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The Grammar School at Leeds (GSAL) is a
private Private or privates may refer to: Music * "In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorded ...
day school A day school — as opposed to a boarding school — is an educational institution where children are given instruction during the day, after which the students return to their homes. A day school has full-day programs when compared to a regular s ...
in
Leeds Leeds is a city in West Yorkshire, England. It is the largest settlement in Yorkshire and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds Metropolitan Borough, which is the second most populous district in the United Kingdom. It is built aro ...
, England, created on 4 August 2005 by the merger of
Leeds Grammar School Leeds Grammar School was an independent school founded 1552 in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. Originally a male-only school, in August 2005 it merged with Leeds Girls' High School to form The Grammar School at Leeds. The two schools physica ...
(founded ) and
Leeds Girls' High School Leeds Girls' High School (LGHS) was an independent, selective, fee-paying school for girls aged 3–18 founded in 1876 in Headingley, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It merged with Leeds Grammar School in 2008 to form The Grammar School at ...
(co-founded in 1876 by
Frances Lupton Frances Elizabeth Lupton (née Greenhow; 20 July 1821 – 9 March 1892) was an Englishwoman of the Victorian era who worked to open up educational opportunities for women. She married into the politically active Lupton family of Leeds, where s ...
). The schools merged in September 2008, at which point the school was opened to both sexes. The school was situated on two sites: the senior school (ages 11–18) and junior school (7–11) at
Alwoodley Alwoodley is a suburb and civil parishes in England, civil parish of Leeds in West Yorkshire, England. It is north of Leeds city centre, central Leeds and is one of the most affluent areas of the county. Alwoodley lies in the LS17 postcode are ...
, while the former Leeds Girls' High School site in
Headingley Headingley is a suburb of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, approximately two miles out of the city centre, to the north west along the A660 road. Headingley is the location of the Beckett Park campus of Leeds Beckett University and Headingley ...
is used by the infant school and nursery, however, both schools are at the Alwoodley site now. The school operates as a
diamond school Diamond school, diamond model, diamond shape and diamond structure are similar terms that apply to a type of independent school in the UK that combines both single-sex and coeducational teaching in the same organisation. Typically, the establishme ...
, classes for girls and boys between the ages of 11 and 16 are segregated, but extracurricular activities are mixed. Junior school and sixth form classes are coeducational. The school is a member of
The Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference The Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference (HMC), formerly known as the Headmasters' Conference and now branded HMC (The Heads' Conference), is an association of the head teachers of 351 private fee-charging schools (both boarding schools an ...
(HMC). In 2020, GSAL was named the Independent School of the Decade for the North by ''
The Times ''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...
''.


House structure

A key element of the school is the eight school houses, each with two house captains and four deputies. They are: *Eddison House – named after Anne Eddison, of the Yorkshire Ladies Council of Education who helped set up Leeds Girls' High School. *Ermystead House – named after William Ermystead, a priest who donated properties to Leeds Grammar School in 1552. *Ford House – named after John Ford, a founding member of the LGHS Council. *Harrison House – named after
John Harrison John Harrison ( – 24 March 1776) was an English carpenter and clockmaker who invented the marine chronometer, a long-sought-after device for solving the History of longitude, problem of how to calculate longitude while at sea. Harrison's sol ...
, benefactor, who built Leeds Grammar School's third site on North Street in 1642. *Lawson House – named after Godfrey Lawson,
Mayor of Leeds The Lord Mayor of Leeds (until 1897 known as the Mayor of Leeds) is a ceremonial post held by a member of Leeds City Council, elected annually by the council. By charter from King Charles I in 1626, the leader of the governing body of the bo ...
, who endowed the Lawson Library, the oldest library in the city. *Lupton House – named after
Frances Lupton Frances Elizabeth Lupton (née Greenhow; 20 July 1821 – 9 March 1892) was an Englishwoman of the Victorian era who worked to open up educational opportunities for women. She married into the politically active Lupton family of Leeds, where s ...
, who helped found LGHS, and her granddaughter Elinor G. Lupton, who funded the eponymous centre at the Headingley site. *Powell House – named after Helena Langthorne Powell, the second Headmistress of LGHS, who established its move to Headingley, where it remained until 2008. *Sheafield House – named after William Sheafield, who is traditionally thought of as the founder of Leeds Grammar School in 1552.


Locations

The Grammar School at Leeds was established by the merger of Leeds Grammar School and Leeds Girls' High School in 2005. The schools operated on two separate sites some distance between each other. Leeds Girls' High School operated from three separate sites in Headingley, whilst Leeds Grammar School had a modern campus in Alwoodley. When the schools merged in 2008, four sections were created. The junior and senior schools and sixth form operate from the expanded Alwoodley Gates site (originally Leeds Grammar School). The Alwoodley site was redeveloped from 2007 to 2008, and contains the sixth form and maths departments and the Lawson Library, science department and refectory were extended. Rose Court Nursery & Pre-Prep School operated in Headingley from the refurbished Ford House belonging to Leeds Girls' High School and a nursery extension. The rest of the Leeds Girls' High School site is surplus to requirements awaiting an application for outline planning permission for residential housing. The site currently stands empty. In September 2020, younger pupils from Rose Court moved from the Headingley site into Alwoodley Gates, completing the merger to the new site.


History

The Grammar School at Leeds was created on 31 August 2005 when
Leeds Grammar School Leeds Grammar School was an independent school founded 1552 in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. Originally a male-only school, in August 2005 it merged with Leeds Girls' High School to form The Grammar School at Leeds. The two schools physica ...
merged with
Leeds Girls' High School Leeds Girls' High School (LGHS) was an independent, selective, fee-paying school for girls aged 3–18 founded in 1876 in Headingley, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It merged with Leeds Grammar School in 2008 to form The Grammar School at ...
. The schools physically merged in September 2008. Plans for the merger were not universally welcomed. In 2003, a campaign group, "No Merger in 2007" stated there was a "hidden agenda", to reduce debts incurred by the LGS building programme, and the proposed merger "makes no educational sense". LGS headmaster, Mark Bailey, said that only a fifth of parents opposed the planned merger, and the LGHS headmistress Sue Fishburn stated that 80% of parents were in favour. A number of parents stated a preference for strictly single-sex establishments despite assurances that classrooms would be single-sex. In January 2004, Mark Bailey reported that less than 1% of the 1500 families with children at both schools "wrote to oppose the move". Further controversy was reported in 2005, when plans for the school crest were released. According to the report, "Parents who contacted the Yorkshire Post said many felt dismayed by the merger and the new logo but dared not speak up". One parent felt the existing crest had been "obliterated by a felt-tip doodle". Plans to redevelop the Alwoodley site met with opposition. Leeds City Council delayed its decision for the planning application until summer 2006, requiring the physical merger to be put back until September 2008. Controversy regarding the expected increase in traffic levels at Alwoodley arose, and a new traffic plan was submitted. Work began in August 2007 to form a new site access junction. The construction of a pedestrian
tunnel A tunnel is an underground or undersea passageway. It is dug through surrounding soil, earth or rock, or laid under water, and is usually completely enclosed except for the two portals common at each end, though there may be access and ve ...
and a speed limit was enforced to relieve traffic pressure. Controversy persisted into late 2007 over the possible need for an additional vehicle entrance in Alwoodley and arrangements for the disposal of the Headingley LGHS site.""Storm" at school gates"
Grant Woodward, ''Yorkshire Evening Post'', 19 September 2007. Retrieved 2 November 2007


International


Twinning arrangements

The school established exchange partnerships with the ' Institution Saint Michel:
Collège In France, secondary education is in two stages: * ''Collèges'' () cater for the first four years of secondary education from the ages of 11 to 14. * ''Lycées'' () provide a three-year course of further secondary education for students between ...
and
Lycée In France, secondary education is in two stages: * ''Collèges'' () cater for the first four years of secondary education from the ages of 11 to 14. * ''Lycées'' () provide a three-year course of further secondary education for students between ...
', a
Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
Secondary School with boarding facilities located in Solesmes,
France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Grammar School At Leeds Private schools in West Yorkshire Educational institutions established in 2005 International Baccalaureate schools in England Member schools of the Girls' Schools Association Member schools of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference 2005 establishments in England