Calday Grange Grammar School
{{Short description|Boys grammar, academy in Wirral, England}}
{{Use British English|date=November 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2020}}
{{Infobox school
| name = Calday Grange Grammar School
| image = 110px
School badge
250px
Exterior of the Walker and Hawkins buildings, prior to extensive refurbishment.
| image_size =
| coordinates = {{coord|53.3675|-3.163|type:edu_region:GB_dim:100|format=dec|display=inline,title}}
| motto = Nisi Dominus Frustra
| established = {{start date and age|1636}}
| closed =
| type = Grammar School
| religious_affiliation =
| president =
| head_label = Headteacher
| head = Stephen Gray
| r_head_label =
| r_head =
| chair_label = Chair of Governors
| chair = Caroline Ashcroft
| founder =
| address = Grammar School Lane
| city = West Kirby
| county = Wirral
| country = England
| postcode = CH48 8GG
| dfeno = 344/5400
| ofsted = yes
| urn = 139144
| staff =
| enrolment = 1,509 (Jan 2024) {{cite web |title=DoE School census: Calday Grange Grammar School |url=https://get-information-schools.service.gov.uk/Establishments/Establishment/Details/139144 |publisher=DoE |access-date=2 September 2024}}
| gender = Boys (mixed sixth form)
| lower_age = 11
| upper_age = 18
| houses = {{color box|red}} Glegg
{{color box|blue}} Bennett
{{color box|green}} Hollowell
| colours = {{Scarf|{{Cells|2|maroon}}{{Cells|2|black}}{{Cell|gold}}{{Cells|2|black}}{{Cells|2|maroon}}}}
| publication =
| free_label_1 =
| alumni = "Old Caldeians"
| free_1 =
| free_label_2 =
| free_2 =
| free_label_3 =
| free_3 =
| Alumni =
| website = [http://www.calday.co.uk Calday Grange Grammar School]
}}
Calday Grange Grammar School, initialised as CGGS and commonly known as Calday, is a non-denominational, selective boys' grammar school situated on Caldy Hill in West Kirby on the Wirral peninsula, England. Founded in 1636, the school admits boys aged 11 to 18 and, since 1985, girls for the sixth form only. The school hosts the Wirral Able Children Centre,{{cite web |url=http://www.wirral-mbc.gov.uk/management/PROMOTPO.PDF |title=Wirral Metropolitan Borough Council: Promoting Potential: The Wider Education Community: Wirral Able Children Centre |access-date=2009-05-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110722000319/http://www.wirral-mbc.gov.uk/management/PROMOTPO.PDF |archive-date=22 July 2011 |url-status = dead|df=dmy-all }} and has been awarded Sportsmark Gold and Investors in People status. It was previously a specialist technology and modern foreign languages (MFL) college under the former high performing specialist schools (HPSS) programme.
By September 2019, a total of 1,492 boys were enrolled at the school, with 398 enrolled at the co–educational sixth form. The last inspection in which a rating was conferred by government agency Ofsted occurred in September 2019 and rated the school as "good".{{cite web |title=Inspection of a good school: Calday Grange Grammar School |url=https://files.ofsted.gov.uk/v1/file/50116190 |publisher=Ofsted |access-date=24 November 2023}} The most recent inspection in December 2024 did not rate the school but reiterated the previous rating.{{Cite web |title=Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Calday Grange Grammar School |url=https://files.ofsted.gov.uk/v1/file/50268366 |url-status= |access-date=13 April 2025 |website= |publisher=Ofsted}}
School History
=Early history=
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 in Grange (historically known as Calday Grange, giving its name to the school) by local landowner William Glegg. From when it started with 12 pupils, the school has grown into an establishment of over 1500 students – which includes over 400 male and female students in the Sixth Form.{{Cite web|url = http://www.caldaygrangegrammarschool.co.uk/page/?title=History+of+the+School&pid=79|title = History|publisher = Calday Grange Grammar School}}
=Trust status=
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 was 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.{{cite news |url = http://www.wirralnews.co.uk/wirral-news/local-wirral-news/2009/01/28/calday-grange-grammar-becomes-wirral-s-first-trust-school-80491-22791102/|work = Wirral News|location = Liverpool|publisher = Trinity Mirror|title = Calday Grange Grammar becomes Wirral's first Trust school|date = 28 January 2009|last = McCann|first = Sue|access-date = }}
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".{{cite web|title = Newsletter 9th September 2011|url = http://www.calday.wirral.sch.uk/sites/default/files/Pupil%20Newsletter_9th%20September%202011.pdf|work = Parents' newsletter|date = 9 September 2011|access-date = 10 September 2011|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120330085111/http://www.calday.wirral.sch.uk/sites/default/files/Pupil%20Newsletter_9th%20September%202011.pdf|archive-date = 30 March 2012|url-status = dead|df = dmy-all}}
=Academy status=
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.{{cite web|title = Newsletter 2nd November 2012|url = http://www.calday.wirral.sch.uk/sites/default/files/Pupil%20Newsletter_2nd%20November%202012.pdf|work = Parents' newsletter|date = 2 November 2012}}{{Dead link|date=November 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
=M53 motorway coach crash=
{{main|M53 motorway coach crash}}
On the morning of 29 September 2023, a school bus, carrying students of both Calday and West Kirby Grammar School, overturned on the M53 between junctions 4 and 5, near Hooton. The bus driver, Stephen Shrimpton, and 15 year-old Jessica Baker were killed.{{Cite web |last=Hadfield |first=Charlotte |date=2023-09-29 |title=School confirms their pupils involved in M53 crash |url=https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/m53-crash-involves-calday-grange-27809613 |access-date=2023-09-30 |website=Liverpool Echo |language=en}}
Overview
=Location=
==Main campus==
The main school campus is located within a residential area at the top of Caldy Hill, close to the Dee Estuary on the Wirral peninsula. Students travel primarily from the Wirral, Cheshire and North Wales areas.{{Cite web |title=Calday Grange Grammar School: Information: About the school |url=http://www.school-portal.co.uk/GroupHomepage.asp?GroupID=4460 |access-date=2008-02-10}} The site is occupied by sports cages, fields and ten school buildings:{{blist| Art Building (A) – Art|Business Centre (B) – Business Studies, Economics and Law (sixth form only)|C Block (C) – Reception, Assembly Hall, Dining, Sports Hall|Peter Dodd Building (D) – Design and Technology and Computing|Glasspool Building (G) – English and Mathematics|Eric Hawkins Building (H) – Modern Foreign Languages|Michael Cross Centre for Music and Performing Arts (T) – Music and Drama|Walker Building (W) – Sciences, History, Geography and Religious Studies|Nigel Briers Building (W) – study areas|Pavillion and Swimming Pool – Physical Education and Swimming}}Formerly: E Block (E) – geography, history and English. Replaced by Twist Centre due to presence of asbestos.
Each building has a letter code consisting of the first letter of its name (except the Briers Building, which is considered part of the Walker Building). These letters are used to designate room names, for example: the second room (2) on the ground floor (1) of the Hawkins Building (H) would be H12.
==Sports campus==
Glasspool Field, the school's main sports facility, is located a mile southeast of the main school, on Telegraph Road. It comprises three rugby union pitches, cricket field, athletics facilities and artificial turf used for hockey and tennis. Glasspool Field was formerly known as Paton Field, renamed in line with the removal of Paton House from the house system.
=Academic attainment=
In 2019 the school was inspected and judged 'Good' repeating the judgement of Ofsted from inspections in 2016{{cite web |title=Calday Grange Grammar School |url=https://files.api.ofsted.gov.uk/v1/file/2540373 |website=Ofsted |access-date=11 February 2019 |date=2016}} and 2010.{{cite web |url = http://clc2.uniservity.com/GroupDownloadFile.asp?GroupId=4460&ResourceID=3071123|title = Inspection Report: Calday Grange Grammar School, 17–18 November 2010|access-date = 2010-12-08}}{{cite news |work = Liverpool Daily Post|location = Liverpool|url = http://www.liverpooldailypost.co.uk/liverpool-news/regional-news/2010/12/07/west-kirby-calday-grange-school-loses-outstanding-ofsted-status-read-full-report-in-article-92534-27779349/|title = West Kirby Calday Grange school loses outstanding Ofsted status|date = 7 December 2010|access-date = }}
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 10 or more A* grades.{{Cite web|url = http://www.caldaygrangegrammarschool.co.uk/news/?pid=10&nid=1&storyid=65|title = GCSEs|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150928224809/http://www.caldaygrangegrammarschool.co.uk/news/?pid=10&nid=1&storyid=65|archive-date = 28 September 2015|url-status = dead}}
In 2015 Calday School received its best A level results since 2010 with a pass rate of 99.2% at A*-E grades.{{Cite web|url = http://www.caldaygrangegrammarschool.co.uk/news/?pid=10&nid=1&storyid=64|title = A -levels}}{{Better source needed|date=February 2019}}
=Extracurricular=
The school is ranked 7th for state school 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. The school maintains a Combined Cadet Force. The combined Cadet force has been at Calday since 1916,{{Cite web|url = http://www.caldaygrangegrammarschool.co.uk/page/?title=Combined+Cadet+Force&pid=46|title = CCF}} when a unit of the
Officers' Training Corps was first formed.
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.{{cite news | work=Liverpool Daily Post | date = 3 December 2007 |url=http://www.liverpooldailypost.co.uk/liverpool-news/regional-news/2007/12/03/calday-grange-students-to-open-own-art-gallery-64375-20194424/ | first = Liam | last = Murphy
|title=Calday Grange: students to open own art gallery |access-date=}}
=School 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.
{{color box|blue}} – Bennett; named after Thomas Bennett, benefactor of the school in 1676.
{{color box|red}} – Glegg; named after William Glegg, founder of the school in 1636.
{{color box|green}} – Hollowell; named after Rev. William Hollowell, former headmaster 1891–1920.
There was a fourth house, {{color box|yellow}} Paton, named after Sir Alfred Paton. It was taken out of the house system in the 1990s for simplicity in form-group allocation.
Notable former students
{{see also|Category:People educated at Calday Grange Grammar School}}
- Andrew Baddeley - Athlete in the 2008 and 2012 Olympics.{{cite news |url=http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/sport/racing/2008/07/17/golden-greats-are-baddeley-s-inspiration-100252-21357021 | last = Pearce | first = James| title = Golden greats are Baddeley's inspiration
|work=Liverpool Echo | date = 17 July 2008}}
- Philip May – banker, and husband of Theresa May{{cite news|url=https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/uk/2019/01/philip-may-prime-minister-s-closest-political-adviser|title=Philip May: the Prime Minister's closest political adviser|date=23 January 2019|work=New Statesman|access-date=28 August 2020}}
- Sam Quek, British Field Hockey player, winning Olympic Gold in 2016.
- Dick Uren – England international rugby union player.{{cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/sport-obituaries/7864322/Dick-Uren.html|title=Dick Uren|work=The Daily Telegraph |location=UK|date=2010-06-30}}
- James Hype DJ and music producer
- Andy McCluskey, Lead singer with OMD and music producer.
Headteachers
{{more citations needed|section|date=May 2025}}
References
{{reflist|30em}}
Sources
- Protheroe, M. J. (1976). A History of Calday Grange Grammar School, West Kirby, 1636–1976. West Kirby: The Parents' Association.
External links
- {{official website|http://www.calday.co.uk/}}
{{Schools in Wirral}}
{{authority control}}
Category:Boys' schools in Merseyside
Category:1636 establishments in England
Category:Educational institutions established in the 1630s
Category:Grammar schools in the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral