The Manchester Grammar School (MGS) is an independent boys' school (ages 11-18) in Fallowfield, Manchester, England. Founded in the 16th century as a free grammar school, it continued on a site adjacent to Manchester parish church (later the cathedral) until 1930, when it moved to the present site. By the 18th century the founding principle of providing free education to all comers had been abandoned and the school relied on fees for part of its income. In the early 20th century it was increasingly state-funded and after the Education Act 1944 became a direct-grant grammar school. In 1976 direct-grant funding was abolished and the school reverted to independent status. The school motto is sapere aude (dare to be wise). This is a quote from Horace, famously used by Immanuel Kant, and also the Motto of The Enlightenment. The school badge is an outline of an owl, carrying a banner with the word "dom" on it. This is a reference to the founder of the school, Hugh Oldham, and the badge should be read as "owl dom". Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Latin is an ancient Indo-European language originally spoken in Latium, the region immediately surrounding Rome. ... John Lyon School (previously The Lower School of John Lyon in Harrow) is a public day school in Harrow-on-the-Hill, England. ... Fallowfield is an area of the City of Manchester, England. ... Manchester (pronounced ) is a city and metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. ... Motto (French) God and my right Anthem No official anthem - the  United Kingdom anthem God Save the Queen is commonly used England() – on the European continent() – in the United Kingdom() Capital (and largest city) London (de facto) Official languages English (de facto) Unified  -  by Athelstan 927 AD  Area  -  Total 130... World map showing the location of Europe. ... Hugh Oldham was born around 1450 - probably in Oldham, Lancashire, United Kingdom, although some accounts claim he was born in Manchester. ... Fallowfield is an area of the City of Manchester, England. ... Manchester (pronounced ) is a city and metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. ... Motto (French) God and my right Anthem No official anthem - the  United Kingdom anthem God Save the Queen is commonly used England() – on the European continent() – in the United Kingdom() Capital (and largest city) London (de facto) Official languages English (de facto) Unified  -  by Athelstan 927 AD  Area  -  Total 130... Manchester Cathedral Manchester Cathedral is a Medieval church located on Victoria Street in central Manchester. ... The Education Act 1944 changed the education system for secondary schools in England and Wales. ... Sapere aude is a Latin phrase meaning Dare to know or Dare to be wise. Most famously, it is found in Immanuel Kants essay What Is Enlightenment?. The original use seems to be in Epistle II of Horaces Epistularum liber primus [1], line 40: Dimidium facti qui coepit... Horace, as imagined by Anton von Werner Quintus Horatius Flaccus, (December 8, 65 BC - November 27, 8 BC), known in the English-speaking world as Horace, was the leading Roman lyric poet during the time of Augustus. ... Immanuel Kant (22 April 1724 – 12 February 1804) was a German philosopher from Königsberg in East Prussia (now Kaliningrad, Russia). ... ... Hugh Oldham was born around 1450 - probably in Oldham, Lancashire, United Kingdom, although some accounts claim he was born in Manchester. ...

History

Foundation

A drawing of the Chetham's Gatehouse circa 1600.

The founder Hugh Oldham, a Manchester-born man, attended Exeter College, Oxford and Queens' College, Cambridge, after having been tutored in the house of Thomas Stanley, 1st Earl of Derby. Historical accounts suggest that he was not a particularly learned man, but was in royal service, being a favoured protégé of Countess Margaret Beaufort, mother of Henry VII, and became recognised for his administrative abilities. He was appointed Bishop of Exeter in 1505. His great wealth came from his water-powered corn mills on the River Irk in Manchester, which were subsequently used to fund the school's endowment. Image File history File links HrXhrm6hrs580h9. ... Image File history File links HrXhrm6hrs580h9. ... Hugh Oldham was born around 1450 - probably in Oldham, Lancashire, United Kingdom, although some accounts claim he was born in Manchester. ... College name Exeter College Latin name Collegium Exoniense Named after Walter de Stapledon, Bishop of Exeter Established 1314 Sister college Emmanuel College, Cambridge Rector Ms Frances Cairncross JCR President Simon Heawood Undergraduates 299 MCR President Meredith Riedel Graduates 150 Location of Exeter College within central Oxford , Homepage Boatclub Exeter College... The University of Oxford (usually abbreviated as Oxon. ... Full name The Queens College of Saint Margaret and Saint Bernard in the University of Cambridge Motto Floreat Domus May this House Flourish Named after - Previous names - Established 1448 Sister College(s) Pembroke College President Lord Eatwell Location Silver Street Undergraduates 490 Postgraduates 270 Homepage Boatclub The Gatehouse, as... The University of Cambridge (often Cambridge University), located in Cambridge, England, is the second-oldest university in the English-speaking world and has a reputation as one of the worlds most prestigious universities. ... Thomas Stanley, 1st Earl of Derby Thomas Stanley, 1st Earl of Derby, KG (1435 - July 29, 1504), an English nobleman, inherited his fathers titles, including that of king of the Isle of Man, in 1459. ... Margaret Beaufort, Mother of Henry VII, at prayer, by an anonymous artist, about 1500 Margaret Beaufort (May 31, 1443 – June 29, 1509) was the daughter of John Beaufort, 1st Duke of Somerset, granddaughter of John Beaufort, 1st Earl of Somerset and great-granddaughter of John of Gaunt and his mistress... Henry VII (January 28, 1457 – April 21, 1509), King of England, Lord of Ireland (August 22, 1485 – April 21, 1509), was the founder and first patriarch of the Tudor dynasty. ... The River Irk is a river in Greater Manchester in north-west England that flows through the northern suburbs of Manchester before merging with the River Irwell in the city centre. ...

On the 2nd July 1515 he signed an endowment trust deed establishing the Manchester Free Grammar School for Lancashire Boys. A site was purchased in September 1516 and construction took place between April 1517 and August 1518. The combined cost was £218.13s.5d, largely given by Oldham, but with the help of his and the Bexwycke (Beswick) family who had provided an earlier endowment for a school within the parish church. A more elaborate deed in 1525 set the detailed rules for the school until the late 19th century.

The original deed promoted “godliness and good learning” and established that any boy showing sufficient academic ability, regardless of background, might attend, free of charge. The school was situated between Manchester Cathedral, then a collegiate church, and the church’s domestic quarters, subsequently Chetham's School of Music. Chethams School of Music, familiarly known as Chets, is a specialist music school in Manchester, United Kingdom. ...

Later Oldham's great friend Richard Foxe, the Bishop of Winchester, wished to found a monastery. Oldham, however, convinced him instead to found Corpus Christi College in Oxford and contributed 6000 marks. Oldham also had a hand in the founding of Brasenose College, Oxford. Thus he did a great deal in establishing places of higher learning. Richard Fox (c. ... College name Corpus Christi College Named after Corpus Christi, Body of Christ Established 1517 Sister College Corpus Christi College President Sir Tim Lankester JCR President Binyamin Even Undergraduates 239 Graduates 126 Homepage Corpus Christi College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. ... and of the Brasenose College College name The Kings Hall and College of Brasenose Latin name aula regia et collegium aenei nasi Named after Bronze door knocker Established 1509 Sister college Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge Principal Prof. ... The University of Oxford (usually abbreviated as Oxon. ...

Early History

The original foundation provided a school house in the curtilage of Manchester's parish church and two graduates (the 'High Master' and the 'Usher') to teach Latin, and later Greek, to any children who presented themselves. The school was intended to prepare pupils for university and eventually the Church or the legal profession. Typically, pupils would have stayed for 8 to 10 years before leaving for university. There was often enough money to fund bursaries or exhibitions for pupils.

In 1654, the world’s first free public library was formed next door to MGS in what had been the church’s living quarters. This was facilitated by a bequest from a wealthy businessman (and ex-pupil) Humphrey Chetham, which also served to create a bluecoat orphanage there, schooling 40 poor boys. Humphrey Chetham was a merchant responsible for the creation of Chethams Library and Chethams School of Music. ...

By the 18th century, there are thought to have been between 50 and 100 boys in the Grammar School at any one time, three or four of whom each year were awarded exhibitions to Oxford and Cambridge. An extra room had been built onto the school house for boys who needed instruction in English before they started Latin, and another master was employed to teach them. The 1515 building was replaced on the same site in 1776. This was on two levels, an Upper School for the Latin and Greek pupils, a Lower School for the English students. Boarding-houses were added and many of the Upper school pupils were boarders from surrounding counties. When De Quincy came as a boarder in 1800, classes were held at roughly 7.00am to 9.00, 9.30 to 12.00 and 3.00pm to 5.00.^[1]

The Manchester Grammar Extension built in the 1870s(The Old Site)

By 1808 consideration was being given to moving from the site, as it was becoming insalubrious, but this proved impossible as the deed could not be changed except by Act of Parliament. Image File history File links Long_millgate_21. ... Image File history File links Long_millgate_21. ... Image File history File links 4586894895. ...

Going from the Old Church to Long Millgate ... one is in an almost undisguised working men's quarter, for even the shops and beerhouses hardly take the trouble to exhibit a trifling degree of cleanliness ... [The Irk, immediately beside the school,] is a narrow, coal black, foul smelling stream full of debris and refuse.^[2]

A commercial school, in parallel with the classical school, and more suited to Manchester's business climate, was established in the 1830s. By this time the school was getting richer on the proceeds of the mills which provided its funding and had a growing surplus on account. Its 'feoffees' (or governors) were mostly landed gentry from outside Manchester and they were heavily criticised for running the school to suit the needs of their offspring rather than as originally intended, the poor of Manchester. This led to a long running suit at the Court of Chancery, which eventually promoted the commercial side at the expense of the classical side of the school.

The area around the school continued to change. During the 1840s, Victoria Station was completed opposite the school and the church became Manchester Cathedral. Then, in the 1870s, a new building, the Manchester Grammar Extension, was built, designed by Alfred Waterhouse, and including new classrooms, laboratories and a gymnasium, reflecting the wider curriculum that had developed since the 1830s. It was connected to the original by a first-storey bridge. It was said that the bridge’s purpose was not for ease of movement between the parts of the school, but rather to dwarf Chetham’s gatehouse both in terms of size and grandeur. Manchester Victoria Manchester Victoria railway station is the second of Manchesters mainline railway stations, now being much less important than Manchester Piccadilly station. ... Manchester Cathedral Manchester Cathedral is a Medieval church located on Victoria Street in central Manchester. ... The Natural History Museum in South Kensington, London, has an ornate terracotta facade typical of high Victorian architecture. ...

Recent History

By the early twentieth century the school was increasingly receiving funding from the state. This was negligible in 1901, fees providing three quarters of the income, most of the remainder being from the foundation. But by 1931, state grants contributed nearly 30% of the total, and the number of pupils had doubled to 1400 - a figure which has been maintained throughout most of the subsequent period.

The Swimming Pool

In the early 1930s, the school moved out of the city centre to accommodate a growing student body and provide a wider range of facilities. The new location chosen was Old Hall Lane in Fallowfield, where the school still stands. The budget was so tight at this time that, in order to finance construction of the new school, the topsoil surrounding the foundations was sold; as a result, the grounds lie below the main building as though the school were surrounded by a moat. Furthermore, the buildings are themselves below street level. Image File history File linksMetadata No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links MGS_pool. ... Image File history File links MGS_pool. ... Fallowfield is an area of the City of Manchester, England. ...

Both of the school’s earlier buildings lay empty, and while the former was destroyed in World War Two, the latter, renamed the Long Millgate Building, became a teacher training college in the 1950s. In 1969, Chetham’s School of Music was founded and occupied what had been the orphanage. When the teacher training college closed in 1978, Chetham’s took over the premises.

Since 1930, the site at Fallowfield has seen many new additions to the accommodation, as described in the next section.

After the Education Act 1944, MGS became a direct-grant grammar school, which meant that the bulk of funding was provided by government. Entry was by merit (based on examination) and parents were means-tested and fees paid primarily by local education authorities on a sliding scale. Fees paid by parents amounted to less than 20% of the total income. It reverted to independent status in 1976 after the Labour government - in the person of Education Secretary Shirley Williams - abolished the direct-grant funding system. Bursaries continue to support the merit based recruitment system, by abating fees for less well off pupils.^[3] The Education Act 1944 changed the education system for secondary schools in England and Wales. ... The Labour Party has been, since its founding in the early 20th century, the principal political party of the left in England, Scotland and Wales. ... The Baroness Williams of Crosby Shirley Williams, Baroness Williams of Crosby, PC (born July 27, 1930), is a British politician. ...

When the Assisted Places Scheme was rescinded in the late 1990s, MGS was the first school to react with a seminal "Bursary Appeal", whose patron is HRH The Prince of Wales. To date (2006), the Appeal has accumulated a value of over £11m and finances bursaries, given to boys whose parents are unable to afford the school fees. Scholarships, i.e. monetary prizes awarded on merit regardless of need however, are not awarded. Education in England is the responsibility of Department for Education and Skills at national level and, in the case of publicly funded compulsory education, of Local Education Authorities. ... The Prince Charles, Prince of Wales (Charles Philip Arthur George[2]; born 14 November 1948), is the eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. ...

Buildings

The Main Building, was designed in 1930 by Francis Jones and Percy Worthington. In keeping with the style of Oxbridge, it features a quadrangle and a grandiose memorial hall. Entrance to the quad is by a tripartite arch under a clock tower cupola. There is also the Paton Library, Alan Garner Junior Library, staff common room, lecture theatre, refectory, medical room, book shop, gymnasium and swimming pool. This is in addition to classrooms (subjects taught in this building are Mathematics, Classics, Latin, Greek, History and Religious Studies) and administrative offices. In 2006 the school announced its first major construction work on the main building for some time, with the launch of a plan to refurbish the Lecture Theatre, with the view of bringing it up to the standard of a modern professional theatre.

The Alan Garner Junior Library is situated next to the Memorial Hall and currently run by Miss Wilde. Boys in lower school spend one library lesson per cycle reading here.

The Mason Building is the school's language department. On the ground floor there are the Language Labs, two suites of listening stations, mainly used to practise the listening parts of national exams. Mr Cittanova has on occasion used the exterior wall for rock climbing, and some of the grips which he had installed are still present. It is joined to the main building on the ground floor by the Paton Library. Image File history File links Libraries_Alan_Garner_Junior_Library. ... Image File history File links Libraries_Alan_Garner_Junior_Library. ... Alan Garner (born Congleton October 17, 1934) is an English writer whose work is firmly rooted in his local Cheshire. ...

The Physics Block, just west of the main building, hosts the following departments: Physics, General Science (taken by first and second years - before the subject splits into the usual three divisions), Geography and some Mathematics. There are four physics laboratories, including one for radioactive experimentation, on the ground floor.

The English Block is just south of the physics block. It was intended to feature a drama hall in the centre, but this plan was scrapped due to a lack of funding. The third floor, accessible only from the eastern staircase, is used for the storage of the English department's large numbers of plays, poetry and fiction.

The Michael Atherton Sports Hall was opened by Mr. Atherton in 1997 and subsequently used by the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra in recording of a live CD. The conductor, Jan Pascal Tortelier, on a tour of the school, is said to have, upon entering, clapped loudly and then immediately requested the venue for the purpose, on hearing the acoustic qualities. There are also Squash Courts next door to the sports hall.

The Music Building is at the Telfer Road entrance at the rear of the school. There is a music library in the basement as well as a dozen or so music practise rooms, each having a piano, used for private lessons. It contains a keyboard suite allowing first and second years to learn basic keyboard playing and a hall on the west side used primariliy for orchestra rehearsals.

The Chemistry Building is adjoined to the Main Building. It houses the Chemistry department, and the upper floor is used for Middle School (years 9-11) Biology classes. The building, inconveniently, has two entrances (one near the Music Block, and one from the Main Building near the Refectory) leading to two non-connected corridors. This design element may have arisen out of a safety concern, since it currently serves to separate middle school experiments from those undertaken by sixth formers.

The Rectory is located near the Michael Atherton Sports Hall, and is the home of the Biology Department. However it is only A-level biology that is taught there.

The Parker Art Hall is a three storey arts studio, situated in the south side of the main building. It includes a ceramics department with two kilns on the ground floor and also a dark room for photography.

The Pavilion contains changing rooms for sports teams and a cricket score board, is linked to the Butty Bar, a cafe serving MGS Burgers, Sandwiches, Slush Puppies etc., as well as the computing room and long room upstairs. The long room is now used as the sixth form common room, which was previously next to the photocopying room in the main stairwell.

The school owns the Owl's Nest, a converted barn situated in Disley, South Manchester, near to Lyme Park. The barn is used by forms and activity groups of the school as a base for outdoor trips and camping expeditions. It is most frequently used by classes in the first and second years, who spend a weekend there with their form teacher and class prefects. Wide games such as Bull-dog take place in the field, and orienteering challenges in Lyme Park. The school takes steps to ensure that pupils do not enter the disused quarry next door. The name refers to the school's logo of the owl (pupils at the school are referred to as 'Sons of the Owl').

Alumni

See also Category:Old Mancunians

MGS has a long tradition of academic excellence and is among the most celebrated schools in England. Its alumni ("Old Mancunians") include:

Mathematicians

Sir Michael Francis Atiyah (1929-) is a prolific geometer who studied at the school for two years as preparation for Cambridge. He went on to attain a Fields Medal, the Abel Prize and the Order of Merit, as well as the positions of President of the Royal Society and Master of Trinity, his former college. Sir Michael Francis Atiyah, OM, FRS (born 22 April 1929) is a mathematician who was born in London. ... The Fields Medal is a prize awarded to two, three, or four mathematicians not over 40 years of age at each International Congress of the International Mathematical Union, a meeting that takes place every four years. ... The Abel Prize is awarded annually by the King of Norway to outstanding mathematicians. ... For other Orders see Order of Merit (disambiguation). ... The President of the Royal Society (PRS) is the elected head of the Royal Society of London. ... The premises of The Royal Society in London (first four properties only). ... Full name The College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity Motto Virtus vera nobilitas Virtue is true Nobility Named after The Holy Trinity Previous names King’s Hall and Michaelhouse (until merged in 1546) Established 1546 Sister College(s) Christ Church Master The Lord Rees of Ludlow Location Trinity Street...

Edmund Taylor Whittaker (1873-1956) also went on to study at Trinity settling at Edinburgh to make significant contributions to Mathematical Physics. Edmund Taylor Whittaker (24 October 1873 - 24 March 1956) was an English mathematician, who contributed widely to applied mathematics, mathematical physics and the theory of special functions. ... Full name The College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity Motto Virtus vera nobilitas Virtue is true Nobility Named after The Holy Trinity Previous names King’s Hall and Michaelhouse (until merged in 1546) Established 1546 Sister College(s) Christ Church Master The Lord Rees of Ludlow Location Trinity Street... The University of Edinburgh was founded in 1583 as a renowned centre for teaching in Edinburgh, Scotland. ...

Clifford Cocks and Malcolm J. Williamson were peers at the school and also Maths students at Cambridge. They achieved silver and gold medals respectively at the 1968 IMO in Moscow while studying at MGS. They both went on to become cryptographers at GCHQ, a British intelligence agency, dealing with security of communications. While both made their own contributions to cryptography in the mid 70s, their results were considered national secrets and when they were discovered independently (about four years later in both cases) they received no credit for their work. It was only in 1997 that GCHQ chose to reveal their achievements. Clifford Cocks had developed RSA encryption, used in all online commerce, but named after the three men who first published the work. Clifford Christopher Cocks is a British mathematician and cryptographer at GCHQ who invented the widely-used encryption algorithm now commonly known as RSA, about three years before it was independently developed by Rivest, Shamir, and Adleman at MIT. He has not been generally recognised for this achievement because his work... Malcolm J. Williamson discovered what is now known as Diffie-Hellman key exchange while working at GCHQ. Williamson studied at Manchester Grammar School, winning a Gold prize at the 1968 International Mathematical Olympiad in Moscow. ... Results for parts II and III of the Mathematical Tripos are read out inside Senate House, University of Cambridge and then tossed from the balcony. ... The International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO) is an annual mathematical olympiad for high school students. ... The Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) (previously named the Government Code and Cipher School (GC&CS)) is the main British intelligence service providing signals intelligence (SIGINT). ... In cryptology, RSA is an algorithm for public-key encryption. ...

MPs

Harold Lever (1914-95) was a Labour Party politician and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster as well as Paymaster General. He received the Order of Merit Norman Harold Lever, Baron Lever of Manchester (15 January 1914 - 6 August 1995) was a British laywer and Labour politician. ... The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster is, in modern times, a sinecure office in the British government. ... Paymaster-General is a ministerial position in the UK. The portfolio consists of the workings of HM Revenue and Customs, formerly HM Inland Revenue and HM Customs and Excise, and reports to the Chancellor of the Exchequer. ... For other Orders see Order of Merit (disambiguation). ...

Current MPs for Manchester Withington and Walthamstow, John Leech and Neil Gerrard respectively. Manchester Withington is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. ... Walthamstow is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. ... For other persons named John Leech, see John Leech (disambiguation). ... Neil Francis Gerrard (born 3 July 1942, Farnworth, Lancashire) is a politician in the United Kingdom, and Labour Member of Parliament for Walthamstow. ...

Cricketers

Michael Atherton captained the English cricket team a record 54 times in the mid nineties, which then included fellow Old Mancunian John Crawley. Mark Chilton is currently the captain of Lancashire and Gary Yates is the Second Team coach for the county. Other Old Mancunians to have played county cricket in recent years include Mark Crawley (Lancashire & Nottinghamshire) and Scott Richardson (Yorkshire). Michael Andrew Atherton (born March 23, 1968) is a broadcaster, journalist and retired cricket player. ... John Paul Crawley (born September 21, 1971, Maldon, Essex) is an English professional cricketer, who has represented England in 37 test matches as a batsman. ... Mark James Chilton born October 2, 1976, Sheffield, Yorkshire is an English cricket player. ... Lancashire County Cricket Club is one of the eighteen major county clubs which make up the English domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Lancashire. ... For the director, see Gary Yates (director) Gary Yates attended the Manchester Grammar School in Greater Manchester, Northwest England. ... Scott Andrew Richardson is a first class cricketer who played 13 first class matches for Yorkshire County Cricket Club between 2000 and 2003. ...

Writers

William Harrison Ainsworth (1805-1882) was a writer of popular historical romances. Caricature from Punch, 1881: TO THE GREATEST AXE-AND-NECK-ROMANCER OF OUR TIME, WHO IS QUITE AT THE HEAD OF HIS PROFESSION, WE DEDICATE THIS BLOCK AD MULTOS ANNOS! William Harrison Ainsworth (1805 - 1882) was a British writer. ...

Robert Bolt (1924–1995) was a playwright. He is mostly remembered for A Man for All Seasons, for which he received one of his two Academy Awards. Another playwright Harold Brighouse (1882-1958) wrote Hobson's Choice. Robert Oxton Bolt (August 15, 1924 – February 12, 1995) was an English playwright and screenwriter. ... Academy Award The Academy Awards, popularly known as the Oscars, are the most prominent and most watched film awards ceremony in the world. ... Hobsons Choice is a play by Harold Brighouse, the title coming from the popular expression, Hobsons choice—meaning no choice at all. ...

Alan Garner (1934-) is a children's author and the namesake of the school's Junior Library. He was the first member of his family to go to a secondary school and received a full scholarship. Whilst there he was a keen sprinter. Alan Garner (born Congleton October 17, 1934) is an English writer whose work is firmly rooted in his local Cheshire. ...

Stephen Leather Thriller writer Stephen Leather is an English thriller author who writes pacy action packed novels in a style deliberately based upon the work of Jack Higgins. ...

Thomas de Quincey Thomas de Quincey from the frontispiece of Revolt of the Tartars, Thomas de Quincey (August 15, 1785 – December 8, 1859) was an English author and intellectual. ...

Martin Sixsmith Martin Sixsmith (born 1956) is a British journalist and writer. ...

Oliver Fearn Travel writer

Others

Poster for a dramatic performance from 1920 featuring actor George Coulouris. It was his stage debut.

• Chemist John Charles Polanyi (1929-) won the 1986 Nobel Prize for Chemistry.
• Poet Samuel Bamford
• Actors Sir Ben Kingsley, George Coulouris, and Robert Powell
• Director of the London School of Economics and former Chairman of the Financial Services Authority, Sir Howard Davies
• Pianist John Ogdon
• Journalists Jim White, Faisal Islam, Tim Samuels and Michael Crick
• Theatre and film director Nicholas Hytner
• Opera and theatre director Steven Pimlott
• Historian Michael Wood
• Comedian Chris Addison
• Civil servant John Swanwick Bradbury, 1st Baron Bradbury

Image File history File links Download high resolution version (540x734, 87 KB) Licensing This image is in the public domain in the United States. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (540x734, 87 KB) Licensing This image is in the public domain in the United States. ... George Coulouris George Coulouris (October 1, 1903- April 25, 1989) was a prominent British film and stage actor. ... John Charles Polanyi (born January 23, 1929) is a Canadian chemist. ... Nobel Prize medal. ... Samuel Bamford (1788—1872), English Labour politician, was born at Moston, near Middleton, Lancashire, on the 28th of February 1788. ... Sir Ben Kingsley (born Krishna Pandit Bhanji on December 31, 1943) is an English actor of Indian (Gujarati) and Russian-Jewish descent. ... George Coulouris George Coulouris (October 1, 1903- April 25, 1989) was a prominent British film and stage actor. ... Robert Powell (born June 1, 1944), is a well-known English television and film actor, known for the title role in Jesus of Nazareth and as the fictional secret agent Richard Hannay. ... The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) is a specialist constituent college of the University of London. ... The Financial Services Authority (FSA) is an independent non-departmental public body and quasi-judicial body that regulates the financial services industry in the United Kingdom. ... Sir Howard Davies is Director of the London School of Economics. ... John Andrew Howard Ogdon (January 27, 1937–August 1, 1989) was an English pianist and composer. ... Jim White Jim White (born late 1950s) is a British journalist and presenter who currently fronts stvs coverage of the UEFA Champions League. ... Tim Samuels (born 3 October 1975) is an award-winning British documentary-maker and presenter. ... Michael Crick is a British journalist and author. ... Nicholas Hytner (born May 7, 1956) is an award-winning British theatrical and opera producer and director. ... Steven Pimlott OBE (1955 – 14 February 2007) was an English opera and theatre director. ... Michael Wood reading from an edition of the Domesday Book in a BBC Four documentary about Gilbert White Michael Wood (born Michael David Wood, July 23, 1948 in Manchester) is a popular English historian and broadcaster, presenter of numerous television documentary series. ... Chris Addison is an award-winning writer, stand up comic and actor, with a career which has spanned over a decade. ... John Swanwick Bradbury, 1st Baron Bradbury (23 September 1872 – 3 May 1950), born in Crook Lane, Winsford, Cheshire, was a British peer and the first Baron Bradbury. ...

Charity and Funding

Charities' Fortnight

Every February, Charities Fortnight is held. The school charities committee, formed of pupils in the sixth form, annually chooses four charities between which money raised is to be split. Each of these offers an assembly to the Lower School, and sometimes to the whole school, in order to raise awareness.

Money is raised by various means, starting with an own clothes day, known as Mufti Day. During the first week, the Memorial Hall hosts the "Grand Bazaar" for three days. At this, pupils operate stalls selling items, or operating casino and computer games. CDT's giant connect 4 game is usually present and there is a shoe-shine stall outside the lecture theatre. The following week sees four staff shows running Monday through Thursday. These take the form of well known TV shows such as Gladiators and Shooting Stars, and feature members of the Common Room. Gladiators was a popular long running game show produced by LWT for ITV in the United Kingdom from 10 October 1992 to 1 January 2000, (though there was another series filmed in South Africa against the South African Gladiators in 2000 but this was not for UK broadcast) an adaptation... Shooting Stars is a UK television comedy panel game broadcast on BBC Two. ...

Owls are perched on every post along the playing fields fence.

Image File history File links Owls_playing_field_fence. ... Image File history File links Owls_playing_field_fence. ...

Associated Schools

Local Girls' Schools

MGS has two sister, all girl schools, Manchester High School for Girls and Withington Girls' School. MGS often collaborates with both schools, particularly in artistic events, a collaboration encouraged by the absence of competition between the schools in the independent school market and by geographical proximity. Manchester High School for Girls is an independent daytime school for girls. ... Withington Girls School is an independent daytime school for girls. ...

Busoga College

MGS is also twinned with a school in Uganda. MGS became linked with the Busoga College Mwiri in 1990 as a consequence of their support for the Busoga Trust. The School donated second-hand science equipment, textbooks and, in 1998, equipped the Mwiri computer centre with almost one hundred PCs. A succession of MGS pupils have been to Mwiri to teach for a term in their gap year and five members of MGS staff and the School Medical Officer have made a combined total of over 20 visits to Mwire. Some of MGS' pupils first years visited the College in 2003 and in return they have received visits by Chairmen of Governors, Headmasters and Deputy Heads. A programme has been initiated to enable one member of the Mwiri staff each year to visit MGS for three weeks in September. This scheme has largely been the brainchild of the head of the physics department, Mr Hand.

Life at the School

The School Week

The school has developed gradually more elaborate ways of fitting subjects into the time-table. In the 1960s it introduced a six-day working week, and the school now operates a seven-day working week, called the Seven Day Cycle, as opposed to the timetable repeating according to a five-day week. This format however, is due to be replaced with a Ten Day Cycle for the 2007/8 academic year. In the Seven Day Cycle, a particular Monday's schedule, for example, will next be repeated on the following Wednesday.

The School Uniform is worn by boys below the Sixth Form; thereafter, suits are worn.

The school day begins at 09:05, when boys report to their form rooms to be registered. Assembly begins at 09:15 and ends at 09:30. there are 6 45-minute periods (lessons) in a day, with 5 minutes gap between periods to allow boys to transit the school grounds to different classrooms. Break is 20 minutes long and occurs between periods 2 and 3 (11.10-11.30), and the Lunch hour is between periods 4 and 5, (13:05-14:05) ^[4] Image File history File links MGSUniform. ... Image File history File links MGSUniform. ...

Excepting Fridays, the Lower school has assembly in the Lecture Theatre, whilst everyone else does so in the Memorial Hall. However on Fridays, Religious assemblies are held. Choices are: Indian, Muslim, Jewish, Christian and Non-religious, with only the latter split into age groups; using the same division as normal assemblies. The selection allows boys of all religions to sample each other's faiths, as there is no restriction on where boys can go for religious assemblies, though it is not thought that many pupils do this. On Fridays, at lunchtimes, Friday Prayers are held for Muslim pupils. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... There is also a collection of Hadith called Sahih Muslim A Muslim (Arabic: مسلم, Persian: Mosalman or Mosalmon Urdu: مسلمان, Turkish: Müslüman, Albanian: Mysliman, Bosnian: Musliman) is an adherent of the religion of Islam. ...

Mathematics

The school was among the first to adopt the international Mathematics GCSE rather than the British one. The main difference between the two is that the IGCSE does not have a coursework element, primarily because it would be too costly to moderate around the world. The maths department decided that pupils were finding the coursework (forming a fifth of the national GCSE) undemanding and tedious and so made the switch in 2005.[1] The International General Certificate of Secondary Education, or IGCSE, is an international qualification for school students. ...

At the further instigation of Mr David Jeys, who became head of the Maths department in 2003, a plaque was installed at the northern end of the Maths corridor. It is a historical recreation of a plaque recorded to have been inscribed above the entrance to Plato's Academy. Written in Greek, it translates to Let No One Ignorant of Geometry Enter. [2] Raphaels fresco The School of Athens An academy is an institution of higher learning, research, or honorary membership. ...

Publications

There are four publications focusing on the school. Ulula is an annual glossy magazine detailing life at MGS that year. It contains activities of the societies, results achieved by the sports teams, dramatic and musical performances that have occurred, as well as a selection of literary and fine art work made by the boys. It also serves to announce new appointments, retirements and departures of staff members. For those pupils who leave in the year prior to the issue of Ulula, the university or sixth form college to which they are moving is listed.

The New Mancunian, the school student newspaper is written and produced by students and has won several national awards. This is twinned in nomenclature with the Old Mancunian which is a monthly pamphlet edited by John Horsfield, sent out to ex-pupils. There is also a termly glossy magazine targeted at parents.

Entrance

Following optional attendance at open days (the second Saturday in October, and the following Tuesday), prospective pupils undertake the Part One Entrance Exam. This consists of a Mathematics exam and an English Exam. This first exam is taken by approximately 500-600 boys on the last Friday in January. Its purpose is to select a smaller number of boys to undertake the second exam, which is more time-consuming to mark.

About 400 boys are invited to take part in the Part Two Entrance Exam on the first Friday in February. It also consists of both a Mathematics paper and an English paper. The latter consists of a comprehension and a creative writing exercise. Those allocated a place by the school may tour the school in March Tours Week. By the end of the month, the boy/parents must choose to accept or decline the place offered.

Boys are most likely to apply to more than one school, and hence may not accept their place. For this reason a number of boys are, after both exams, given a reserve place. As people with guaranteed places accept or reject their place, reserve offers are converted to proper places accordingly.

M.G.S. is among a small number of selective schools to select purely on the basis of examination performance, with no need for interviews. However some of those on the reserve list are interviewed in the interim between the second exam and Tours Week.

Sports

Interior of the Michael Atherton Sports Hall

On the first day of their school careers, first year (or in modern parlance, Year 7) pupils (known as "sprogs") must endure The Sprog Jog, a long jog, typically twice around the school grounds. Performances are noted down and used to assess pupils' fitness and sporting ability. The Gatley, another long jog through the surrounding area has taken place as a voluntary inter-form event at the end of the Easter term for boys in years 1-3 (7-10) for many years. During the past several years the school had failed to maintain this long held tradition, but it was announced in May 2007 that it would be reinstated, being run in the last week of the school year. Image File history File links MGS_sports_hall_interior. ... Image File history File links MGS_sports_hall_interior. ...

School Camps

There are five annual School Camps, four of which have been in existence for many decades. They are held at Grasmere, Lucton, Bassenthwaite, Borrowdale and now also at Barnswood. The new camp Barnswood is held near Leek and was set up as part of a new campaign to encourage more boys to partake in the newly rebranded Camps and Activities week during the Whit holidays. In Grasmere, the school has its own campsite donated by old boys in 1931.

Discipline

Discipline is maintained by staff assisted by sixth and seventh formers who become prefects in this hierarchy:

School Officers: The Captain and three Vice-Captains, selected from the gold prefects by the High Master,

Gold Prefects: Twelve pupils supervise and oversee the remainder. They are selected by the High Master during Summer Term, based on a vote amongst Lower Sixth boys, and staff recommendations, based on their academic performance, overall contribution to school and their performance as silver prefects.

Silver Prefects: Comprises most lower sixth formers and upper sixth until mid Michaelmas term. Duties include patrolling corridors or monitoring queues, during non-lesson time. They wear a silver Owl badge and a distinctive tie.

Deputy Prefects: Provisional appointments for a month after the middle of Michaelmas Term before being accepted or rejected by the master in charge of prefects. Selection is usually based on their record of attendance of their weekly duties and general conduct.

Owl List: A red or blue pocket book, listing all pupils of the school, organised by year and form. It is issued annually to all teaching and administrative staff and also the gold prefects.

PPS: Prefect Punishment School. This form of punishment has recently fallen out of use. Previously, it was a punishment that could be given by any prefect. It consisted of half an hour copying out text in the Sieff Theatre during the second half of Thursday lunchtime. Silver Prefects were able to issue PPS's, which then had to be checked and signed by a Gold Prefect or School Officer. Similarly, Gold Prefects and School Officers were able to issue and sign their own PPS to the offending pupil.

Red/White Card: These are given to pupils who are not properly dressed. It is up to the teachers for which the pupil has classes to ascertain if this has been remedied. If a white card has been handed out then at all lessons that day the teacher will have to sign it. The red card is more serious and lasts for a week. If the latter is not completed then it rolls over to the following week. This form of disciplinary action was only in use for two years (2005-6) and has since been abandoned by most teachers.

CS: Communication Slip. This is an orange slip that is sometimes sent home to parents to inform them of misdemeanors committed by pupils, that are too minor for a PS, but still need bringing to the attention of a pupil's parents. It is then up to the parents to discipline the pupil. CSs may be given for such offences as talking out of turn in lessons and not making an effort with ones work.

PS: Punishment School. Detentions that take place on Tuesday and Thursday early evenings and Saturday mornings. They last for half an hour or an hour in the former case and one or two hours in the latter case. Saturday PS's are imposed for more serious infractions than those on weekdays, even when the detention is of the same duration. An example of an offence that could lead to a weekday PS would be repeated misbehaviour in lessons. A Saturday morning PS tends to be reserved for greater misdemeanors. Historic detention cell Detention is a form of punishment used in schools, where a student is required to spend extra time in school. ...

The school also operates Exclusion and Expulsion policies for serious issues such as bullying and drugs.^[5] Expulsion at a school or university is defined as removing a student from the institution for violating rules or honor codes. ...

High Masters

Eric John Francis James, Baron James of Rusholme April 13, 1909 - May 16, 1992 was created a life peer as Baron James of Rusholme, of Fallowfield in the County Palatine of Lancashire, in 1959. ... Dr. George Martin Stephen is the current High Lobster (headlobster) of St Pauls School, London. ... John Lyon School (previously The Lower School of John Lyon in Harrow) is a public day school in Harrow-on-the-Hill, England. ...

External links

Official

• The School
• Pupils and Staff Website
• Cross Country Club - MGS Harriers
• Science Society - PhilSoc
• History Department
• Ex Pupils - Old Mancunians

Historical

• The History of Chetham's Library
• Sir Michael Atiyah talking about his time at Manchester Grammar School on Peoples Archive.

The Peoples Archive [sic] is a website which has videos of notable persons telling their life stories. ...

Other

• MGS on Google Maps

References and Footnotes

1. ^ Most of the material in the first part of this section is taken from The Manchester Grammar School 1515-1965, edited by J A Graham and B A Phythian, Manchester University Press, 1965
2. ^ Engels, quoted in MGS 1515-1965 referenced above
3. ^ Figures from MGS 1515-1965 referenced above
4. ^ A bus service from MGS runs to Manchester's two main train stations Piccadilly and Victoria (opposite the original site of the school), called the MGS Shuttle,(or 'Jones' Fun Bus', in honour of the teacher who instigated it [Mr. Simon Jones]).
5. ^ There is a long established myth that every Friday 13th is designated Sprog Bashing Day. It is believed to be just a lighthearted rumour.

Coordinates: 53°26′55″N, 2°12′37″W The term Engels could refer to more than one thing: Friedrich Engels, German socialist Engels, Russia, formerly known as Pokrovsk This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Interior shot of the station with the Victorian trainshed. ... Manchester Victoria Manchester Victoria railway station is the second of Manchesters mainline railway stations, now being much less important than Manchester Piccadilly station. ... Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ...