Guildford County School
| Guildford County School | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Location | |
 | |
| Information | |
| Type | Foundation school |
| Motto | Non nobis Domine (Not unto us, O Lord) |
| Established | 1978 |
| Head of school | Peter Costello |
| Staff | approx. 60 |
| Enrollment | approx. 950 |
| Patron | Julian Lloyd Webber |
| Website | www.guildfordcounty.co.uk |
Guildford County School ('GCS') is a foundation secondary school and Sixth Form College located on Farnham Road, Guildford, England, approximately 200 metres from Guildford town centre. It has around 950 students enrolled, including the Sixth Form, and about 87 teachers.
In September 2004, the School was granted with Specialist Music College Status, designated by the Department for Education and Skills. The headteacher of the school is Peter Costello. The school is patroned by Julian Lloyd Webber and Howard Goodall.
History
The oldest building at the former County School for Girls in Guildford date from the time of the First World War. More buildings were added during the following sixty years. In 1978, the girls' grammar school became a mixed 12-18 comprehensive school. Between 1977 and 1979, a second teaching block was built together with another gymnasium.
The school became grant-maintained in September 1990 and three years later a three-storey building named after the former Chairman of Governors, Stanley Cobbett, was opened. With the change in the age of transfer from 12 to 11, the school roll grew to over 900. In 2000 the school became a Foundation School.
House System
There are six houses at Guildford County School, named after Royal Houses of Great Britain. These are:
- Tudor (yellow)
- York (white)
- Windsor (purple)
- Stuart (blue) Best house EVER!!!!
- Hanover (green)
- Lancaster (red)
Sport
There are a wide variety of sports available at Guildford County School. The Winter House Sports competition involves many team sports, whilst athletics are the main component of the Summer House Sports competition.
During the winter season, boys' sports include rugby, football, cricket, basketball and badminton, whilst cricket and tennis are the main sporting components in the summer. Girls' sports include netball, football, basketball and tag rugby, as well as badminton, gymnastics, and netball.
Music
The school now has many new facilities, due to the specialist music status, including another music studio. This has proved very useful for concerts and performances, and enabled music technology, an A-level option, to progress and develop as qualification and as an extracurricular activity for younger students.
The school prides itself on its many choirs including: Boys Choir, Girls Choir, Senior Choir, Community Choir, Sixth Form barbershop group and Schola Cantorum. In 2007, the Boys Choir and Schola Cantorum both recorded CDs at the University of Surrey. There are also school orchestras such as a Chamber Orchestra and Big Band. Mountside Music works with the school, providing music lessons for pupils interested in music.
The annual Christmas service at Guildford Cathedral is another event at the school and allows choirs to perform. There are also many other annual concerts that allow bands and soloists to show off their talents, both at the school and the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guildford.
House Music, an annual competition with an external adjudicator, allows pupils to perform as a house choir, as soloists and groups within houses. There is also an evening performance for those who are commended by the adjudicator.
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