Netherthorpe School is a
secondary school with
academy status based in
Staveley in the Chesterfield district of
Derbyshire
Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District National Park, the southern end of the Pennine range of hills and part of the National Forest. It borders Greater Manchester to the no ...
, England.
History

The school was founded in 1572
A quote from an 1857 directory:
Netherthorpe School.— Francis Rodes, by will, 29th of Elizabeth, left a yearly rent charge of £20 per annum, to be taken forth of his manor of Elmton; £8 thereof to the Grammar school, at Staveley Netherthorpe, £8 for two scholarships in St. John's, Cambridge
St John's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge founded by the Tudor matriarch Lady Margaret Beaufort. In constitutional terms, the college is a charitable corporation established by a charter dated 9 April 1511. The ...
, and £4 for the relief of soldiers who should be sent to the wars out of Staveley, Barlborough
Barlborough is a village and civil parish in the Bolsover district of Derbyshire, England. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 3,018, increasing to 3,261 at the 2011 Census. The village is near junction 30 of the M1 motorway ...
, and Elmton. Robert Sitwell, by will, 41st Elizabeth, gave a messuage in Killamarsh
Killamarsh is a village and civil parish in North East Derbyshire, England, bordering Rotherham to the north and Sheffield to the north-west.
Killamarsh is surrounded by, in a clockwise direction from the north, Rother Valley Country Park, th ...
, on trust, to pay £6 yearly to the schoolmaster. Lord James Cavendish, 1742, left a rent charge of £6, issuing out of closes at Hollingwood
Hollingwood is a small village approximately four miles north east of Chesterfield, Derbyshire, England.
Description
Hollingwood and Barrow Hill were built in c.1900 when the Staveley Coal and Iron Company formed and built homes there for the ...
, for the maintenance of the schoolmaster. In addition to these, the Rev. Francis Gisborne gave £10, to be invested in stock. The income of the various benefactions amounts to £29 per annum. All the sons of parishioners are considered as entitled to classical instruction; but the master makes his own charge for other branches.[Whites 1857 Directory of Derbyshire]
The school was known as Netherthorpe Grammar School. From the 1980s until 1999, it was a
grant-maintained school
Grant-maintained schools or GM schools were state schools in England and Wales between 1988 and 1998 that had opted out of local government control, being funded directly by a grant from central government. Some of these schools had selective a ...
, and became a
foundation school. Today it is an academy. The school has undergone refurbishment under the BSF
Building Schools for the Future
Building Schools for the Future (BSF) was the name given to the British government's investment programme in secondary school buildings in England in the 2000s. The programme was ambitious in its costs, timescales and objectives, with politicia ...
scheme and a range of new purpose built facilities opened in September 2012. On 9 July 2013 the
Duke of Devonshire
Duke of Devonshire is a title in the Peerage of England held by members of the Cavendish family. This (now the senior) branch of the Cavendish family has been one of the wealthiest British aristocratic families since the 16th century and has ...
officially opened the new areas of the school.
Debating Society
There is a Senior Debating Society that has run for ninety-nine years. Netherthorpe School are the current holders of the Derbyshire Debating Trophy.
Academic performance
In 2011, the percentage of students attaining 5 or more higher-grade
GCSE
The General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) is an academic qualification in a particular subject, taken in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. State schools in Scotland use the Scottish Qualifications Certificate instead. Private s ...
passes including English and Maths was 62.4%.
A level
The A-Level (Advanced Level) is a subject-based qualification conferred as part of the General Certificate of Education, as well as a school leaving qualification offered by the educational bodies in the United Kingdom and the educational au ...
results were similarly above average.
Notable former pupils
*
Nick Ainger
Nicholas Richard Ainger (born 24 October 1949) is a Welsh politician who served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire, previously Pembrokeshire, from 1992 to 2010. A member of the Labour Party, he served in ...
(1961–8) – Labour MP for
Carmarthen West
*
Peter Hudson
Peter John Hudson AM (born 19 February 1946) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Hawthorn Football Club in the Victorian Football League (VFL) and for the New Norfolk Football Club and Glenorchy Football Club in the T ...
– UK Rear-Admiral, – Commander of the United Kingdom Maritime Force (June 2009 – January 2011); Operational Commander – EU Naval Force for Counter Piracy (June 2009 – January 2011)
Royal Navy site
accessed October 2009
* Sir Charles Sykes, FRS (1905–1982) - Physicist and metallurgist. Managing Director of Thomas Firth and John Brown Ltd and President of the Institute of Physics.
* Stan Worthington (1905–1973) – Derbyshire and England Test cricketer
* Ben Slater 991–PresentNottinghamshire Cricketer
References
Further reading
* ''A History of Netherthorpe School'', W.E. Godfrey and C. J. G. Bishop
External links
Netherthorpe School
EduBase
{{authority control
Educational institutions established in the 1570s
Secondary schools in Derbyshire
1572 establishments in England
Academies in Derbyshire