King James's School, Almondbury

Last updated

King James's School
Address
King James's School, Almondbury
Saint Helen's Gate

, ,
HD4 6SG

England
Coordinates 53°37′46″N1°44′32″W / 53.629397°N 1.742277°W / 53.629397; -1.742277
Information
Type Academy
Established1547;477 years ago (1547)
(royal charter, 1608)
Local authority Kirklees
Department for Education URN 138706 Tables
Ofsted Reports
PrincipalIan Rimmer
Gender Coeducational
Age11to 16
Website www.kingjames.org.uk

King James's School is a coeducational secondary school located in Almondbury in the English county of West Yorkshire. [1]

Contents

History

The school library 'The Big' (left) and headmaster's study (right) Almondbury Grammar School - geograph.org.uk - 365468.jpg
The school library 'The Big' (left) and headmaster's study (right)

King James's Grammar School [2] was founded as chantry school in 1547 and received its name and a royal charter in 1608 thanks to the efforts of three men who travelled on horseback to London to get a royal charter from the king. They rode from Farnley Tyas, the nearby village, having been sent to London to get the charter by the local wealthy men from Almondbury who wanted a local school for their offspring to visit. Extensions were made to the school by William Swinden Barber between 1880 and 1883, [3] in 1938/9 and 1963, [4] and in 2022. [5]

The grammar school era ended in 1976 when it became a comprehensive school: King James's School. The school was designated a specialist Science College in 2004. In September 2012 the school converted to academy status. The current principal is Ian Rimmer.

The school today

King James's School is a comprehensive secondary school with a catchment area that includes Almondbury, Dalton, Grange Moor, Kirkheaton and Lepton. [6] The school offers GCSEs, BTECs and Cambridge Nationals as programmes of study for pupils. [7]

The school made headlines in 2017 after the issuing of its new rule book which contained 40 new rules. These rules claim students were not allowed to smile, look out of the window or use words such as 'dunno' when the school were approached for a comment on their new rules; they declined to comment. Various news sites titled the school 'Britain's strictest school.' [8]

In Easter of 2022, a new building on site was completed after numerous delays in order to accommodate the new students who were previously situated at a different site following the closure of Almondbury Community School. [9]

Publications

The school is the subject of two histories: A History of King James's Grammar School in Almondbury (author: Gerald Hinchliffe) and King James's School in Almondbury: An Illustrated History [4] (editors: Roger Dowling and John Hargreaves).

A book Morning Assembly [10] (editor: Roger Dowling; text: Harry Taylor/Andrew Taylor) gives a detailed account of the life of former headmaster Harry Taylor together with a compilation in facsimile form of some 100 prayers collected by Harry Taylor for use each day at morning assembly.

A book No Beating about the Bush [11] (editor: Roger Dowling) gives a diary-style account of the final teaching year of Head of Latin and deputy Headmaster David Bush.

Notable former pupils

King James's Grammar School

Cover of Report Book from King James's Grammar School Almondbury (student's name redacted) Kjgs-report-cover.png
Cover of Report Book from King James's Grammar School Almondbury (student's name redacted)
King James's Grammar School custom colour-coded exercise book c. 1972. Chemistry was dark blue, physics (shown here) cream, and so on. Kjgs-physics-book.jpg
King James's Grammar School custom colour-coded exercise book c.1972. Chemistry was dark blue, physics (shown here) cream, and so on.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Huddersfield New College</span> Sixth form college in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England

Huddersfield New College is a former grammar school and current sixth form college located in Salendine Nook on the outskirts of Huddersfield, in the county of West Yorkshire, England. The current principal is Doctor Alban. On 30 November 2023 the college was assessed as 'Good' following an OFSTED review

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Felix Aylmer</span> English actor (1889–1979)

Sir Felix Edward Aylmer Jones, OBE was an English stage actor who also appeared in the cinema and on television. Aylmer made appearances in films with comedians such as Will Hay and George Formby.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Borden Grammar School</span> Grammar school in Sittingbourne, Kent, England

Borden Grammar School is a grammar school with academy status in Sittingbourne, Kent, England, which educates boys aged 11–18. A small number of girls have also been admitted to the Sixth Form. The school holds specialist status in sports.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Watford Grammar School for Boys</span> 11–18 boys partially selective academy in Watford, Hertfordshire, England

Watford Grammar School for Boys is an 11–18 boys partially selective academy in Watford in Hertfordshire, England. The school and its sister school, Watford Grammar School for Girls, descend from a Free School founded as a charity school for boys and girls by Elizabeth Fuller in 1704.

James Pounder Whitney was a British ecclesiastical historian.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Almondbury</span> Village in West Yorkshire, England

Almondbury is a village 2 miles (3.2 km) south-east of Huddersfield town centre in the Kirklees district, of West Yorkshire, England. The population of Almondbury in 2001 was 7,368 increasing to 18,346 at the 2011 census.

Sudbury Grammar School was a boys' grammar school in Sudbury, Suffolk. The school was founded in 1491. In 1972, the school was amalgamated with other local schools to form Sudbury Upper School.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West London College</span> Further and higher education college in Hammersmith, London, England

West London College, legally known as the Ealing, Hammersmith and West London College is a large further and higher education college in West London, England, formed in 2002 by the merger between Ealing Tertiary College and Hammersmith and West London College. It is based across three campuses located in Ealing, Hammersmith and Southall; the main campus of the college is situated on the north side of the busy A4 dual-carriageway, between Hammersmith and Earls Court. There are over 13,000 students as of 2016, providing training and development from entry level to postgraduate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Altrincham Grammar School for Boys</span> Grammar school in Altrincham, Greater Manchester, England

Altrincham Grammar School for Boys is a boys' grammar school in Altrincham, Greater Manchester, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hall Cross Academy</span> Academy in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England

Hall Cross Academy, is a co-educational academy in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England.

Richard Taunton Sixth Form College, until 2012 called Taunton's College, is a sixth form college in Upper Shirley, Southampton attended by approximately 1000 students.

Hull Grammar School was a secondary school in Hull, England, founded around 1330 and endowed in 1479 by the prelate John Alcock. In 1988, as part of a restructure by the Local Education Authority, the site was renamed William Gee School. Meanwhile, Hull Grammar School relocated to the old Marist College site on Cottingham Road, becoming a fee paying school in 1989, only to merge with Hull High School in 2005 to form the Hull Collegiate School.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bedford High School, Leigh</span> Comprehensive school for boys and girls in the Bedford area of Leigh, Greater Manchester, England

Bedford High School is a coeducational secondary school in the Bedford area of Leigh, Greater Manchester, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hele's School, Exeter</span> Grammar school comprehensive school in Exeter, Devon, England

Hele's School was a boys' grammar school, and latterly a comprehensive school, in the city of Exeter, Devon, England.

Holgate School was a state school in Barnsley, South Yorkshire, England. It was closed in 2012, when it was merged with The Kingstone School to form Horizon Community College. After Holgate closed, it was demolished and the site was turned into a car park for Horizon Community College.

Peter James Marshall is a British historian known for his work on the British Empire, particularly the activities of British East India Company servants in 18th-century Bengal, and also the history of British involvement in North America during the same period. He is not to be confused with his contemporary, the other P. J. Marshall, who chronicled the history of public transport in the British Isles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wallingford Grammar School</span> Grammar school in Wallingford, Oxfordshire, England

Wallingford Grammar School was a grammar school in the town of Wallingford, Oxfordshire, England, succeeded by Wallingford School when comprehensive education was introduced in 1973.

Burnley Grammar School was latterly, a state-funded selective boys grammar school, situated in Byron Street in Burnley, Lancashire. However, during its long history, it moved between a number of sites in the town.

Rotherham Grammar School was a boys' grammar school in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England.

Wyggeston Grammar School for Boys was a grammar school in Leicester, England, in existence from 1876 to 1976.

References

  1. "King James School". www.kingjames.org.uk.
  2. "King James's School home page". Archived from the original on 23 May 2010.
  3. Historic England. "Entrance block and extensions to north and north west at King James Grammar School (1232192)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 1 March 2014.
  4. 1 2 Dowling, Roger (2008). King James's School in Almondbury: An illustrated history 1608-2008. The Old Almondburians' Society. ISBN   9780955731402.
  5. Rimmer, Ian. "From the Study". The Almondburian. July 2022: 6-7. Retrieved 7 March 2023.
  6. "King James School". Archived from the original on 15 February 2015.
  7. "Course Information 2". Archived from the original on 15 February 2015.
  8. "'Britain's strictest school' bans looking out the window... and smirking". 11 September 2017.
  9. Earnshaw, Tony (13 November 2021). "Delayed school extension leaves pupils split between sites for months". YorkshireLive. Retrieved 8 March 2022.
  10. Taylor, Harry (2012). Morning Assembly. The Old Almondburians' Society. ISBN   9780955731419.
  11. Bush, David A. (2020). No Beating about the Bush. The OldAlmondburians' Society. ISBN   9780955731426.
  12. "George Beharrell - Graces Guide". www.gracesguide.co.uk.
  13. Cowling, Elizabeth (11 September 2016). "Alex Danchev obituary". The Guardian via www.theguardian.com.

Further reading