Anthony Gell School Explained

Anthony Gell School
Coordinates:	53.0791°N -1.5715°W
Trust:	Embark Federation
Head Label:	Headteacher
Head:	Malcolm Kelly
Address:	Wood Street
Country:	England
Postcode:	DE4 4DX
Urn:	149644
Ofsted:	yes
Enrolment:	835
Lower Age:	11
Upper Age:	18

Anthony Gell School is a coeducational secondary school and sixth form located in Wirksworth in the English county of Derbyshire.^[1]

It began as a Free Grammar School established by Anthony Gell in 1576. The school moved to its present site in 1908 and became a voluntary controlled school in 1944. It became a coeducational comprehensive school in 1965.^[2] Previously a voluntary controlled school administered by Derbyshire County Council,^[3] in August 2023 the school converted to academy status.^[4] The school is now sponsored by the Embark Federation,^[5] but continues to be supported by the Anthony Gell School Foundation charitable trust.^[6]

Anthony Gell School offers GCSEs and BTECs as programmes of study for pupils,^[7] while students in the sixth form have the option to study from a range of A Levels, OCR Nationals and further BTECs.^[8] the school's GCSE scores were increasing.^[9]

Notable former pupils

• Lawrence Beesley, a survivor of the Titanic, who was widely reported in contemporary newspapers.^[10]
• Dame Ellen MacArthur, a sailor who broke the world record for the fastest solo circumnavigation of the globe in 2005.
• Oliver Smith, Youngest branch party president in British political history for The Liberal Democrats in 2006.
• Laurence Bostock, the youngest British male to feature in the Skeleton World Cup in the end of January 2020 at St Moritz.^[11]

Houses

Anthony Gell School is split into 5 houses. These houses are:

• Arkwright - Arkwright is named after Richard Arkwright who is a historical figure in the area known for his contributions to the Industrial Revolution and Cromford.
• Gell - Gell is named after Anthony Gell, the founder of the school.
• Fearne - Fearne is named after Agnes Fearne, a relative of Anthony Gell who made bequests to help fund the school.^[12]
• Wright - Wright is named after Joseph Wright of Derby, a British landscape and portrait painter.
• Nightingale - Nightingale is named after Florence Nightingale, another historical figure in the area. Nightingale as a house was implemented to the school in 2019.

External links

• Anthony Gell School official website

Notes and References

1. Web site: AGS History 1908-1929 by Roy Pearce . Anthonygell.co.uk . 2014-01-25.
2. Web site: About our school . Anthonygell.co.uk . 2014-01-25 . dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20140201184047/http://www.anthonygell.co.uk/about-us/about-our-school.html . 2014-02-01 .
3. Web site: Anthony Gell School - GOV.UK . Get-information-schools.service.gov.uk . 2022-12-27.
4. Web site: Anthony Gell School . gov.uk. 1 August 2023 . 6 August 2023.
5. https://embarkfederation.com/ Embark Federation website
6. Web site: Foundation Trustees . Anthonygell.co.uk . 2005-05-25 . 2014-01-25 . dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20140201184055/http://www.anthonygell.co.uk/about-us/foundation-trustees.html . 2014-02-01 .
7. Web site: The Curriculum . Anthonygell.co.uk . 2014-01-25 . dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20140201184051/http://www.anthonygell.co.uk/teaching-and-learning/the-curriculum.html . 2014-02-01 .
8. Web site: Sixth Form . Anthonygell.co.uk . 2014-01-25 . dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20140201184043/http://www.anthonygell.co.uk/sixth-form.html . 2014-02-01 .
9. News: Northen, Stephanie. School uniform does not improve results – discuss . The Guardian. 2011-01-18. 2017-02-25.
10. Web site: The Titanic Disaster Newspaper. 9 February 2021. Wirksworth Heritage Centre.
11. Web site: Laurence Bostock. live. British Bobsleigh and Skeleton Association. https://web.archive.org/web/20170514225218/http://www.thebbsa.co.uk:80/the-team/directory/laurence-bostock . 14 May 2017 .
12. Web site: Extract from will of Agnes Ferne (14 Jul 1574) including provision for payment towards maintenance of a free school in Wirksworth when there shall be one and for poor folks in a bedehouse there . The National Archives . 2020-07-29.