Silcoates School
Silcoates viewed in the direction of the Headmaster's House, formerly Silcoates Hall | |
Motto |
Clarior ex Ignibus Brighter out of the Flames |
---|---|
Religion | United Reformed Church (Previously Congregationalist) |
Headmaster | Darryl Wideman |
Chaplain | Rev Dr Janet Lees |
Founder | Reverend Thomas Scales |
Location |
Wrenthorpe Lane Wakefield West Yorkshire WF2 OPD England Coordinates: 51°40′23″N 0°03′21″W / 51.672939°N 0.055751°W |
Gender | Mixed |
Ages | 3–18 |
Houses | Evans', Moore's, Spencer's, Yonge's |
Colours | Yellow; Green; Blue; Red |
Publication | The Silcoatian |
Website | Silcoates School |
Silcoates School is a co-educational independent school in the village of Wrenthorpe near Wakefield, England.
The school was founded in 1820 as the Northern Congregational School at Silcoates House, for the board and education of the sons of Nonconformist clergy, and was situated close to Ossett and Horbury, each of which had unusually large Nonconformist populations. It was a boys' boarding school until 1995, receiving pupils from around the world. Girls were admitted into the sixth form from 1976, with female boarders accommodated in the Coach House. The school now exists as a co-educational day school with a campus on the border between the villages of Wrenthorpe and Alverthorpe.
Silcoates School is made up of three separate, but closely linked, sections: a Senior School for boys and girls aged 11 to 18 (Year 7 to the Upper Sixth Form); a Junior School for boys and girls aged 4 to 11 (Year 1 to Year 6); and Pre-School for boys and girls aged 3 to 4.[1]
Motto
The school's motto is "Clarior ex Ignibus" (brighter through the flames), commemorating a fire of 1904 which caused the school to move into temporary exile in Saltburn, on the coast of North Yorkshire between Whitby and Middlesbrough.
Houses
There are four houses representing significant headmasters:
- Evans' (Yellow and green tie)
- Spencer's (Blue and green tie)
- Moore's (Light green and green tie)
- Yonge's (Red and green tie)
Curriculum
The majority of pupils usually take a minimum of 9 GCSEs, and 4 AS and 3 A2-Levels in the Sixth Form, with many progressing on to degree level courses . There is a wide and varied selection of subjects to choose from at GCSE and A Level, including some specialist and vocational programmes.
Sport and activities
School activities include drama and art, and music with a music school. Sport facilities include an indoor pool and sports pitches. The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award programme makes use of various venues in the north of England and abroad.
Entrance scholarships
Academic Scholarships are offered at 11+ and above; Sixth Form entrants are eligible for these awards. Bursaries are available for the sons and daughters of ministers and missionaries of the United Reformed Church, the Congregational Church, of other recognised Christian denominations, and to some parents subject to a financial assessment.
Notable former staff and pupils
- The Reverend Thomas Scales was chaplain and secretary here in 1850.[2]
- Theodore Cooke Taylor (1850–1952) Businessman, Liberal politician, Profit-sharing pioneer
- Inga Brooksby (born 1988) Actress, starred in series Down to Earth
- James Guinness Rogers (1822–1911), Nonconformist divine
- William Thomas Stead (1849–1912), journalist, campaigner, victim of RMS Titanic disaster
- Sir Henry Norman Rae (1860–1928) Liberal MP for Shipley
- J. S. Fletcher (1865–1935), historian, writer of historical and detective novels
- Sir William Peel (1875–1945), colonial governor of Hong Kong
- Maurice Yonge (1899–1986), zoologist
- John Horam (born 1939), Conservative Party Member of Parliament (MP) for Orpington
- Andrew Burt (born 1945), Actor
- Tim Stimpson (born 1973), International rugby player
- David Stiff (born 1984), County Cricketer
- Richard O'Dwyer (born 1988), Creator of TVShack.net
- Hugh Banton (1949), Progressive rock icon, member of Van der Graaf Generator
- George Entwistle (born 1962) Former Director General of the BBC
References
- ↑ School sections, Silcoates.org.uk
- ↑ Leeds White Chapel later Queen Street, Genuki, Retrieved 15 January 2016