School Buildings
The school occupies a site close to the centre of the small market town of Caistor. School buildings help to form two sides of a close around the ancient parish church. The ironstone school hall dates from 1631, and is still in daily use. The school library alongside is housed in what was the Congregational Church, built in 1842. Casterby House, once a large private house, later one of three boarding houses, and now the Sixth Form Centre, overlooks the churchyard from the south side of the school gates.
The main teaching block dates from the 1930s, but was extended and modernised in 1984. This building also contains classics and geography rooms. The Manning Building, replacing several prefabricated buildings, was opened in 1984 and provides teaching rooms for PE, modern languages and history, and contains a large gymnasium. It has recently been enlarged to provide extra classrooms and a state-of-the-art fitness suite, and allows the housing of the on-site sports facilities. Two new technology buildings were added in 1993 and 1994. These contain two rooms for design and technology, two specialist rooms for information and communication technology, and a sixth science laboratory.
At the bottom of the Terraces, Lindsey House, once a purpose-built boarding house, now includes a suite of English and mathematics rooms. The music department has been redecorated and occupies a suite of rooms on the ground floor and the art department uses creatively re-modeled accommodation on the ground and first floors. Lindsey House also contains the dining room which all pupils use at lunchtime. A lower entrance to the school serves Lindsey House. Next to the gates stands Beech House, traditionally the residence of the headmaster, where the site manager now lives. This extensive and ambitious re-development of Lindsey House was officially opened by Lord Puttnam of Queensgate in November 2001.
The third boarding house and Sixth Form Centre, Grove House, was at the top of the Terraces and was demolished because of structural problems. At one time a swimming pool occupied a building between Beech House and the Terraces, until rising operating and maintenance costs forced its removal. This was developed into the new hall, which is used for sports.
The school previously owned several other building in Caistor, including the "Red House" next to Bank Lane, which were used as accommodation when boarders were at the school. These have now however been sold off by the school.
In 2010, as part of the Government Building Schools for the Future scheme, Caistor Grammar School secured funding to build an extension to Lindsey House, to provide further renovated music facilities, another ICT facility and a room for food technology, something that is new to the CGS curriculum. The funding was secured only days before the scheme was scrapped by the Educational Secretary Michael Gove. The facilities were completed by the following Christmas, and were officially opened by celebrity chef Rachel Green on 24 May 2011.
Read more about this topic: Caistor Grammar School
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