The Crypt School Explained

The Crypt School
Coordinates:51.8394°N -2.252°W
Motto:Floreat Schola Cryptiensis
Schooltype:Grammar school
Head:Nicholas Dyer
Country:England
Postcode:GL2 5AE
Urn:136578
Ofsted:yes
Students:1,048
Gender:Fully coeducational from September 2018 (mixed)
Lower Age:11
Upper Age:18
Houses:Cooke (Formerly Brown), Waboso (Formerly Whitefield), Moore, Raikes and Henley
Website:http://www.cryptschool.org/

The Crypt School is a grammar school with academy status for boys and girls located in the city of Gloucester. Founded in the 16th century, it was originally an all-boys school, but it made its sixth form co-educational in the 1980s and moved to a mixed intake from year 7 in 2018, thereby becoming the only fully coeducational selective school in Gloucester. The school was founded in 1539 by Joan Cooke with money inherited from her husband John.[1]

History

Founders

See main article: Joan Cooke. John Cooke (d. 1528) was a wealthy brewer and mercer of Gloucester, one of the city's earliest aldermen, serving as sheriff in 1494 and 1498. He held the office of mayor four times, in 1501, 1507, 1512 and 1518. He was a significant benefactor in the city during his life, but it was his will that started the process for the establishment of a grammar school in Gloucester. The scheme was given effect by his wife Joan Cooke, who survived him by 17 years, dying in 1545.[2] It was Joan therefore who created the tripartite deed of 1539, deemed to be the founding charter. The school remains today the most ancient in Gloucester. A full account of the couple and their good works is described in the book by Roland Austin published in 1939 "Crypt School".[3] A portrait of the pair painted some years after Joan's death is extant.[2] It shows John in his mayoral robe, shaking hands with Joan and it is in the collection of Gloucester City Council.

Site

In the school's 500-year history it has been sited in three different locations within the city of Gloucester. The original school was part of St Mary de Crypt Church in Southgate Street and the schoolroom can still be seen there.[4] Later, in 1889, the school moved to Greyfriars, known better as Friar's Orchard,[5] and in 1943, to its present site at Podsmead. The site on which the modern school is situated is land given to the school by Joan Cooke in 1539.

Status

Despite attempts to change the school, notably in the 1960s with the move to comprehensive schools, the Crypt remains a selective grammar school. In 1987, there was the admission of girls in the sixth form entering in at the age of 16, and the transition towards a fully coeducational school began in 2018.[6] Since April 2011, the school has been an academy independent of local authority control. The school has been fully co-educational since 2018.[7]

Primary school

In May 2018, the school announced plans to create a primary school, linked to the secondary school being built on the current Podsmead site. The new primary school would, unlike main school, be unselective and would be a free school.[8]

Facilities

Facilities at the school include:[9]

Notable alumni

Alumni of the school are known as Old Cryptians.[10]

Religion

Sports

Academia

Arts

Politics

Other

School song

'Carmen Cryptiense', written in April 1926 with words by D. Gwynne Williams (Headmaster) and music by C. Lee Williams.[13]

External links

Notes and References

  1. http://www.livinggloucester.co.uk/people/then/1500/john_and_joan_cooke/ John and Joan Cooke.
  2. Litzenberger . Caroline . Cooke, John (d. 1528), mercer and benefactor . 2006-09-28 . en . 10.1093/ref:odnb/94981 . 978-0-19-861412-8 . 2022-11-28.
  3. Book: Gray, Irvine Egerton . Antiquaries of Gloucestershire and Bristol . 1981 . Bristol and Gloucestershire Archaeological Society . 978-0-900197-14-7 . en.
  4. Web site: Gloucester: Education Pages 335-350 A History of the County of Gloucester: Volume 4, the City of Gloucester. . British History Online . Victoria County History . 30 August 2020 . 24 August 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190824165747/https://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/glos/vol4/pp335-350 . live .
  5. Web site: Gloucester: Sites and remains of religious houses Pages 288-292 A History of the County of Gloucester: Volume 4, the City of Gloucester. . Victoria County History . 30 August 2020 . 6 October 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20191006160518/https://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/glos/vol4/pp288-292 . live .
  6. Web site: The Crypt School : Gloucester. www.cryptschool.org. 2018-05-26. 28 May 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180528031152/http://www.cryptschool.org/schoolhistory/. live.
  7. Web site: The Crypt School : Gloucester. cryptschool.org. 2016-05-07. 8 May 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160508120611/http://cryptschool.org/headmasters_vision/. live.
  8. News: Historic secondary school plans to open feeder primary. Lane. Ellis. 2018-05-21. gloucestershirelive. 2018-05-26. 27 May 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180527023936/https://www.gloucestershirelive.co.uk/news/gloucester-news/crypt-school-gloucester-new-primary-1590719. live.
  9. Web site: The Crypt School : Gloucester. www.cryptschool.org. 2018-05-26. 27 May 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180527023622/http://www.cryptschool.org/hiring-bookings/. live.
  10. Web site: The Old Cryptians' Club – Home . 13 March 2006 . 25 April 2006 . https://web.archive.org/web/20060425172949/http://www.oldcryptians.org/ . live .
  11. News: Yearning for 'a different life' brought Bailey to west Cork . . 6 November 2014.
  12. News: Saajid Badat the walking angel who became a terrorist . . 16 April 2012.
  13. Web site: School Song – Scanned Front Page « Old Cryptians. www.oldcryptians.org. 2018-05-26. 27 May 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180527120636/http://www.oldcryptians.org/school-song-scanned-front-page/. live.

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