Alcester Grammar School (AGS) is a co-educational 11-18 maintained selective

grammar school A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and other English-speaking countries, originally a Latin school, school teaching Latin, but more recently an academically oriented Se ...

, situated in

Alcester Alcester ( ) is a market town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Stratford-on-Avon District in Warwickshire, England. It is west of Stratford-upon-Avon, and 7 miles south of Redditch. The town dates back to the times of Roman ...

Warwickshire Warwickshire (; abbreviated Warks) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England. It is bordered by Staffordshire and Leicestershire to the north, Northamptonshire to the east, Ox ...

, England. On 1 April 2011, Alcester Grammar School became the first school in south Warwickshire to achieve

academy An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tertiary education. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 386 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the go ...

status.

History

AGS was known as "Newport's Free School" from about 1592 until 1912 because Walter Newport provided in his will for the endowment which, in early years, paid the schoolmaster's stipend and enabled the scholars to be educated free of charge. Newport was a nephew of Sir Christopher Hatton, Lord Chancellor in 1597, and a relative of Robert, second Earl of Warwick. In 1912, the new coeducational school now known as Alcester Grammar School, on the site in Birmingham Road came into use. In 2012 AGS marked its Centenary with a host of celebratory events.

Admissions

For admissions at age 11 to Year 7 of the school, the Governing Body participates in the Local Authority’s co-ordinated admissions scheme for maintained secondary schools. Admission to Year 7 is determined by the performance of candidates in an entrance examination and by the availability of places. Only students who attain the required standard in the prescribed arrangements for selection by reference to ability or aptitude will be eligible to be considered for admission to the school. In September 2013 AGS increased its intake to 120 into Year 7, resulting in a 4 form entry of 30 students per form. Since September 2016 the PAN for entry in year 7 has been 150 students, resulting in a 5 form entry of 30 students per form. The priority circle for South Warwickshire Grammar Schools is based on the traditional area for application. It is based on a circle with a radius of 16.885 miles running from the Fountain in Rother Street,

Stratford-upon-Avon Stratford-upon-Avon ( ), commonly known as Stratford, is a market town and civil parish in the Stratford-on-Avon (district), Stratford-on-Avon district, in the county of Warwickshire, in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands region of Engl ...

to the County boundary south of Long Compton.

Sixth form

At age 16 (

sixth form In the education systems of Barbados, England, Jamaica, Northern Ireland, Trinidad and Tobago, Wales, and some other Commonwealth countries, sixth form represents the final two years of secondary education, ages 16 to 18. Pupils typically prepa ...

) additional students from a range of local schools are admitted.

School achievements

In 2012

Ofsted The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted) is a non-ministerial department of His Majesty's government, reporting to Parliament. Ofsted's role is to make sure that organisations providing education, training ...

graded the school's Mathematics department as Outstanding. In its 2006 and 2009

inspections the school was graded as Outstanding. In December 2022,

graded the school as Outstanding.

Notable alumni

* James Cooray Smith, writer. * Simon Davis, comics artist * Sarah Douglas, actress who played Ursa in ''

Superman II ''Superman II'' is a 1980 superhero film directed by Richard Lester and written by Mario Puzo and David Newman (screenwriter), David and Leslie Newman from a story by Puzo based on the DC Comics character Superman. It is the second installment i ...

'' *

Air Vice-Marshal Air vice-marshal (Air Vce Mshl or AVM) is an air officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force. The rank is also used by the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence and it is sometime ...

Gerry Mayhew CBE, former

Jaguar The jaguar (''Panthera onca'') is a large felidae, cat species and the only extant taxon, living member of the genus ''Panthera'' that is native to the Americas. With a body length of up to and a weight of up to , it is the biggest cat spe ...

pilot, Station Commander from 2013-15 of RAF Leuchars * Wendy Padbury, actress, known from 1968-69 for her Zoe Heriot companion to the second Doctor Who

Patrick Troughton Patrick George Troughton (; 25 March 1920 – 28 March 1987) was an English actor. He became best known for his roles in television, most notably starring as the Second Doctor, second incarnation of The Doctor (Doctor Who), the Doctor in the lo ...

* Sadie Plant, founded the

Cybernetic Culture Research Unit The Cybernetic Culture Research Unit (CCRU, sometimes typeset Ccru) was an experimental cultural theorist collective formed in late 1995 at Warwick University, England and gradually separated from academia until it dissolved in the early 2000s. I ...

at the

University of Warwick The University of Warwick ( ; abbreviated as ''Warw.'' in post-nominal letters) is a public research university on the outskirts of Coventry between the West Midlands and Warwickshire, England. The university was founded in 1965 as part of ...

* Andrew Pozzi, Olympic hurdler Team GB Athlete Profile: Andrew Pozzi
/ref> * Claire Ridgway, writer

References

External links

Alcester Grammar School's Website

Alcester Grammar School Sixth Form Website
* * 1
Telegraph Website
{{Authority control Grammar schools in Warwickshire Academies in Warwickshire * Alcester