History
A school was founded in Midhurst for poor boys in 1672 by local businessman Gilbert Hannam. Initially a school for just 12 pupils, it has varied in size over its 300-year history. The buildings were extended in 1821, but fell into disrepair, with the school closing in 1859. It was re-opened in 1880 as a boys' day and boarding grammar school. By 1944 it was classified as a Voluntary Controlled school, run by West Sussex County Council. Later, in 1956 the school became a mixed school, accepting girls for the first time. Falling pupil numbers, and the opening of the new Herbert Shiner secondary school in Petworth meant that in 1966 the school merged with the then Midhurst County Secondary School to form a comprehensive school, while retaining the historic name. Shortly after this in 1970 local re-organisation saw the school change to become an upper school accepting pupils at age 13 (rather than 11). Younger pupils attended either Midhurst Intermediate School or the Herbert Shiner School in Petworth. Proposals were brought forward by the Local Education Authority in 2002 to revert to a two-tier structure in the area, which would have seen the Grammar School become an 11-18 school once again. However, this was opposed by the local community.
In February 2006 the school seriously failed in an Ofsted report and was put into the 'Special Measures' category. Following the first monitoring visit from Ofsted the former head teacher W.T. Benge resigned.
Mr Peter May M.A. (Oxons) - Headteacher at The Weald School, Billingshurst was then appointed by the Local Authority as Executive Headteacher, with an Operational Headteacher, Jonathon Barrott, previously the Deputy Headteacher (who died on the evening of February the 12th 2009 after losing his battle with pancreatic cancer), also in operation at the school.
The special measures required improved quality of teaching and pupil involvement in their own learning; improved behaviour of a minority of pupils; tracking and monitoring of pupil progress at Key Stage 4; and improved quality of leadership and management. An Ofsted report in July 2006 reported: 'Feedback shows that while satisfactory progress has been made in several areas, overall progress so far is not yet sufficiently good.'
In their September 2007 report, Ofsted reported that the school was being efficiently run with their value-added exam results proving to be well above the national average
The school did eventually close in 2008 as part of a move to revert to two-tier provision, with a new academy replacing both the grammar school and the intermediate schools under the name of Midhurst Rother College.
Read more about this topic: Midhurst Grammar School
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