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King's School, Macclesfield

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The King's School, Macclesfield, is an all through co-educational private day school in Prestbury, Cheshire, England, and a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference. It was founded in 1502 by Sir John Percyvale, a former Lord Mayor of London, as Macclesfield Grammar School.

The King's School
Address
Map
Alderley Rd, Prestbury

Prestbury
,
Cheshire
,
SK10 4SP

United Kingdom
Coordinates53°16′35″N 2°09′52″W / 53.2763°N 2.16435°W / 53.2763; -2.16435
Information
TypePrivate day school
MottoChallenge, Develop, Foster, Support
Established1502; 522 years ago (1502)
FounderSir John Percyvale, Feoffees
Department for Education URN111473 Tables
Head of FoundationJason Slack
GenderCo-educational
Age3 to 18
Enrolment1,337 pupils
Houses4 (Gawsworth, Adlington, Tatton and Capesthorne)
Colour(s)   
Websitehttps://www.kingsmac.co.uk/

History

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The King's School was founded in 1502 within the Church of St Michael and All Angels, Macclesfield. It was re-founded by Edward VI in 1552 as the "Free Grammar School of King Edward VI". It moved to Cumberland Street, 300 metres further from the town square, in 1844. In July 2020 the school moved to a new location adjacent to its long-held Derby Playing Fields, on the outskirts of Macclesfield.[1]

In 1844 a Modern School, with a more commercial and technical curriculum, was built by the governors to run in tandem with the Grammar School. It merged with the Grammar School in 1912.[2]

The school operated as a direct-grant school and offered scholarships for boys from state elementary schools from 1926 until 1966, when its application to continue as a direct grant grammar school was refused and it became fully independent.[3][4]

The boys' junior school was opened in 1947. In 1993 girls from age 11 to 16 were admitted and housed with co-educational juniors, and later infants, at the old Macclesfield High School site on Fence Avenue. The Sixth Form had been co-educational since 1986.[5]

The King's School's 2020 development plans involved closing the two existing school sites in Macclesfield and opening a new single site school in Prestbury, near Macclesfield.[6] The development plans involved selling off the two existing school sites for housing development to fund the new school site.[7] The school acquired greenbelt farmland adjacent to its Derby Fields site for which it subsequently sought planning permission in order to develop the existing school site and the farmland for housing.[8] Planning permission was granted to the school to build more than 250 houses on the greenbelt land in Macclesfield in July 2016.[9] The new school was built on green belt land in nearby Prestbury. Planning permission for all sites was confirmed when the Secretary of State declined to call in the plans for further scrutiny in September 2016.[10] In July 2020 King's School left Macclesfield after more than 500 years of continuous operation in the town and relocated to Prestbury.[1] In 2024, after 500 years of teaching Latin, King’s school controversially withdrew Latin from its curriculum. This led to parents making a formal complaint to an independent body regarding this decision and the lack of transparent decision making by the school’s governing body.[11]

Academia

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The school follows the National Curriculum for GCSE in Years 10–11 and A-Levels in the sixth form. In 2012, pupils achieved A*/A in 41% of all exams and A* – B in three-quarters of exams. Pupils achieved the best-ever GCSE results in 2012 with 33% of grades at A* grade, more than 63% of grades at A*/A and 86% at A* – B grade.

In 2011, pupils achieved 75% A* to B grade at A-level, with a 99.7% pass rate, and 60% As and A*s at GCSE.[12]

In 2023, pupils achieved at GCSE level 43% of all grades at 9/8 (A*) , 65% grades 9-7, 83% 9-6. For A-Levels, 48% of all grades were A*/A , 80% of all grades were A*-B, with 7 students getting 3 A*s. [13]

Extra-curricular activities

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Music

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In 2003 the school's Foundation Choir won BBC Songs of Praise Choir of the Year.[14] It takes bi-annual trips to perform across Europe, having visited Barcelona, Levico Terme, Strasbourg, Lake Geneva and Budapest. In 2016 the choir performed in Prague. The choir and numerous bands also perform at nearby St Michael's Church.[15] The school's music department is equipped with a recording studio and practice rooms and offers instrumental lessons to the students.[16] The department also performs musicals such as The Revenge of Sherlock Holmes,[17][18] a West End musical, in 2012.

Drama

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The school performs two to three plays a year; one by the Boys' Division/Sixth Form, one by the Girls' Division, and one by the Juniors. Recent plays include Cinders,[19] Arabian Nights,[20] and The Ramayana. Now that the school is completely co-educational, there are performances in Infants, Junior divisions respectively and the Seniors and Sixth Form perform together. In 2023, they performed Bleak Expectations. [21] In 2024, they performed Guys and Dolls. [22]

School trips

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Trips abroad are arranged by individual departments, including those by the History and Classics departments, in addition to annual foreign language exchange visits.[23] Pupils are involved in biennial World Challenge Expeditions and recent expeditions have been to Morocco,[24] Ecuador, India and most recently Namibia.[25]

The school's Outdoor Activities Club organises regular trips to Yorkshire[26] or the Peak District, that include walking, climbing and caving. [citation needed]

In 2023, the school undertook a 3-week expedition to Borneo. [27]

Sports

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School sports include rugby, hockey, netball, cheerleading,[28][29] and cricket.[30][31]

Headmasters

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  • 1502–1533: William Bridges (first)[32]
  • 1533–1560: John Bold
  • 1560–1588: John Brownswerde
  • 1588–1631: William Legh
  • 1631–1648: Thomas Bolde
  • 1648–1662: Henry Crosedale
  • 1662–1666: Edward Powell
  • 1666–1674: Ralph Gorse
  • 1674–1676: Thomas Brancker
  • 1676–1689: Rev. John Ashworth
  • 1689–1690: Caleb Pott
  • 1690–1704: Timothy Dobson
  • 1704–1717: Edward Denham
  • 1717–1720: George Hammond
  • 1720–1745: Rev. Joseph Allen
  • 1745: Edward Ford
  • 1745–1749: Christopher Atkinson
  • 1749–1774: Rowland Atkinson
  • 1774–1790: Henry Ingles
  • 1790–1828: David Davies
  • 1828: Thomas Bourdillon
  • 1828–1837: Rev. Francis Stonehewer Newbold
  • 1849–1872: Rev. Thomas Brooking Cornish
  • 1837–1849: William Alexander Osborn
  • 1880–1910: Darwin Wilmot
  • 1910–1933 : Francis Duntz Evans
  • 1933–1966: Thomas Taylor Shaw
  • 1966–1987: Alan Cooper
  • 1987–2001: Adrian Silcock
  • 2001–2011: Stephen Coyne
  • 2011–2020: Simon Hyde
  • 2020–present: Jason Slack

Notable former pupils

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Old Maxonian International Rugby Players
Name Country Caps First capped Last capped Notes
Steve Smith
(born 1951) 		  England
  British and Irish Lions 		0928[41] 19731973[41] 19831983[41] professional club: Sale Sharks
Richard Pool-Jones
(born 1969) 		  England 091[42] 19981998[42] 19981998[42] professional clubs: Biarritz Olympique and Stade Francais
Jos Baxendell
(born 1972) 		  England 022[43] 19981998[43] 19981998[43] professional club: Sale Sharks
Tommy Taylor
(born 1991) 		  England 021[44] 20162016[44] 20162016[44] professional clubs: Sale Sharks and London Wasps[44]
Cameron Redpath
(born 1999) 		  Scotland 022 20212021 20212021 professional club: Bath Rugby

Publications

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Published books by King's School teachers:

  • Banner, Gillian (1999). Holocaust Literature: Schulz, Levi, Spiegelman and the Memory of the Offence. Vallentine Mitchell. ISBN 978-0-85303-371-4.
  • Palazzo, Lynda (2002). Christina Rossetti's Feminist Theology. Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 978-0-333-92033-6.
  • Hill, David (2003). For King's and Country. Chameleon Press.
  • Wilmot, Darwin (1910). A Short History of the Grammar School, Macclesfield 1503-1910. Claye, Brown and Claye. ASIN B0028T2CMK.
  • Wilson, G. E. (1952). "History of Macclesfield Grammar School, 1503–1890". Leeds: MEd thesis. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)

References

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  1. ^ a b "New Campus - King's School Macclesfield". King's Macclesfield. Retrieved 22 March 2021.
  2. ^ "King's School, Macclesfield: Our History. Archived copy". www.kingsmac.co.uk. Archived from the original on 9 November 2021. Retrieved 20 December 2021.
  3. ^ "C. List of schools whose application for Direct Grant status ... have been rejected.". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). 31 May 1946. col. 238–239. Retrieved 20 December 2021.
  4. ^ "King's School in Macclesfield: war and peace". www.kingsmac.co.uk. Archived from the original on 8 December 2015. Retrieved 3 December 2015.
  5. ^ "New Beginnings". The King's School in Macclesfield. Archived from the original on 8 December 2015. Retrieved 3 December 2015.
  6. ^ "The King's School in Macclesfield -Future Plans – 2020 Vision". Archived from the original on 21 January 2016.
  7. ^ "Fourth Planning Application on the way..." Macclesfield Express. 29 January 2016. Retrieved 9 December 2017.
  8. ^ "King's School in Macclesfield submits planning applications for new school in green belt". 16 September 2015.
  9. ^ McCann, Phil (27 July 2016). "Green belt private school approved". BBC News.
  10. ^ "Full Steam Ahead..." Macclesfield Express. 15 September 2016. Retrieved 18 December 2017.
  11. ^ Lightbody, Will (13 June 2024). "Petition as King's School Macclesfield scraps teaching Latin". Macclesfield Nub News. Retrieved 25 September 2024.
  12. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 August 2016. Retrieved 10 March 2012.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  13. ^ "Examination Results - King's School Macclesfield". www.kingsmac.co.uk. Retrieved 6 February 2024.
  14. ^ "BBC One – Songs of Praise, Ten Years of School Choirs".
  15. ^ "St Michael's Concert". The King's School in Macclesfield. Archived from the original on 8 December 2015. Retrieved 3 December 2015.
  16. ^ "Instrumental Lessons". The King's School in Macclesfield. Archived from the original on 24 April 2012. Retrieved 3 December 2015.
  17. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 December 2015. Retrieved 11 March 2012.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  18. ^ "Sherlock Holmes in Rehearsals". The King's School in Macclesfield. Archived from the original on 8 December 2015. Retrieved 3 December 2015.
  19. ^ "Drama Club Pantomime". The King's School in Macclesfield. Archived from the original on 8 December 2015. Retrieved 3 December 2015.
  20. ^ "Arabian Nights". The King's School in Macclesfield. Archived from the original on 8 December 2015. Retrieved 3 December 2015.
  21. ^ "Bleak Expectations is a glorious celebration of English humour". www.kingsmac.co.uk. 2 March 2023. Retrieved 6 February 2024.
  22. ^ "Guys and Dolls is coming to town!". www.kingsmac.co.uk. 1 February 2024. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  23. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 December 2015. Retrieved 11 March 2012.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  24. ^ "Trek through the Atlas Mountains". The King's School in Macclesfield. Archived from the original on 8 December 2015. Retrieved 3 December 2015.
  25. ^ "World Challenge UK – Bespoke school expeditions around the world". 24 October 2020.
  26. ^ "Yorkshire Caving Adventure". The King's School in Macclesfield. Archived from the original on 8 December 2015. Retrieved 3 December 2015.
  27. ^ "King's students undertake Borneo expedition". www.kingsmac.co.uk. 7 September 2023. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  28. ^ "King's Cheerleaders are the best in Britain". The King's School in Macclesfield. Archived from the original on 8 December 2015. Retrieved 3 December 2015.
  29. ^ "Cheshire cheerleaders impress Stateside". ITV News. Retrieved 3 December 2015.
  30. ^ "Sport (Boys)". The King's School in Macclesfield. Archived from the original on 8 December 2015. Retrieved 3 December 2015.
  31. ^ "Sport (Girls)". The King's School in Macclesfield. Archived from the original on 8 December 2015. Retrieved 3 December 2015.
  32. ^ Wilmot, Darwin. A Short History of the Grammar School, Macclesfield 1503–1910. (1910) Claye, Brown and Claye. Appendix I,i
  33. ^ Palmer, T.S. "Notes and News". archive.org/. Vol. XXXVII. p. 511. Retrieved 18 December 2017.
  34. ^ D. R. Nicoll, Jones, Sir Eric Malcolm (1907–1986), Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, 2004
  35. ^ Keeling, Neal (19 February 2018). "'Warped and sadistic' paedophile Matthew Falder jailed for 32 years". Macclesfield Express. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
  36. ^ McKeegan, Alice (7 May 2013). "How my schoolboy dream of musical stardom came true". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 12 May 2021.
  37. ^ "NatWest Schools Cup Player Memories: TOMMY TAYLOR". England Rugby. Retrieved 3 December 2015.
  38. ^ "ESPN Player Profile". ESPN. ESPN. Archived from the original on 5 July 2018. Retrieved 22 March 2021.
  39. ^ "Rugby Pass Team of the Week". Rugby Pass. Rugby Pass. 23 December 2018. Retrieved 22 March 2021.
  40. ^ "Everton FC Player Profile: Alex Denny". Everton FC.
  41. ^ a b c "Steve Smith". ESPN scrum. Archived from the original on 15 April 2014. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
  42. ^ a b c "Richard Pool-Jones". ESPN scrum. Archived from the original on 8 November 2020. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
  43. ^ a b c "Jos Baxendell". ESPN scrum.
  44. ^ a b c d "Tommy Taylor". Wasps.
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