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Bexley Grammar School is a co-educational grammar school with academy status in Welling, in the London Borough of Bexley, UK. It takes boys and girls aged 11–18 who have passed the eleven plus exam.
| Bexley Grammar School | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Address | |
 | |
Danson Lane , London , DA16 2BL England | |
| Information | |
| Type | Grammar School; Academy |
| Motto | Praestantiae Studere Strive for Excellence |
| Established | 1955 |
| Local authority | Bexley |
| Department for Education URN | 136369 Tables |
| Ofsted | Reports |
| Headmaster | Hugh Gilmore[1] |
| Gender | Mixed |
| Age | 11 to 18 |
| Enrolment | 1935 |
| Houses | Collins Johnson Kirkman Mabbs Prothero Wellman |
| Former pupils | Old Bexleians |
| Contact No | 020 8304 8538 |
| Website | http://www.bexleygs.co.uk/ |
History
editFounded in 1955, Bexley Grammar School was opened by Sir Edward Heath, the local Member of Parliament at the time, after whom the Heath Building (completed in 2000) is named. Heath attended the school's Golden Jubilee celebrations shortly before his death in 2005. The school became a specialist Language College in September 2002 and a specialist college in Science and Mathematics in 2008. The school was then awarded foundation school status, before converting to an academy in January 2011. The school continues to specialise in languages, science and mathematics.
There have been six headmasters in the school's history. The third, Roderick MacKinnon, was replaced by John Welsh, who retired at the beginning of Easter 2014. He was replaced by Stephen Elphick, who retired at the beginning of Easter 2023, and was replaced by Hugh Gilmore.
Academics
editThe school entrance examination is the eleven plus exam taken by prospective pupils in September of Year 6. Candidates who live in Bexleyheath must come in the top 120 and candidates who live in the wider catchment area (10 miles from the Broadway Shopping Centre, Bexleyheath) must come within the top 60. Students who apply to enter the school between the years 7 and 11 are required to pass examinations in English, Mathematics, Science, and a Modern Foreign Language.
To enter the Sixth Form students must achieve higher than GCSE grade C in all compulsory subjects and at least GCSE grade B in selected subjects. Current pupils must achieve more than six A*–Bs (including Maths and English) in their GCSEs to continue their studies in Sixth Form.
In the 2016 academic year, 100% of pupils attained 5 GCSE grades A* to C. 99.1% of the A-level grades were A* to D. The school began offering the International Baccalaureate (IB) in Sixth Form in 2003, alongside A Levels. From September 2017, students in the sixth form were only able to study the IB, as the school stopped teaching A Levels.[citation needed]
The school's last Ofsted inspection was in 2022; it was rated Outstanding in all areas.[2]
Premises
editThe school has expanded into new buildings over time; Main (M), Jubilee (J), Golden Jubilee (was the Danson building but was replaced in 2005 by the current building), Heath (H), Le Feuvre (L), Music (Mu), Jubilee extension (J) (2002–03) and Golden Jubilee (G). Some confusion can occur with the Jubilee extension, which was originally the G building and the 2005 extension of the Main building. Recently, the SEN block (S) has been added on the end of the school on the side of the PE block and a new sixth form centre has been built as an extension to the Le Feuvre building. In 2017, a further extension to the school added a (K) block with a Theatre and sixth form study area.
The school buildings form an internal courtyard area surrounded on all sides except the West, which is a covered area.
The field covers a larger area than the buildings and is surrounded on two sides by Danson Park.
House system
editBGS operates a House System involving all years, with around 12 members of staff in each house. All six houses have a "Head of House", who is in charge of organising all house activities, such as inter-house sports competitions. Each house is named after a former member of senior staff that had a notable impact on the school,[3] including:
- Collins (Red)
- Johnson (Blue)
- Kirkman (Yellow)
- Prothero (Green)
- Mabbs (Purple)
- Wellman (Orange) – Added in 2003 due to expansion of the school year intake from five-form entry to seven-form entry.
Notable former pupils
edit- Stephanie Brind, professional squash player[4]
- Daniel Francis (politician), MP for Bexleyheath and Crayford.[5]
- Gavin Peacock, former professional footballer[6][7]
- Matthew Rose, former professional footballer[6]
- Joshua Bradley and Tobi Brown, YouTubers and members of the Sidemen[8]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Bexley Grammar School - Governance".
- ^ "Bexley Grammar School - Ofsted Report 2022". 26 April 2023.
- ^ "Bexley Grammar School - House News".
- ^ "Stunning Steph". Southern Daily Echo. Newsquest. 19 December 2000. Retrieved 18 January 2009.
- ^ "Councillor Daniel Francis". Bexley Labour. Retrieved 17 August 2024.
- ^ a b Peacock, Gavin. "Official Website of Gavin Peacock". officialplayersites.com. Retrieved 13 November 2016.
- ^ "Surnames beginning with P". Government of the United Kingdom. Archived from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 9 December 2016.
- ^ "Who are The Sidemen - KSI's YouTube group explained ahead of Logan Paul rematch". World Sports Tale. 9 November 2019. Retrieved 13 July 2020.
Further reading
edit- Ackerley, Robin D. (2004). Bexley Grammar School: A History. Welling: Bexley Grammar School. p. 310. ISBN 978-0-954-91220-8.