History
Founded in 1905 as Dover County School, it was originally mixed-sex and occupied other premises at Ladywell and at what is now the Girls' Grammar at Frith Road, only later splitting into the Boys' and Girls' Grammars. It moved into the present 1930s building in 1931 (with influences from Dover Castle, which is visible from the school), only to be evacuated to Ebbw Vale during the Second World War. R J Unstead, a prolific author of history books for children, attended the school from 1926 to 1934.
The founder and first headmaster of the school was Fred Whitehouse whose personal efforts persuaded the authorities to provide the money for the new building despite the severe economic circumstances of the depression. The building mixes both gothic and classical influences. Whitehouse believed in the maxim often attributed to Winston Churchill that "we shape our buildings and our buildings shape us".
The building was opened by the Duke of York, the future King George VI of the United Kingdom.
It is one of few state school in Britain to have a working organ, which is housed in the Great Hall. The organ goes to Hamburg every 25 years for expert care and maintenance.
During World War II, the school building was taken over and used by the Royal Navy as a station for WRNS.
A notable feature of the building is a large stained glass window showing St. George and bearing the names of past students of the school who died in World War Two. There are separate memorials to students and an English teacher Oliver Tunnell who died in World War One.
It became Grant Maintained in April 1994, after warding off a series of reorganisation proposals from Kent County Council, then a Foundation School in September 1999, and in 2006 a Business and Enterprise College, which it is now. It celebrated its centenary in 2004, under headteacher Mrs Sally Lees.
The building was modified in 2000-2001 to include a second tower that differed from the design of the original tower (known as the Old Tower to pupils) to provide extra access to more IT rooms built over the school workshops. The school became a Business and Enterprise School in 2006. As a result of the specialism the school received more funding from the government, part of which was invested into a new Business & Enterprise suite. The science labs were also refurbished in the recent years.
In 2009 there were proposals to move the school to Whitfield to be housed in a new building under the Labour government's Building Schools for the Future programme but this was cancelled after the 2010 General Election by Education Secretary Michael Gove. The cancellation of the move was a relief to some friends of the school.
Read more about this topic: Dover Grammar School For Boys
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