending Moordown St Johns, Bournemouth and Br ...

, professional rugby union player,

Bath Rugby Bath Rugby is a professional rugby union club in Bath, Somerset, England. They play in Premiership Rugby, England's top division of rugby. Founded in 1865 as Bath Football Club, since 1894 the club has played at the Recreation Ground in the c ...

* Sir

Brian Follett Sir Brian Keith Follett (born 22 February 1939) is a British biologist, academic administrator, and policy maker. His research focused upon how the environment, particularly the annual change in day-length (photoperiod), controls breeding in ...

, chairman of the

Training and Development Agency for Schools The Training and Development Agency for Schools (TDA) was a body responsible for the initial and in-service training of teachers and other school staff in England. It was an executive non-departmental public body of the Department for Education. ...

since 2003, and Vice-Chancellor of the

University of Warwick The University of Warwick ( ; abbreviated as ''Warw.'' in post-nominal letters) is a public research university on the outskirts of Coventry between the West Midlands (county), West Midlands and Warwickshire, England. The university was founded i ...

from 1993–2001 * Charles Gray, actor * Sir P. J. Grigg,

Secretary of State for War The Secretary of State for War, commonly called War Secretary, was a secretary of state in the Government of the United Kingdom, which existed from 1794 to 1801 and from 1854 to 1964. The Secretary of State for War headed the War Office and ...

, 1942-1945 *

Benny Hill Alfred Hawthorne "Benny" Hill (21 January 1924 – 20 April 1992) was an English comedian, actor, singer and writer. He is remembered for his television programme ''The Benny Hill Show'', an amalgam of slapstick, burlesque and double ente ...

, comedian, writer * James Inverne, artist manager and former editor of '' Gramophone''; key in uncovering the

Joyce Hatto Joyce Hilda Hatto (5 September 1928 – 29 June 2006) was an English concert pianist and piano teacher. In 1956 she married William Barrington-Coupe, a record producer who was convicted of Purchase Tax evasion in 1966. Hatto became famous ver ...

fraud * Alex James, bass player and occasional vocalist of band Blur *

Gareth Malone Gareth Edmund Malone (born 9 November 1975) is an English choirmaster and broadcaster, self-described as an " animateur, presenter and populariser of choral singing". He is best known for his television appearances in programmes such as '' The ...

, choirmaster and broadcaster * Henry Moss (Tiskovitz), fashion entrepreneur; set up Lady Jane Boutique in

Carnaby Street Carnaby Street is a pedestrianised shopping street in Soho in the City of Westminster, Central London. Close to Oxford Street and Regent Street, it is home to fashion and lifestyle retailers, including many independent fashion boutiques. S ...

Richard Palmer-James Richard William Palmer-James (born 11 June 1947) is an English guitarist, songwriter and lyricist. He may be best known as one of the founder members of Supertramp (playing guitar and songwriter); writing lyrics for several songs by the prog ...

, co-founder of band

Supertramp Supertramp were an English rock band that formed in London in 1969. Marked by the individual songwriting of founders Roger Hodgson (vocals, keyboards, and guitars) and Rick Davies (vocals and keyboards), they are distinguished for blending p ...

Miles Reid Miles Anthony Reid FRS (born 30 January 1948) is a mathematician who works in algebraic geometry. Education Reid studied the Cambridge Mathematical Tripos at Trinity College, Cambridge and obtained his Ph.D. in 1973 under the supervision of P ...

, algebraic geometer * Michael Roberts, (1902-1948), poet, writer, broadcaster and teacherSamuel Hines, entry on Michael Roberts in the ''

Oxford Dictionary of National Biography The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') was published on 23 September ...

'', Oxford University Press, 2004; online edition October 2009. *

Ivan Rogers Sir Mark Ivan Rogers (born March 1960) is a former senior British civil servant who was the Permanent Representative of the United Kingdom to the European Union from 4 November 2013 until his resignation on 3 January 2017. Education Rogers ...

, former senior British

civil servant The civil service is a collective term for a sector of government composed mainly of career civil servants hired on professional merit rather than appointed or elected, whose institutional tenure typically survives transitions of political leaders ...

John Wetton John Kenneth Wetton (12 June 1949 – 31 January 2017) was an English musician, singer, and songwriter. Known for his dexterous bass playing and booming baritone voice, Wetton first gained fame in the early 1970s. Wetton was the singer and p ...

, English singer, bassist and songwriter. * Tom Wise, former

UKIP The UK Independence Party (UKIP; ) is a Eurosceptic, right-wing populist political party in the United Kingdom. The party reached its greatest level of success in the mid-2010s, when it gained two members of Parliament and was the largest p ...

and Independent MEP jailed for fraud

References

External links

Bournemouth School

Old Bournemouthians
{{authority control Schools in Bournemouth Grammar schools in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Boys' schools in Dorset Educational institutions established in 1901 1901 establishments in England Academies in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole