St. Bees School is a co-educational independent school in the West Cumbrian village of St Bees. Founded in 1583 by the then Archbishop of Canterbury Edmund Grindal as a boys' "free grammar school", today it is a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference with around 300 pupils aged 4 to 18, and has been coeducational since 1970. It accommodates both day pupils and boarders, who live in five boarding houses located on the school grounds and in the village, although each day pupil is also a member of a house. The current headmaster is James Davies, the incumbent since September 2012.
The school has a long and varied history, which has been characterised by periods of prosperity interspersed with periods of difficulty. Although the school had a difficult start due to the Queen initially refusing to sign the letters patent establishing the school, it eventually began to grow, partially due to its ownership of the mineral rights to surrounding land. However, despite selling the mining rights for much less than they were worth and taking part in a resulting legal tussle which lasted for the latter half of the 18th century, the school expanded rapidly throughout the 19th century, building much of the campus as seen today. The school did, however, have to be rescued by former members of the school in 1938 due to a financial crisis caused by a sudden drop in pupil numbers.
Today approximately one third of the pupils are boarders, many from China and Eastern Europe. Although many boarders are members of the main school, the school has a dedicated "International Centre", where pupils are intensively tutored to improve their English to a level where they may join the main school, frequently entering the sixth form after having spent one year in the centre and passing an ESOL exam. The school only catered for pupils from ages 11–18 until September 2008, when a Preparatory Department was launched to cater for pupils from 8 upwards. The school again expanded in September 2010 to include pupils from age 4.
Read more about St. Bees School: History, Grounds and Buildings, School Structure, Curriculum, Sports and Activities, Speech Day, Old St. Beghians, See Also
Famous quotes containing the words bees and/or school:
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—Barbara Ehrenreich (b. 1941)
“Sure, you can love your child when he or she has just brought home a report card with straight “A’s.” It’s a lot harder, though, to show the same love when teachers call you from school to tell you that your child hasn’t handed in any homework since the beginning of the term.”
—The Lions Clubs International and the Quest Nation. The Surprising Years, II, ch.3 (1985)