Lawrence Sheriff School (LSS) is a boys' grammar school in Rugby, Warwickshire, England. The school is named after Lawrence Sheriff, the Elizabethan founder of Rugby School. The school was founded in 1878, in order to continue Sheriff's original bequest for a free grammar school for the boys of Rugby and surrounding villages, which had originally been fulfilled by Rugby School, until the latter moved to become a fee-paying public school in the 19th century. The school's name is often shortened to 'LSS', or often just 'Sheriff'. The school has historically run in partnership with Rugby High School for Girls, a nearby grammar school.
Lawrence Sheriff School was founded to fulfill Lawrence Sheriff's original intentions to provide a school for the boys of Rugby and neighbouring Brownsover, which was originally carried out by Rugby School. By the eighteenth century, Rugby School had acquired a national reputation as a public school and moved to its present site.
As the proportion of pupils from outside Rugby increased and the people of the town seemed to benefit less from Lawrence Sheriff's original bequest, local concern led to the nineteenth-century proposal of a Lower School for local boys, with Foundation Scholarships to the Great School. It was proposed to become "a first rate school for the sons of tradesmen and middle classes". Although the proposal faced substantial local opposition,[2] the Lower School was opened in 1878 on the present site of Lawrence Sheriff School with a curriculum designed to meet the needs of a commercial education and preparation for Rugby School. By 1906, a compromise between the traditions of the Foundation and a proposal to hand the school over to the county, led to a Governing body chaired by the Headmaster of Rugby School and containing both Foundation and County Governors. The school was built on what before was glebe land named Market Field, at what was the east limit of the built-up area of Rugby.[3]
Second World War
Due to the need for maximum food production within Britain during the Second World War, unproductive land (sports fields, large ornamental gardens, parks, golf courses, etc.) was requisitioned for farming or allotment gardens. In this period, the School Field and a third of the Hart Field were used in the grass growing season for sheep grazing but remained in school sport use. Most of the rest of the Hart Field was ploughed and used for growing wheat, except a strip along the bottom edge border that was used for allotment gardens; that border was adjacent to existing allotment gardens which were outside the school property. Approximately one third of the school's sixth form lost their lives during the war.[citation needed]
At the time the school opened, it was on the outskirts of Rugby town, which in 1878 was much smaller than now. The original building (now called Big School), was extended in 1909 with side wings (now used for Art and MFL) on each side. The school continued to grow with several extensions, including the Jubilee Wings (1926 and 1934), the library wing (1957), and major expansion in the early 1960s, which included new biology labs and a new gymnasium. Big School was badly damaged by a fire in 1980, but was immediately restored. The school organ was damaged beyond repair and was replaced.[4]
In September 2014 Lawrence Sheriff School converted to academy status, thus ending its status as a voluntary aided school.[citation needed]
Present day
Lawrence Sheriff School is now the selective boys' grammar school for Rugby and the surrounding area. The school also has an old boys society: the Old Laurentians.
The school has been expanded greatly in the last fifteen years with the construction of a new sixth form centre and the conversion of Penrhos House, originally the sixth form common room, into a Music block, as well as the construction of a new Learning Resources Centre, and a new Science Block.
Sport
The school owns a playing field, Hart Field, a mile away east-southeastwards, with five Rugby pitches and changing rooms. Over the school year of 2009, the field was regenerated with new pitches created, including an Astroturf field, a new block of changing rooms, cricket nets and levelled playing fields.
In 2008, 2010 and 2011 the school came first in national performance tables based upon data from the Department for Education (schools were ranked by their total points score in examinations). In 2012 it came fourth in the country and in 2013 it came seventh out of 3,200 secondary schools.
In 2013 75% of boys gained the English Baccalaurate. Comparing this to local selective schools in the area 87% of King Edward VI pupils, 73% of Bablake pupils, 66% of Rugby High School pupils and 64% of Rugby School pupils gained the certificate.[citation needed]
In 2014 97% of boys gained the English Baccalaurate, placing the school third in the country according to the performance tables published in the Daily Telegraph on Thursday 29 January. The same table showed that the school's average points score placed it fifteenth in the country.[5]
In January 2009 the school achieved an average point score of 792,[6] whilst in January 2011 it came top again, with an average point score of 757.4.[7]
Recent changes
Lawrence Sheriff School: two new buildings spreading into the School Field, 25 June 2008
The school operates a vertical tutoring system, in which forms consist of students from each year group. This was implemented to allow older students to mentor and support younger students. It also provides tutors with increased opportunities to support individual students and to check their progress more closely.[8]
The school is partnering with Lutterworth High School in order to sponsor a primary school in the area. However, Peter Kent, the school's previous headmaster, stated that the new school will not become a feeder school for Lawrence Sheriff.[9]
In September 2020, a new house, named Kent house after the longest-serving headteacher Peter Kent, was introduced. As of April 2024, Kent house has members in Year 7 to 10 and 12 to 13.
A new science building was completed in 2021. Following this, the Art department has taken over rooms previously used for sciences.
Historically, the positions of head boy and, once the sixth form became mixed, head girl were filled through a competitive election cycle including speeches and teacher and student voting. The head student position was abolished in 2021.
There are five houses: Caldecott (Purple), Simpson (Green), Tait (Red), Wheeler (Blue) and Kent (Yellow). There are many inter-house competitions between the five. These competitions can range from sports or academic competitions. At the end of each year, the house with the most points for each competition wins a trophy. In 2020, Kent house was established to fit the increasing number of students being admitted.
Wheeler house was renamed from "School House" in 1963.
Tait house was named after a local auctioneer and parent- Edwin Tait. In 1891, an altercation broke out between Mr Tait and the headmaster Mr Weisse over the flogging of his son. The situation was resolved and Mr Tait subsequently presented a cup for the Champion Athlete.[12]
Kent house was named after Professor Peter Kent, the previous headmaster who departed the school at the end of the 2021 autumn term. Professor Kent recently spoke at COP28.
Local Government Ombudsman Report
On 19 May 2014 the school was found at fault by the Local Government Ombudsman for failing to provide an appeal to a child whose place was withdrawn for 2013 entry.[13]
Harassment against the school
In 2015 at the Coventry County Court, the School successfully applied for an injunction against a parent who for many years harassed senior members of the school through a number of different channels. The judge ruled that the parent had "crossed the boundary between unattractive or unreasonable conduct to conduct, which is, indeed, oppressive and unacceptable. It has plainly involved a deliberate and persistent course of, in my view, unreasonable and oppressive conduct, which was calculated to, and did, cause alarm, fear or distress…”[14]
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