Bablake School

Last updated

Bablake School
Bablake School.svg
Address
Bablake School
Coundon Road

Bablake
Coventry
,
West Midlands
,
CV1 4AU

England
Coordinates 52°24′49″N1°31′17″W / 52.4137°N 1.5214°W / 52.4137; -1.5214
Information
Type Private day school
MottoSpiritus Vicis
(The Spirit of Opportunity)
Established1344;680 years ago (1344)
FounderIsabella of France
Local authorityCoventry
ChairCoventry School Foundation
HeadmasterMr Andrew Wright
GenderCo-educational mixed
Age3to 19
Enrolment719
HousesBayley, Crow, Fairfax, Wheatley
Colour(s)   Maroon and gold
Website http://www.bablake.com/

Bablake School is a secondary co-educational private day school located in Coventry, England. It was founded in 1344 by Isabella of France, widow of Edward II, making it one of the oldest schools in the United Kingdom. It is a part of the Coventry School Foundation, a registered charity, [1] along with King Henry VIII School, King Henry VIII Preparatory School and Cheshunt School. As of January 2021, Bablake is a selective, fee-charging independent school and a member of the HMC.

Contents

History

The school in the 1860s. Gittins BablakeSchool HAGAM.jpg
The school in the 1860s.

Started by Edward II's widow Queen Isabella in 1344, [2] Bablake (or Babbelak in Middle English) was a public school first sited at Hill Street in Coventry. Isabella endowed the Guild of St John with the Babbelak land on which was founded the St John's chapel and the Bablake school linked to it.[ citation needed ] Bablake church, now known as St John's, still stands adjacent to the school's original buildings. The school still holds concerts in the church, and has even sung Evensong there once. [3] Many of the pupils were originally choristers of the church. The relationship continued through the figure of Edward Jackson, who from 1734 was both vicar of the church and headmaster of the school. The expansion of the Bablake site continued via land grants. [2] In the 1890s, Bablake began to move to its current site in Coundon Road, where it continued as a public school with six all-boys boarding houses.

In the 1930s fifty acres of land on Hollyfast Road were purchased to expand the playing fields of the school. During the Second World War, the school was evacuated to Lincoln. In 1975 the first female pupil was admitted. The school had long ceased taking boarders; what had been the bedrooms became the Mathematics department, and the headmaster's house became the Geography department. In the late 1980s the school built its Modern Languages block; a few years later Bablake Junior School opened and in 2000 the English, Drama and Music block was completed, sited on what was originally the headmaster's garden.

In October 2020, it was announced that Bablake would merge with King Henry VIII School. [4] The proposed new school was initially named Coventry School, before backlash from parents and staff led to Bablake and King Henry VIII School being chosen. [5] The combined school was set to open in September 2021. [6] The plan was abandoned during the course of 2021, with the decision to share some facilities and teaching (particularly in the sixth form) between King Henry VIII School and Bablake School. [7] In June 2022, Governors agreed to return to the original name, Bablake School.

List of headmasters

Coat of arms

The arms of Bablake School are those of its benefactor, Thomas Wheatley: Sanguine a Lion Rampant Argent, on a Chief Or, Three Mullets of the second.

Layout

Main school building in the centre, with the English, Drama and Music block and the Language block to the right of the photo; Sixth Form block and Science Quadrant to the left Bablake summer 2007.jpg
Main school building in the centre, with the English, Drama and Music block and the Language block to the right of the photo; Sixth Form block and Science Quadrant to the left

The Bablake site houses two schools: a junior school that takes children between year 3 and year 6, and a senior school that takes children between year 7 and sixth form. Although the junior school is formally independent, its intake generally move up as a group to the senior school. In the main school, there are blocks allocated to specific subjects, such as science, music, drama and English combined, and a languages block. The main school building contains rooms for history, geography, computer science, art, design & technology and maths. The school has a swimming pool and indoor sporting facilities on site including an indoor artificial climbing wall and fully equipped gym. It also has four tennis courts, which are used as netball courts at other times in the year. Off site there are six rugby pitches, hockey astroturf (with floodlights) and three cricket squares. The cricket pavilion, which housed the changing rooms, was hit by lightning on 28 June 2005, and was out of use until spring 2006. In the EDM – English/Drama/Music block – there is a large theatre and a rehearsal room which are both used for plays and music recitals.

Houses

House nameEstablishmentRetiredRe-establishedCrestHouse colours
Wheatley1563n/an/aSanguine a Stag's Head OrMaroon and gold
Billing1894 ?n/a
Crow1894n/an/aSable a Corvus ArgentBlack and white (later navy blue and purple)
Baker1896 ?2021
Fairfax1896n/an/aAzure a Crosslet ArgentSky blue and gold
Bayley1900n/an/aGules a Motte ArgentRed and white

Notable former pupils

Former students, known as "Old Wheatleyans", include:

Appearances in the media

Part of the 2009 Christmas film Nativity! was filmed at the school. [8] [9]

The first three episodes of the 2019 BBC Two series Back in Time for School , covering the period from 1895 to 1959, were filmed at the school. [10]

See also

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Year 1344 (MCCCXLIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Julian calendar.

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References

  1. ↑ "Coventry School Foundation, registered charity no. 528961". Charity Commission for England and Wales.
  2. 1 2 "History | Bablake School". www.bablake.com. Retrieved 2 December 2020.
  3. ↑ "Choral Evensong At St John's". www.bablake.com. Retrieved 2 December 2020.
  4. ↑ Souza, Naomi de (2 October 2020). "Two historic Coventry schools announce they are merging". CoventryLive. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  5. ↑ Souza, Naomi de (14 January 2021). "New name revealed in private schools merger". CoventryLive. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  6. ↑ "Bablake and King Henry VIII to merge into a single all-through school in 2021". Coventry Observer. 2 October 2020. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  7. ↑ Coventry Observer. "Campaigners welcome U-turn in controversial KHVIII and Bablake merger plans – but vision for 'one school' remains". Coventry Observer. Retrieved 10 March 2023.
  8. ↑ McMullen, Marion (20 November 2009). "How Nativity! turned Coventry into a film star". CoventryLive. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
  9. ↑ "5 Star 'Nativity' opens!". www.bablake.com. 27 November 2009. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
  10. ↑ Hainey, Fionnula (10 January 2019). "BBC's Back In Time For School puts Cov back in the spotlight". CoventryLive. Retrieved 19 October 2020.

Further reading

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