Ellesmere College
Ellesmere College | |
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Latin: "Pro Patria Dimicans" (Striving for one's country) | |
Religious affiliation(s) | Church of England |
Established | 1879 |
Founder | Canon Nathaniel Woodard |
Local authority | Shropshire |
Department for Education URN | 123600 Tables |
Gender | Coeducational |
Age | 7 to 18 |
Enrolment | 550 |
Song | Jerusalem |
Publication | The Ellesmerian |
Website | http://www.ellesmere.com |
Ellesmere College is a fee-charging
The Woodard Corporation is a significant charity. Today, Woodard educates over 30,000 pupils across academy, private, and state-maintained schools.
The College consists of a
History
The College was founded in 1879 by Canon Nathaniel Woodard as a boys' school in association with the Church of England, with the 114-acre (460,000 m2) land being provided by Lord Brownlow. Originally called St. Oswald's School, the building was designed by Richard Carpenter and Benjamin Ingelow, and the College opened on 5 August 1884 with 70 boys and four masters. The College-based itself on Anglo-Catholic values within a traditional public school framework, with the aim of providing education at a low cost for the sons of families with limited finances.
Despite the school's Christian foundation, there was no permanent
During World War II, the College stored a number of notable paintings from the Walker Art Gallery including Dante's Dream. Additionally, in 1978, the College became the location for the filming of Absolution, starring Richard Burton and was also the first film role for Billy Connolly, though the chapel scenes were filmed at Pinewood and Bradfield College.
Since 1980, the College has been home to a Schulze Organ, originally installed at St Mary's Parish Church, Tyne Dock.[3]
Coat of Arms
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Arms were granted to "Saint Mary and Saint Nicholas Corporation Trustee" for the use of Ellesmere College on 12 April 1954, the cost of the grant being met by the Old Boys' Association. The grant is kept displayed in a case fastened to the wall of ante-chapel.
The
The shield, crest and motto are all connected to the saintly
Ellesmere College Lower School
Key Stage 2
The academic curriculum for
Pupils are assessed at the beginning of the academic year, and targets are consistently set. Each pupil is tracked regularly through in-class assessments in English, Mathematics and Science. Thus, at the end of Year 6, pupils have a smooth and seamless transition into Year 7.
Key Stage 3
During Key Stage 3 (Ages 11–13), classes continue to be taught by subject specialists and the students' form tutor provides pastoral care and monitors progress regularly. Progress and effort attainment grades (period grades) are reported twice a term, and reflect progress in each topic. Parents are reported to every term through a parents' meeting or a written report, and regular assessment alongside clear communication ensures that progress is closely monitored and appropriate targets are set.
Ellesmere College Middle School
The curriculum is streamlined from Year 9 to Year 10 with the focus placed upon courses leading to
Ellesmere College Sixth Form
The Sixth Form offers full-time courses for over 200 students which includes the
A-Levels
Ellesmere College's
International Baccalaureate
Students undertaking the IB Diploma Programme are required to study six subjects; three at Higher Level and three at Standard Level. These subjects typically include a mix of Language & Literature, Sciences, Mathematics, Humanities, Arts, and a range of other elective subjects alongside a second language. In addition to the aforementioned, there are three more obligatory components: an Extended Essay, Theory of Knowledge and Creativity Activity Service (CAS).
BTEC National Diploma
Ellesmere College provides an alternative to A-Level P.E. with the BTEC National Diploma and Extended Diploma in Sport, which is an applied general qualification which is equivalent to two A-Levels. It has been designed as part of a two-year programme ideal for students who wish to pursue a course that specialises in sport, health and fitness, and can also be combined with one other A-Level.
Music at Ellesmere
Ellesmere College offers
Ellesmere College's instrumental teaching staff currently teaches over 120 students on a wide range of instruments including voice, piano, organ, guitar, drums, strings, harp, woodwind, and brass. Ellesmere College hosts the Associated Board for exam sessions termly, meaning students can take their exams in familiar surroundings. The instrumental lessons can be arranged by the Director of Music.
Singing is an area of real excellence, and students are given the opportunity to participate in four possible choirs; all of whom rehearse and perform regularly. This approach ensures a sufficient challenge for all students and provides a thorough preparation for choral scholarships at University. There are also a wide range of instrumental ensembles available such as the Lower School Band, Clarinet Quartet, Saxophone Quartet, Flute Choir, Tom-Tom Club, and lower strings ensemble.
Drama
There are numerous drama projects in rehearsal and production every term at Ellesmere. Some are pupil directed, and use groups of students in 'playwright' productions such as the annual House Play Festival. There are also weekly drama clubs provided throughout the year, and specific year groups are all given the opportunity to perform.
The Senior School Play performed in the Easter Term is open to all pupils in Year 11 and Sixth Form, and either a musical or two direct productions are performed biannually (one of which is taken on tour to the U.S.A.). As part of the drama course, there are frequent visits to professional theatres, but there is also a termly 'open' theatre trip available for all Sixth Form students.
Year 9 and 10 have a regular Shakespeare slot, and often participate in the Shakespeare Schools Festival. They also perform frequently and attend workshops at professional theatres. The GCSE Drama and AS/A-Level Drama & Theatre studies courses, alongside the International Baccalaureate Theatre Arts course, produce end-of-year shows in which the high quality of their performance work is demonstrated for examination purposes.
A selection of students from the Year 9-13 year groups are given the opportunity to visit the Tabor Academy in Massachusetts as part of their Easter break, following the successful visit of the Academy to the College where they performed their production 'Lucky Me', which was impressively written, produced and acted by students of the Academy.
The studio theatre is run by a professional theatre technician who works in conjunction with a pupil stage crew who learn to light, stage manage and run complex shows as a tightly knit team of hard-working technicians. Script writing competitions are open to the students on an annual basis, and our most gifted students are encouraged towards summer schools of excellence, such as the National Youth Theatre.
Combined Cadet Force (CCF)
The Combined Cadet Force (CCF) within Ellesmere College comprises three sections (Royal Navy, British Army and Royal Air Force), and is led under the overall command of Lt. Col. M.P. Clewlow.
During term time, CCF training takes place on a Thursday afternoon with all three sections offering a variety of activities to the cadets. These activities enable them to acquire useful life skills, develop their leadership and management capabilities and use their initiative in unfamiliar and challenging environments. Camps and courses throughout the year enable cadets to build upon this weekly training, enabling the consolidation of the many skills learnt in different Ministry of Defence establishments and training facilities across the UK.
Expeditions
The popularity of the outdoor pursuit programmes at the College leads naturally to a programme of expeditions both within the United Kingdom and beyond. Recent overseas expeditions have included canoeing in France, alongside treks in Guyana and the High Atlas Mountains in Morocco and Ecuador.
Duke of Edinburgh Award
Cadets have the opportunity to pursue the Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme (Bronze, Silver and Gold) through the CCF via a dedicated adventurous training camp at Easter.
- Volunteering
- Physical
- Skills
- Expedition
There is an additional fifth Residential section at Gold Level.
Pastoral Care
Day pupils and boarders alike benefit from a team of tutors and a 'housemother' who are all marshalled by a
All pupils are required to attend Chapel services that take place during the school days. Where services are shown in the calendar as weekend attendance, it is compulsory for pupils resident in College at that time to attend, but voluntary for others. However, attendance at Confirmation Services is voluntary for all.
Boarding
The school has seven boarding houses which mostly have single and twin rooms, but there are also some larger multi-bedded rooms available.
St. Cuthbert's & St. Patrick's - Boys - Ages 13-16
There are two boarding houses dedicated to Middle School boys; St. Cuthbert's and St. Patrick's.
St. Aidan's - Girls - Ages 13-16
St. Aidan's is a boarding house for Middle School girls.
St. Bede's & St. Luke's - Boys - Ages 16-18
There are two Sixth Form boys boarding houses; St. Bede's and St. Luke's.
St. Oswald's & St. Hilda's - Girls - Ages 16-18
St. Oswald's & St. Hilda's are both Sixth Form girls boarding houses.
Sports Academies
Ellesmere College has seven different academies to help young players achieve their full potential, and many who have joined Ellesmere College's academies have gone on to represent their county and country.[6]
Scholarships & Bursaries
Ellesmere College has a long tradition of recognising talent and supporting students for whom the full fees would prove a barrier to entry. As a result, a wide variety of scholarships, exhibitions and awards are available, plus means-tested bursaries can be offered to further supplement these awards.
Scholarships
Academic Award
Scholarships and Exhibitions are awarded each year as a result of a candidate's performance in examinations across a range of academic subjects; the examination may be supplemented by an interview and other assessment methods. These awards are worth up to a maximum of 50% of the school fees.
An academic scholar will be of a standard that would lead to As & A*s or Level 8 and 9 equivalent at GCSE.
The Ellesmerian
The Ellesmerian is an annual magazine that details all of the activity at the College throughout the academic year. It contains the following reports:
- Headmaster's Summary
- Prize Winners
- Common Room Arrivals/Departures
- Chapel Notes
- Competitive House Reports
- Lower School/Middle School/Sixth Form Reports
- University Destinations
- CCF/DofE Reports
- Arts Summaries (including Music, Drama, Art, Design & Technology, Dance...)
- News Stories
- Charity Work
- Parents' Society Report
- Old Ellesmerian Updates
- Sports Reports from Every Term
- Sports Academy Reports
The Ellesmerian is available digitally and by print.
Sport
Ellesmere College has been recognised as an Athlete Friendly Education Centre (AFEC) by the World Academy of Sport (WAoS) in recognition of the way it helps student-athletes on the International Baccalaureate course balance sport and education as they follow an athletic pathway concurrently with their studies. Ellesmere College is one of only 22 schools in the world to receive this accreditation.[7]
Headmasters
- J. Bullock (1884 - 1890)
- J. Harrison (1890 - 1894)
- J. Beviss Thompson (1894 - 1903)
- E. Illiff Robson (1903 - 1907)
- H. Woolsey (1907 - 1910)
- T.H. Hedworth (1910 - 1927)
- A.V. Billen (1927 - 1935)
- R.A. Evans-Prosser (1935 - 1961)
- I.D.S. Beer (1961 - 1969)
- D.J. Skipper (1969 - 1982)
- F.E. Maidment (1982 - 1988)
- D.R. Du Cros (1988 - 1996)
- B.J. Wignall (1996 – 2024)
Ellesmere College's last headmaster, Mr. Brendan Wignall, was recognised in National Awards, being named one of the UK's best leaders of a public school, and was shortlisted in the best Headmaster category at the Tatler School Awards 2017.[8]
Notable Old Ellesmerians
Former pupils of Ellesmere College are referred to as "Old Ellesmerians".
- Martin Aitchison – Illustrator of over 70 Ladybird Books
- Freya Anderson, freestyle swimmer and Olympic gold medalist
- Sir Bill Beaumont – Chair of World Rugby and Captain of the British Lions
- Ralph Benjamin – NATO and member of Defence Scientific Advisory Council
- John Brunt – World War II recipient of the Victoria Cross
- Michael Chapman – Archdeacon of Northampton
- Noel Davies – Chief Executive of Vickers Shipbuilding & Engineering Ltd
- Paul Dean, Baron Dean of Harptree – Conservative Member of Parliament
- Robert Godwin – author
- Lady Edwina Grosvenor – prison reformer and founder of The Clink Restaurants[citation needed]
- Hugh Grosvenor - 7th Duke of Westminster
- Frederick Harvey – Ireland rugby player and World War I recipient of the Victoria Cross
- Chris Hawkins – DJ, television and radio presenter and reporter
- David Henderson – Chief Economist, OECD.
- Guy Home – Cricketer
- Michael Howard – Musician
- Peter Jones – actor, broadcaster and screenwriter
- Elfric Wells Chalmers Kearney – Australian inventor and railway engineer
- Mark Keyworth – rugby player
- James King – rugby player
- Dave Manby – slalom canoeist
- Peter McEnery – actor
- Chris Moncrieff – journalist
- Grenville Morris – footballer
- Marty Natalegawa – Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs
- Bryan Oates – film editor who worked on The Killing Fields, The Mission and Roger Rabbit
- Dewi Penrhyn Jones – professional cricketer
- Reginald Ryder – professional cricketer
- Frank Swindell – Archdeacon of Singapore
- Huw Thomas – broadcaster, ITN newscaster, barrister and Liberal Party politician
- Harry Herbert Trusted– British Colonial Attorney-General and Chief Justice
References
- ^ "History - Ellesmere College".
- ^ "Midlands News: Fire at Ellesmere College". Mace Archive. Retrieved 12 November 2019.
- JSTOR 961373.
- ^ "Ellesmere College". Heraldry of the World. Retrieved 14 February 2023.
- ^ "School Music Award 2018 Winner". Education Business Awards. Retrieved 10 December 2019.
- ^ "Ellesmere College Sport". Ellesmere College. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
- ^ "World Academy of Sport: School Finder". World Academy of Sport: World Sport's Education Partner. Retrieved 10 December 2019.
- ^ "Tatler Schools Awards 2017-2018 Winner List". Tatler. 11 September 2017. Retrieved 10 December 2019.