Portsmouth Grammar School


The Portsmouth Grammar School is a co-educational independent school in Portsmouth, England, located in the historic part of the city. It was founded in 1732 as a boys' school.

History

In 1732, William Smith, a former Mayor of Portsmouth and previously the garrison physician, died and left his estate to Christ Church, Oxford. His will contained instructions to build a new school in Portsmouth and thus, The Portsmouth Grammar School was founded. The will of the founder is reflected to this day in that two Governors continue to be nominated by Christ Church. The school also retains its naval links, with the Second Sea Lord nominating one further Governor. In 1926 the school moved from its original Victorian premises to Cambridge Barracks. The school was hit by bombs during the Second World War.
In 1976, with the removal of the Direct Grant, it stopped being a grammar school under the Tripartite System, though kept the term as part of its name, and at the same time, it started to accept girl pupils. The Upper Junior School is situated in the original Victorian building which once contained the whole Grammar School. The Nursery, Lower Junior School, Middle School and Upper School are located across the road on the High Street. The school colours are red, black and gold, and the school motto is Praemia Virtutis Honores. The current Headmaster is Anne Cotton. The school spent £6 million on a new Science building in 2011.

Academic performance

In 2004 the school came 67 out of 100 in a Guardian list of Top independent school's UCAS scores, There was an average AS/A level point score of 939.1 in 2009.

Internal structure

Portsmouth Grammar School consists of three sections: Nursery, Junior School and Senior School.

Houses

In each section of PGS there are four houses, each represented by a colour and named after a former schoolmaster. Although these colours remain the same, the names change in each section of the School:
Junior SchoolMiddle SchoolUpper School
HudsonBartonGrant
JerrardEastwoodLatter
NicolHawkeySmith
PrivettSummersWhitcombe

Houses form the basis of the school pastoral system and provide a continued 'home' throughout a pupil's time at the school. In the Upper School, each house has its own common room. Sixth Formers have their own common area and cafe, known as the Sixth Form Centre. Sixth Formers also have their own library.

Co-curricular activities

Pupils take part in trips each term to visit various countries. Pupils have visited France, Germany, Spain, Ireland, The United States, Syria, Russia, Norway, Hungary, Uganda and a number of other countries. Exchanges take place as a part of the Modern Languages programme each year, with pupils spending time in France, Spain or Germany and receiving a visit from their counterpart. Additionally, sports teams travel each year to various locations, which have included South Africa and Australia.
Aside from trips abroad, extracurricular activities include the Combined Cadet Force, a Debating Club, Wildlife Club, "Stock Market Club", "Model Rockets", and "Middle School Textiles Club".
The school was involved in the establishment of the education charity United World Schools and since 2010 has funded a Partner School in Cambodia through co-curricular activities.

Sport

Within the school grounds is a sports centre containing a multi-purpose hall, gymnasium, squash courts, weight lifting room and dance rooms. The school has sports grounds at Hilsea, which include various pitches as well as a pavilion. The school sometimes uses the HMS Temeraire grounds, and Governors Green in Portsmouth.

CCF

The School has a Combined Cadet Force open to pupils in Year 9 and above, which has Army, Royal Air Force and Royal Navy sections.

Music

In an article in the September 2006 BBC Music Magazine, the following was written about the music at PGS:
There are several ensembles that perform regularly, many conducted by the school's associate conductor, Nicolae Moldoveanu. The PGS Chamber Choir sang at the Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall in 2005 and went on tour to Salzburg at Christmas 2006. The Choir also sings regularly with the London Mozart Players and upholds an annual tradition of singing Evensong at Christ Church, Oxford.

Politics

The school has run mock elections for notable elections that have occurred at the time. In 2010, the History & Politics Department organised school elections for the 2010 UK election, where the school narrowly elected the Conservative Party, whilst in the 2012 US election the school voted in favour of the Democrats

Old Portmuthians

are known as Old Portmuthians and may join The Old Portmuthian Club, founded in 1885. Notable OPs include