Guildford County School

Guildford County School
Motto Non nobis Domine
(Not unto us, O Lord)
Established 1909
Type State School
Headteacher Jack Mayhew
Location Farnham Road
Guildford
Surrey
GU2 4LU
United Kingdom
51°14′03″N 0°35′07″W / 51.23428°N 0.58532°W / 51.23428; -0.58532Coordinates: 51°14′03″N 0°35′07″W / 51.23428°N 0.58532°W / 51.23428; -0.58532
DfE URN 139193 Tables
Ofsted Reports Pre-academy reports
Staff approx. 60
Students 1,049
Gender Mixed
Ages 11–18
Houses  Tudor 
 York 
 Windsor 
 Stuart 
 Hanover 
 Lancaster 
Colours Red and navy blue         
Patron Julian Lloyd Webber, Howard Goodall
Website Guildford County School

Guildford County School (GCS) is a co-educational day school on Farnham Road (A31), Guildford, England, 200 metres from Guildford town centre. It has around 1050 students enrolled, including the Sixth Form. The school's admissions policy is available on its website. It is run by its headmaster Steve Smith.[1] It is one of five state secondary schools in Guildford, the others being George Abbot, Christ's College, King's College and St Peter's

In September 2004, the school was granted Specialist Music College status, designated by the Department for Education and Skills. Julian Lloyd Webber and Howard Goodall are patrons of the school.

History

Grammar school

The school opened the gates in 1905 at its first premises on Nightingale Road and then moved in 1906 to its current site at Farnham Road. A Block is the oldest building and more buildings were added during the following sixty-nine years.

Comprehensive

In 1977, the girls' grammar school became a mixed 11-18 comprehensive school. Between 1977 and 1979, a second teaching block was built together with another gymnasium (the 'New Gym').

The school became grant-maintained in September 1990 and three years later a three-storey building named "Cobbett Block" after the former Chairman of Governors was opened by the then MP David Howell alongside the Headmaster David Smith. The school became a Foundation School in 2000[2] and an Academy School in 2013.[3]

Exam results

In 2016, 83% of GCSE students gained 5 or more A*-C grades, with 76% gaining 5 or more GCSEs at A*-C grades including English and Maths - a 6 and 5 percentage point increase on last year’s results respectively. 2016 also saw 35% of all grades awarded were A* or A grade, 61% A*-B, with an overall pass rate of 99%. In 2016 at A Level, over 60 per cent of students achieved an A*-B, and 30 percent gaining an A* to A grade. Overall, the school’s students achieved a pass rate of over 99%. 82 per cent of all grades were A*- C grades.

House system

There are six houses at Guildford County School, named after royal houses:

Sport

The provision for girls is somewhat lacking, particularly in older age groups, and there are few opportunities for training or competition for many sports. The school is implementing a sports development plan to improve its sports facilities and equip the school for its planned expansion in admissions from September 2017.

Music

Guildford County School is a specialised music college.

On 21 October 2008, all choirs and musical ensembles performed at the Queen Elizabeth Hall in London to an audience of around 1000. The concert was held to celebrate The Voice and the use of singing as an educational tool; the members of Guildford County School were joined by several junior schools from around Surrey that worked alongside GCS on the project.

Choirs

The school has more than 20 choirs and ensembles, most notably: Boys' Choir, Girls' Choir, Chamber Choir, Gospel Choir, Senior Choir, Community Choir, Sixth Form barbershop group and Schola Cantorum. In 2007, the Boys' Choir and Schola Cantorum both recorded CDs at the University of Surrey. In 2010 the Boys' Choir won a competition that resulted in them singing at an education conference at International Convention Centre, Birmingham. There are school orchestras; a Chamber Orchestra and a Big Band.

References

  1. ↑ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-28. Retrieved 2011-05-21.
  2. ↑ "Guildford County School - School History and Alumni". Retrieved 2013-03-04.
  3. ↑ "Guildford County School - About Guildford County". Retrieved 2013-03-04.
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