Penistone Grammar School

Penistone Grammar School
North side view with the main entrance
Address
Huddersfield Road Penistone , South Yorkshire , S36 7BX England
Coordinates	53°31′58″N1°38′10″W / 53.5327°N 1.6361°W / 53.5327; -1.6361
Information
Type	Community school Comprehensive school
Mottoes	Disce aut discede (traditional, Learn or Leave) "Never Stop Flying" (current)
Established	1392;632 years ago (1392)
Founder	Thomas Clarel
Local authority	Barnsley
Department for Education URN	106653 Tables
Ofsted	Reports
Headteacher	Paul Crook
Gender	Co-educational
Age	11to 18
Enrolment	1,828
Capacity	1,826
Sixth form students	224
Colour(s)	Red and Black. (Houses: Green – Netherfield, Light Blue – Saunderson, Cyan – Weirfield, Orange – Fulford, Purple – Bowman)
Website	www.penistone-gs.uk

Penistone Grammar School (PGS ^[1] ) is a large co-educational secondary school with a sixth form located in Penistone, South Yorkshire, England. ^[2]

Founded in 1392, it is amongst the oldest extant schools in England, with alumni including Nicholas Saunderson, the probable inventor of Bayes theorem, in the 18th century. ^[3] At various times in its history it has been single-sex and mixed, free and fee-paying, selective and comprehensive, boarding and day. It has undergone several moves and extensions, and today houses around 1,700 pupils from age 11 to 18. ^[4] PGS' Ofsted overall rating is grade 2 ('Good'), following an inspection in February 2023. ^[5]

History

The school was founded as the Free Grammar School of Penistone (then often spelt 'Peniston') in 1392, when it is recorded that a gift of land was made by Thomas Clarel, Lord of the Manor at Penistone, to John Del Rodes "and others". The land, Kirk Flatt, was situated in the town centre on a site opposite St. John the Baptist Church (a site later rebuilt as the Sheffield Union Bank, which later became an HSBC branch, and is today the Vault restaurant). ^[6]

Penistone Grammar School's foundation deed: Thomas Clarel, Dominus (that is Lord) de Peniston in 1392, granted to John del Rodes and others a piece of land in the Kirk-flatt, sicut se extendit et jacet inter quinque lapides per manus predicti Thomas Clarel pro metis positos, with license to grave turf on the Moors of Penistone. ^[6]

Thomas Clarel was born 28 Edward III 1355, and died by drowning in the River Don, 1 May 1442. His will was dated 20 November 1441, and he was buried in the friary church, Tickhill, near the family's hall. ^[7] The school was originally an all-boys grammar school, accepting both boarders and day pupils.

In 1443 the Free Grammar School of Penistone received further bequests and in 1547, after the dissolution of the chantries, the school continued as the free school for the children of Penistone. Following further endowments, the school was rebuilt in 1714.

PGS played a role in creating association football. In 1836, headmaster Samuel Sunderland brought a football game to PGS from the University of Cambridge. At that time, most schools has their own ball games but when students at Cambridge wanted to play together they had to agree on one style, which later was published as the Cambridge rules. His PGS student John Charles Shaw took this game to the first two FA clubs, Sheffield F.C. in 1857 and Hallam F.C. in 1860, which first wrote their own Sheffield rules then merged them with Cambridge's to create the modern laws of the game in 1863. Another student, John Marsh, founded Sheffield Wednesday F.C. in 1867. ^[8]

In 1886, the Charities Commission restructured the school, replacing the majority of its trustees with local government representation. ^[9]

In 1893, the school withdrew from its town centre site to a position about half a mile north-west of the town centre, at Weirfield House. ^[10] The school remains on this site.

Penistone Grammar School at Kirk Flatt, from Dransfield's History of Penistone. Datestone: 1714. The main entrance of the later bank was built on the exact location of this school gate.

Fulford Hall; opened 28 October 1911, demolished 2014

Girls were admitted for the first time in 1907 (though mixed-sex classes were not until 1911). Fulford was the last headmaster to see boarders, with PGS becoming a day school in 1921. ^[10]

On 28 October 1911, under the tenure of Mr Fulford, the Fulford building opened (though not called that at the time), at a cost of £8,000 (plus £780 for furnishings and equipment). ^[11] Several other buildings were erected, and in 1974, PGS purchased the former Penistone Union Workhouse, later named 'Netherfields', which became the school's sixth form. ^[12]

It became fully comprehensive in 1969, with partial selection (for more distant pupils) from 1957. The comprehensive school initially retained its grammar school name and traditions such as the house system and speech night. These traditions were gradually scaled back. In 2011, the school restored its traditional house system and uniform, and entirely demolished all buildings but Weirfield and the adjacent Stables, which was converted into flats. A new building opened that same year.^{[ citation needed ]}

The school uses a badge based on the coat of arms of the founding family, the Clarels, which shows six martlets, from which the school colors red and black are derived. (From 2010–2024 it briefly used a revisionist logo with part-circles in house colors and a single stylised martlet.) The school's traditional motto is "Disce Aut Discede" ("Learn or leave"). In 2003, the school briefly changed motto to "Learning and Achieving Together", before revising this in again 2010 to "Never Stop Flying", a reference to martlets having no feet so always being in flight.^{[ citation needed ]}

Present day

A £35-million school building opened on 2 May 2011, with a complete demolition of the old buildings, except for Fulford, the Stables, and Weirfield. Fulford, erected in 1909, was demolished in 2014 after protest from past students and locals.

In 2017, Penistone Grammar School introduced a controversial, zero tolerance style 'Values Driven Expectations' behaviour management scheme, under which a pupil could be reprimanded for forgetting a pen or leaving their shirt untucked. ^[13]

After internal remodelling in 2018, work started on a £4.3 million two-storey extension in 2019, providing an additional 250 places at the school. The building was opened to students in September 2020, and is linked to the main school by a walkway through the science department. ^[14] The block is home to the modern foreign languages department and several science classrooms.

As of 2022, Penistone Grammar School is the only secondary school in the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley not to have academy status, remaining under the control of the Local Authority.

The sixth form at Penistone currently has 300 students in attendance. ^[4] Penistone Grammar School is the only school in the Local Education Authority of Barnsley to have a sixth form alongside its secondary provision.

The school maintains a 30 acre site in the west of Penistone, including extensive playing fields, used mostly for football, rugby, cricket, and athletics. Facilities include a gym, dance studio, 3G football pitches and tennis courts. It has a theatre and music studios. It has a Combined Cadet Force.

Secondary results

Penistone Grammar School's secondary results are the best of any school in the Barnsley local authority, achieving an above average Progress 8 score of 0.46. ^[15] In 2023, 83% of pupils passed English and maths, with 66% of pupils achieved a grade 5 (strong pass) or higher. ^[16]

Sixth Form results

The sixth form has been within the top 10% of providers nationally for over five consecutive years. The majority (55%) of grades secured are A* or A, and in 2022, the average result was an A-. ^[17]

Penistone Grammar School Foundation

The Penistone Grammar School Foundation is a charity (number 529458) established in January 1957, but registered in 1965. ^[18] It owns much of the school's old Kirk Flatt site and its current estate, which generates income for the school.

Houses

The school maintains a house system, with each being named after locally significant people and its former buildings. ^[19]

Current houses at PGS

House	Colour	Named after
Bowman	Purple	Eric Fisher Bowman – Headmaster 1928–1958
Fulford	Orange	Joseph Woodward Fulford – Headmaster 1893–1921
Netherfield	Green	Netherfield Union Workhouse – Former home to the sixth form college
Saunderson	Light blue	Nicholas Saunderson – Mathematician and former student (1682–1739)
Weirfield	Cyan	Weirfield House – Former schoolhouse and staff area from 1893 until c. 2011

Former houses at PGS

House	Colour	Named after
Armitage	Yellow	Armitage family – Local gentry
Bosville	Blue	Bosville family of Gunthwaite – Local land owners
Clarel	Red	Thomas Clarel – Founder
Dransfield	Green	John Ness Dransfield – Local historian and author of A History of the Parish of Penistone (1906)

List of headmasters

List of headmasters at Penistone Grammar School since 1392 ^{[6] [20]}

Years	Name	Education	Notes
c.1392–1433	Rev. John Del Rodes		Custos of Saint John's Chapel
c.1433–1450	Rev. John Smyth		Chaplain
1450–1472	Rev. William Wordsworth		Chantry Priest at St Mary's
1472–1477	Rev. William Walker		Chantry Priest at St Mary's
1477–1534	Rev. William Addy Snr		Chantry Priest at St Mary's
1534–1556	Rev. William Addy Jnr		Chantry Priest at St Mary's
1556–1613	John Hyde, MA (Cantab)	St John's College, Cambridge
1613–1630	Richard Hey		Died 28 May 1630
1630–1644	John Coatehill		Died 8 May 1644
1644–1666	Rev. George Didsbury, BA	Clare College, Cambridge	Died 24 April 1666
1666–1668	Rev. John Revel, BA	Christ's College, Cambridge	Resigned
1668–1702	Nathan Staniforth, MA (Cantab)	Christ's College, Cambridge	Died 24 November 1702
1702–1726	John Ramsden		Died 12 March 1726. Buried in the same grave as Nathan Staniforth at Penistone Church.
1726–1751	Rev. Jonathan Perkin	Christ's College, Cambridge	Died 3 May 1751
1751–1776	Rev. Francis Haigh, BA	Christ's College, Cambridge	Died 15 November 1776
1776–1786	Rev. Joseph Horsfall		Resigned
1786–1836	Jonathan Wood		Wrote a biography of Nicholas Saunderson. Died 22 April 1836
1836–1855	Rev. Samuel Sunderland, BA	Clare College, Cambridge	Brought football from Cambridge to PGS. [21] Vicar of Penistone. Died 18 July 1855.
1855–1867	Rev. John Wesley Aldom, MA (Dubl)	Trinity College, Dublin	Resigned
1867	Rev. Alfred Steane, BA		Resigned after three months [10]
1867	George Curtis Price, BA		Appointed but declined
1867–1868	Walter Mooney Hatch, BA	New College, Oxford	Resigned after a few months
1868–1884	Theophilus Jackson		Resigned
1884–1885	Othman Blakey		Resigned
1885–1888	Harry Hardy		Resigned and became assistant 1888
1888–1892	Lionel Ernest Adams, BA	Owens College, Manchester [22]	Resigned
1893–1921	Joseph Woodward Fulford, MA (Dubl)	Trinity College, Dublin
1921–1928	Guy Wilfred Morris, MA (Oxon)	St John's College, Oxford	Resigned, became Master at Colfe's Grammar School. [23]
1928–1958	Eric Fisher Bowman, CBE, MA (Oxon)	Oxford
1958–1976	Wilfrid Burgess Simms, MA (Oxon)	Merton College, Oxford [24]
1976–1997	Martin Antony (Tony) Bould, BA		Retired 1997. Died 6 October 2014
1997–1999	Andrew ('Andy') White, BSc, MEd
1999–2002	Pamela Caunt
2002–2007	Glynis Gower, BSc, MSc		Retired [25]
2007–2017	Joanne Higgins, BA		Resigned, became CEO of Dudley Academies Trust
2017–	Paul Crook, BEd

Notable Old Penistonians

See also: Category:People educated at Penistone Grammar School

• Prof Nicholas Saunderson (1682–1739) – Mathematician and Lucasian Professor at Cambridge University 1711–1739 ^[26]
• Ebenezer Elliott (1781–1849) – Poet ^[9]
• John Charles Shaw (1830–1918) – Captain of the first football club ^[21]
• John Marsh (1843–1880) – Founder of Sheffield Wednesday F.C ^[27]
• Alec Glassey (1887–1970) – Liberal MP for East Dorset 1929–1931
• Eileen Colwell (1904–2002) – Pioneer children's librarian ^[28]
• Sir Leonard Crossland (1914–1999) – Ford UK chairman ^[29]
• Max Walters (1920–2005) – Botanist ^[30]
• Geoffrey Allan Crossley, CMG (1920–2009) – Diplomat and British Ambassador to Colombia and the Holy Sea
• Noel Moore (1928–2008) – Civil Servant who oversaw the decimalisation project
• Neil Robinson (1929–2009) – Archdeacon of Suffolk 1987–1994
• Prof Alan Mercer (1931–2014) – Professor of Operational Research ^[31]
• Heather Armitage (1933–) – British gold medal sprinter ^[32]
• Roland Boyes (1937–2006) – Labour MP for Houghton and Washington (1992–1997); MEP for Durham 1979–1984; Photographer
• Prof David Hey (1938–2016) – Historian ^[33]
• Anne Campbell (1940–) – Labour MP for Cambridge, 1992–2005
• Prof Jean Bacon (1942–) – Professor of Computer Science at the University of Cambridge ^[34]
• Paul Copley (1944–) – Actor ^[35]
• Marie Tidball (1984–) – Labour MP for Penistone and Stocksbridge 2024 ^[36]
• Katherine Brunt (1985–) – England Women's Cricketer ^[37]
• Marc Roberts (1990–) – Professional Footballer ^[38]
• John Stones (1994–) – England Footballer ^[39]

• 
  Nicholas Saunderson, mathematician
• 
  Statue of Ebenezer Elliott, poet
• 
  Alec Glassey, former Member of Parliament
• 
  Heather Armitage, Olympian
• 
  John Stones, footballer

See also

• List of the oldest schools in the United Kingdom

References

1. "Penistone Grammar School – PGS History". Penistone Pictorial. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
2. "Welcome from the Principal". Penistone Grammar School. Retrieved 3 August 2022.
3. Stephen M. Stigler (1983), "Who Discovered Bayes' Theorem?" The American Statistician 37(4):290–296.
4. Penistone Grammar School "Current Staff and Student Numbers FOI Request 2019", 14 October 2019
5. "Penistone Grammar School – Rating and Reports". reports.ofsted.gov.uk. 20 March 2023. Retrieved 30 October 2023.
6. Dransfield, John N. (1906). A History of the Parish of Penistone. James H. Wood (The Don Press).
7. Addy, John (1958). "Penistone Grammar School, 1392–1700". Yorkshire Archaeological Society. 39: 508–514.
8. "Penistone and the Development of Football". 22 August 2019. Retrieved 21 June 2024.
9. Addy, John. "Penistone Grammar School in the Nineteenth Century". Yorkshire Archaeological Journal. 40: 115.
10. Addy, John. "Penistone Grammar School in the Nineteenth Century". Yorkshire Archaeological Journal. 40: 116.
11. "Penistone Almanack" (PDF). Penistone Archive. 1914. Retrieved 18 October 2022.
12. "The Workhouse in Penistone, Yorkshire, W. Riding". www.workhouses.org.uk. Retrieved 18 October 2022.
13. "Pupils 'terrified' of new Penistone school behaviour rules". BBC News. 4 October 2017. Retrieved 16 September 2020.
14. "School extension underway". Barnsley Chronicle. 15 February 2019. Retrieved 14 September 2019.
15. "Compare School Performance – All schools and colleges in Barnsley". compare-school-performance.service.gov.uk. Retrieved 30 October 2023.
16. "Compare School Performance – Penistone Grammar School". compare-school-performance.service.gov.uk. Retrieved 30 October 2023.
17. "Performance 2022_Page_6.jpg | Performance". Penistone Grammar. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
18. "PENISTONE GRAMMAR SCHOOL FOUNDATION – Charity 529458". register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk. Retrieved 23 April 2022.
19. Briggs, Jack. "Penistone Grammar School – PGS History". Penistone Pictorial. Retrieved 9 March 2024.
20. Bould, Martin Antony, ed. (1992). Six hundred glorious years 1392–1992.
21. "John Charles Shaw – Sheffield – Home Of Football". sheffieldhomeoffootball.org. Retrieved 21 June 2024.
22. "L. E. Adams, 1854–1945 | The Conchological Society of Great Britain and Ireland". conchsoc.org. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
23. Bearwood, H. (1910). "The History of Colfe's Grammar School" (PDF).
24. "Obituary: Eric Simms". The Guardian. 23 March 2009. Retrieved 29 December 2022.
25. "Dynamic Duo Say Farewell". Barnsley Chronicle. 7 July 2007. Retrieved 7 July 2007.
26. Hey, David (2002). A History of Penistone and District. Wharncliffe books. p. 50. ISBN   1-903425-21-2.
27. "John Marsh – Wednesday FC founder and Captain died this day aged just 37 – England's Oldest Football Clubs". 21 April 2018. Retrieved 21 June 2024.
28. Tucker, Nicholas (January 2011). "Colwell, Eileen Hilda (1904–2002)" . Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. Retrieved 6 July 2021.(Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
29. "Obituary: Sir Leonard Crossland". The Independent. 23 October 2011. Retrieved 23 April 2021.
30. Grubb, Peter (22 December 2005). "Max Walters". The Guardian. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
31. J J O'Connor and E F Robertson, Stefan Banach, MacTutor History of Mathematics (University of St Andrews, Scotland, April 2015)
32. "Heather Armitage – Penistone Grammar School's Olympic Medallist". www.pgs-archive.co.uk. Retrieved 4 February 2018.
33. Dyer, Christopher (25 February 2016). "David Hey obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 April 2018.
34. Jean Bacon, an oral history conducted in 2001 by Janet Abbate, IEEE History Center, Hoboken, NJ, USA.
35. "Paul Copley – The Official Website – about", Paul Copley – The Official Website. Retrieved 29 April 2019.
36. "Marie Tidball - Penistone and Stocksbridge Labour". Penistone and Stocksbridge Labour. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
37. "England lady cricketer gives tips". Yorkshire Live. 23 March 2010. Retrieved 16 September 2020.
38. "Roberts: 'I've done it the long way round' – Barnsley News from the Barnsley Chronicle". Barnsley Chronicle. 29 May 2015. Retrieved 8 April 2018.
39. Thomson, Doug (13 May 2014). "Why John Stones' elevation to England's stand-by squad brings pride to Penistone". Huddersfield Examiner. Retrieved 8 April 2018.

External links

• PGS Archive
• History of PGS
• PGS performance at BBC News
• pgsonline
• OFSTED report ^{[ permanent dead link ]}
• Archived 5 September 2011 at the Wayback Machine