Kingsmead School was a co-educational
independent
Independent or Independents may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups
* Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s
* Independ ...
day school for boys and girls aged 2 to 16 and, from 2018 until its closure, offered a
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 ...
for students up to age 18. The school is located in
Hoylake
Hoylake is a coast, seaside town in the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, Merseyside, England. It is at the north west of the Wirral Peninsula, near West Kirby and where the River Dee, Wales, River Dee meets the Irish Sea. Historic counties of En ...
, on the
Wirral Peninsula
Wirral (; ), known locally as The Wirral, is a peninsula in North West England. The roughly rectangular peninsula is about long and wide and is bounded by the River Dee to the west (forming the boundary with Wales), the River Mersey to t ...
. The school was founded in 1904 by Arthur Watts, a Baptist minister and mathematician. In 1911 the school
motto
A motto (derived from the Latin , 'mutter', by way of Italian , 'word' or 'sentence') is a sentence or phrase expressing a belief or purpose, or the general motivation or intention of an individual, family, social group, or organisation. Mot ...
was selected, "Dominus Vitae Robur" – The Lord is the Strength of my Life. Kingsmead is a member of the
Independent Association of Preparatory Schools
The Independent Association of Prep Schools (IAPS, formerly Independent Association of Preparatory Schools) is a schools association, representing around 670 preparatory schools.
The majority of IAPS' schools are in the UK, with other locations ...
(IAPS). It was closed in 2020.
History
In 1904, Arthur Watts, a gifted mathematician and one of six sons of a Baptist minister, founded Kingsmead School. His dream was to establish a Christian school in which ‘the environment would be ideal for learning well, for playing good games and keeping physically fit’. All but one of his brothers became involved in the school's early years; three of them were scholars of the
University of Cambridge
, mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts.
Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge.
, established =
, other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...
.
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
claimed the lives of thirteen Old Kingsmeadians and each one was a personal bereavement to Arthur Watts. Two Kingsmeadians won the
Military Cross
The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level (second-level pre-1993) military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth countries.
The MC i ...
– a master, Lieutenant Lavery, and Francis Wright Atherton who was just 19 years old.
The years between the wars were ones of economy and survival as the
Great Depression
The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...
took the world in its grip. It would take until 1944 for numbers to return to their 1921 levels. By 1939 Kingsmead was 35 years old and Arthur Watts, aged 68, had just two years in which he shared the running of the school with his son before Gordon was called up to the
RAF
The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...
. At 70, Arthur was left to steer Kingsmead alone through another war.
After the Second World War, another son,
David
David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...
, returned to Kingsmead in 1949 to run the school in partnership with his brother Gordon. He soon became the sole head and during his 30-year leadership the school continued to expand, becoming co-educational in the mid-1960s. New facilities followed each other rapidly: a heated indoor pool, woodland plantation, the Memorial Hall and new science labs. In 1966 an Educational Trust was set up to secure the school for the future.
The 1990s saw more expansion, firstly to include children from the age of two in a new
kindergarten
Kindergarten is a preschool educational approach based on playing, singing, practical activities such as drawing, and social interaction as part of the transition from home to school. Such institutions were originally made in the late 18th cent ...
. This was followed shortly afterwards by the extension of the leaving age; the school now educates children up to the age of 16, offering a wide range of
GCSE
The General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) is an academic qualification in a particular subject, taken in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. State schools in Scotland use the Scottish Qualifications Certificate instead. Private sc ...
subjects.
Although it expanded over the years, the school still occupies the original site. The long-awaited Music Block opened in 1984 and the Centenary Building, which was the flagship of the Senior Department, was opened in 2004, rapidly becoming the centre-piece of the newly extended 11–16 senior campus.
In 2012 the boarding department was closed and reopened in 2017 shortly followed by the establishment of a new Sixth Form in September 2018.
It was announced in June 2020 that the school would close permanently at the end of the school year. A letter to parents from the school explaining the closure stated that low pupil numbers exacerbated by the Covid-19 crisis meant that the school could no longer afford to remain open.
Ethos and assessment
Although Kingsmead was a Christian School, it welcomed children of all beliefs and none. The school day started with an assembly which included a Bible reading, an address, a hymn and prayers.
In Feb 2011 Ofsted reported the some areas of boarding provision to be inadequate – notice of action to improve being given. In 2013 the Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI) found the school was successful but with further action required to meet regulations. In March 2016 The ISI Compliance Inspection found that the Kingsmead met all regulations and there were no recommendations for improvement. The report said "The proprietor ensures that the leadership and management demonstrate good skills and knowledge, and fulfill their responsibilities effectively, so that the standards are consistently met and they actively promote the well-being of the pupils."
Notable former pupils
Former pupils of the school are known as Old Kingsmeadians (OKs). Notable Old Kingsmeadians include the following.
*Nicola Horlick
Nicola Karina Christina Horlick (''née'' Gayford; born 28 December 1960) is a British investment fund manager, dubbed City 'superwoman' in the British media. She has publicly supported the Labour Party and latterly, the Liberal Democrats.
Early ...
, investment fund manager
*Julian Lennon
Julian Charles John Lennon (born John Charles Julian Lennon; 8 April 1963) is an English musician. He is the son of Beatles member John Lennon and his first wife, Cynthia, and he is named after his paternal grandmother, Julia Lennon. Julian in ...
, musician, songwriter, actor and photographer; son of John Lennon
John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer, songwriter, musician and peace activist who achieved worldwide fame as founder, co-songwriter, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of ...
*Philip Mould
Philip Jonathan Clifford Mould (born March 1960) is an English art dealer, London gallery owner, art historian, writer and broadcaster. He has made a number of major art discoveries, including works of Thomas Gainsborough, Anthony Van Dyck and T ...
OBE, art dealer and art historian
Headteachers
*1904–1945 Arthur Watts
*1939–1941, 1945–1953 Gordon Watts
*1949–1962, 1963–1979 David Watts
*1962–1963 John Mayor
*1962–1963 Stanley Payne
*1979–1986 Nicholas Bawtree
*1986–1992 John Eadie
*1992–2006 Edward Hugh Bradby
*2006–2010 Jonathan Perry
*2010–2020 Mark Gibbons
See also
* List of schools in Merseyside
There is no county-wide local education authority in Merseyside, instead education services are provided by the five smaller metropolitan boroughs of Metropolitan Borough of Knowsley, Knowsley, Liverpool, Metropolitan Borough of Sefton, Sefton, ...
* List of independent schools in the United Kingdom
This is an incomplete list of independent schools in the United Kingdom.
For more, see Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference for a list of 242 leading day and boarding independent boys' and coeducational schools in the United Kingdom, Crow ...
References
External links
Kingsmead School website
OFSTED Reports on Kingsmead School
{{authority control
Defunct schools in the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral
Educational institutions established in 1904
1904 establishments in England
Educational institutions disestablished in 2020
2020 disestablishments in England