Queens Park High School
Various Views of the School | |
Motto |
Possunt quia posse videntur - They can because they think they can' (from The Aeneid, Virgil)' |
---|---|
Established | 1892 |
Headteacher | Miss L Watterson |
Location |
Queen's Park Chester Cheshire CH4 7AE England Coordinates: 53°11′04″N 2°53′09″W / 53.18437°N 2.88578°W |
Local authority | Cheshire West and Chester |
DfE URN | 111397 Tables |
Ofsted | Reports |
Students | 917 |
Gender | Coeducational |
Ages | 11–18 |
Colours | Blue and White |
Publication | Newsletter |
Queen's Park High School or QPHS is a secondary school in Queens Park, Chester, in the United Kingdom. The school symbol is the heraldic lion, and the school uniform consists of a blue blazer with a small white lion on the left hand side, and black or blue trousers.
History
Queen's Park High School although only coming under its current name in 1971 is the oldest non-public school in Chester.
Boys' School
Chester City Grammar School for Boys developed out of a technical day school, which opened at the Grosvenor Museum in 1892. Following the Education Act, 1902, it was decided to adapt the day technical school to meet the requirements of the Act, and its name was changed to City and County School for Boys in June 1907. It was transferred to Chester Corporation in August 1908, but remained at the Grosvenor Museum, with its own Board of Governors (some of them being appointed by Chester Corporation), until 1912. The school then moved to new buildings in Queen's Park. In 1938 its name was changed to Chester City Grammar School for Boys, and in 1941 new premises were opened in Queen's Park. As the 1970s dawned the school came under the scheme for the reorganization of schools in Chester, and Chester City Grammar School for Boys combined with Chester City High School for Girls, with the name of Queen's Park High School. The Headmaster of the combined school was appointed in 1970, and complete amalgamation of the boys' and girls' schools took effect from September 1971.
Girls' School
Chester City High School for Girls was established following the Education Act, 1902, which made provision for secondary education. It began in temporary premises, the Race Stands on the Roodee, on 23 January 1905. On 25 March 1912 new premises were opened in Queen's Park. Originally known as the City and County School for Girls, because the County Education Authority maintained a certain number of the places available to students, the name of the school was changed in 1938 to Chester City High School for Girls. Under the scheme for the reorganisation of schools in Chester, prepared by the City Education Officer in 1968, the City High School for Girls and City Grammar School for Boys combined to form a mixed High School. The headmaster of the combined school was appointed in 1970, but the headmistress of the City High School remained as associate headmistress until July 1971. From that date the City High School for Girls ceased to exist as a separate school.
Extracurriculars
Musicals and Theatrical Productions
QPHS has a long history of annual school performances which usually run for a week in the spring term. The plays have included:
- 2001 Endgame - a 1957 play written by Samuel Beckett.
- 2002 A Streetcar Named Desire - a 1947 play written by Tennessee Williams.
- 2003 Mourning Becomes Electra - A seminal play written by Eugene O'Neill, set to the music of Chaka Khan.
- 2004 Bugsy Malone - A British musical film directed by Alan Parker set in the Prohibition Era.
- 2005 The Wizard of Oz - Originally a children's novel written by L. Frank Baum, it has had many adaptations.
- 2006 Oliver! - A British musical written by Lionel Bart.
- 2007 Little Shop of Horrors - A comedy rock horror musical created by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman, based on the 1960 film of the same name.
- 2008 Grease - A 1971 musical by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey (Grease had been performed at QPHS previously, in 1996).
- 2009 We Will Rock You - A musical written by British comedian and author Ben Elton, based on songs by Queen.
- 2010 Hairspray - A 1988 comedy film written and directed by John Waters.
- 2011 Return to the Forbidden Planet - A Jukebox musical written by Bob Carlton, based on William Shakespeare's The Tempest.
- 2012 Fame - A 1980 film directed by Alan Parker.
- 2013 Beauty and the Beast - A traditional fairy tale, the first published version being a rendition by Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve.
- 2014 Les Misérables - A staging of the 1985 West End musical production, based on the 1862 novel by Victor Hugo.
- 2015 Disco Inferno - a musical Disco Inferno is a modern 70s style musical. Set in 1976.
In the past the school had also been known to put on occasional operas, such as Il trovatore and La Tosca, as well as W.S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan operettas such as Trial by Jury.
Other musical events
Each year QPHS stages a Summer Concert and Candle Lit Christmas Evening. There is an active school orchestra. In February the school has an X Factor like event called The V Factor showcasing the talents of the school's pupils. There is an annual Battle of the Bands contest open to students from all local secondary schools.
Sports and clubs
-Rowing Club
-Duke of Edinburgh Award
-Cricket Club
-Football Club
-Rugby Club
-Trampoline Club
-Cartography Society
-Faraday Club (Defunct)
-Debating Society (Defunct)
-Society of St. Sebastian (Defunct)
-Wireless Club (Defunct)
-Caledonian Society (Defunct)
-Science Club
-Art Club
School magazine
- The Inkwell - from 1923 to 1959
- Cestria - from 1959 to 1970
- Queen's Park High School Magazine - Special issue in 1970
- Newsletter - from 1971 to present
In the winter of 2009 there was a push for the resurrection of the traditional Queen's Park Inkwell under the new name of High Times - due to various complications the paper was never remade.
Headmasters
- 1893 to 1911, J.A. MacMichael BA. BSc.
- 1912 to 1937, J.K. Wilkins MA. BSc.
- 1938 to 1942, Eric Ayres MA.
- 1942 to 1948, R.P. Challacombe CBE. BA.
- 1949 to 1970, C. Race MA.
- 1971 to 1989, K.D. Munden BA.
- 1989 to 2009, A.D. Firman MA. MEd.
- 2009 to 2015, S.J. Casey BSc. PGCE. NPQH.
2015 to present, L Watterson
Notable Former Students
Chester City Grammar School
- Russ Abbot, Comedian
- Sir Charles Bell CBE, Chairman of Coats Paton Ltd from 1967–75
- Stephen Byers, Labour MP for North Tyneside since 1997 and for Wallsend from 1992-7
- Sir John Enderby CBE [1]
- Prof Clifford Formston, Professor of Veterinary Surgery at the Royal Veterinary College from 1943–74
- John Golding, Labour MP for Newcastle-under-Lyme from 1969–86
- Paul Gough, RWA Professor of Fine Arts, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, University of the West of England, Bristol
- Keith Harris - Ventriloquist with Orville the Duck
- Jon Lloyd, Chief Executive since 2008 of UK Coal
- Bob Mills, Comedian/Writer - 1968-1972
- John G. Robinson, railway engineer
- Prof James Scudamore CB, Chief Veterinary Officer from 1997-2004
City & County School Chester for Girls
See also
- The Queen's School, Chester, a confusingly-similar named independent girls' school founded in the town in 1878