Royal Grammar School, High Wycombe

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The Royal Grammar School is a grammar school in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, United Kingdom. It is situated on Amersham Hill to the north of the town, and has a capacity of about 1350 boys aged between 11 and 18.

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History

Originally established by the mayor and burgesses of the town in 1550 the school received Royal charter in 1562. It was based in the buildings of the former Hospital of St John the Baptist in the town centre until 1883. Following the demolition of the old hospital it was moved to new buildings nearby for a short period of time, before being moved once again to its current location in 1915. T.S. Eliot taught there for a while. It celebrated its 400th anniversary in 1962 with a visit from the Queen.

In 2003, the school was thrown back into history when it served as the location for two seasons of the television series That'll Teach 'em for Channel 4. The school was re-branded as King's Grammar School and took thirty sixteen year olds for a summer of 50s style boarding school education for the first BAFTA nominated series. The second series saw thirty sixteen year olds of a rather lower academic ability experience 60s style Secondary Modern School education, with the school transformed to Hope Green Secondary Modern. However, different parts of the school of different ages were used in either series, giving the impression that the school used in the second series was not that used in the first.

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Entry

Although there are several Royal Grammar School sites in the UK, only RGS High Wycombe and Colchester Royal Grammar School have maintained their grammar school status. The other sites are now privately-funded, independent schools. In order to gain entry to the school, pupils from primary schools in the local area are invited to do an entrance exam, the 11+. Entry to a grammar school usually requires a score of 121/141, though pupils who gain scores of 117 and above are invited to appeal their case. RGS High Wycombe admits 182 day students each year and 10 boarding students. Entry for boarding is somewhat different, with the school creating its own entry test.

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Boarding

Fraser Youens Boarding House pictured here opened in September 1999. It incorporates en-suite bedrooms, cutting-edge communication technology, two resident Housemasters and five House Tutors. This facility enables students to attend RGS, who would otherwise be unable to - students from as far as Malaysia and Singapore reside in Fraser Youens.

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General information

Headmaster: Mr. Roy Page (Former Senior Deputy Headmaster and former Acting Headmaster), since Easter 2006.

The school is a designated DfES Language College, allowing students to study not only the usual Modern Languages such as French, Spanish and German, but also Russian, Swedish, Chinese-Mandarin and Italian - to name but a few. Furthermore, a state-of-the-art music centre was opened in late 2004, giving the school a great amount of modern music facilities, including the ability to now offer AS Level students the subject, Music Technology. RGS High Wycombe is also recognised as a top sporting school, with internationals being produced in at least four sports in virtually every year group. Amongst the many extra-curricular activities, Boys can participate in the on-site Combined Cadet Force, the Public Speaking society, Music and Orchestras, Drama, Social Service, Fencing, and a massive variety of sports. The website incorporates the full list.

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In the news

RGS is never far from a headline, and recent news includes the change of the catchment area, which has caused some upset. The opportunity for some students to attend the school has been removed, because they no longer reside in the correct area - this has caused particular upset to families who are no longer in the catchment area but already have a child at the school, and wish for another to follow suit.

In 2004 the school was at the centre of a debate based around the qualifications required to teach. Dr Wolfe, a physics teacher with a PhD, had been working as a school teacher for the maximum time allowed without having QTS (Qualified Teacher Status), one requirement of which was a grade C or higher in GCSE maths, or an equivalent qualification. David refused to take the GCSE, saying that at 87 he was "too old for that sort of thing", even though in his opinion he could easily pass it. The problems began when, despite an official stance of "flexiblity" by the Department for Education and Skills with regards to equivalent qualifications, correspondence sent to the school said differently. However, after much media attention (during which time the DfES announced that the maths GCSE was not in fact a concrete requirement) David was told that he could obtain QTS by submitting to a short teaching assessment, and he continues to teach at the school. See the video here or story here.

In February 2006, Tim Dingle appeared in a double-page Daily Mail article, alleging he led "a fantasy life fuelled by sex and drugs". Mr Dingle, already scheduled to leave in April, was claimed to have had various extramarital affairs and false identities. It was also alleged that he had been a user of both cocaine, and marijuana confiscated from pupils at his school. Mr Dingle had been a hard-line anti-drugs advocate, a vociferous opponent of New Labour's proposed declassification of cannabis, and a regular speaker on Christian morality at his school. A report on the drug claims was published by independent investigation team in March 2006 and was passed to the governors of the Royal Grammar School for scrutiny. Mr Dingle was forced to resign from his his post at St. George's School, Buenos Aires, which he was due to take up after Easter 2006.Template:Fn.

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Notable alumni

(Fraser and Youens both have the new boarding house at the RGS named after them, as well as two adjacent quiet residential roads in the Booker area of High Wycombe bearing their names.)

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Notes

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External links

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