King Henry VIII 3–19 School, Abergavenny
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King Henry VIII 3–19 School Abergavenny () is an English-language
All-Through School An all-through school (also known as an integrated school) educates young people throughout multiple educational stages, generally throughout childhood and adolescence. Definition The term "all-through" can be legitimately applied to establis ...
in the town of
Abergavenny Abergavenny (; , , archaically , ) is a market town and Community (Wales), community in Monmouthshire, Wales. Abergavenny is promoted as a "Gateway to Wales"; it is approximately from the England–Wales border, border with England and is loca ...
, in the county of
Monmouthshire Monmouthshire ( ; ) is a Principal areas of Wales, county in the South East Wales, south east of Wales. It borders Powys to the north; the English counties of Herefordshire and Gloucestershire to the north and east; the Severn Estuary to the s ...
,
Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...
.


History


Founding 1542–1664

Following the
Reformation The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major Theology, theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the p ...
of the 1530s, the
Letters Patent Letters patent (plurale tantum, plural form for singular and plural) are a type of legal instrument in the form of a published written order issued by a monarch, President (government title), president or other head of state, generally granti ...
setting up the school were issued on 24 July 1542. By these, tithes assigned to local churches at
Llanfihangel Crucorney Llanvihangel Crucorney () is a small village in the community (parish) of Crucorney, Monmouthshire, Wales. It is located north of Abergavenny and southwest of Hereford, England on the A465 road. Setting Llanvihangel Crucorney lies on the e ...
,
Llanddewi Rhydderch Llanddewi Rhydderch is a village in Monmouthshire, Wales at OS . It is off the B4233 road, roughly southeast of Abergavenny, lying within the administrative community of Gobion Fawr. History The township of Llanddewi Rhydderch grew around ...
, Llanelen,
Llanddewi Skirrid Llanddewi Skirrid () is a village in Monmouthshire, south east Wales, United Kingdom. Location Llanddewi Skirrid is located north east of Abergavenny on the old B4521 road to Ross-on-Wye. History and amenities The Skirrid mountain overlo ...
, Bryngwyn and
Llanwenarth Llanwenarth is a small village and parish in the Usk Valley of Monmouthshire, south-east Wales, United Kingdom. It is in the community of Llanfoist Fawr and covered by the electoral ward of Llanwenarth Ultra. Location Llanwenarth is located ...
and belonging previously to the Benedictine priory were now given over to the new school. In addition a much richer prize, the tithes of
Badgeworth Badgeworth is a village and civil parish in the Tewkesbury district of Gloucestershire, England, between Gloucester and Cheltenham. According to the 2001 census, the parish had a population of 1,206, increasing to 1,286 at the 2011 census. ...
in
Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( , ; abbreviated Glos.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Herefordshire to the north-west, Worcestershire to the north, Warwickshire to the north-east, Oxfordshire ...
which had previously belonged to
Usk Usk () is a town and community in Monmouthshire, Wales, northeast of Newport. It is located on the River Usk, which is spanned by an arched stone bridge at the western entrance to the town. Usk Castle, above the town, overlooks the ancient cr ...
priory were given over to
Abergavenny Abergavenny (; , , archaically , ) is a market town and Community (Wales), community in Monmouthshire, Wales. Abergavenny is promoted as a "Gateway to Wales"; it is approximately from the England–Wales border, border with England and is loca ...
's use. Finally the priory chapel of St. Mary's was to become the new parish church of Abergavenny and so the redundant church of St. John's could be used to house the new school.Nelmes (1992), p. 3 The monies available from these tithes were to be put into trust controlled by "the bailliffs and commonality", the forerunners of the
Town Council A town council, city council or municipal council is a form of local government for small municipalities. Usage of the term varies under different jurisdictions. Republic of Ireland In 2002, 49 urban district councils and 26 town commissi ...
. It was to provide a Free Grammar School where
Latin grammar Latin is a heavily inflected language with largely free word order. Nouns are inflected for number and case; pronouns and adjectives (including participles) are inflected for number, case, and gender; and verbs are inflected for person, numbe ...
was taught. The new grammar school was named after its benefactor
Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is known for his Wives of Henry VIII, six marriages and his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. ...
who also appointed its first headmaster, Richard Oldsworthy. The school when it opened had 26 pupils, all boys aged between 7 and 14.


The connection with Jesus College, Oxford 1664–1887

The first century of the school's life was uneventful and change only came as a result of financial mismanagement by the local trustees who had leased out the Badgeworth lands for an undervalued rent: when the 99-year lease came to an end in 1664 it passed to
Jesus College, Oxford Jesus College (in full: Jesus College in the University of Oxford of Queen Elizabeth's Foundation) is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. It is in the centre of the city, on a site between Turl Street, Ship ...
, who in return provided not only an equal rent but a Fellowship and Scholarship to the college. This began the close connection between the school and the college which not only provided a home for many of its ablest pupils, but also provided the school with its headmasters. An Act of Parliament in 1760 reorganised the school's governance. Henceforth Jesus College, which had finally gained control of the Gloucester tithes, was responsible for paying the headmaster and his assistant. The Act did have some effect as the old school building was pulled down and replaced on site with the religious tower and fine Georgian master's house which still stands today. By the time of the headmastership of the Reverend William Morgan (1765–75) the school was flourishing with some 70–80 boys.Nelmes (1992), p. 4 Change began in the 1870s. The Headmaster, James Webber, reorganised the curriculum, teaching classics, maths, drawing, French, writing, divinity and arithmetic. He built two new classrooms within the confines of St. John's. By 1878, 73 pupils were being taught by three masters. By 1887 the charity commissioners had prepared a scheme to create a second grade commercial school, on a new site, and it was this proposition that resulted in the severing of the centuries-old links between the school and Jesus College.


A century of reorganisation 1891–1972

The first attempt at reorganisation was the 1891 scheme which proposed the creation of a 200 pupil school on a 9-acre site on Pen-y-pound. Building of the school was delayed by many problems and was not completed until 1898 at a cost of £6,945. The school at this time was supposed to be a grammar school taking pupils from all over North Monmouthshire with a curriculum of
Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...
,
English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...
,
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,
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,
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,
Arithmetic Arithmetic is an elementary branch of mathematics that deals with numerical operations like addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. In a wider sense, it also includes exponentiation, extraction of roots, and taking logarithms. ...
,
Algebra Algebra is a branch of mathematics that deals with abstract systems, known as algebraic structures, and the manipulation of expressions within those systems. It is a generalization of arithmetic that introduces variables and algebraic ope ...
,
Trigonometry Trigonometry () is a branch of mathematics concerned with relationships between angles and side lengths of triangles. In particular, the trigonometric functions relate the angles of a right triangle with ratios of its side lengths. The fiel ...
and
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.Nelmes (1992), p. 5 In the 1920s there was new building with three classrooms, a gym and a library. The Old Boys' Association was founded at a meeting on 7 November 1923 and was soon thriving, with branches of the Abergavenny Society in both
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
and
Aberystwyth Aberystwyth (; ) is a University town, university and seaside town and a community (Wales), community in Ceredigion, Wales. It is the largest town in Ceredigion and from Aberaeron, the county's other administrative centre. In 2021, the popula ...
. By 1930 the school had 150 pupils. The new sciences of Physics and Biology were introduced in the period and the increased importance of metalwork and woodwork led to the building of a handicrafts room. Following Butler's Education Act of 1944,
Monmouthshire County Council Monmouthshire County Council (or simply Monmouthshire Council) () is the governing body for the Monmouthshire principal area – one of the unitary authorities of Wales. The current unitary authority was created in 1996 and covers the eastern ...
put forward three options for Abergavenny: boys and girls grammar schools and a secondary modern school; a co-educational grammar school and a secondary modern school or a multilateral school. All three options were to be tried over the next 25 years. Harry Newcombe retired as headmaster in 1954. He had managed to gain the school a good reputation as a classical grammar school. The Local Education Authority issued a Statutory Notice on 21 September 1954 to set up a multilateral school of 850, the first stage of which would be the amalgamation of the Boys' and Girls' Grammar Schools. Between 1954 and 1956 plans were laid by the authority for an enlarged mixed grammar school and finally provided for a school of 510 pupils with a 60 pupil sixth form.Nelmes (1992), p. 6 The new school on the Old Hereford Road site was to be the first phase of the multilateral school, the present Upper school. It was to have an assembly hall, a gym and three floors of classrooms and practical rooms. Building was only begun in 1960 and so the school was not opened until 1963. It was to be made up of a total of 448 pupils from King Henry VIII Boys Grammar School, the Girls' Intermediate High School, St. John's Private school and the Convent school. The transition from mixed grammar to comprehensive school was carried out under the headmaster, Russell Edwards. This involved the building of a new school adjoining the grammar school on the Pen-y-pound site. It also involved the incorporation of Grofield Secondary Modern School which had been established in 1947. Until the new building was completed in 1972 this required the juggling of both staff and pupils between the different sites. The new comprehensive kept the name of its predecessor. The old grammar school became the Upper School while the new building became the Lower School.Nelmes (1992), p. 7


Recent History 1972–

The school with a planned population of 850 pupils when conceived in the 1940s had a peak population of 1825 pupils in 1983. In 1983 as part of the International Year of Communications the school participated in a satellite quiz with Parramatta High School in New South Wales, Australia, which was celebrating its 70th anniversary. The school saw a sharp decline in numbers over the course of the 1980s, with 1200 pupils in 1990. Pupil numbers have remained broadly consistent over the following two decades. In 2021, a new school building was proposed to replace the building built in 1972, with funding of £50 million from the Welsh Government. The building would have space for students ages 3–19. Construction began in Summer 2022 with a projected completion of the building itself by September 2024. After construction of the new building began, a new name 'Abergavenny Learning Centre' was proposed. However, this was not used as there was significant backlash from local residents. As such, the name 'King Henry VIII 3–19 School' was adopted as an alternative. Students moved into the new building in May 2025, and work for the demolition of the old school, and construction of the sports and outdoor recreational facilities in their place, began at the same time. File:Part of King Henry VIII School at Abergavenny - geograph.org.uk - 3779574.jpg , The Upper School Reception and main Upper school building as viewed from the adjacent Leisure Centre File:Part of King Henry VIII School at Abergavenny - geograph.org.uk - 3779603.jpg , The building constructed in 1972 as viewed from the Staff Car Park File:King Henry VIII 3-19 School Under Construction Left Facing 04.jpg , The new upper school building under construction File:King Henry VIII 3-19 School Under Construction Right Facing 01.jpg , The space between the new Upper and Lower School buildings Under Construction.


School houses

The school originally had two houses Oppidan and Rustican, from the Latin for Town and Country. As the school grew, a new house structure was created based on four of
Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is known for his Wives of Henry VIII, six marriages and his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. ...
's wives: Aragon (
Catherine of Aragon Catherine of Aragon (also spelt as Katherine, historical Spanish: , now: ; 16 December 1485 – 7 January 1536) was List of English royal consorts, Queen of England as the Wives of Henry VIII, first wife of King Henry VIII from their marr ...
), Howard (
Catherine Howard Catherine Howard ( – 13 February 1542) was Queen of England from July 1540 until November 1541 as the fifth wife of King Henry VIII. She was the daughter of Lord Edmund Howard and Joyce Culpeper, a first cousin to Anne Boleyn (the second ...
), Parr (
Catherine Parr Catherine Parr ( – 5 September 1548) was Queen of England and Ireland as the last of the six wives of King Henry VIII from their marriage on 12 July 1543 until Henry's death on 28 January 1547. Catherine was the final queen consort o ...
) and Seymour (
Jane Seymour Jane Seymour (; 24 October 1537) was Queen of England as the third wife of King Henry VIII from their marriage on 30 May 1536 until her death the next year. She became queen following the execution of Henry's second wife, Anne Boleyn, who was ...
). These houses continue to compete at the annual
Eisteddfod In Welsh culture, an ''eisteddfod'' is an institution and festival with several ranked competitions, including in poetry and music. The term ''eisteddfod'', which is formed from the Welsh morphemes: , meaning 'sit', and , meaning 'be', means, a ...
au and at sporting occasions.


Headmasters and head teachers

The known heads at the school since its founding are as follows: *1542 Richard Oldsworthy *c.1626 Morgan Lewis *c.1631 Morris Hughes *1643–1661 Henry Vaughan *1661–1662 John Cragge *1662–1663 Thomas Franklyn *1663 Nicholas Billingsley *1670–1674 Richard Lucas *1674–1684 Henry Rogers *1702–1712 Morgan Lewis *1713–1716 Thomas Watkins *1716–1724 William Parry *1724–1732 William Thomas *1765–1775 William Morgan *1775–1786 Edmund Sandford *1786–1795 John George *1795–1800 Charles Powell *1800–1805 John Hughes *1805–1806 John Llewellyn *c.1821 Thomas Williams *1821–1823 Charles Hand *1823–1828 Aaron Rogers *1828–1832 Jenkin Hughes *1833–1834 James Jones *1834–1835 James Gabb *1835–1876 Henry Peake *1876–1898 James Webber *1898–1919 Headland Sifton *1919–1954 Harry Newcombe *1954–1960 Thomas Edwards *1960–1962 Harold Sharpe *1962–1968 Gilmour Isaac *1968 Leonard Porter *1969–1985 Russell Edwards *c.1985 Derek Fisher *c.1995 Michael Brearley *2002–2009 Gareth Barker *2009–2013 Nicholas Oaten *2013–2014 Yvonne Jones *2014–2022 Elspeth Lewis *2022–2023 Mark Stockham (Acting Head) *2023– Jonathan Watson


Notable alumni

* David Lewis (1520–1584), the first Principal of
Jesus College, Oxford Jesus College (in full: Jesus College in the University of Oxford of Queen Elizabeth's Foundation) is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. It is in the centre of the city, on a site between Turl Street, Ship ...
. *
William Wroth William Wroth (1576–1641), was a Church of England minister. He is credited with the establishment of the first Independent Church in Wales in 1639. From 1617 until 1639 Wroth was Rector of the parish church at Llanvaches in Monmouthshire whe ...
(1576–1641), puritan and founder of the first
Independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in Pennsylvania, United States * Independentes (English: Independents), a Portuguese artist ...
church in Wales. * St. David Lewis (1616–1679), a Jesuit who was canonised in the Roman Catholic Church in 1970. * William Jones (1755–1821), evangelical clergyman. * David Rees (1918–2013), mathematician. *
Raymond Williams Raymond Henry Williams (31 August 1921 – 26 January 1988) was a Welsh socialist writer, academic, novelist and critic influential within the New Left and in wider culture. His writings on politics, culture, the media and literature contribu ...
(1921–1988),
Marxist Marxism is a political philosophy and method of socioeconomic analysis. It uses a dialectical and materialist interpretation of historical development, better known as historical materialism, to analyse class relations, social conflic ...
critic. * John Osmond (b.1946), former director of the
Institute of Welsh Affairs The Institute of Welsh Affairs (IWA) () is an independent charity and membership-based think-tank based Cardiff, Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Ir ...
. * Graham John Elliott (b. 1947), organist of St Asaph Cathedral and master of the music of Chelmsford Cathedral. * Penelope Fillon (b. 1956), wife of former Prime Minister of France,
François Fillon François Charles Amand Fillon (; born 4 March 1954) is a French retired politician who served as Prime Minister of France from 2007 to 2012 under President Nicolas Sarkozy. He was the nominee of The Republicans (previously known as the Union ...
. *
Owen Sheers Owen Sheers (born 20 September 1974) is a Welsh poet, author, playwright and television presenter. He was the first writer-in-residence to be appointed by any national rugby union team. Early life Owen Sheers was born in Suva, Fiji, and was ...
(b. 1974), poet. *
Matthew Jay Graham Matthew Jay (10 October 1978 – 25 September 2003) was an English singer-songwriter. Signed to EMI imprint Food Records in 1999, Jay released his debut album, ''Draw'', in 2001. He died in the early hours of 25 September 2003 from a fa ...
(1978–2003), musician. * Oliver Thornton (b. 1979), actor. *
Becky James Rebecca Angharad James (born 29 November 1991) is a Welsh former professional racing cyclist specialising in track cycling. James was the 2013 world sprint and keirin champion. She is a 2016 Rio Olympics double silver medalist. James rode for ...
(b. 1991), cyclist.


Welsh government school banding

When the Welsh government started grouping schools into five bands in 2011, the school was placed in Band 3, assessed on its performance in the academic year 2010–11. In the 2012 assessment this had fallen to Band 5. The year's figures brought the Government's banding system under severe criticism from teaching unions and opposition political parties. The results were described as being based on "arbitrary and misleading" figures and "not credible", "crude" and "vague and confusing". The school remained in Band 5 in 2013. Early in 2015, the Welsh Government replaced the former number-based banding system with a more colourful approach. The school was rated 'amber', meaning "in need of improvement". Following an assessment of 'adequate' by
Estyn Estyn is the education and training inspectorate for Wales. Its name comes from the Welsh language verb meaning 'to reach (out), stretch or extend'. Its function is to provide an independent inspection and advice service on quality and stand ...
in 2015, Elspeth Lewis, headteacher, was quoted in the South Wales Argos saying, "The report accurately reflects the current position of the school. But there has been a relentless focus on standards, teaching and learning and leadership over the past 18 months. As a school we have an accurate picture of where we are and are committed to further improving in each key area." Most recently, an assessment by Estyn in November 2022 concluded that the school was "in need of significant improvement" citing the need to improve safeguarding issues identified during the inspection as well as the need to "improve the effectiveness of teaching and assessment so that pupils are constantly challenged to achieve their potential".


Motto

The school is associated with three separate mottos. For many centuries the school's motto had been 'that we shall be of service' (Latin: Ut Prosim). The subsequent motto was "Respecting tradition, embracing the future" . In 2023, with the advent of the new school building, a new motto was introduced in order to represent the new start of the school and it's merging with Deri View Primary School, a local school nearby to the School Site. The new school motto is: "We believe in the limitless capacity of everyone to achieve great things."


See also

*
List of the oldest schools in the United Kingdom This list of the oldest schools in the United Kingdom contains extant schools in the United Kingdom established prior to 1800. The dates refer to the foundation or the earliest documented contemporary reference to the school. In many cases the date ...


External links


Official WebsiteEstyn report on King Henry from 2005Estyn report on King Henry from 2011BBC news report on Welsh Government School Bandings


References

;Notes ;Bibliography * {{DEFAULTSORT:King Henry Viii School Abergavenny Secondary schools in Monmouthshire Educational institutions established in the 1540s