(May Chatham House Flourish) , established = 1797 , free_label_3 = Merged , free_3 = 2011 , closed = , type =

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 ...

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 philosop ...

, religious_affiliation = , president = , head_label = , head = , r_head_label = , r_head = , chair_label = , chair = , founder = Dr William Humble , specialist =

Science Science is a systematic endeavor that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe. Science may be as old as the human species, and some of the earliest archeological evidence ...

Mathematics & Computing , address = Chatham Street , city =

Ramsgate Ramsgate is a seaside town in the district of Thanet in east Kent, England. It was one of the great English seaside towns of the 19th century. In 2001 it had a population of about 40,000. In 2011, according to the Census, there was a populati ...

, county =

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 ...

, country =

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

, postcode = CT11 7PS , local_authority = Kent , ofsted = yes , urn = 136382 , dfeno = , staff = , enrolment = , gender = Boys; Coeducational (sixth form) , lower_age = 11 , upper_age = 18 , houses = , colours = , publication = , free_label_1 = Former pupils , free_1 = Old Ruymians , free_label_2 = New name , free_2 = Chatham & Clarendon Grammar School , website = http://www.chathamhouse.kent.sch.uk/ (no longer maintained - see archived version) Chatham House Grammar School was an all boys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 ...

, that was merged in September 2011 with its sister school Clarendon House Grammar School to become the Chatham & Clarendon Grammar School. It had a coeducational

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 ...

and shared teaching facilities and various A Level courses with Clarendon House Grammar School. The two schools worked together to provide subjects, bands, and outings. Both schools were co-ed from the sixth form (Year 12 and 13).

History

Chatham House was founded in 1797 by Dr. William Humble along Chatham Street, although there is evidence that the school had existed prior to its formal establishment. The school underwent major changes during the 1800s. The buildings were renovated and expanded, rugby and hockey were also introduced into the sporting programme.

World War II

When Ramsgate was bombed during

World War II 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 World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, a bomb hit the school library (where a skylight now stands) but did not detonate. Prior to that, the library had been the school chapel, as evidenced by the amount of stained glass windows situated quite high up. The school had numerous entrances to private shelters used in the second world war to shelter from air raids. Most of these entrances were covered up (now underneath the playing fields) but the last ones are still visible on the lower playground and have been used recently by the local fire authorities for training purposes. In a carpark of the school there is also a slabbed-over entrance to the Ramsgate A.R.P. tunnels, which ran for around 3.5 miles. These are not connected to the school shelters. Chatham House School

The main building of the school as well as the railings were

grade II listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern I ...

Admissions

The school had approximately 813 students including the 262 students in the sixth form, accepting only boys in years 7-11, and a limited number of girls in the sixth form, mostly drawn from the

Isle of Thanet The Isle of Thanet () is a peninsula forming the easternmost part of Kent, England. While in the past it was separated from the mainland by the Wantsum Channel, it is no longer an island. Archaeological remains testify to its settlement in an ...

that encompasses

Broadstairs Broadstairs is a coastal town on the Isle of Thanet in the Thanet district of east Kent, England, about east of London. It is part of the civil parish of Broadstairs and St Peter's, which includes St Peter's, and had a population in 2011 o ...

and

Margate Margate is a seaside town on the north coast of Kent in south-east England. The town is estimated to be 1.5 miles long, north-east of Canterbury and includes Cliftonville, Garlinge, Palm Bay and Westbrook. The town has been a significan ...

, but some from as far away as Herne Bay and the Whitstable area. Chatham House is situated just south of the junction of the A255 and the A254. On 4 March 2008, the school had an

Ofsted The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted) is a non-ministerial department of His Majesty's government, reporting to Parliament. Ofsted is responsible for inspecting a range of educational institutions, incl ...

inspection which rated the school as outstanding - the highest grade achievable. All areas that were inspected were found to be Grade 1 (outstanding) or Grade 2 (good) and the school was praised for its work. The school had the highest rate of GCSE and A level passes in Kent, 73% of students taking their GCSEs last year got A* to C.

Uniform

The school maintained a strict system of uniform throughout all years, including the sixth form. The uniform consisted of a dark green blazer, dark trousers, white shirt and a green tie striped with the correct form the pupil was placed into. In the senior school (years 9-13), ties were also green and striped as previously mentioned. Some pupils also became eligible to wear ties in recognition of other achievement. House 'colours' were similar to the house tie but with a white stripe running along each side of the coloured stripe. School 'colours' were a single white school crest on a dark green tie with a white stripe. There were also 'colours' for sport and music, which consist of a repeating pattern of white stripes and the school crest and were earned by representing the school's first team in 75% of the matches in a season.

House system

The school had a house system with the junior school consisting of years 7 and 8. From year 9, the pupils joined the senior houses. In total there were 8 houses, 4 junior school houses and 4 senior school houses. In the senior houses pupils wore a tie indicative of their house. In year 12 (or lower sixth) the form groups were split into two. The nomenclature for representing a pupil's house was: 7Wh, 11Pe, 12To(ii) The ties consisted of a green tie striped with the appropriate colours named below: The former Chatham House Junior Houses were: *Brackenbury's (Brack's) *Norman's *White's *Larkin's All pupils wore dark green ties. In the Chatham House Senior houses, pupils wore a dark green tie with a coloured stripe: * Heath's = white striped tie * Mann's = orange striped tie * Pearce's = light green striped tie * Thomas' = pink striped tie StGeorgeschurch

Former senior houses, no longer in use, were: * Coleman's - sky blue stripes * Searle's - red stripes * Simmond's - purple stripes * Thornton's = yellow striped tie The house system was used for sporting events - house fixtures results accumulate over the academic year - and for various other competitions, including acting and design contests. The results from all of these fixtures were tallied at the end of each year to determine the winner of the Cock House Trophy.

Competition cups

Throughout the school year, the houses took part in competition cups, which contribute points toward the Cock House Cup. These included the Taylor Acting Cup, Larkin Music Cup, Chapman Design Cup and the Curzon Picture debating competition. Also, sports day events and general achievement contribute towards house points totals.

Merger

In 2009, Chatham House and the nearby girls-only Clarendon House formed the Chatham & Clarendon Grammar School Federation. The Federation became a new Converter Academy in January 2011, bringing greater control over admissions, site and buildings, curriculum development and much-needed additional income. In Spring 2011, despite previous news letters stating "the federation is not a merger or a takeover of the girls' school", it was announced that the schools will work together as one school. Year 7, 8 and 9 pupils would be based at Chatham House and year 10 and 11 pupils would be based at the former Clarendon House. Beginning September 2011, the new school Chatham & Clarendon Grammar School introduced a combined house system resulting from the amalgamation of old Chatham and Clarendon houses.

Notable alumni

Alumni of Chatham House are known as Old Ruymians. Chatham House has the sixth highest number of ''Who's Who'' entries for

state schools State schools (in England, Wales, Australia and New Zealand) or public schools (Scottish English and North American English) are generally primary or secondary schools that educate all students without charge. They are funded in whole or in pa ...

. Well known Old Ruymians include: *

Iain Aitch Iain Aitch is an English writer, journalist and artist who lives in London. He is the author of the travel book '' A Fête Worse Than Death,'' a humorous first person journey through an English summer, and ''We're British, Innit,'' a humorous le ...

, author and journalist *

Herbert William Allingham Herbert William Allingham FRCS (17 April 1862 – 4 November 1904) was a British surgeon. He was surgeon to the Household of King Edward VII, and surgeon in ordinary to the Prince of Wales (later King George V). Early life He was born on 17 Apri ...

, Surgeon to the Household of

King Edward VII Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910. The second child and eldest son of Queen Victoria an ...

, and Surgeon in Ordinary to the Prince of Wales (later

King George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936. Born during the reign of his grandmother Qu ...

) * Rear-Adm Timothy Chittenden, submariner and Director from 2000–03 of the Warship Support Agency * Matt Corker, professional

rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In it ...

player for the London Wasps now Captain of

London Welsh London Welsh Rugby Football Club ( cy, Clwb Rygbi Cymry Llundain) was a rugby union club formed in 1885. Based in Old Deer Park, Richmond-upon-Thames, London Welsh RFC played in the English Premiership in the 2012–13 and 2014–15 seaso ...

* Maj-Gen Patrick Crawford GM, Commandant from 1989–93 of the

Royal Army Medical College The Royal Army Medical College (RAMC) was located on a site south of the Tate Gallery (now known as Tate Britain) on Millbank, in Westminster, London, overlooking the River Thames. The college moved from the site in 1999 and the buildings are now ...

Jamie Davies Jamie Davies (born 16 February 1974, in Yeovil) is a British racing driver. Career Single-seaters Davies began his career competing in karting, winning the South West Championship in 1988, the British Junior Championship in 1989 and the Brit ...

, racing driver * Matt Dunn, author *

Marc Gascoigne Marc Gascoigne (born 5 July 1962 at Temple Ewell with River, near Dover, Kent) is a British author and editor. He is the editor, author or co-author of more than fifty books and gaming related titles, notably various ''Fighting Fantasy'' books, ...

, fantasy writer *

Geoffrey Colin Guy Geoffrey Colin Guy CMG, CVO, OBE (4 November 1921 – 1 December 2006) was the last Commissioner and the first Administrator of the Turks and Caicos from 1958 to 1959 and 1959 to 1965 respectively. Mr. Guy was succeeded by John Anthony Goldin ...

CMG CVO OBE,

Governor of Saint Helena The Governor of Saint Helena is the representative of the British monarch in the United Kingdom's overseas territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha. The Governor is appointed by the monarch on the official advice of His Majesty ...

(1976–81), and

Commissioner of the Turks and Caicos Islands The Commissioner of the Turks and Caicos was the administrator of the Turks and Caicos Islands from 1874 to 1959. A list of Commissioners: * Daniel Thomas Smith 1874-1878 * Edward Noel Walker 1878 * Robert Baxter Llewelyn 1878-1883 * Frederick ...

(1958–59, 1959–65) Heathdod

Sir Edward Heath Sir Edward Richard George Heath (9 July 191617 July 2005), often known as Ted Heath, was a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1970 to 1974 and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1965 to 1975. Heath ...

Prime Minister of the United Kingdom The prime minister of the United Kingdom is the head of government of the United Kingdom. The prime minister advises the sovereign on the exercise of much of the royal prerogative, chairs the Cabinet and selects its ministers. As modern p ...

from 1970 to 1974 * Stewart Jackson,

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

MP for

Peterborough Peterborough () is a cathedral city in Cambridgeshire, east of England. It is the largest part of the City of Peterborough unitary authority district (which covers a larger area than Peterborough itself). It was part of Northamptonshire unti ...

(2005–2017) *

Sean Kerly Sean Robin Kerly (born 29 January 1960) is an English former field hockey player. Biography Kerly was born in Whitstable and was educated at Chatham House Grammar School in Ramsgate. He has played club hockey for Canterbury, Southgate and He ...

Olympic Olympic or Olympics may refer to Sports Competitions * Olympic Games, international multi-sport event held since 1896 ** Summer Olympic Games ** Winter Olympic Games * Ancient Olympic Games, ancient multi-sport event held in Olympia, Greece bet ...

field hockey Field hockey is a team sport structured in standard hockey format, in which each team plays with ten outfield players and a goalkeeper. Teams must drive a round hockey ball by hitting it with a hockey stick towards the rival team's shooting ...

player * Lieutenant Marc Lawrence, Sea King observer of

849 Naval Air Squadron 849 Naval Air Squadron was a squadron of the Fleet Air Arm, the Air Arm of the British Royal Navy. It was formed during the Second World War as a carrier based torpedo-bomber, unit, flying missions against Japanese targets in the Far East. Its ...

, killed on 21 March 2003 in a crash in

Kuwait Kuwait (; ar, الكويت ', or ), officially the State of Kuwait ( ar, دولة الكويت '), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated in the northern edge of Eastern Arabia at the tip of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to Iraq–Ku ...

* Ali Marchant, radio personality & DJ *

John Marek John Marek (born 24 December 1940) is a British politician who served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Wrexham from 1983 to 2001, and the Member of the Welsh Assembly (AM) for Wrexham from 1999 to 2007. A member of the Labour Party until ...

, Labour MP for

Wrexham Wrexham ( ; cy, Wrecsam; ) is a city and the administrative centre of Wrexham County Borough in Wales. It is located between the Welsh mountains and the lower Dee Valley, near the border with Cheshire in England. Historically in the count ...

(1983–2001) * Desmond Misselbrook CBE, Chairman from 1972–78 of Livingston Development Corporation *

Frank Muir Frank Herbert Muir (5 February 1920 – 2 January 1998) was an English comedy writer, radio and television personality, and raconteur. His writing and performing partnership with Denis Norden endured for most of their careers. Together they wro ...

, humourist * Rev Dr Edward Norman, gave the BBC Reith Lecture in 1978 * John Ovenden, Labour MP for

Gravesend Gravesend is a town in northwest Kent, England, situated 21 miles (35 km) east-southeast of Charing Cross (central London) on the south bank of the River Thames and opposite Tilbury in Essex. Located in the diocese of Rochester, it is ...

(1974–79); Leader of Kent County Council (1994–97) * Geoff Parsons,

high jumper * Charles Robson (1859–1943),

Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a historic county in southeast England. Its area is almost entirely within the wider urbanised area of London and mostly within the ceremonial county of Greater London, with small sections in neighbour ...

and

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English cities on its south coast, Southampton and Portsmouth, Hampshire ...

wicket-keeper The wicket-keeper in the sport of cricket is the player on the fielding side who stands behind the wicket or stumps being watchful of the batsman and ready to take a catch, stump the batsman out and run out a batsman when occasion arises. ...

, and secretary (manager) of

Southampton Football Club Southampton Football Club () is an English professional football club based in Southampton, Hampshire, which competes in the . Their home ground since 2001 has been St Mary's Stadium, before which they were based at The Dell. The club play in ...

* Prof Robert Tavernor, Emeritus Professor of Architecture and Urban Design at the London School of Economics (LSE) *

Air Chief Marshal Air chief marshal (Air Chf Mshl or ACM) is a high-ranking air officer originating from the Royal Air Force. The rank is used by air forces of many countries that have historical British influence. An air chief marshal is equivalent to an Admi ...

Sir Peter Terry, Station Commander from 1968 to 1970 of RAF El Adem in Libya;

Governor of Gibraltar The governor of Gibraltar is the representative of the British monarch in the British overseas territory of Gibraltar. The governor is appointed by the monarch on the advice of the British government. The role of the governor is to act as the ...

(1985–89). *

Nik Turner Nicholas Robert Turner (26 August 1940 – 10 November 2022) was an English musician, best known as a member of space rock pioneers Hawkwind. Turner played saxophone and flute, as well as being a vocalist and composer. While with Hawkwind, T ...

, founder of the

space rock Space rock is a music genre characterized by loose and lengthy song structures centered on instrumental textures that typically produce a hypnotic, otherworldly sound. It may feature distorted and reverberation-laden guitars, minimal drummin ...

band

Hawkwind Hawkwind are an English rock band known as one of the earliest space rock groups. Since their formation in November 1969, Hawkwind have gone through many incarnations and have incorporated many different styles into their music, including hard ...

* Most Rev

Gregory James Venables Gregory James Venables (born 6 December 1949) is an English Anglican bishop. He has served as the Primate of the Southern Cone in South America from 2001 until 2010, and once again since 2016 until 2020. He is the former diocesan bishop of Argen ...

, Archbishop Primate of South America and

Bishop of Argentina The Bishop of Argentina is a bishop in the Anglican communion, the head of the Anglican Diocese of Argentina within the Anglican Church of South America. The diocese was founded in 1910 from the Diocese of the Falkland Islands.Markham. Ian S. & ...

(2002–present) *

Sir

Bill Wratten Air Chief Marshal Sir William John Wratten, (born 15 August 1939) is a retired senior commander in the Royal Air Force who was Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of RAF Strike Command from 1994 to 1997. Flying career Educated at Chatham House Gr ...

CBE CB -

Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief The atmosphere of Earth is the layer of gases, known collectively as air, retained by Earth's gravity that surrounds the planet and forms its planetary atmosphere. The atmosphere of Earth protects life on Earth by creating pressure allowing for ...

RAF Strike Command The Royal Air Force's Strike Command was the military formation which controlled the majority of the United Kingdom's bomber and fighter aircraft from 1968 until 2007 when it merged with Personnel and Training Command to form the single Air C ...

during the first

Gulf War The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Iraq were carried out in two key phases: ...

, Station Commander from 1980–82 of

RAF Coningsby Royal Air Force Coningsby or RAF Coningsby , is a Royal Air Force (RAF) station located south-west of Horncastle, and north-west of Boston, in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England. It is a Main Operating Base of the RAF and ho ...

References

External links

Chatham Clarendon Grammar School Federation Home Page

(previous website)
OFSTED report

EduBase

News items

17-year-old boy electrocuted in April 2009
{{authority control Defunct boys' schools in the United Kingdom Defunct grammar schools in England Boys' schools in Kent Grammar schools in Kent Ramsgate 1797 establishments in England Educational institutions established in 1797 Grade II listed educational buildings Grade II listed buildings in Kent International Baccalaureate schools in England Academies in Kent