Steyning Grammar School Explained

Steyning Grammar School
Coordinates:50.8933°N -0.3294°W
Motto:Every Person the Best they Can Be[1]
Head Label:Headteacher
Head:Adam Whitehead
Chair Label:Chair of Governors
Chair:Susan Gearing
Founder:William Holland
Address:Shooting Field
Country:England
Postcode:BN44 3RX
Ofsted:yes
Urn:148221
Alumni:Old Grammarians
Enrolment:2,455 pupils
Lower Age:11
Upper Age:18
Website:http://www.sgs.uk.net/
Campuses:3

Steyning Grammar School is a coeducational day and boarding, senior school and sixth form, located in Steyning, West Sussex, England.

The school has two lower school sites catering for Years 7 and 8. The original site was located in Church Street, Steyning, which moved to The Towers in Upper Beading in August 2022. A second site opened at Rock Road in Storrington in September 2017, on the former site of Rydon Community College. A larger upper school site at Shooting Field, Steyning caters for students in Years 9 to 11 who study the Key Stage 4 curriculum over three years. The school's Sixth Form College for students in Years 12 and 13 is also based at the Shooting Field site. The Shooting Field site is served by Brighton & Hove bus route 2 once a day each weekday morning.[2]

History

Steyning Grammar School was founded and endowed as a grammar school in 1614 by William Holland, an Alderman of Chichester. In 1968, it merged with Steyning Secondary Modern School to form the current comprehensive school. The combined school shares two sites in Steyning. The original half-timbered Church Street site housed years 7 and 8 until the end of the 2021-22 academic year after which this age group ('Lower School') transferred to the Towers site in nearby Upper Beeding. The main Shooting Field site houses years 9-11 and the sixth form college. A third lower school site opened in Storrington in September 2017 following the closure of Rydon Community College. Some Physical education lessons are taught at Steyning Leisure Centre.

On 11 March 2020, after only two one-hour meetings open to the community, school governors voted to convert the 400-year-old school to an academy as part of the Bohunt Trust. A teaching union warned that the school has "nothing to gain and everything to lose" and there was talk of strike action after the plans were announced.[3] Converting Steyning Grammar School into an academy "would give Bohunt complete control over its curriculum and the hiring of teachers".[3]

Bohunt Education Trust runs eight schools in total, including secondary schools in Worthing and Horsham.

In December 2021 a viral report of a "bleak" Christmas dinner composed of "a mince pie, dry bread roll, slice of turkey, single pig in blanket, and a tiny square of stuffing" went viral, reports indicating the school apologised and the £3.50 cost of the meal was refunded.[4]

Notable alumni

Boarding

Steyning Grammar School has a boarding site located at Church Street.[10] It is opposite the Lower School and is around half a mile away from the Upper School in Shooting Field. Steyning is one of a small number of state schools with boarding facilities.[11]

Boarders can join at the beginning of Year 9 and Year 12 to follow GCSE and A-level courses respectively.

Further reading

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: SGS 'MOST WICKET' WIN. 18 October 2012. dead. https://archive.today/20140617011117/http://www.sgs.uk.net/sgs-most-wicket-win. 17 June 2014. dmy-all.
  2. Web site: Steyning Grammar School (adj) . 2024-03-17 . buses.co.uk.
  3. News: Strike threats as 400-year-old school votes for academy plans . The Argus . Brighton . 17 March 2020.
  4. News: School apology after bleak Christmas lunch photo goes viral . 16 December 2021 . BBC News.
  5. Winter Graduation Ceremonies 2001 . University of Sussex . 10 January 2001 . 17 June 2014.
  6. News: Pupil's work pays off at show . West Sussex County Times . Chichester . 20 June 2003 . 20.
  7. News: Billingshurst actor stars in new film in cinemas across the UK . West Sussex County Times . 19 October 2018 . Chichester .
  8. News: Colin . Rose . Obituary: Ted Walker . The Guardian . London . 2 April 2004 . 16 June 2014.
  9. Tomes . Jason . Ware, Lancelot Lionel (1915–2000) . January 2006 . 10.1093/ref:odnb/74545 . 9 September 2016.
  10. Web site: 6 October 2022 . Boarding Contact Details . Steyning Grammar School.
  11. Web site: Steyning Grammar School Boarding. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20210301201117/http://sgs.uk.net/contact-us4/110361.html. 1 March 2021. 2021-01-23. www.sgs.uk.net.