Calday Grange Grammar School

Calday Grange Grammar School (abbreviated to CGGS; also known as Calday, Calday Grange) is a non-denominational selective state-funded grammar school, founded in 1636, situated on Caldy Hill in the town of West Kirby on the Wirral peninsula, England. The school admits boys from age 11 to 18, and since 1985 girls for the sixth form only. The school has academy status, hosts the Wirral Able Children Centre,[1] and has been awarded Sportsmark Gold and Investors in People status.

Calday Grange Grammar School
Address
Grammar School Lane

West Kirby
,
Wirral
,
CH48 8GG

England
Coordinates53.3675°N 3.163°W / 53.3675; -3.163
Information
TypeGrammar, Academy
Motto"Nisi Dominus Frustra" – a normal heraldic contraction of a verse from the 127th Psalm, "Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it. Except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain."
Established1636 (1636)
Department for Education URN139144 Tables
OfstedReports
Chair of GovernorsCaroline Ashcroft
HeadteacherStephen Gray
GenderBoys, Mixed Sixth Form
Age11 to 18
Enrolment1,600
HousesHollowell  
Bennett  
Glegg  
Colour(s)Maroon and navy blue. House ties are green, blue and red stripes.
Websitehttp://www.calday.co.uk

Geography

The school stands in a residential area of Wirral close to the Dee Estuary. Students come primarily from Wirral, Deeside and Cheshire areas.[2] The main site at the top of Caldy Hill is occupied by the school buildings, sports cages and field, with a larger field located over Grammar School Lane. A mile southeast of the main school buildings, along Column Road/Telegraph Road, are the Glasspool Fields Sports Facility including 3 rugby pitches, a cricket square and a sand-based artificial hockey field. The school is surrounded by suburban housing development and the protected heathlands and woods of Grange, Caldy and Thurstaston.

School history and status

Founded in 1636, Calday Grange Grammar School is Wirral's oldest surviving grammar school. It was established as a free grammar school on the present site by local landowner William Glegg. From when it started with 12 pupils, the school has grown into an establishment of over 1300 students – which includes over 400 male and female students in the Sixth Form.[3]

Calday Grange Grammar School became a trust school on 1 January 2009, transferring ownership of the school land and buildings to a Charitable Trust called "The Calday Grange Trust". The Calday Grange Trust is a partnership between Calday Grange Grammar School, The University of Liverpool, Unilever Research and Development and Maestro Services Ltd. Calday Grange Grammar School was the first Wirral School to convert to Trust Status.[4]

In September 2011, the school informed parents that "The School has received notification from Companies House that the Calday Grange Trust Company has been dissolved. This has been notified to the Governing Body who contacted Wirral Local Authority and indicated their wish to revert to the Foundation Schools Instrument of Government".[5]

In July 2011, the process for converting to an Academy school was begun, and the school converted to academy status with effect from 1 January 2013.[6]

Performance
A view of Calday Grange Grammar School, prior to extensive refurbishment.

In 2019 the school was inspected and judged Good.

In 2016 the school was again judged Good.[7]

In 2015 96% of the year group achieved 5 GCSE passes at grades A* to C with 96.2% gaining at 5 A* to C grades including English and Maths. Four students achieved the highest possible level of 10 or more A* grades.[8]

In 2015 Calday School received its best A level results since 2010 with a pass rate of 99.2% at A*-E grades.[9]

In 2010 the school was inspected and judged Good.[10][11]

Extracurricular

Sport

The school is the 7th state school for sporting achievement. The top state schools were revealed in the November 2019 edition of School Sport magazine and it places the school in the top 1% of schools in the country for sporting outcomes.

Combined Cadet Force

The school maintains a Combined Cadet Force. The combined Cadet force has been at Calday since 1916,[12] when a unit of the Officers' Training Corps was first formed.

Other

Volunteering opportunities include supporting the Refilwe Community Project in South Africa which the school has been involved in for over 9 years. Students have also been involved with various independent entrepreneurial pursuits.[13]

Houses

The school has three Houses named after past benefactors and headmasters. Members of each house are identified by different coloured stripes on the school tie from years 7 to 11.

  • Bennett – Named after Thomas Bennett, House colour Blue.
  • Glegg – Named after William Glegg, House colour Red.
  • Hollowell – Named after Rev. William Hollowell, House colour Green.

There was a fourth house, named after Sir Alfred Paton, with yellow as its colour. It was taken out of the house system in the 1990s.

Notable former students

• John Morgan - professional golfer European tour , European Seniors Tour and US Champions Tour

Headteachers
YearsCalday Grange Grammar School
1886–1891Charles T. Blanshard
1891–1920Rev W. Hollowell
1920–1945Reginald Thomas Booth Glasspool
1945–1953R. Eldred. Witt
1953–1964Prof Eric Hawkins
1965–1978Rev Kenneth Saxon Watkinson Walker
1978–1979Peter Dodd (Acting)
1979–1986Peter Dodd[19]
1986–April 2001Nigel Briers
April–July 2001Brian Magor (Acting)
September 2001–September 2002Nigel Briers
2002–Suspended Oct 2009Andrew John Hall - Suspended for a period of time during his role as headteacher
October 2009–May 2010Mike Skelly (Acting)[20]
October 2010–May 2011Andrew John Hall reinstated as headmaster.
April 2010–April 2012Gareth Williams, Executive Director during suspension[21]
April 2012–December 2019Mark Rodaway
January 2020–April 2020 Mike Twist (Acting)
April 2020–Stephen Gray

References
  1. "Wirral Metropolitan Borough Council: Promoting Potential: The Wider Education Community: Wirral Able Children Centre" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 July 2011. Retrieved 21 May 2009.
  2. "Calday Grange Grammar School: Information: About the school". Retrieved 10 February 2008.
  3. "History". Calday Grange Grammar School.
  4. McCann, Sue (28 January 2009). "Calday Grange Grammar becomes Wirral's first Trust school". Wirral News. Liverpool: Trinity Mirror.
  5. "Newsletter 9th September 2011" (PDF). Parents' newsletter. 9 September 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 March 2012. Retrieved 10 September 2011.
  6. "Newsletter 2nd November 2012" (PDF). Parents' newsletter. 2 November 2012.
  7. "Calday Grange Grammar School". Ofsted. 2016. Retrieved 11 February 2019.
  8. "Gcse's". Archived from the original on 28 September 2015.
  9. "A -levels".
  10. "Inspection Report: Calday Grange Grammar School, 17–18 November 2010". Retrieved 8 December 2010.
  11. "West Kirby Calday Grange school loses outstanding Ofsted status". Liverpool Daily Post. Liverpool. 7 December 2010.
  12. "CCF".
  13. Murphy, Liam (3 December 2007). "Calday Grange: students to open own art gallery". Liverpool Daily Post.
  14. Pearce, James (17 July 2008). "Golden greats are Baddeley's inspiration". Liverpool Echo.
  15. Protheroe (1976)
  16. "Philip May: the Prime Minister's closest political adviser". New Statesman. 23 January 2019. Retrieved 28 August 2020.
  17. "Dick Uren". The Daily Telegraph. UK. 30 June 2010.
  18. Ellis-Evans, Cynan (15 April 2002). "David Wynn-Williams: Applying the lessons of Antarctica to the study of the stars". The Guardian. London.
  19. Peter Dodd had been deputy headmaster since 1971, he became acting headmaster when Rev Walker retired and was not appointed permanent headmaster until 1979 (The Caldeian, December 1979)
  20. Mr Skelly took over after Mr. Hall′s suspension in October 2009 before returning to his former school (Westcliffe High School), as Deputy Headmaster, at the end of May 2010 "Parents Newsletter". Parents Newsletter. 26 February 2010.
  21. Troubleshooter Appointed "Troubleshooter appointed at Wirral′s Calday Grange Grammar School amid headteacher suspension row". Liverpool Daily Post. Liverpool. 19 April 2010.

Sources
  • Protheroe, M. J. (1976). A History of Calday Grange Grammar School, West Kirby, 1636–1976. West Kirby: The Parents' Association.
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