The Brunts Academy

The Brunts Academy can trace its history back to an elementary school that was founded in 1687 and had endowments equal to £100 per year. In 1709, Samuel Brunt left a bequest in order that local children could learn an honest trade. The bequest and the school resulted in 40 boys and girls learning reading, writing and arithmetic by 1831 with the girls particularly studying needlework. It was not until 60 years later that the school and the bequest were combined. In recognition of his significance in the school's founding, Brunt was referenced in the school's former 'school song',[https://www.brunts.notts.sch.uk/our_academy/history/] ourmansfieldandarea.org (The Brunts Academy Museum) Retrieved 4 May 2020 composed in 1944 by former music teachers H S Rosen and A D Sanders.{{Cite web |last=www.duodesign.co.uk |title=The Brunts Academy Our History |url=https://www.bruntsacademy.org/our_academy/history/ |access-date=2022-12-01 |website=The Brunts Academy |language=en}}

In 1830 Brunts Charity owned buildings and land in East Bridgford, Nottingham's marketplace and at Claypole in Lincolnshire. It was the richest of all the charitable foundations in Mansfield in 1832 when it was paying out £4 a year ({{Inflation|UK|4|1832|fmt=eq|cursign=£}}) to 220 different claimants.[https://books.google.com/books?id=Q3cHAAAAQAAJ&dq=mansfield%20brunts%20school%20%20history&pg=PA527 History, gazetteer, and directory of Nottinghamshire]: and the town and county of the town of Nottingham, William White, 1832

By 1891, Samuel Brunt's bequest was worth £3,800 ({{Inflation|UK|3800|1891|fmt=eq|cursign=£}}) and a new school was established and named Brunts Technical School.[https://books.google.com/books?id=lmtqtpMadXgC&dq=mansfield+brunts+school++history&pg=PA308 Nottinghamshire in the Eighteenth Century], Jonathan David Chambers, p308, 1966, {{ISBN|0-7146-1285-5}}, accessed 18 August 2008 School buildings were erected for it at Woodhouse Road, Mansfield, and the new Technical School had its official opening on 29 September 1894.[https://www.ourmansfieldandarea.org.uk/content/place/mansfield/mansfield-miscellaneous/annals-of-mansfield-from-1086-to-1999 Annals of Mansfield from 1086 to 1999] ourmansfieldandarea.org (Mansfield District Council Museum) Retrieved 11 April 2019 In 1976, Brunts Grammar School was closed and a new comprehensive school opened on the site, using the grammar school's buildings. The school had left the site by 1999,[https://www.nottinghamshire.gov.uk/media/120433/ld31-mansfield-local-plan-november-1998.pdf] Mansfield District Council local plan, written statement, November 1998. Retrieved 11 April 2019 transferring to a new home on a greenfield site nearby at The Park.

The Samuel Brunts Statue was formerly on the front of the old Black Boy Hotel in Nottingham Market Place. When the hotel was pulled down, a Mansfield coal merchant rescued the statue and gave it to the school. It now sits in the Memorial Garden. Above the door to Brunts Chambers, at the corner of Clumber Street and Leeming Street, there is another statue of Brunt.

The School Song. The former grammar school had its own school song, composed by a music teacher.

Old Samuel Brunts was a yeoman staunch

In the days of good Queen Anne.

He’d a heart as big as his periwig

And he loved his fellow man.

As he strolled one day down Toothill Lane

With his red-heeled shoes and his gold-topped cane

He took a pinch of choice rappee

"And I know what I’ll do with my lands", said he.

The school's intake is taken from a number of schools known as the 'family of schools'. The list includes King Edward School, Sutton Road School, St Peter's (C of E) School, High Oakham School and Newgate Primary School.

The school uniform includes distinctive green blazers for both boys and girls. The school colours are green, gold, white, purple, grey and black[http://www.school-portal.co.uk/GroupHomepage.asp?GroupID=26646 School portal], accessed 19 August 2008 {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051216052508/http://www.school-portal.co.uk/GroupHomepage.asp?GroupID=26646 |date=16 December 2005 }} and the school emblem is a rearing griffin within a shield with the academy's motto, {{Langx|la|Nil mortalibus ardui est}}, meaning "nothing is impossible for humankind" emblazoned upon it.

In 2002, there were nearly 1,500 pupils in the school, of whom fewer than 1,300 were at age 16 or below. The school achieved 57% A-C passes with only 5% achieving no passes at all. This was 5% better than the county and 10% above the national average.[http://www.des.gov.uk/cgi-bin/performancetables/dfe1x1_02.pl?Code=&Mode=Z&School=8914463 Department for Children, Schools and Families]{{Dead link|date=June 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=no }}, accessed 19 August 2008

Overall the school is characterised by a high proportion of white pupils compared with the national average and nearly all students have English as their first language. Attainment was "broadly average" at the visit of Her Majesty's Inspectorate in 2009 (before academy status); the school was assessed as "satisfactory" with higher marks for its pastoral care. A subsequent Ofsted two-day audit in 2013 returned "good" findings across all areas inspected.Ofsted praise for Brunts. Chad, 22 May 2013, p.28. Accessed 21 February 2022

The Sixth Form at The Brunts Academy has achieved a 100% pass rate for the third year in a row since 2020{{Cite web |last=www.duodesign.co.uk |title=The Brunts Academy Exam results |url=https://www.bruntsacademy.org/sixth_form/exam_results/ |access-date=2022-12-01 |website=The Brunts Academy |language=en}}

• Rebecca Adlington, double Olympic gold medal-winning swimmer.{{cite web |url=http://www.chad.co.uk/adlington/Open-top-bus-parade-to.4398219.jp |title=Open top bus parade to salute double Olympic gold medallist Rebecca Adlington |access-date=2008-08-18 |publisher=chad.co.uk }}
• George Bond, professor of biology (1906–1988)[http://www.ukwhoswho.com/search/quick?quicksearch=brunts Who's Who 2008], accessed 18 August 2008
• Arthur Bown (1921–1994), conductor{{cite web | title = Arthur Bown (1921–1994) Founder of the Boots Orchestra| publisher=The Boots Orchestra| url = http://www.bootsorchestra.co.uk/the-orchestra/our-founder/| access-date =2019-04-30 }}{{cite web | title = The Boots Orchestra| publisher=The Boots Orchestra| url = http://www.bootsorchestra.co.uk/| access-date =2018-11-20 }}
• Samuel Harrison Clarke (1903–94), fire research'CLARKE, Samuel Harrison', Who Was Who, A & C Black, 1920–2007; online edn, Oxford University Press, Dec 2007 [http://www.ukwhoswho.com/view/article/oupww/whowaswho/U171702, accessed 20 Aug 2008]
• Nicholas Crafts (1949–2023), professor of economics and economic history'CRAFTS, Prof. Nicholas Francis Robert', Who's Who 2008, A & C Black, 2008; online edn, Oxford University Press, Dec 2007 [http://www.ukwhoswho.com/view/article/oupww/whoswho/U12186, accessed 20 Aug 2008]
• Burley Higgins (1913–1940), pilot{{cite web|title=Sergeant Pilot William Burley Higgins |publisher=Whitwell Local History Group |url=http://www.wlhg.co.uk/burley.htm |access-date=2008-11-04 |url-status = dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081011084350/http://www.wlhg.co.uk/burley.htm |archive-date=11 October 2008 }}
• Eric Jakeman (1939– ), professor of statistics'JAKEMAN, Prof. Eric', Who's Who 2008, A & C Black, 2008; online edn, Oxford University Press, Dec 2007 [http://www.ukwhoswho.com/view/article/oupww/whoswho/U21727, accessed 20 Aug 2008]
• Nigel Francis Lightfoot, (1945– ), microbiologist'LIGHTFOOT, Nigel Francis', Who's Who 2008, A & C Black, 2008; online edn, Oxford University Press, Dec 2007 [http://www.ukwhoswho.com/view/article/oupww/whoswho/U245329, accessed 20 Aug 2008]
• James McCunn (1894–1967), vetObituary, The Times Thursday, 6 April 1967; pg. 16'McCUNN, Major James', Who Was Who, A & C Black, 1920–2007; online edn, Oxford University Press, Dec 2007 [http://www.ukwhoswho.com/view/article/oupww/whowaswho/U54700, accessed 20 Aug 2008]
• Jim McGrath, TV commentator[http://www.channel4.com/sport/microsites/R/racing_c4/present.html Presenters], Channel 4 Television, accessed 20 August 2008
• Adrian Metcalfe (1942– ) UK athlete, silver medal winner Tokyo Olympics 1964{{cite web| last = Whetton| first = John| title = What a magical boost for Mansfield| work=Chad| publisher=Johnston Press Digital Publishing| date = 2008-08-27| url = http://www.chad.co.uk/letters/What-a-magical-boost-for.4433572.jp | access-date =2008-11-04 }}
• Norman Millott (1912–1990), biologist'MILLOTT, Prof. Norman', Who Was Who, A & C Black, 1920–2007; online edn, Oxford University Press, Dec 2007 [http://www.ukwhoswho.com/view/article/oupww/whowaswho/U167222, accessed 20 Aug 2008]
• Graham Moore (1947– ), chief constable'MOORE, Graham', Who's Who 2008, A & C Black, 2008; online edn, Oxford University Press, Dec 2007 [http://www.ukwhoswho.com/view/article/oupww/whoswho/U27938, accessed 20 Aug 2008]
• Robert Henry Priestley (1946– ), biologist and publisher'PRIESTLEY, Dr Robert Henry', Who's Who 2008, A & C Black, 2008; online edn, Oxford University Press, Dec 2007 [http://www.ukwhoswho.com/view/article/oupww/whoswho/U31476, accessed 20 Aug 2008]
• Bernard Tomlinson (1920–2017), pathologist'TOMLINSON, Sir Bernard (Evans)’, Who's Who 2008, A & C Black, 2008; online edn, Oxford University Press, Dec 2007 [http://www.ukwhoswho.com/view/article/oupww/whoswho/U37840, accessed 20 Aug 2008]
• Charles Wass (1911–89), mines safety expertWASS, Dr Charles Alfred Alan', Who Was Who, A & C Black, 1920–2007; online edn, Oxford University Press, Dec 2007 [http://www.ukwhoswho.com/view/article/oupww/whowaswho/U170194, accessed 20 Aug 2008]
• John Whetton, UK athlete, European 1,500-metre champion Athens 1969
• Tom Scott, educator and YouTube personality.{{Cite web|title=Tom Scott's Website|url=https://tomscott.com|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220524000000/https://tomscott.com|archive-date=2022-05-24|website=Tom Scott}} [http://thomasscott.net:80/america/pictures/clipping.jpg Alt URL]
• Calvin Robinson, Anglican deacon, political commentator, journalist, policy advisor and campaigner

In 2003 Brunts was awarded the Artsmark Gold Award and in 2006 the Healthy Schools Gold Standard and the Full International School Award.

File:Brunts.jpg

{{reflist}}

• {{Official website|http://www.brunts.notts.sch.uk}}
• [https://bruntscharity.org.uk/ Brunts Charity]

{{Education in Nottinghamshire}}

{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brunts School}}

Category:Secondary schools in Nottinghamshire

Category:Educational institutions established in 1709

Category:1709 establishments in England

Category:Academies in Nottinghamshire

Category:Schools in Mansfield