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11–18 boys grammar school in Torquay, Devon, England From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Torquay Boys' Grammar School is an 11–18 selective boys grammar school in Torquay, Devon, England. As of May 2023[update], it had 1,087 students.[2] The school was founded in 1904. It is situated in Shiphay, south of Torbay Hospital, not far from the A3022 and Torre railway station as well as being directly next to Torquay Girls Grammar School.
| Torquay Boys' Grammar School | |
|---|---|
| School badge  Torquay Boys' Grammar School | |
| Address | |
 | |
Shiphay Manor Drive , , TQ2 7EL England | |
| Coordinates | 50°28′34″N 3°33′25″W |
| Information | |
| Type | 11–18 boys Grammar school; academy |
| Motto | Latin: Aude Sapere Dare to be Wise |
| Established | 1904 |
| Specialists | Languages, Business and Enterprise |
| Department for Education URN | 136321 Tables |
| Ofsted | Reports |
| Chairman of Governors | Brian Wills Pope |
| Head teacher | Doctor J Hunt |
| Gender | Boys |
| Age | 11 to 18 |
| Enrolment | 1,093 (2021)[1] |
| Houses | Burgh, Dart, Fox Tor, Goodrington, Haldon, Rougemont |
| Colour(s) | |
| Publication | Torquin |
| Website | Torquay Boys' Grammar School |
Torquay Boys' Grammar School is currently ranked within the top 20 boys schools in England, and the best in Southwest England.[3]
The school was founded in 1904 and moved to its present location in 1983. As part of its centenary in 2004 the school opened a new hall known as the Cavanna Centenary Hall, which was officially opened in March 2008 by The Earl of Wessex.[4] In September 2010, it gained Academy status.[5]
A long-standing headteacher, Roy Pike, worked for 43 years at the school, 27 years as head.[6] He retired in 2013, and was succeeded by Peter Lawrence.[7]
In 2022, GCSE examination pass rate between 9-4 stood at 97.6%, with the proportion of top grades 9-7 was 58.6%. The proportion of boys at the school achieving a strong pass in GCSE Level 9-5 in English and Maths stood at 93%. Torquay Boys' Grammar School boasts a 99% rate of boys staying in education after leaving the school, or entering employment after Year 11.[8][non-primary source needed]
Upon joining the school, every student is assigned to one of the school's six houses. The six houses were previously named after Elizabethan sailors, which had seen criticism in 2020 over their links to the slave trade,[9] were renamed after locations in Devon in 2021.[10]
The Head Teacher and Governors of Torquay Boys' Grammar School are committed to ensuring the school retains its grammar school status, advocating that pupils who learn in a selective environment excel in their learning and development. The school argues that pupils in selective grammar schools make more progress than those in non–selective schools. [17]
The proportion of students attending Torquay Boys' Grammar School who are entitled to free school meals was well below average the national average in 2007, despite the school's catchment area not being a prosperous area. In 2007, very few boys from minority ethnic groups or with a first language other than English attended the school. The school has held specialist languages status for a number of years and has recently been awarded a second specialism in business and enterprise education.[18]
The school has its own astronomical observatory. Opened in 1989, it houses a 19.2" (0.5m) Newtonian reflector, and is used by the school itself, by the Torbay Astronomical Society, and is also regularly open to the public.[21]
The astronomer and broadcaster Sir Patrick Moore was a patron of the school and maintained close ties – Ralegh House even performed the premiere of his operetta "Galileo" in the late 1990s. Current presenter of the BBC television programme "The Sky at Night" Chris Lintott, who lectures at Oxford University, was also a student of the school.[citation needed]
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