Poole Grammar School
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| Poole Grammar School | |
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| Motto | Finis Opus Coronat (The End Crowns the Work) |
| Established | 1904 |
| Type | Grammar School |
| Head Master | Ian Carter BSc, C.Biol, MI.Biol., FRSA |
| Location | Gravel Hill Poole Dorset BH21 England  |
| LEA | Poole |
| Staff | 100 (approx.) |
| Students | 960 |
| Gender | Boys |
| Ages | 13 to 18 |
| School colours | Forest Green & Golden
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| Former pupils | Old Grammarians |
| Website | http://www.poolegrammar.com/ |
Poole Grammar School (commonly abbreviated to "PGS") is a heavily oversubscribed[1], selective, all boys school in Poole, on the south coast of Britain. The school moved to its current site, between Broadstone and Canford Heath on Gravel Hill (A349) on October 11, 1966. It was originally in Seldown, in the centre of the town, where it was founded in 1904.
The school is viewed as one of the premier mathematics and Computer Science schools in the country and is thus sponsored by the Specialist Schools Trust to engage the local and international community with its work.
Its alumni include Edgar F. Codd, the inventor of the relational database and a recipient of the Turing Award, and Richard Oakes, guitarist in the now defunct band Suede.
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[edit] Overview
Poole Grammar has in attendance 960 boys, aged 13 to 18 from the surrounding area. To enter the school students must sit four exams testing Maths, English, Verbal and Non-Verbal reasoning.
Excellence in the fields of sport or arts is not grounds for special admission, however many of the schools pupils compete at county and national level, or go on to study at distinguished film schools, conservatories and art houses.
Most boys continue their studies at University, with around a quarter attending one of the 'G5' Universities.(Oxford, Cambridge, UCL, LSE, Imperial College).
[edit] Uniform
Poole Grammar employs a strict uniform policy in the Lower and Upper School. Lower School students are expected to wear a green blazer with the option of a jumper, grey or black trousers and a white or grey shirt. The Upper School have the option of wearing green jumper without a blazer.
Once entering the Sixth Form, students may wear their own clothes, though these must still include a shirt and tie, smart trousers and either brown or black shoes.
For sport the boys require a white t-shirt, the school's rugby shirt, black shorts and bottle green football socks. When attending Science classes the boys are expected to be dressed in a long white lab coat.
[edit] Prefects
Once in the Upper Sixth Form, boys put themselves forward to become Prefects. The head prefect is the Head Boy with two deputies. Prefects have many powers, including the ability to set a member of the Lower School punishments for minor infractions of the school's rules. The Prefects have their own lounge which only there are allowed into and may decorate as they see fit.
Prefects are voted on by the Council of Teachers and must have an outstanding academic, sporting and behavioural history.
The prefects do not have to wear a special uniform. Prefects attend parents evenings and represent the school on many routine occasions.
[edit] Sports
Sport is a major part of life at Poole Grammar, which has only had 4 Heads of Sport and Physical Education since the school was founded. The school owns large playing fields, adjacent to the main buildings, which are used as football and rugby pitches with two overlapping cricket fields and as a running track during the summer. Pupils also play sports on the school playground, which incorporates basketball and tennis courts.
The two large gyms provide changing facilities, a climbing wall, indoor Volleyball courts and a weights and fitness training room.
The school does well in many sports throughout the year from football to tennis. During the winter term, students participate in rugby during their games lessons. During the spring term the students play football. In the summer term students play a variety of games including cricket, tennis and softball. Most of these sports contain an interform tournament of the sport towards the end of the term.
Pupils competing in Cross country train on the nearby Canford Heath during lunch hour. Though a whole class or even year group may be taken running on the heath as part of regular school training.
[edit] Information Communication Technology and Computing
In year 8 boys learn the basics of Word processing, Spreadsheet software, Web Design and Simple Programming. In year 9 they take a GCSE ICT Short Course which incorporates the skill learnt the previous year. In years 10 and 11 all boys do Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) courses in Word and Excel so that they all have a professional computing qualification. Boys who performed especially well in year 9 GCSE may do AS Level ICT in years 10 and 11, in addition to the MOS courses. In years 12 and 13 Computing is offered as an A Level and if boys who did AS Level early want to, they can complete an A Level in ICT during year 12.
[edit] Music, Art and Drama
Art and Drama are taught in a separate wing of the school with two large Art studios, three practice rooms and a fully functioning Theatre.
The School puts on a play once a year in conjunction with Parkstone Grammar School and opens its Arts Studios once a term for viewings.
[edit] Religion and Philosophy
Through years 8 and 9 all pupils learn Religion and Philosophy and in years 10 and 11 they do a GCSE in Religious Studies. The current head of the subject is Thomas Daffern however he is leaving at the end of the 2007/08 academic year.
[edit] Languages
All students learn French from their first year and choose between German and Spanish from their second year. The school has had great success in teaching modern languages with work and cultural exchanges to the continent. A higher than average percentage of pupils leave Poole Grammar to study languages at University level - a testament to its high level of teaching.
Alongside these core languages students have taken other Classical and Modern Languages in their spare time, under the supervision of a teacher. Latin, Classical Greek, Italian and Modern Hebrew have all been studied at the school in the past five years. Currently a Japanese course is on offer, thanks to the head of Modern Foreign Languages.
The school uses languages labs, video and music technology and art to enhance the students' learning experience.
[edit] Humanities
Students must study Geography and History from their first year until year 9. Poole Grammar has a young and vibrant Geography and Geology Department, housed in a modern extension to the school. School trips include the Jurassic Coast, the Old Town of Poole and Wimborne Minster.
The History Department is made up of older academics, who have served at the school for many years. However their experience has insured that History is one of the more popular subjects at the School.
[edit] Parkstone Grammar
Originally Poole Grammar was the only grammar school in Poole. This quickly filled up so Parkstone Grammar School was opened. At first, both schools took boys and girls, but this was changed by Poole Council who sent boys at Parsktone to Poole and girls at Poole to Parkstone. This started the separation of boys and girls which is still in effect today.
The two grammar schools have very close links as they are 1000 metres apart.
[edit] References
[edit] External links
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