Spalding Grammar School (SGS), fully known as The Queen Elizabeth Royal Free Grammar School Spalding, 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 ...

in Spalding,

Lincolnshire Lincolnshire (abbreviated Lincs.) is a county in the East Midlands of England, with a long coastline on the North Sea to the east. It borders Norfolk to the south-east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south-west, Leicestershire ...

, England.

History

The school was founded in 1588 by

royal charter A royal charter is a formal grant issued by a monarch under royal prerogative as letters patent. Historically, they have been used to promulgate public laws, the most famous example being the English Magna Carta (great charter) of 1215, bu ...

, applied for by a Rev. Johnson, and within part of Spalding Parish Church, called St Thomas's Chapel, until the 19th century. It was founded on its current site in 1881. The school amalgamated with Moulton Grammar School of

Moulton Moulton may refer to: Places in the United Kingdom ;In England *Moulton, Cheshire * Moulton, Lincolnshire **Moulton Windmill * Moulton St Mary, Norfolk * Moulton, Northamptonshire ** Moulton College, agricultural college ** Moulton Park, indus ...

in 1939. Moulton Grammar School was founded under the will of John Harrox (died 1561) who was steward to Sir John Harrington of Weston. The School opened in 1562 with ten pupils and continued to educate boys from the district until it amalgamated with Spalding. The old school buildings still exist but are now private residences. The school magazine, '' The Bentleian'', dates to July 1922. In October 2018 a decision was made by the school to stop sixth form pupils from using "ever-larger bags" to carry books, which were seen by the school as an injury danger to younger pupils. A temporary online petition was organised against the order.

Admissions

Spalding Grammar School admits pupils aged 11 to 18 from the council district of

South Holland South Holland ( nl, Zuid-Holland ) is a province of the Netherlands with a population of over 3.7 million as of October 2021 and a population density of about , making it the country's most populous province and one of the world's most densely ...

- an area of - some pupils travelling over to reach the school. In years 7 to 11, only boys are admitted. In sixth form (years 12 and 13), both boys and girls are admitted. Spalding Grammar is a selective school, and its entrants in the lower school are permitted only by taking the county-wide 11+ tests. The current number of pupils is 985. The sixth form has 277 pupils. There are 68 teaching staff.

School site

The school is in the south of

, on Priory Road in Spalding. A sports hall was opened by boxer

Henry Cooper Sir Henry Cooper (3 May 19341 May 2011) was a British heavyweight boxer, best remembered internationally for a 1963 fight in which he knocked down a young Cassius Clay before the fight was stopped because of a cut eye from Clay's punches. Coo ...

in November 1993. In January 2006 new buildings were opened for ICT, sociology, technology, English and drama (with a performing arts studio). The Modern Languages lab was also built at the same time as the new buildings were opened. In late 2009, a new Business Studies block, new staff room and atrium were also built.

Awards and recognition

In 2015 the school received an

Ofsted The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted) is a Non-ministerial government department, non-ministerial department of Government of the United Kingdom, His Majesty's government, reporting to Parliament of the U ...

rating of Grade 2 "Good", following a previous rating of a Grade 1 "Outstanding" in 2011, and "Good" in 2007. The school converted to

academy An academy ( Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy ...

status on 1 February 2013. In 2006, the school was granted

Specialist Status Specialist schools in the United Kingdom (sometimes branded as specialist colleges in England and Northern Ireland) are schools with an emphasis or focus in a specific specialised subject area, which is called a specialism, or alternatively in t ...

as a

Languages Language is a structured system of communication. The structure of a language is its grammar and the free components are its vocabulary. Languages are the primary means by which humans communicate, and may be conveyed through a variety of met ...

and

Engineering Engineering is the use of scientific method, scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad rang ...

College. It became the first school in Lincolnshire to gain joint specialist status in these subjects. Accompanying the specialist status was building work to improve general aspects of the school, and to provide a Language Lab and Engineering Lab for the teaching of the subjects. The school converted to academy status on 1 February 2013.

Notable alumni

Jack Hobbs Sir John Berry Hobbs (16 December 1882– 21 December 1963), always known as Jack Hobbs, was an English professional cricketer who played for Surrey from 1905 to 1934 and for England in 61 Test matches between 1908 and 1930. Known as "The Mast ...

- defender at

Hull City A.F.C. Hull City Association Football Club is a professional Association football, football club based in Kingston upon Hull, Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England, that compete in the . They have played home games at the MKM Stadium since moving ...

Maurice Johnson (antiquary) Maurice Johnson (1688–1755), of Spalding, was the founder of 'The Gentlemen's Society' (Spalding Gentlemen's Society). Johnson was educated at Spalding Grammar School. He studied law. In 1717 he assisted in the re-establishment of the Society ...

(c.1700–5) * William Hobson Mills, organic chemist who investigated

stereochemistry Stereochemistry, a subdiscipline of chemistry, involves the study of the relative spatial arrangement of atoms that form the structure of molecules and their manipulation. The study of stereochemistry focuses on the relationships between stereois ...

and found the Mills-Nixon effect *

Stuart Storey Stuart Ellis Storey (born 16 September 1942) is a British sports commentator and former 110m hurdler. Early life Storey was born in Louth, Lincolnshire. He grew up in Holbeach, later helping to coach local resident Geoff Capes at Holbeach At ...

(1954–61) - BBC sports commentator. *

Will Wand Will Wand (born 31 December 2001) is an English professional rugby union player for Coventry in the RFU Championship. His usual position is centre, but he can also play on the wing. Early life Wand joined Spalding RFC at the age of 4 and progre ...

- Rugby player at

Coventry Coventry ( or ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. It is on the River Sherbourne. Coventry has been a large settlement for centuries, although it was not founded and given its ...

Harrison Burrows Harrison James Burrows (born 12 January 2002) is an English professional footballer who plays for EFL League One side Peterborough United. Career Burrows joined the Peterborough United academy at the age of 6 after attending a development cen ...

- Midfielder at

Peterborough United Peterborough United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, England. The team compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. Peterborough have a long-standing ...

Tre Jean-Marie Tre Jean-Marie (born 13 April 1993) is a British songwriter and record producer. His writing and production credits include AJ Tracey, Anne-Marie, Burna Boy, Craig David, Jacob Banks, Joy Crookes, Kaytranada, Labrinth, Little Mix, Mabel, N ...

, music producer

Moulton Grammar School

Johnny Douglas John William Henry Tyler Douglas (3 September 1882 – 19 December 1930) was an English cricketer who was active in the early decades of the twentieth century. Douglas was an all-rounder who played for Essex County Cricket Club from 1901 to 1 ...

(1895–7), Olympic gold medal winner in boxing and captain of the England Cricket Team * Rt Rev

Kenneth Healey Kenneth Healey (1899–1985) was the 3rd Bishop of Grimsby. Educated at Moulton Grammar School, he was ordained in 1932. His first post was as a Curate in Grantham after which became Rector of Bloxholm. Subsequently Rural Dean of Lafford'' C ...

Bishop of Grimsby The Bishop of Grimsby is an episcopal title used by a suffragan bishop of the Church of England Diocese of Lincoln, in the Province of Canterbury, England. The title takes its name after the town of Grimsby in Lincolnshire; the See was erected ...

from 1958 to 1966 *

Walter Plowright Walter Plowright Order of St Michael and St George, CMG Royal Society, FRS Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, FRCVS (20 July 1923 in Holbeach, Lincolnshire – 19 February 2010 in London) was an English Veterinary medicine, veterinary scientist ...

(1923–2010) veterinary scientist who devoted his career to the eradication of rinderpest

Former teachers

Richard Bentley Richard Bentley FRS (; 27 January 1662 – 14 July 1742) was an English classical scholar, critic, and theologian. Considered the "founder of historical philology", Bentley is widely credited with establishing the English school of Hellen ...

- English

theologian Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

classical scholar Classics or classical studies is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, classics traditionally refers to the study of Classical Greek and Roman literature and their related original languages, Ancient Greek and Latin. Classics ...

and

critic A critic is a person who communicates an assessment and an opinion of various forms of creative works such as art, literature, music, cinema, theater, fashion, architecture, and food. Critics may also take as their subject social or governmen ...

- (Former Headmaster) *

Timothy Neve Timothy Neve (1724–1798) was an English churchman and academic. Life He was born at Spalding, Lincolnshire, on 12 October 1724, the only surviving son, by his first wife, of Timothy Neve the antiquary. He was admitted at Corpus Christi Colleg ...

, churchman

References

External links

Spalding Grammar School

EduBase
{{Authority control Boys' schools in Lincolnshire Grammar schools in Lincolnshire 1588 establishments in England Educational institutions established in the 1580s Spalding, Lincolnshire Academies in Lincolnshire * Schools with a royal charter