Spennymoor Grammar School (also known as Alderman Wraith Grammar School) was a selective state school in

County Durham County Durham ( ), officially simply Durham,UK General Acts 1997 c. 23Lieutenancies Act 1997 Schedule 1(3). From legislation.gov.uk, retrieved 6 April 2022. is a ceremonial county in North East England.North East Assembly �About North East E ...

History

It opened in 1922, went through several name changes and finally closed in 2015.

Notable former pupils

* Sir

Percy Cradock Sir Percy Cradock (, 26 October 1923 – 22 January 2010) was a British diplomat, civil servant and sinologist who served as British Ambassador to the People's Republic of China from 1978 to 1983, playing a significant role in the Sino-British ...

, British diplomat, civil servant and

sinologist Sinology, or Chinese studies, is an academic discipline that focuses on the study of China primarily through Chinese philosophy, language, literature, culture and history and often refers to Western scholarship. Its origin "may be traced to the ex ...

, Ambassador to China from 1978 to 1983 *

Eric Gates Eric Lazenby Gates (born on 26 June 1955) is an English former professional footballer who played as a forward. Gates' brother Bill was also a professional footballer who played for Middlesbrough from 1961 to 1973. Club career Ipswich Town ...

, striker for

Ipswich Town Ipswich Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Ipswich, Suffolk, England. They play in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. The club was founded in 1878 but did not turn profession ...

John McManners John McManners (1916–2006) was a British clergyman and historian of religion who specialized in the history of the church and other aspects of religious life in 18th-century France. He was Regius Professor of Ecclesiastical History at the Univ ...

, British clergyman and historian of religion * Bruce Oldfield, fashion designer (briefly) * Dave Parnaby, football manager * Jack Scott, BBC weather forecaster *

John Walton, Baron Walton of Detchant John Nicholas Walton, Baron Walton of Detchant (16 September 1922 – 21 April 2016) was a British neuroscientist, academic, and life peer who sat in the House of Lords as a crossbencher. Life Lord Walton qualified from Durham University Colle ...

(formerly Sir John Walton), neuroscientist *

Peter Willis Peter N. Willis (26 October 1937 – 20 July 2021) was an English association football referee, who operated in the Football League. He originated from Newfield, near Bishop Auckland, County Durham, and lived in Meadowfield. His other occupa ...

, former association football

referee A referee is an official, in a variety of sports and competition, responsible for enforcing the rules of the sport, including sportsmanship decisions such as ejection. The official tasked with this job may be known by a variety of other titl ...

Main reference
for much of the information: article at ''Darlington and Stockton Times'' website. * James Woodward, Principal of Sarum College'WOODWARD, Rev. Canon James Welford', '' Who's Who 2017'', A & C Black, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing plc, 2017; online edn, Oxford University Press, 2018; online edn, Jan 201
accessed 122 Jan 2018
/ref>

References

Defunct grammar schools in England Defunct schools in County Durham Educational institutions disestablished in 1940 Educational institutions established in 1922 Spennymoor 1922 establishments in England {{CountyDurham-school-stub