Sir William Borlase's Grammar School
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| Sir William Borlase's Grammar School | |
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| Te Digna Sequere (follow things worthy of thyself) |
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| Established | 1624 |
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| School type | Co-Educational Grammar School |
| Headteacher | Dr Peter Holding |
| Head Boy Head Girl |
Joshua Cooke Jenny Jones |
| Location | Marlow, Buckinghamshire, United Kingdom |
| enquiries@swbgs.com | |
| Website | www.SWBGS.com |
Sir William Borlase's Grammar School is located in Marlow, Buckinghamshire, England.[1] It is situated on West Street,[2] near the town centre.
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[edit] History
The School was founded on its present site in 1624 by Sir William Borlase[2] in memory of his son Henry, MP for Marlow, who died in that year.[citation needed]
The school has served the town of Marlow and its surrounding district, including High Wycombe and Maidenhead, for over three centuries. In 1988 the school became the first co-educational school in the Division. It currently has around 1000 pupils, including a large sixth form due to high year 12 intake.[citation needed]
In September 2005 the school was awarded specialist school status as a Performing Arts College, by the Department for Education and Skills (DfES)[6] Recently there has been talk of application for humanities status as well, as the school will recieve a larger budget for double status.
[edit] Layout
The school has a collection of facilities of varying vintages. The school office and reprographics room is housed in the original flint building, which was unveiled in 1624. Since then, the school has added a Victorian cloister, which was gradually added to over a period of about 40 years. These classrooms are now used to teach Mathematics. In the 1970s, further expansion occurred. A new school hall, and several classrooms were built. In the late 1990s, a new sports gym was added. Then, in 1992, new modern languages facilities were added, and the library moved from the cloisters to the new building that faces onto West Street. In 2000, new classrooms were added after Borlase started admitting Yaer 7s. This building is named after the chief benefactor, and is hence called the "Audrey Moore Building". It replaced too a rather dilapidated canteen, and sports pavilion that had been there previously. Finally, in 2004, linked to Borlase's bid for Arts Award status, a new performing arts theatre (to house facilities for music, drama and dance) was built. This new building also houses purpose built IT labs and metal and woodwork facilities. It was opened on 7th December by HRH The Duke of Gloucester. [1]As a result of this too, other space within the school was adjusted with a rolling programme, and a new style eatery "Mimis" was added, along with a new Sixth Form Centre.
[edit] The School Coat of Arms
This is emblazoned on all school literature, and on the school uniform, and demonstrates to many what the vital qualities of being a Borlasian are. Originally, the Taillefers of Angouleme had a crest of a ghostly hand emerging from a cloud. It is holding a sort of sword - a badelaire- to give one power in a struggle, be it sporting or academic. Behind this, on the background, can be seen eight stars.
Then, in the era of Henry VIII, the addition of the other arm gripping hold onto a horseshoe (replacing the former sword) showed how one must rise above conflict - and work together to overcome an adversary.
It is also noted that there is a knights' visor above the logo. The one on which it was based can be found to this day, with the rest of the armour, in the Board Room at the school.
The motto Te Digna Sequere means 'follow things worthy of thyself', and it was added in the Victorian era as an additional banner. This again is a further key quality a good Borlasian must uphold.
[edit] The Pink Clock Tower
The Pink Clock Tower at Borlase was a remnant of a Leavers' Day prank in 2004. It was re-painted white, at an undisclosed cost reportedly in the thousands of pounds (considered highly unlikely).
Further plans to add luminous yellow spots were subject to rumour, but never actually happened
[edit] The Great Common Room Switch
On Monday March 26th 2007, whilst Mr Sheen and Mrs Robinson were away at the Berkshire Higher Education Fair, a group of Year 13s, in what is believed is a preliminary stunt to the 2007 Leavers' Day, decided to swap the sixth form work area and study room. It is believed that the action was mainly targeted at Mr Shannon, who notoriously banned segregation of the Year 12s and 13s and food and drink from the common room. The event has led to suggestions that this years' Leavers' Day may rival that notorious incident outlined above.
In a drastic comeback, many year 13's came to school in outrageous fancy dress ranging from nuns, animals, construction workers and fast food.
[edit] Notable alumni
- Keith Bosley – prizewinning poet and translator
- Paul Daneman – actor
- Lieutenant B. A. Horsfall – recipient of the Victoria Cross
- Ken Snakehips Johnson – bandleader,[4] jazz artist[5]
- Danny Quah – famous economist
[edit] References
- About the School. Sir William Borlase's Grammar School. Retrieved on 2006-04-19.
- a b Marlow Town Highlights. Marlow Society. Retrieved on 2006-04-19.
- School Information. Sir William Borlase's Grammar School. Retrieved on 2006-04-19.
- Ken Snakehips Johnson Story. Ken Snakehips Johnson. Retrieved on 2006-04-19.
- Marlow's History. Marlow. Retrieved on 2006-04-19.
- Specialist Schools Home. DfES. Retrieved on 2006-04-20.
[edit] External links
Categories: Cleanup from March 2007 | All pages needing cleanup | Articles with unsourced statements since February 2007 | All articles with unsourced statements | Schools in Buckinghamshire | Secondary schools in Buckinghamshire | Arts Colleges in England | Grammar schools in Buckinghamshire | 1624 establishments | Educational institutions established in the 1620s
