Sexey's School Explained

Sexey's School should not be confused with Hugh Sexey Church of England Middle School.

Sexey's School
Type:Academy
Day and boarding school
Religious Affiliation:Church of England
Head Teacher:Helen Cullen
Address:Cole Road
City:Bruton
County:Somerset
Postcode:BA10 0DF
Country:England
Urn:137313
Ofsted:Yes
Enrolment:551 pupils (as of 2013)[1]
Capacity:602
Lower Age:11
Upper Age:18
Colours:Burgundy, gold and black

Sexey's School is a Church of England, co-educational state boarding and day school in Bruton, Somerset, England for 11-18 year olds. Sexey's School is named after Hugh Sexey who, in 1599, was appointed as a Royal auditor to Elizabeth I and later as a Royal auditor to James I. Sexey's Hospital was established in 1619 from the proceeds of his will, and the school was founded in 1889. State boarding schools are most unusual in England and Wales. The school became an academy in August 2011.

History

Sexey's School dates back to a trade school which opened on 6 April 1891 with 15 boys. The first Head Master was William Albert Knight.[2] The Head Master and the boys moved into temporary premises in a house known as 'The Glen' on Quaperlake Street in Bruton.[3] At the end of its first year there were 40 boys at the school learning basic subjects including practical mechanics, land measuring and elementary science.[4] The school was moved to its current site in 1892 in new buildings designed by Norwich-based architect George Skipper.[5] The new buildings were formally opened on 19 April 1892.

As headmaster, William A. Knight emphasized science. His students include the outstanding British biologists, L. J. F. Brimble, Frederick Tom Brooks, Ralph Warren Marsh, and Walter Cecil Moore.[6]

Sexey's was a grammar school until the Education Act 1944, after which it became a Voluntary Controlled school. In 1991 it adopted Grant Maintained status and in September 1999 it became a Voluntary Aided school.[7]

It remained an all-boys school until 1977 when it became fully co-educational. Boarding facilities were expanded in the 1980s with the building of two new boarding houses – Lisbury House and Coombe House – making Sexey's one of the largest schools of its type in the country. The school has continued expansion with the introduction of a policy in 2003 to take day pupils from a local catchment area of 1.5 miles. Prior to this the last day pupil was admitted in 1983. In 2001 the school had 394 pupils.[8] In 2007 there were 512 pupils.[9]

As a state boarding (and day) school, Sexey's has complex funding arrangements with both state (government funded) and independent income (for the boarding facilities).[10]

In 2013 the then Secretary of State for Education, Michael Gove, described Sexey's as "one of the most outstanding schools in the country," during an interview on the Andrew Marr Show on BBC One.[11]

In 2019 two catering managers were convicted of defrauding the school of over £16,000.[12]

In 2019, after a number of poor Ofsted results and on the recommendation of the Regional Schools Commissioner, the school considered merging into the Sherborne Area Schools' Trust multi-academy trust. But following extensive parental engagement by Sexey's parents, governors and government representatives who were in opposition to the move,[13] the Sherborne Trust decided not to proceed, stating there was "not an alignment of values or partnership working with Sexey's". The Regional Schools Commissioner considered what the next step should be.[14] [13] [15] Ofsted inspection visits in 2020 and 2021 found that leaders and those responsible for governance were taking effective remedial action.[16]

Boarding

Around one fifth of the school are boarders. There are two boarding houses:

Former boarding houses include:

Headteachers

School song

The school song is a devotional chorus.[17]

Hear mighty Lord,
Thy Sexeian's humble cry:
Hear, mighty Lord.
Inspire with motives high
For work and School.
For students here and past
Grant thankfulness,
And endless rest at last.

2002 calendar

In 2001, a group of pupils produced a glossy calendar as part of a Young Enterprise business project, sold for charity, called "Sexey's Hot Twelve", that featured 12 pictures of boys and girls in seductive poses. Child protection groups criticised the calendar for its potential attraction to adults who prey on vulnerable young people. The school reported that they had received no complaints, and that most of the 500 copies were bought immediately after going on sale.[18] [19]

Notable former pupils

Notable former staff

References

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Sexey's School. Ofsted. 8 November 2015.
  2. Read, John. Obituary. Mr. W. A. Knight. Nature. 163. 4149. 1949. 713.
  3. Sexey's School. School History. Accessed 23 September 2016.
  4. Web site: Sexey's School . Early history . Sexey's School magazine — Issue 1 - February 1897 . February 1897 . 20 January 2008 . https://web.archive.org/web/20071008141936/http://www.sexeys.somerset.sch.uk/index.php?main=history&sub=extracts&ssub=issue1 . 8 October 2007 . dead .
  5. http://www.oxforddnb.com/templates/article.jsp?articleid=67010&back George Skipper biography
  6. Byrde, R. J. W.. Robert J. W. Byrde. Mycological Research. 97. 2. 255–256. 1993. Obituary. R. W. Marsh, 1899-1992: an appreciation. 10.1016/S0953-7562(09)80250-5 .
  7. Web site: Sexey's School . Sexey's School — A Brief History .
  8. Web site: Ofsted . 2001 . Inspection Report: Sexey's School . 2 October 2007.
  9. Web site: Ofsted . 2007 . Inspection Report: Sexey's School . 9 October 2010.
  10. Web site: Admission arrangements for Bruton Sexey's School. Somerset County Council. 11 March 2011. 2002.
  11. https://web.archive.org/web/20140116103917/http://www.sexeys.somerset.sch.uk/56-news1/events/451-michael-gove-praises-sexey-s Gove Praises Sexey's
  12. News: Catering managers £16,000 fraud at Sexey's School, Bruton . Hill . Phil . County Gazette . 28 April 2019 . 27 August 2020.
  13. News: Bruton school takeover proposal sparks opposition from parents . BBC News . 14 October 2019 . 11 March 2020.
  14. News: Trust pulls out of school takeover due to lack of 'partnership working' . Elgee . Emma . SomersetLive . 16 October 2019 . 8 December 2019.
  15. Web site: Termination Warning Notice to the Members and Directors of Sexey's School . Mannall . Lisa . Department for Education . 24 May 2019 . 11 March 2020.
  16. Web site: Additional, remote monitoring inspection of Sexey's School . Lee . Stephen . Ofsted . 23 March 2021 . 19 January 2023.
  17. Web site: Sexey's history: Where does the name come from? . Sexey's School . 7 August 2018.
  18. News: Richard . Savill . Schoolgirl calendar 'too sexy' . https://web.archive.org/web/20061212202738/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2001/12/15/nsexy15.xml&sSheet=/news/2001/12/15/ixhomef.html . dead . 12 December 2006 . Daily Telegraph. 14 December 2001 . 1 June 2007.
  19. News: Rebecca . Allison . Sixth formers' topless calendar criticised . The Guardian. 15 December 2001 . 20 January 2008.
  20. Web site: Football. Sexey's School. 18 January 2014. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20140202101741/http://www.sexeys.somerset.sch.uk/extracurricular/sport/sports-news/52-extracurriculum/sports/155-football. 2 February 2014.
  21. Obituary Notices. British Medical Journal. 4 December 1965. 2. 5474. 1375. 1846778.
  22. W. C. Moore . Frederick Tom Brooks. 1882-1952. Obituary Notices of Fellows of the Royal Society. 8. 22 . November 1953 . 769214 . 340–354 . 10.1098/rsbm.1953.0002. 162238206.
  23. News: John Bryant, veteran newspaperman who helped bring Zola Budd to Britain. Daily Telegraph. 3 May 2020.
  24. Web site: Gilbert Gabriel. Sexey's School. 18 January 2014. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20150406061828/http://www.sexeys.somerset.sch.uk/gilbertgabriel. 6 April 2015.
  25. News: Johnston . Ian . Lt-Col Lucy Giles becomes first woman commander appointed to lead at Sandhurst . 7 August 2018 . Independent . 13 December 2015.
  26. News: New boarding house at Sexey's. 18 January 2014. Blackmore Vale Magazine. 28 October 2011. dead. https://archive.today/20140118132901/http://www.blackmorevale.co.uk/New-boarding-house-Sexey-s/story-13689322-detail/story.html. 18 January 2014.
  27. Web site: How did I get here?. University of Sheffield. 18 January 2014. dead. https://archive.today/20140118132851/http://208.254.39.65/sheffielduni/e_article000912355.cfm. 18 January 2014.
  28. Web site: Scott, Sir Harold Richard. Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. 18 January 2014.
  29. News: Natalie . Graham . Radio host lives 'entirely for pleasure' . The Sunday Times. 19 December 2004 . 1 July 2007.
  30. Web site: Alex Tew. Sexey's School. 18 January 2014. dead. https://archive.today/20140118132833/http://www.sexeys.somerset.sch.uk/alumni/alex-tew. 18 January 2014.
  31. Web site: Prof Nigel Vincent . University of Manchester . 18 September 2018 .
  32. News: David . Lewis . Obituary — Professor Arthur Willis . The Independent. 15 July 2006 . 1 July 2007 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20071001061852/http://news.independent.co.uk/people/obituaries/article1178594.ece . 1 October 2007 .
  33. M. J. Bunting, D. Briggs and M. Block, The Cambridge British Flora (1914-1920), Walsonia 20: 195-204 (1995)

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