Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School, Horncastle, is a

co-educational Mixed-sex education, also known as mixed-gender education, co-education, or coeducation (abbreviated to co-ed or coed), is a system of education where males and females are educated together. Whereas single-sex education was more common up to ...

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 Latin school, school teaching Latin, but more recently an academically oriented Se ...

with academy status in Horncastle,

Lincolnshire Lincolnshire (), abbreviated ''Lincs'', is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands and Yorkshire and the Humber regions of England. It is bordered by the East Riding of Yorkshire across the Humber estuary to th ...

, England. In 2009, there were 877 pupils, of whom 271 were in the sixth form. Although royally chartered by Queen Elizabeth I in 1571, there had already been a school in Horncastle for 251 years. The original charter document, with its royal seal, remains in the custody of the school's governors. The school's catchment area includes Horncastle and the surrounding area: Wragby, Bardney and

Woodhall Spa Woodhall Spa is a former spa town and civil parish in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England, on the southern edge of the Lincolnshire Wolds, south-west of Horncastle, Lincolnshire, Horncastle, west of Skegness, east-south-east o ...

to the west, the Lincolnshire Wolds to the north and east, and Coningsby.

History

Foundation

A school is known to have existed in Horncastle in 1327, but records of the present school effectively begin when Queen Elizabeth I granted the charter to establish a grammar school in Horncastle, on the petition of

Edward Clinton, 1st Earl of Lincoln Edward Fiennes, or Clinton, 1st Earl of Lincoln KG (151216 January 1584/85) was an English landowner, peer, and Lord High Admiral. He rendered valuable service to four of the Tudor monarchs. Family Edward Clinton, or Fiennes, was born ...

. The school received its seal on 25 June 1571 and the charter document remains in the possession of the present school governors. The original school was built on a site adjoining the River Bain, close to St Mary's Parish Church. It was demolished and rebuilt after the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

on the same site, remaining there until the first decade of the 20th century. The first building on the present site was established in 1908, and now serves as the dining hall. The summer of 2008 was the school's 100th year on the present site and was duly marked by several centenary celebrations.

Coeducation and expansion

For much of its existence, Queen Elizabeth's was a boys-only day and boarding school. Girls were first admitted around the time the school moved to its present site. The school continued to expand, with further buildings added as enrolment increased. Queen Elizabeth's was an

independent school A private school or independent school is a school not administered or funded by the government, unlike a State school, public school. Private schools are schools that are not dependent upon national or local government to finance their fina ...

until the Education Act of 1944 came into effect, after which the school voluntarily transferred control and finance responsibility to the local authority.

Change of status

In the autumn of 1991, the parents voted overwhelmingly for the school to become a self-governing

grant maintained school Grant-maintained schools or GM schools were state schools in England and Wales between 1988 and 1998 that had opted out of local government control, being funded directly by a grant from central government. Some of these schools had selective ad ...

. When grant maintained status was abolished by the new Labour government under the School Standards and Framework Act 1998, schools were offered a choice of returning to local authority control or opting for foundation status. Foundation status offered an environment within the education authority but with autonomous

school governor In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, school governors are the overseers of a school. In state schools, they have three main functions: *Giving the school a clear vision, ethos and strategic direction *Holding the headteacher to account for th ...

s controlling admissions criteria and standards for the school, directly hiring and employing the school's staff and holding ownership of the school's estate. This was the route the school selected, and Queen Elizabeth's gained a degree of independence from the local authority. In 2003, Queen Elizabeth's gained joint specialist status for science and mathematics in partnership with Banovallum School, Horncastle's

secondary modern school A secondary modern school () is a type of secondary school that existed throughout England, Wales and Northern Ireland from 1944 until the 1970s under the Tripartite System. Secondary modern schools accommodated the majority (70–75%) of pupil ...

. A second specialism for modern languages was added in 2008. The school converted to academy status in September 2012, and became independent of local authority control.

School estate

The school consists of the main school building and several outer buildings. The main building contains 30 classrooms, 4 information technology (IT) rooms, school offices, a main hall, a sports centre, a sixth-form block and a library. There are several outer buildings, including the science, English and music blocks. The music block contains two music classrooms along with practice rooms, a large drama studio and lighting balcony, two art classrooms and a gallery. The English block contains four classrooms and an office.

Admissions

The school is made up of three parts: *Lower School (Years 7, 8 and 9) *Middle School (Years 10 and 11 –

GCSE The General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) is an academic qualification in a range of subjects taken in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, having been introduced in September 1986 and its first exams taken in 1988. State schools ...

Years) *Upper School (the

Sixth Form In the education systems of Barbados, England, Jamaica, Northern Ireland, Trinidad and Tobago, Wales, and some other Commonwealth countries, sixth form represents the final two years of secondary education, ages 16 to 18. Pupils typically prepa ...

–

A Level The A-level (Advanced Level) is a subject-based qualification conferred as part of the General Certificate of Education, as well as a school leaving qualification offered by the educational bodies in the United Kingdom and the educational ...

Years) Entry at age eleven is via the 11+ exam, as determined by the school's own selection procedures. Normally, the school commences four forms of pupils annually, representing the top 25% of the catchment area ability range. Continuation to the school's Sixth Form is open to all pupils for whom the school can provide a suitable course of study. The

school uniform A school uniform is a uniform worn by students primarily for a school or otherwise an educational institution. They are common in primary school, primary and secondary schools in various countries and are generally widespread in Africa, Asia, O ...

is mandatory for all pupils. For years 7 to 11, this consists of a maroon

blazer A blazer is a jacket worn as part of a smart casual or business casual look. Similar to a sport jacket, a blazer is not part of a formal suit, and the terms "sport coat" and "blazer" may be used interchangeably in daily life. A nautical bl ...

and a maroon-blue-and-white tie. In the sixth form, until the start of the 19/20 academic year, boys wore a black blazer and black-and-gold tie, while girls wore a navy blazer with a navy-and-silver tie. Since the start of the 19/20 academic year, boys and girls in the sixth form wear a navy blazer with a red-and-silver tie.

Catchment

The school's catchment area includes Horncastle and the surrounding area: Wragby, Bardney and

to the west, the Lincolnshire Wolds to the north and east, and Coningsby.

Transport arrangements

A fleet of contract and services buses, organised by the education authority, provides transport for pupils in the school's catchment area, who live more than from the school. The school is also served by a variety of privately organised services, including buses, minibuses and taxis, for out-of-catchment area pupils from the Sibsey and Stickney areas to the north of

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

, as well as Lincoln and its surrounding area.

Academics

A November 2011

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's role is to make sure that organisations providing education, training ...

(Office for Standards in Education) inspection described the school as "outstanding", consistently placing above national averages in

(General Certificate of Secondary Education) examinations. The subjects taught at Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School are: *

English language English is a West Germanic language that developed in early medieval England and has since become a English as a lingua franca, global lingua franca. The namesake of the language is the Angles (tribe), Angles, one of the Germanic peoples th ...

English literature English literature is literature written in the English language from the English-speaking world. The English language has developed over more than 1,400 years. The earliest forms of English, a set of Anglo-Frisian languages, Anglo-Frisian d ...

* Maths *Further maths *

Science Science is a systematic discipline that builds and organises knowledge in the form of testable hypotheses and predictions about the universe. Modern science is typically divided into twoor threemajor branches: the natural sciences, which stu ...

(biology, chemistry and physics) *

Geography Geography (from Ancient Greek ; combining 'Earth' and 'write', literally 'Earth writing') is the study of the lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena of Earth. Geography is an all-encompassing discipline that seeks an understanding o ...

History History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the Human history, human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some t ...

Technology Technology is the application of Conceptual model, conceptual knowledge to achieve practical goals, especially in a reproducible way. The word ''technology'' can also mean the products resulting from such efforts, including both tangible too ...

Music Music is the arrangement of sound to create some combination of Musical form, form, harmony, melody, rhythm, or otherwise Musical expression, expressive content. Music is generally agreed to be a cultural universal that is present in all hum ...

Art Art is a diverse range of cultural activity centered around ''works'' utilizing creative or imaginative talents, which are expected to evoke a worthwhile experience, generally through an expression of emotional power, conceptual ideas, tec ...

Drama Drama is the specific Mode (literature), mode of fiction Mimesis, represented in performance: a Play (theatre), play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on Radio drama, radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a g ...

Film Studies Film studies is an academic discipline that deals with various film theory, theoretical, history of film, historical, and film criticism, critical approaches to film, cinema as an art form and a medium. It is sometimes subsumed within media stud ...

Computer Science Computer science is the study of computation, information, and automation. Computer science spans Theoretical computer science, theoretical disciplines (such as algorithms, theory of computation, and information theory) to Applied science, ...

* French * German * Spanish *

Business studies Business studies, often simply called business, is a field of study that deals with the principles of business, management, and economics. It combines elements of accountancy, finance, marketing, organizational studies, human resource manageme ...

Religious studies Religious studies, also known as religiology or the study of religion, is the study of religion from a historical or scientific perspective. There is no consensus on what qualifies as ''religion'' and definition of religion, its definition is h ...

Geology Geology (). is a branch of natural science concerned with the Earth and other astronomical objects, the rocks of which they are composed, and the processes by which they change over time. Modern geology significantly overlaps all other Earth ...

* Sport studies *

Product design Product design is the process of creating new Product (business), products for businesses to sell to their customers. It involves the generation and development of ideas through a systematic process that leads to the creation of innovative products ...

Economics Economics () is a behavioral science that studies the Production (economics), production, distribution (economics), distribution, and Consumption (economics), consumption of goods and services. Economics focuses on the behaviour and interac ...

* Resistant Materials *

Design and Technology Design and Technology (D&T) is a school subject taught in the United Kingdom to pupils in primary and secondary schools. It first appeared as a titled subject in the first National Curriculum for England in 1990. It has undergone several reviews w ...

Photography Photography is the visual arts, art, application, and practice of creating images by recording light, either electronically by means of an image sensor, or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film. It is empl ...

Finance Finance refers to monetary resources and to the study and Academic discipline, discipline of money, currency, assets and Liability (financial accounting), liabilities. As a subject of study, is a field of Business administration, Business Admin ...

Sports

The sports facilities at the school are: *Athletics track *Gymnasium including table tennis *Sports hall *2 football pitches *5 netball courts *5 outdoor table tennis tables * 2 cricket nets * A sports pavilion with amenities * 3 tennis courts

Sporting achievement

*Pupils have represented county and higher level in sports such as cricket, hockey, tennis, football and squash. *Many of the schools sports teams won county competitions and went on to national level. *Several teams played sports in other countries.

Controversy

In 2014, the school experienced a sex scandal when it was discovered that, whilst on a school trip, two pupils under the age of consent had sexual intercourse. The event occurred when girls allegedly sneaked into the "boys only" dormitory, unbeknownst to staff as they were sleeping. The decision by the school was to suspend the staff involved with the trip, however the suspensions were later revoked. The pupils who committed the act were also suspended. Parents of the pupils who attended the trip received letters from the school. The school was met with dismay from the parents with one explaining "I am worried about letting my children go on trips and I know some other parents feel the same." A pupil also added "It's no big secret. It exhas gone on on other trips." The school's chair of governors stated that the welfare of pupils is a priority and that school trips are assessed for risks, and that the matter had been dealt with in an "appropriate and proportional way".

Notable former pupils

* Colin Bailey, Chief Constable of Nottinghamshire Police (1995–2000) * Max Boyes, Olympic athlete * Gavin E Crooks, chemist known for his work on non-equilibrium thermodynamics and

statistical mechanics In physics, statistical mechanics is a mathematical framework that applies statistical methods and probability theory to large assemblies of microscopic entities. Sometimes called statistical physics or statistical thermodynamics, its applicati ...

, discoverer of the Crooks fluctuation theorem * Boothby Graffoe, Radio 4 comedian * Mark Kent, UK Ambassador to Vietnam (2008–2010) * Alfred Lodge (1854–1937), professor; mathematician and former head boy; President of the

Mathematical Association The Mathematical Association is a professional society concerned with mathematics education in the UK. History It was founded in 1871 as the Association for the Improvement of Geometrical Teaching and renamed to the Mathematical Association in ...

1897–1898; brother of physicist

Oliver Lodge Sir Oliver Joseph Lodge (12 June 1851 – 22 August 1940) was an English physicist whose investigations into electromagnetic radiation contributed to the development of Radio, radio communication. He identified electromagnetic radiation indepe ...

* Tim Shipman, political editor at the Times and Sunday Times, 2014–2021 * Henry Simpson Lunn, founder of the Lunn Poly travel agents * Ben Pridmore, World Memory Champion 2004, 2008 and 2009 * Abigail Tarttelin, actress, writer and novelist * Arthur Thistlewood, conspirator in the Cato Street Conspiracy * Algernon Ward, Archdeacon of Warwick, 1936–1945 *

Robert Webb Robert Patrick Webb (born 29 September 1972) is an English comedian, actor and writer. He rose to prominence alongside David Mitchell as part of the comedy duo Mitchell and Webb. Mitchell and Webb starred in the Channel 4 sitcom '' Peep Show' ...

, actor and comedian, known for '' Peep Show'' and '' That Mitchell and Webb Look''

References

External links

Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School, Horncastle: school website

Ofsted page for Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School, Horncastle

League tables 2005
{{Authority control 1571 establishments in England Academies in Lincolnshire Educational institutions established in the 1570s Grammar schools in Lincolnshire * Schools with a royal charter Horncastle