Chatham Grammar School for Girls
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Chatham Grammar School for Girls ("CGSG") is a girls
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 ...
with academy status and a mixed
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 September 2017 it became a member school of the University of Kent Academies Trust (UKAT), joined with another secondary school,
Brompton Academy Brompton Academy is an 11–18 mixed, secondary school and sixth form with academy status in Gillingham, Kent, England. It is part of the University of Kent Academies Trust. History Brompton Academy was originally called The Great Lines Sc ...
.
Since 2019 it has described itself as Chatham Grammar School on its website and signage, reflecting the presence of boys on the sixth form roll.


The current school

The school is in
Medway Medway is a unitary authority district and conurbation in Kent, South East England. It had a population of 278,016 in 2019. The unitary authority was formed in 1998 when Rochester-upon-Medway amalgamated with the Borough of Gillingham to for ...
in
Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...
, on the ''Rainham Road'' ( A2), just inside the parish of St Augustine, Gillingham on the
Chatham Chatham may refer to: Places and jurisdictions Canada * Chatham Islands (British Columbia) * Chatham Sound, British Columbia * Chatham, New Brunswick, a former town, now a neighbourhood of Miramichi * Chatham (electoral district), New Brunswic ...
Gillingham boundary. In 2021 there were 800 students, (compared with a capacity of 976), including about 240 in the mixed sixth form, and 68 teaching staff. Mrs Wendy Walters was appointed principal in 2017, taking over from Mr Storey. The school holds an annual Christmas service in the St Augustine
parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in community activities, ...
, situated opposite the school.


History


Chatham County School for Girls (1907–1944)

The school, then called the Chatham County School for Girls, was founded in January 1907. There was no school building and rooms were rented at the Chatham Technical Institute. In addition to headmistress Miss Constance Wakeman, the school had ten teachers, four of whom were part-time. The new school building, on the current site, was formally opened in February 1913. The school taught girls aged 8 to 18 years, those under 11 in a separate preparatory department. There was an entrance examination and, although maintained by the local authority, fees were payable. Scholarships were available for poorer families, with the number of fee payers diminishing in the inter-war years. The curriculum was mainly academic, but included more practical subjects including needlework and
domestic science Home economics, also called domestic science or family and consumer sciences, is a subject concerning human development, personal and family finances, consumer issues, housing and interior design, nutrition and food preparation, as well as texti ...
. The school roll expanded from under 130 in 1912 to over 400 by 1920, and more accommodation was required. An extension was completed in 1931, nearly doubling the size of the building. The newly expanded school could accommodate 480 girls, a figure that would have been reached in September 1939. However, with the outbreak of the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, the school evacuated, first to
Faversham Faversham is a market town in Kent, England, from London and from Canterbury, next to the Swale, a strip of sea separating mainland Kent from the Isle of Sheppey in the Thames Estuary. It is close to the A2, which follows an ancient British t ...
in East Kent and then, in May 1940, to
Pontypridd () (colloquially: Ponty) is a town and a community in Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. Geography comprises the electoral wards of , Hawthorn, Pontypridd Town, 'Rhondda', Rhydyfelin Central/Ilan ( Rhydfelen), Trallwng (Trallwn) and Treforest (). The ...
in South Wales. Most girls returned to the Medway towns by late 1941, and the school reopened.


Chatham Grammar School for Girls (since 1944)

The
Education Act 1944 The Education Act 1944 (7 and 8 Geo 6 c. 31) made major changes in the provision and governance of secondary schools in England and Wales. It is also known as the "Butler Act" after the President of the Board of Education, R. A. Butler. Historians ...
led to a major restructure of secondary education. The school became the Chatham Grammar School for Girls, all fees were abolished and the preparatory department – already undersubscribed – closed. Entrants were selected by the
eleven-plus The eleven-plus (11+) is a standardized examination administered to some students in England and Northern Ireland in their last year of primary education, which governs admission to grammar schools and other secondary schools which use academic ...
exam. With the school roll now over 500, and increasing to over 800 by the 1990s, further expansion was required, with a number of new blocks built on the site from the mid 1950s. More girls remained into the 6th form, with over 130 in 1970 and 280 in 2007, compared with under 40 during the 1930s. The first male teacher was appointed in 1958. He was Don Summerley who taught Biology, followed in 1959 by James Nicholson, who taught Religious Education. By the end of the 1960s a quarter of the staff were male. The school's centenary was celebrated in 2006–2007 with the release of 1,000 balloons and a school fete, with many other smaller events through the year. A mosaic was designed by artist Jo Letchford incorporating the school's ship emblem and the dates 1907-2007 to commemorate the centenary. All pupils and staff had the opportunity to place a
tessera A tessera (plural: tesserae, diminutive ''tessella'') is an individual tile, usually formed in the shape of a square, used in creating a mosaic. It is also known as an abaciscus or abaculus. Historical tesserae The oldest known tesserae ...
into the mosaic before it was mounted on the wall outside reception. A record exists linking each tessera with the person who placed it into the design.


Recent years

The number of students has fluctuated in recent years, with nearly 1,000 in 2007, dropping to under 800 in 2012 and 620 in 2016, but increasing to over 700 by 2018 and 800 in 2021. This compares with a capacity of 976. As a consequence of the fall in popularity of the school and the resulting lower numbers, there were several rounds of staff redundancies. In 2020 a new teaching block was built, enabling the sixth form intake to increase to 200. From 1919 to late 1950s, the school had a company of
Girl Guides Girl Guides (known as Girl Scouts in the United States and some other countries) is a worldwide movement, originally and largely still designed for girls and women only. The movement began in 1909 when girls requested to join the then-grassroot ...
, Chief Guide Lady Baden Powell visiting the school in 1949. In 2018 a
Combined Cadet Force The Combined Cadet Force (CCF) is a youth organisation in the United Kingdom, sponsored by the Ministry of Defence (MOD), which operates in schools, and normally includes Army, Royal Navy and Royal Air Force sections. Its aim is to "provide a ...
contingent was set up at the school.


Academic performance

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 ...
, in their four full inspections between 2003 and 2018, consistently rated the school as 'Good'. In 2008, the school's Spanish Department won 'Spanish School of the Year' from the UK Spanish Embassy. The school also has an excellent GCSE and A-Level results record; in particular within its English Department, which has consistently achieved some of the best results in the country. In 2011, Year 10 pupils from the school presented their research in chemistry at the UK Society for Biomaterials (UKSB) Annual Conference at the University of Greenwich, London; and in 2012, the following Year 10 students submitted a poster presentation to the UKSB conference at the University of Nottingham. In addition, many A-Level science pupils have won competitive bursaries from the
Nuffield Foundation The Nuffield Foundation is a charitable trust established in 1943 by William Morris, Lord Nuffield, the founder of Morris Motors Ltd. It aims to improve social well-being by funding research and innovation projects in education and social pol ...
to pursue research projects during their summer vacation.


Notable former students

*
Lisa Andreas Lisa Andreas (born Lisa Large; 22 December 1987) is an English singer. She represented Cyprus in the Eurovision Song Contest 2004 and came fifth with her performance of "Stronger Every Minute". At the age of 16, Andreas was the youngest singer t ...
, aged 16, came joint-fifth (with
Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...
) in the
Eurovision Song Contest 2004 The Eurovision Song Contest 2004 was the 49th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Istanbul, Turkey, following the country's victory at the with the song "Everyway That I Can" by Sertab Erener. Organised by the European Broa ...
, representing
Cyprus Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is geo ...
singing ''
Stronger Every Minute Cyprus participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2004 with the song "Stronger Every Minute" performed by Lisa Andreas. The song was written by Mike Connaris, who had twice written a runner up in Eurovision selection process for the United Kingd ...
'' *
Rehman Chishti Atta-Ur-Rehman Chishti (born 4 October 1978) is a Pakistani-born British Conservative Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Gillingham and Rainham since 2010. He served under Theresa May as both the Vice Chair of the ...
, MP for Gillingham and Rainham was a sixth form student *
Phyllis Deane Phyllis Mary Deane FBA (13 October 1918 – 28 July 2012) was a British economic historian and a historian of economic thought. She served as Professor of Economic History at the University of Cambridge from 1981 to 1983. Life and career Deane ...
, Professor of Economic History from 1981–83 at 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 ...
, and President from 1980–82 of the
Royal Economic Society The Royal Economic Society (RES) is a professional association that promotes the study of economic science in academia, government service, banking, industry, and public affairs. Originally established in 1890 as the British Economic Association, ...
* Gail Duff , writer and
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
Radio and television broadcaster on culinary matters * Evelyn Gibbs, graduate of
Somerville College, Oxford Somerville College, a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England, was founded in 1879 as Somerville Hall, one of its first two women's colleges. Among its alumnae have been Margaret Thatcher, Indira Gandhi, Dorothy Hodgkin, Ir ...
,
BBC Radio BBC Radio is an operational business division and service of the British Broadcasting Corporation (which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a royal charter since 1927). The service provides national radio stations covering th ...
producer and editor of
Woman's Hour ''Woman's Hour'' is a radio magazine programme broadcast in the United Kingdom on the BBC Light Programme, BBC Radio 2, and later BBC Radio 4. It has been on the air since 1946. History Created by Norman Collins and originally presented by A ...
in the 1950s and 1960s *
Helen Rappaport Helen F. Rappaport (née Ware; born June 1947), is a British author and former actress. She specialises in the Victorian era and revolutionary Russia. Early life and education Rappaport was born Helen Ware in Bromley, grew up near the River Med ...
, historian * Mary Elizabeth Short, , Headmistress, St Helen's School, Northwood, 2011–19 * (Carol) Mickey Walker OBE, professional golfer *
Lorna Wing } Lorna Gladys Wing (7 October 1928 – 6 June 2014) was an English psychiatrist. She was a pioneer in the field of childhood developmental disorders, who advanced understanding of autism worldwide, introduced the term Asperger syndrome in 1976 ...
OBE, , psychiatrist


References

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External links


Chatham Grammar School for Girls


News items


Chatham Girls' Musical
bbc.co.uk)
Eurovision Song Contest in 2004
bbc.co.uk) {{DEFAULTSORT:Chatham Grammar School For Girls Girls' schools in Kent Grammar schools in Medway Educational institutions established in 1907 1907 establishments in England Chatham, Kent Academies in Medway