Dean Close School Explained

Dean Close School
Seal Image:Dean Close School Logo.jpg
Seal Size:180px
Motto:Verbum Dei Lucerna
("God's word, a guiding light")
Established:1886; 137 years ago
Type:Private day and boarding
Religious Affiliation:Church of England[1]
Head Label:Headmaster
Head:Bradley Salisbury
Chair Label:Chairman of the Trustees
Chair:Kathryn Carden CBE[2]
President:Lord Ribeiro CBE FRCS, President of The Council
Address:Shelburne Road
Postcode:GL51 6HE
Ofsted:Outstanding
Dfeno:916/6035
Enrolment:900 pupils
Lower Age:3
Upper Age:18
Colours:Maroon and Navy
Publication:The Quad, The Young Decanian and The CAG Mag
Free Label 1:Former pupils
Free 1:Old Decanians (ODs)
Free Text:Dean Close Preparatory School
Free Label:Preparatory school
Pushpin Map:Gloucestershire#England#United Kingdom

Dean Close School is a co-educational private boarding and day school for pupils aged 3–18) in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, South West England, UK. The school is divided into pre-prep, preparatory and senior schools located on separate but adjacent sites outside Cheltenham town centre, occupying the largest single private area of land within the town, at some 50 acres.

Established in 1886 for boys only, the school became co-educational in 1970. It takes day pupils, as well as boarders. Children as young as three join the pre-preparatory school, and the senior school teaches up to the age of eighteen.

The headmaster of Dean Close School, Bradley Salisbury, is a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference.

The head of the Preparatory School, Paddy Moss, is a member of the IAPS and the Choir Schools' Association.

History

The school, originally called "Dean Close Memorial School", was founded in 1886, the 79th of the 103 Victorian public schools in order of foundation,[3] and named after the Very Reverend Francis Close, Dean of Carlisle Cathedral. Former pupils include the poet James Elroy Flecker, whose father was the School's first headmaster (the old Flecker Hall was named after him), and the artist Francis Bacon.

In the First World War more than 120 former pupils were killed; their names, along with the names of 71 young men killed during the Second World War, are recorded in the school's memorial chapel which was consecrated in 1923.

Others educated as the school, known as "Old Decanians", include Francis Bacon, Maj Gen William Dimoline, James Flecker, Brian Jones, Wg Cdr Geoffrey Page, Bernard Ribeiro, Baron Ribeiro, Emma Sky, Maj Wilfrid St Clair Tisdall and Jeremy Wade.

The school buildings were requisitioned by the Home Office during the Second World War[4] and the staff and pupils were removed to Monkton Combe School near Bath in Somerset. Ultimately, the buildings were not required by the government, and were handed back in 1940. In December of the same year, the school was hit by five bombs during air raids. Two of the bombs caused substantial damage to the Junior School and shrapnel damage can be observed on what was the Careers building, now an administrative office.

In 1967, the first girl was admitted for tutorials, and by 1969 the school had started encouraging female applicants to study full-time. Enrolment increased over the next 35 years to create a balanced co-educational environment, with almost equal numbers of boys and girls.

The school hosted the JACT Greek summer school from 1969 to 1985, under the aegis of the then headmaster Christopher Turner.[5]

The most recent additions to the school's property are a £3 million sports hall[6] and a £4.5 million prep school hall[7] which opened in October 2013.

In June 2015, Dean Close School announced the acquisition of a preparatory school, St John's on the Hill, Chepstow.[8] In 2020 the School announced the further acquisition of another preparatory school, Airthrie in Cheltenham.

Academic achievement

2023 Results:

2019 Results (pre-pandemic):

A-Level results in 2007 saw the school achieve a 100% pass rate with 81% of exams graded A–B. These results have put Dean Close in the top 100 schools in England as ranked by UCAS points per candidate.[10]

As of 2014, Dean Close School is ranked 61st in co-educational senior boarding schools by A Levels, with 43% of pupils achieving A level A & A* grades.[11] 60% of pupils at Dean Close School also achieved GCSE level A & A* grades.

Combined Cadet Force (CCF)

Dean Close has an affiliate tri-service Combined Cadet Force which has a history dating back to the 20th Century. The School has a long tradition of Cadets, from the initial Officer Training Corps raised in 1909, to the CCF that was developed later in 1948.[12]

Royal Visit

In 1951, Friday 16 March, HRH Princess Elizabeth visited Cheltenham and inspected the school CCF Guard of Honour on Shelburne road outside the school.[13] Accompanying Princess Elizabeth was A.N. Gilks, the Headmaster at the time.[14] This inspection occurred less than twelve months before Princess Elizabeth became Queen of the United Kingdom.

The Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II on 2 June 1953 was marked at Dean Close School with a ‘Coronation Holiday’ that ran from 30 May to 3 June, allowing Decanians to share the occasion with their families.[15]

Remembrance Day

Every year on Remembrance Day, all Dean Close staff and pupils gather in front of the School Chapel and mark Remembrance Day with a Military styled Remembrance Service conducted by the Dean Close Combined Cadet Force.[16] It is then followed by a two minute silence in honour of the pupils and soldiers who have their lives in the First and Second World Wars. The two minute silence is ended with the Last Post.[17] There is also a Remembrance Service which takes place inside the Chapel for all staff and pupils.[18]

In April 2016, the headmaster signed the Armed Forces Covenant on behalf of the school.[19]

Dean Close CCF Sections

Dean Close School CCF consists of Army, Navy and Air Force sections.

Dean Close's Combined Cadet Force (Army Section) are attached to the Rifles Regiment, and subsequently Army cadets berets have the Rifles Bugle as their cap badge.[20]

The Air Force section of the school CCF wear a dark blue beret with the RAF cap badge.

Drama

There are ten drama productions every year on average, from whole school musicals to pupil-produced plays. These take place in either the Bacon Theatre (a 550-seat theatre) or in the drama studio. The school has visited the Edinburgh Fringe Festival with their own theatre company, Close Up Theatre, every year since 2004, achieving a Sell-out award on every occasion.

Sport

In February 2013, the U18 girls won the Schools National Hockey competition, and Silver Medallists in the final of the indoor format a month previously. In the summer of 2012 the U16 boys hockey team won the Schools National Hockey competition. In the summer of 2009, Dean Close U18 boys hockey team won the Schools National Hockey competition. They also reached the Schools National Hockey Finals again in 2010 and 2011. In 2012, Dean Close equestrians won the National Schools Cross-Country Champions and the National Schools' Two-Day Event.

Schola Cantorum

The Abbey School, Tewkesbury, was founded by Miles Amherst in 1973 as the choir school for Tewkesbury Abbey. When the school closed in 2006, its choir (The Choir of the Abbey School, Tewkesbury) was renamed Tewkesbury Abbey Schola Cantorum at Dean Close and given a home at Dean Close Prep School.[21] The choir of men and children sings traditional choral evensong in the abbey on weekdays during term time, and special services on other occasions.

The choir has an extensive catalogue of recordings on the Delphian, Guild, Naxos, Priory, Regent, Hyperion and Signum labels.[22] It has performed widely in the UK and around the world, including with the BBC National Orchestra, and broadcasts choral evensong on BBC Radio 3.

The choir is widely travelled, including tours of the US, France, Germany, Italy and Sweden. Gabriel Jackson, Mark Blatchly, John Caldwell and Grayston Ives have all written for the choir, which, in 2007, also gave the first performance of Bob Chilcott's The Night He Was Born.[23]

Houses (Senior)

!House Name and colours !
Brook Court
Dale
Fawley
Field
Gate
Hatherley
Mead
Shelburne
Tower
Turner

Houses (Prep school)

School fees

For 2023–2024, the senior school's fees as published by the school are £28,785 a year for day pupils and £42,750 for boarders.[24] Fees in the prep school are up to £23,085 a year for day pupils and up to £30,585 for boarders.[25]

Notable Old Decanians

Former pupils of the school are known as 'Old Decanians', decanus being the Latin for dean.

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: School Overview: Dean Close School . . 24 May 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150525020813/http://schoolsfinder.direct.gov.uk/9166035/overview/ . 25 May 2015 . dead.
  2. Web site: Governance . Dean Close School . 24 May 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150412013646/http://www.deanclose.org.uk/Governance . 12 April 2015 . live.
  3. Web site: School History . Dean Close . 1954-01-01 . 2017-01-06 . https://web.archive.org/web/20141210170552/http://www.deanclose.org.uk/School-History . 10 December 2014 . live.
  4. Web site: School History . Deanclose.org.uk . 1954-01-01 . 2015-06-20 . https://web.archive.org/web/20141210170552/http://www.deanclose.org.uk/School-History . 10 December 2014 . live.
  5. Web site: The JACT Greek Summer School . . 2013 . 14 July 2022.
  6. Web site: Facilities . Deanclose.org.uk . 2015-06-20 . https://web.archive.org/web/20141210171137/http://www.deanclose.org.uk/Sport-Facilities . 10 December 2014 . dead.
  7. Web site: New £4.5 million hall at Cheltenham's Dean Close Prep School . Southwestbusiness.co.uk . 2015-06-20 . https://web.archive.org/web/20141017050044/http://www.southwestbusiness.co.uk/news/19112013092250-new--4-5-millionhall-at-cheltenhams-dean-close-prep-school/ . 17 October 2014 . live.
  8. Web site: Katharine Skellon . SCHOOL OF THE WEEK: St John's On-The-Hill, Chepstow (From South Wales Argus) . Southwalesargus.co.uk . 2015-10-28 . 2017-01-06 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160923184606/http://www.southwalesargus.co.uk/news/features/school_of_the_week/13901698.SCHOOL_OF_THE_WEEK__St_John___s_On_The_Hill__Chepstow/ . 23 September 2016 . live.
  9. Web site: Bryan . 2024-03-12 . Explore Dean Close School: Reviews, Rankings, Fees, And More . 2024-03-18 . Britannia UK . en-GB.
  10. Web site: Results | Dean Close . https://web.archive.org/web/20150201052227/http://www.deanclose.org.uk/Results/ . dead. 2015-02-01 . 2015-02-01 . 2017-01-06.
  11. Web site: Best Schools, The Top 100 Co-Educational Senior Boarding Schools by A Levels . https://web.archive.org/web/20131031040928/http://www.best-schools.co.uk/league-tables/co-educational-boarding-schools.aspx . dead. 2013-10-31 . 2013-10-31 . 2017-01-06.
  12. Web site: CCF - Dean Close School . 2023-10-06 . www.deanclose.org.uk . en-US.
  13. Web site: Facebook . 2023-10-11 . www.facebook.com.
  14. Web site: Facebook . 2023-10-11 . www.facebook.com.
  15. Web site: 2018-09-21 . Flecker 2018 by Dean Close School - Issuu . 2023-10-11 . issuu.com . en.
  16. Web site: Dean Close School added a new photo. - Dean Close School . 2023-10-11 . www.facebook.com . en.
  17. Web site: 2021-07-28 . Flecker 2019 by Dean Close School - Issuu . 2023-10-11 . issuu.com . en.
  18. Web site: Dean Close School added a new photo. - Dean Close School . 2023-10-11 . www.facebook.com . en.
  19. Web site: Armed Forces Covenant: Dean Close School, 21 April 2016.
  20. Web site: Dean Close School . 2023-10-06 . Combined Cadet Force . en-GB.
  21. Web site: Dean Close Preparatory School, Cheltenham - Choir Schools Association . Choirschools.org.uk . 2014-06-20 . 2017-01-06 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160924023325/http://www.choirschools.org.uk/school/dean-close-preparatory-school/ . 24 September 2016 . live.
  22. Web site: Tewkesbury Abbey Schola Cantorum - Abbey School Recordings . Scholacantorum.org.uk . 2017-01-06 . https://web.archive.org/web/20161015083748/http://www.scholacantorum.org.uk/index.php?page=abbey-school-recordings . 15 October 2016 . live.
  23. Web site: BCSD - Tewkesbury Abbey Schola Cantorum . Boysoloist.com . 2017-01-06 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160924015658/https://www.boysoloist.com/artist.asp?VID=2661 . 24 September 2016 . live.
  24. Web site: Senior Fees . Dean Close.
  25. Web site: Prep Fees . Dean Close.
  26. http://www.musography.co.uk/Page%202.html Christopher Brown biography, Musography
  27. Web site: Noteworthy Alumni . Dean Close School . 4 May 2021 . 29 November 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201129044648/https://www.deanclose.org.uk/ods/od-news/noteworthy-alumni/ . live .
  28. Web site: English . Dean Close School . 4 May 2021 . 1 December 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201201232312/https://www.deanclose.org.uk/senior-school-6th-form-13-18/academic/curriculum/english/ . live .
  29. Web site: Biography . AACO Community . 4 May 2021.
  30. Honorary fellowships presented to five prominent surgeons: Citation for Mr. Bernard Ribeiro . Bulletin of the American College of Surgeons . November 2008 . 93 . 11 . 38–39 . dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20120723002234/http://facs.org/fellows_info/bulletin/2008/honorary1108.pdf . 23 July 2012.
  31. Web site: Major St Clair Tisdall - obituary . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20170415234933/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/10673680/Major-St-Clair-Tisdall-obituary.html . 15 April 2017 . 2017-01-06 . The Telegraph.
  32. Book: Distinguished Old Decanians . 2017 . Dean Close School .

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