Richard Hale School
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
This article does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (May 2009) |
| Richard Hale School | |
 |
|
| Motto | Doctrina cvm virtvte (Learnedness with virtue) |
| Established | 16 April 1617 |
| Type | State, community, foundation |
| Religion | non-denominational |
| Headteacher | Mr Stephen Neate |
| Chair of Governors | Mr A Hewett |
| Founder | Richard Hale |
| Specialism | Science College |
| Location | Hale Road Hertford Hertfordshire SG13 8EN England  |
| LEA | Hertfordshire |
| Ofsted number | 117501 |
| Students | approx 1000 |
| Gender | Male (and Coeducational 6th form) |
| Ages | 11 to 18 |
| Houses | Cowper, Croft, Hale, Kinman, Page, Wallace, |
| Publication | Hale News |
| Website | www.richardhale.herts.sch.uk |
| Coordinates: 51°47′33″N 0°04′40″W / 51.79246°N 0.07769°W | |
Richard Hale School is an all-boys' school located in Hertford, Hertfordshire, in the south east of England. In the 2007 – 2008 academic year the school had over 1,000 pupils, including students attending the optional sixth form.
The school was founded on 16 April 1617 by the affluent merchant Richard Hale, eldest son of Thomas Hales of Codicote (a likely descendant of the Kentish Hales) who wished to "erect a grammar school for the instruction of children in the Latin tongue and other literature in the town of Hertford". The original school building was in use for 313 years from 1617 to 1930, and still stands near to All Saints Church. It was known as "Hertford Grammar School" until the early 1970s, when it changed to the current name.
Hale gave his name to one of the five original houses of the school. The remaining four were named after the school benefactors Francis Thomas de Grey Cowper, 7th Earl Cowper KG and Richard Benyon Croft; and former pupils Lieutenant-Colonel Frank Page, DSO and bar, and the evolutionary biologist Alfred Russel Wallace. These five houses remained for several decades until a sixth house called "Kinman" was added to the growing school, named after the headteacher Major George Kinman who organised the school's move in 1930. This house was for the boys who were previously in an overflow form, and not grouped together with their other housemates. House competition is an integral part of school life at Richard Hale, with competitions taking part not only on the sports fields, but on the stage in both music and drama.
The school has a long tradition of rugby football and recently received planning permission for a new sports hall to further its sporting activities. The school's current headteacher is Stephen M. Neate, who had previously been temporary headteacher since 2005 following the retirement of the previous incumbent, Michael James.
[edit] Notable alumni
Alfred Wallace is Richard Hale's most famous former pupil, but the school has produced other notable alumni:
- Michael Dobbs, author and screenwriter
- Captain W. E. Johns, author of the Biggles series
- Brian Wilde, actor
- Rupert Grint, actor (Ron Weasley in Harry Potter)
- Billy Lunn, musician
- Geoff Hamilton, television presenter
- John Gladwin, Bishop of Chelmsford
- John Flack (Bishop), Bishop and Anglican representative to the Holy See
- Richard Chartres, Bishop of London
- John Fincham, late professor of genetics at Cambridge University
- Richard Eden, emeritus professor of energy at Cambridge University
- Mark Williams, Member of Parliament for Ceredigion (Wales)
- James Judd, conductor
- Des de Moor, singer, songwriter and performer
- Rob Playford, drum and bass DJ, and record producer
- Kenny Pickett, singer of 1960s band The Creation
