Southend High School for Boys

Infobox Secondary school
name = Southend High School for Boys

motto = "Forti nihil difficile"
'To the brave, nothing is difficult'
established = 1895 (founded) 1939 (moved to current premises)
type = All-male secondary grammar Yr 7 - 11 (mixed sixth form)
student intake = 960 pupils total, 220 Sixth Form
headmaster = Dr. R. Bevan
enrolment = Year 7 (age 11), Upper Sixth (age 17/18)
status = Language College
free_label_1 = Main Sports
free_1 = Athletics, Rugby union, Football, Cricket
colours = Green and White
campus = Suburban
city = Southend-on-Sea
state = Essex
country = England
website = [http://www.shsb.org.uk/]

Southend High School for Boys is a grammar school situated on "Prittlewell Chase" in the north-west of Southend-on-Sea, England. It is one of four grammar schools in Southend, the others being Southend High School for Girls, Westcliff High School for Boys, and Westcliff High School for Girls.

It teaches students from the ages 11 through to 18 years old. It was one of the only schools in the area to achieve "outstanding" in the latest Ofsted inspection. The school consistently achieves over 95% of its students attaining 5 GCSEs grade A*–C every year. [ cite web |url=http://www.dfes.gov.uk/cgi-bin/performancetables/school_06.pl?No=8825446&Mode=Z&Type=SC&Phase=1&Year=06&Base=b&Num=882
title=Secondary School Achievement and Attainment Tables 2006
publisher=Department for Education and Skills
accessdate=2007-06-22]

Similar to other grammar schools in the Southend-on-Sea district, it gets excellent results at A-level.Clarifyme|date=September 2008Fact|date=September 2008

The current headteacher is Dr. R Bevan, and the previous headmaster was Michael D Frampton, 1988–2007. The current deputy heads are Mr Alan Gardner and Miss L Duffy. Dr. Paul Hayman, a previous deputy head, became headmaster of the nearby Westcliff High School for Girls in 2002.

History

The school was founded in 1895 in Victoria Circus and provided the first secondary education within the Borough of Southend-on-Sea. It moved to its present larger site on "Prittlewell Chase" in 1939.

Southend High School for Boys is a foundation school within Southend-on-Sea Local Authority. It is a grammar school, with entry dependent upon performance in selective 11+ tests set by the Consortium of Selective Schools in Essex (CSSE).

Since 2001 the school has been a Language College, promoting modern foreign languages both inside and outside the curriculum as well as within the local community. It was a founder member of Southend Excellence Cluster, supporting and collaborating with nearly thirty primary and secondary schools. In 2006, as a high-performing specialist school, it was invited to become a Leading Edge school, promoting innovation in teaching and learning in liaison with local partner schools. [ cite web
url=http://www.schoolsnetwork.org.uk/uploads/documents/le%20lead%20schools%20contact%20details%20matched%20with%20partner%20schools_126250.pdf
title=Leading Eddge Partnerships schools list
accessdate=2007-06-22 ]

Student numbers have been increasing over recent years. As of 2008/2009 academic year there are just over 1150students on roll, over 220 of whom (including some girls) are in the Sixth Form.

The stated aims of the school are the pursuit of academic excellence, stressing the personal and social development of the individual, the fostering of a positive set of values, and preparation of students for a responsible and enriching role within society.

Academic

The school was last inspected in February 2006 when the main conclusion of Ofsted (the Office for Standards in Education) was as follows:

:Southend High School for Boys is an outstanding school with a very strong ethos and a distinctive character. Its pupils are justifiably proud to belong to it, make very good progress and achieve exceptionally high standards. The school successfully balances an emphasis on academic achievement with a concern for pupils' personal development and well-being. This ensures that pupils are well prepared for their place in society. They have also recently received the NACE Challenge Award, which means they are the first secondary school in the Eastern Counties to obtain it, and the 22nd school in the entire country of Britain to achieve the award.cite web |url=http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/reports/pdf/?inspectionNumber=279584&providerCategoryID=8192&fileName=\school\115\s5_115362_20060227.pdf |title=Ofsted Report February 2006 |date=2006-02-02 |accessdate=2007-06-22]

Building Extensions

Although the building was originally built almost symmetrically, it has undergone various changes which have meant it is no longer the case.

After having sustained bombing damage during World War II, a new roof was constructed over the main hall and the (former) sports hall (now the Frampton Theatre). It was recently after this time (approx. 1954) that classrooms W14 and W15 were built; originally they were not here; which is the reason why the upstairs corridor in the West End does not complete a full circuit around the quadrangle.

In 1961, the technology block was built, along with 8 "temporary" demountable huts to the west of this building and a connecting boiler room to the rear of the stage of the main hall.

In 1992, QE1 and QE2 classrooms were built inside the East End quadrangle to cope with the demand arising from extra pupils.

In 1995, the Hitchcock Library was constructed to fill in the West End quadrangle with a new art room, W16 on top. The library was needed to alleviate overcrowding in the "Old Library" which is located above the headmaster's office & main school office.

In 1998, the Sixth Form centre was built, removing four of the "temporary huts" 37 years after they were built.

In 2003, the Language College was constructed to create room for an expanded intake of pupils; an extra 25 per year starting in the 2002-2003 year. As this was built, subject rooms also got swapped around; Mathematics moved from the four other huts into E1, E2, E3 and QE1 (E1 and E9 were previously German rooms, E2, QE1, and QE2 were French rooms, and E3 was a Latin room). E9 became an extra English Room (previously English had just E5, E6, E7 and E8) and Religious Education gained the use of QE2. Music also gained the use of L6 in the Language College for a short period of time whilst the Sports Hall & Music Centre was under construction. In the Language College, German was moved into L1 and L2, Spanish into L6 and L9, French into L10, L11, L12, L14, L15 and L16. L4, L7, and L8 are small rooms used for speaking practice and L3 and L13 are computer suites.

Owing to such a long time in sub-standard accommodation in Music and Physical Education (as mentioned by the OFSTED report of 2002), a bid was made to Southend Borough Council for a grant to be awarded for a new Sports Hall and Music Centre (following the recent construction of a top quality facility at St Bernard's High School for Girls). Permission was granted and the sum of £2.25 million was given to the school for the construction of this new facility. The school began a development appeal to raise a further £475,000 in order to equip the centre with the latest fitness machines and recording studio. This was the largest amount an English High School had hoped to raise in the history of British education. The appeal lasted for 3 years until 2006 when it was closed. The total raised was £376,000; slightly less than expected. Unlike the Sixth Form Centre and Language College, which were built from prefabricated units in a brick shell, this building was designed by Peter Emptage & Associates and built to last. According to documentation, this building is unfortunately constructed to last 120 years and is a complete eyesore. Constructed in a steel frame and finished in glass, red brick, aluminium panelling and a beech coloured wood, the new centre boasts a 5 badminton court size sports hall, the largest school sports hall in Southend Borough (the only larger indoor hall is that at Garon's Park). This building was completed in 2005 and is now well used; not only by members of the school community but also the wider community in the evenings and at weekends.

Further plans for the school as part of the Development Appeal included another Art room constructed on top of the old changing rooms in the West End (which has now been developed into the new Careers room, Sixth Form study room, and reprographics) and the transformation of L6 from a "British Red Cross store" to a food technology room. Instead, L6 has been changed into a Spanish room, whilst the Art room has not yet come to fruition. Other changes that have occurred as part of the original 3 year plan was the transformation of the old Gymnasium into the new Frampton Theatre, the partition of W9 into half to extend W8 and W10 Chemistry laboratories, and the refurbishment of the old Careers room in W6 into a Biology laboratory. The Physics lab W4 is currently being refurbished. The old music department has now become the home of PSHE and a special needs room on the right of the stage in the Main Hall. The room on the left has been used as exam desk storage since the Music centre was opened and the Music office was moved. For many years, the area under the stage was used as a music classroom/music rehearsal room/storage room. Since 2004 it was used to store a vast number of organ pipes with the view that the school organ would be extended. However, funds have also been dropped from this area and hence it has now been cleared (as of Christmas 2007) and is now used as a maintenance office/workshop for the premises department at school.

House system

Students at Southend High School for Boys are split into four "houses"; Athens (motto: "nulli secundus" - 'second to none'), Tuscany (Etruscans), Sparta (motto: "non sibi sed domo" - 'Not for self, for house'), and Troy, modelled upon the house system at Rugby School. Competitiveness is actively encouraged between houses as the students contend to win the Cock House Championship. [ [http://www.shsb.org.uk/students/house_activities.htm House Activities] ; retrieved on 2008-02-23.]

Noted alumni

Media
*Jonathan Clements, author [cite news
url=http://www.muramasaindustries.com/other/interviews/eveningecho/eveningecho.html |last=Hallissey |first=Nick
title=Sci-fi on the beach
publisher=Southend Evening Echo
date=2005-03-17
accessdate=2007-06-22]

*Brian Gibson, director [cite news
url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2004/01/21/db2102.xml
title=Brian Gibson (obituary)
publisher=Telegraph.co.uk
date=2004-01-20
accessdate=2008-01-17]

Music
*Robin Trower and Chris Copping of Procol Harum [cite news |url=http://www.procolharum.com/99/southend-standard_050916_trower.htm
title=Robin's whiter shades of nostalgia
publisher=The Southend Standard
date=2006-09-16
accessdate=2007-06-22]
*Digby Fairweather
*Keith Summers [ cite web
url=http://www.mustrad.org.uk/ks_obit.htm
last=Marsh |first=Paul
title=Keith Summers - An Obituary
publisher=Musical Traditions
date=2004-04-02
accessdate=2007-06-22]
*Viv Stanshall of the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah BandFact|date=January 2008

Science
*Samuel Soal, parapsychologist
*Bertram Kelly, electrical engineer
*Alan Archer, biochemist
*Martin Plummer, neurosurgeon

Sport
*John Lloyd (tennis), tennis player
*Mark Foster, swimmer

Religion
*Gareth Bennett, ecclesiastical historian.

References

External links

* [http://www.shsb.org.uk Official website]
* [http://www.edubase.gov.uk/EstablishmentView.aspx?EstablishmentID=15347 EduBase]
* [http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/55671 Image of front of school building]