Adams' Grammar School
| Headmaster |
Mr J.M. Richardson |
| School type |
Grammar, Boarding |
| Religious affiliation |
None (traditionally Church of England) |
| Founded |
1656 |
| Location |
Newport, Shropshire |
| Local Education Authority |
Telford and Wrekin |
| Age range |
11-16 (boys) and 16-18 (mixed) |
| Enrollment |
800 |
| Campus |
Town campus with rural sports grounds |
| School color(s) |
Maroon; Navy blue |
| House color(s) |
Clive-Red; Darwin-Blue; Talbot-Black; Webb-Green |
| Major sports |
Rugby, cricket |
Adams' Grammar School is a state grammar school in Newport, Shropshire. Its name is sometimes abbreviated to AGS.
Background
Adams' is a selective state school, which admits both boarding and day pupils, and is
a specialist technology college. The school, including the sixth form, has approximately 800 pupils (750 boys, 50 girls). The
school educates only boys in Years 7 to 11 (ages 11 to 16), while the Sixth Form (ages 16 to
18) is mixed. The Haberdashers
are still important in the running of the school: they provide some of the school's funding and have representatives in its
governing body.
School life
Front of Adams' Grammar School
The school is divided into four houses for competitive and pastoral purposes. These are
named after notable Salopians:
Clive House is named after Clive of India. Its colour is red, and it is
represented by an elephant.
Darwin House takes its name from Charles Darwin. Its unoffical coat-of-arms has been
depicted variously a lion and Darwin's head, and its colour is royal blue.
Talbot House is named for Charles Talbot. It is represented by
black and white, and its coat of arms, though it has varied, generally includes a dog (although not always a Talbot Hound). The
Talbot House motto is 'forte et fidele', translating to 'strength and faithfulness'.
Webb House, the youngest of the houses, comes from Captain Matthew Webb. It is given an
emerald green.
Highlights of the school year include the Smedley and Dixon Cups: the inter-house rugby and drama competitions respectively. The school also has a number of
clubs and societies. These include Army, Royal Navy and
RAF CCF sections, chess club, Christian Union and the William Adams Arts and Debating Society.
The current Headmaster (incumbent since 1996) is Mr. JM Richardson and the deputy headmasters
are Mr. Barratt and Mr. Warren-Smith who is currently on sabbatical.
History
Adams' was founded in 1656 by William Adams, a wealthy citizen of the City of London and a Haberdasher who was born in
the town. It was opened on March 25 1657.
The School under the Headmastership of Reverend Samuel Lea MA turned down the services of Dr. Johnson, later to be the pre-eminent scholar of the 18th Century, who wrote one of the first
English Dictionaries.
Charles Dickens (1812- 1870) stayed at The Bear Hotel, now called Beaumaris House
that forms part of the school's Boarding House. Chetwynd House was formerly the home of Elizabeth Parker, the recluse on whom
Dickens modelled Miss Havisham in Great Expectations (1861).
A notable former Headmaster is Alec Peterson who created the International Baccalaureate, headed the Education Studies Department at Oxford University
and also ran Military Intelligence in South East Asia following World War two.
Notable alumni
Former pupils are known as "Old Novaportans" (initiated as "ON").
- Simon Bates (born 1947) – Radio disc jockey
- Barrington J. Bayley (born 1937) – Science Fiction author
- Tom Brown (1662-1704) – Satirist
- Jeremy Corbyn (born 1949) – Labour Party MP
- William Cureton (1808-1864) – Orientalist
- Thomas Hollis (1720-1774) – Harvard Benefactor
and Political Propagandist
- General Sir George Colt Langley KCB (1810-1896)
- Sir Oliver Joseph Lodge (1851-1940) – First person to transmit a radio signal, invented the spark plug and wireless, he also invented the loud speaker, the vacuum tube (valve) and the variable tuner.
- Thomas Parker (1666-1732) – First Earl of Macclesfield (of
the second creation) and Lord Chancellor from 1714 to 1725.
- Thomas Percy (1729-1811) – Bishop of Dromore, Poet, Editor of Tatler and Spectator, author of the Reliques of Ancient English Poetry
- Matthew Smith – 17th-century spy, intriguer and writer.
- Professor Maurice Stacey (1907-1994) – Worked alongside Sir Norman Haworth to artificially synthesize Vitamin C.
See also
- Longford Hall - junior boarding house and sports fields owned by the school, about 1
mile away from the main school site, in the village of Longford.
External links
References
- Taylor D, Taylor R (2002) Mr. Adams' Free Grammar School. Philimore: London. (ISBN 1860772218)
- Note, Taylor D is a former headmaster of AGS.
