Sir Roger Manwood's School is a

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 ...

located in the

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...

town of

Sandwich A sandwich is a Dish (food), dish typically consisting variously of meat, cheese, sauces, and vegetables used as a filling between slices of bread, or placed atop a slice of bread; or, more generally, any dish in which bread serves as a ''co ...

Kent Kent is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Essex across the Thames Estuary to the north, the Strait of Dover to the south-east, East Sussex to the south-west, Surrey to the west, and Gr ...

, England. Founded in 1563, it is one of the oldest schools in Britain and the third oldest state grammar school in Kent. Originally an all-boys school, the school became

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 ...

in 1982 and welcomed boarders until 2020. It now solely operates as a day school.

History

The school was founded in 1563 by Sir Roger Manwood, an eminent barrister, jurist and supporter of 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 Church in England. Manwood’s intention was to create a free grammar school to make education more accessible to the local townspeople. The original location of the school was at Ash Road in Sandwich but it was moved to its current location at Manwood Road in 1895. There are four foundations which appoint governors: the

Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports is the name of a ceremonial post in the United Kingdom. The post dates from at least the 12th century, when the title was Keeper of the Coast, but it may be older. The Lord Warden was originally in charge of the ...

Lincoln College, Oxford Lincoln College (formally, The College of the Blessed Mary and All Saints, Lincoln) is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford, in the United Kingdom. Lincoln was founded in 1427 by Richard Flemin ...

Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge Gonville and Caius College, commonly known as Caius ( ), is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1348 by Edmund Gonville, it is the fourth-oldest of the University of Cambridge's 31 colleges and ...

and the

Diocese of Canterbury The Diocese of Canterbury is a Church of England diocese covering East Kent, eastern Kent which was founded by St Augustine of Canterbury in 597. The diocese is centred on Canterbury Cathedral and is the oldest episcopal see, see of the Chur ...

. In 1960 there were 100 boarders. The boarders were separated into two houses; ‘The Grange’ accommodating the girls and ‘The Lodge’ the boys. After a long-running tradition of being an all-boys school, girls were first admitted in 1982. As of September 2020, the school no longer ran their boarding facilities. The school was reported as being 'Good' in all categories by Ofsted in 2022, dropping from the previous report's 'outstanding'.

Admissions

In order to gain entry the prospective student must first pass the

11+ examination Eleven or 11 may refer to: *11 (number) * One of the years 11 BC, AD 11, 1911, 2011 Literature * ''Eleven'' (novel), a 2006 novel by British author David Llewellyn *''Eleven'', a 1970 collection of short stories by Patricia Highsmith *''Eleven'', ...

. Once enrolled, new pupils are assigned a house, which will also be their form group from Years 7 to 9. From Years 10 to 13 pupils from each house are mixed into new forms. Each house is identified by a different colour. The houses and colours are as follows: Atlas House is red, Carmarthen House is orange, Founders' House is green, Stour House is light blue and Ypres House is dark blue, with student ties striped accordingly. The houses were previously Tudor (light blue), Trappes (dark blue), Knolles (dark green) and Dorman (red).

Headteachers

* Edward Henry Blakeney, M.A. (Cantab.), (1895–1901) * Rev. Harold Buchanan Ryley, M.A. (Oxon.), (1901–1905) * Rev. George Edward Battle, M.A. (Dublin), (1905–1914) * Rev. William Burton, M.A. (Cantab.), (1914–1935) * Ephraim Parker Oakes, M.A. (Cantab.), (1935–1960) * John Frederick Spalding, M.Sci. (London), J.P., (1960–1978) * Howell Griffiths (1978–1990) * Ian Mellor (1991–96), then

Stockport Grammar School Stockport Grammar School is a co-educational private day school in Stockport, England. Founded in 1487 by Sir Edmund Shaa, a former Lord Mayor of London, it is the second oldest in the North of England, after Lancaster Royal Grammar School, ...

from 1996 to 2005 * Christopher Morgan (1996–2013) * Lee Hunter (September 2013 – December 2024) * Benjamin Pennells (January 2025 – Present)

Combined Cadet Force

The school has 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, sub divided into Royal Navy, Royal Marines, Army and Royal Air Force sections. Its aim is to ...

(CCF) group with an army section, operating after school on Thursdays. Annual CCF events include an inspection day, a summer camp, and a Founder's Day parade celebrating both the founding of the school and paying homage to Sir Roger Manwood.

Notable alumni

The Old Manwoodians Association is an

alumni association An alumni association or alumnae association is an association of graduates or, more broadly, of former students ( alumni). In the United Kingdom and the United States, alumni of universities, colleges, school A school is the educati ...

for ex-pupils of the school. Old Manwoodians include: Arts and entertainment *

Johnny Beerling John William Beerling (born 12 April 1937) is a British radio producer and station controller. Early life Beerling attended the Sir Roger Manwood's School in Sandwich, Kent. Career National Service He began his radio career during nationa ...

, controller of Radio 1 1985–93 who launched the Radio 1 roadshow and was responsible for broadcasting

Live Aid Live Aid was a two-venue benefit concert and music-based fundraising initiative held on Saturday, 13 July 1985. The event was organised by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure to raise further funds for relief of the 1983–1985 famine in Ethiopia, a m ...

Jon Driscoll Jonathan Richard Driscoll (born 25 June 1974) is an English Olivier Award-winning and Tony Award-nominated theatre projection designer and lighting designer working in the West End and on Broadway. He is a Technical Associate of the Nationa ...

, an

Olivier Award The Laurence Olivier Awards, or simply The Olivier Awards, are presented annually by the Society of London Theatre to recognize excellence in professional theatre in London. The awards were originally known as the Society of West End Theatre Aw ...

-winning and

Tony Tony may refer to: People and fictional characters * Tony the Tiger, cartoon mascot for Frosted Flakes cereal * Tony (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Gregory Tony (born 1978), American law enforcement officer * ...

-nominated theatre projection designer * Patrick Miles, an English writer and translator *

Christopher Newton Christopher Newton (11 June 1936 – 20 December 2021) was a Canadian director and actor, who served as artistic director of the Shaw Festival from 1980 to 2002. Early life and education Newton was born in Deal, Kent, England and educated at ...

, theatre director * Gale Pedrick, Scriptwriter, author and broadcaster * Jack Scanlon, child actor and title character in ''The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas'' *

Frances Tophill Frances Ruth Tophill is a British horticulturist, author, and television presenter known for her contributions to ''Love Your Garden'' and ''Gardeners' World''. She has written five books. Early life Tophill was born in Deal, Kent, and is one o ...

, a horticulturalist and TV presenter, working on Gardeners World amongst other programmes * Richard Webster, a British author *

Nick Wilton Nicholas Wilton is an English actor and scriptwriter. He has appeared as Mr Lister in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' as a recurring character; he has also appeared in '' Carrott's Lib'' and ''Jackanory''. Early life Wilton studied Englis ...

, actor and scriptwriter who has appeared in shows including

EastEnders ''EastEnders'' is a British television soap opera created by Julia Smith (producer), Julia Smith and Tony Holland which has been broadcast on BBC One since February 1985. Set in the fictional borough of Walford in the East End of London, the ...

* Marcus Sedgwick, a British writer and illustrator Academia *Dr

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, Physicist, Senior Tutor at Clare College, Cambridge and Emeritus Lecturer in Physics at Cambridge University. * Professor John Hartley, Director of the Centre for Culture and Technology at Curtin University in Western Australia and Professor of Journalism, Media and Cultural Studies at Cardiff University. *

Richard Ovenden Richard Ovenden FRHistS (; born 25 March 1964) is a British librarian and author. He currently serves as the 25th Bodley's Librarian in the University of Oxford, having been appointed in 2014. He is also the current head of the University of Ox ...

, Bodley's Librarian at the

Bodleian Library The Bodleian Library () is the main research library of the University of Oxford. Founded in 1602 by Sir Thomas Bodley, it is one of the oldest libraries in Europe. With over 13 million printed items, it is the second-largest library in ...

Medicine *Professor

Donald Longmore Donald Bernard Longmore, OBE, FRCSEd, FRCR (9 June 1928 – 31 October 2023) was a British consultant surgeon and clinical physiologist. He was one of the team who performed the first heart transplant in the United Kingdom. Biography Donald ...

OBE, who was one of the team that performed the UK's first heart transplant Engineering *

Hayne Constant Hayne Constant, CB, CBE., MA., FRAeS., FRS, (26 September 1904 – 12 January 1968) was an English mechanical and aeronautical engineer who developed jet engines during World War II. Education Constant was born at Gravesend, the son of Frede ...

, a mechanical and aeronautical engineer who developed jet engines during WWII *

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, a British artist, materials engineer and Director of the

Institute of Making The Institute of Making is a multidisciplinary research club based at University College London. Composed of the Materials Library and the MakeSpace, its work focuses on hands-on research into materials and making from many different perspectives ...

University College London University College London (Trade name, branded as UCL) is a Public university, public research university in London, England. It is a Member institutions of the University of London, member institution of the Federal university, federal Uni ...

Journalism * Jonathan Beale, BBC Defence Correspondent since 2017 Sport *

Tammy Beaumont Tamsin Tilley Beaumont (born 11 March 1991) is an English cricketer who currently plays as an opening batter and occasional wicket-keeper for the national team. She is second on list of most international centuries and third on ODI centuries ...

, England international cricketer and world number 1 female batter in 2021 *

Melanie Clewlow Melanie "Mel" Clewlow (born 7 May 1976 in Dover, Kent) is an English field hockey player. She was a member of the England and Great Britain squads. She made her international debut in 1996, and was part of the England squad that won silver in ...

, England international hockey player * Eugene Gilkes, Commonwealth athlete representing England at 1986 and 1990 games. Bronze medal winner in 1990. * Keith Stock, pole-vaulter who competed at the 1984 Olympics Clergy *Rt Rev John Kingsmill Cavell,

Bishop of Southampton The Bishop of Southampton is an episcopal title used by a suffragan bishop of the Church of England Diocese of Winchester, in the Province of Canterbury, England. The title takes its name after the city of Southampton in Hampshire. The suffraga ...

from 1972 to 1984 Politics * William Brown, Labour MP from 1929 to 1931 for Wolverhampton West and from 1942 to 1950 for

Rugby Rugby may refer to: Sport * Rugby football in many forms: ** Rugby union: 15 players per side *** American flag rugby *** Beach rugby *** Mini rugby *** Rugby sevens, 7 players per side *** Rugby tens, 10 players per side *** Snow rugby *** Tou ...

* Sir Robin Knowles CBE, High Court judge

References

External links

Sir Roger Manwood's School website