DR CHALLONER'S GRAMMAR SCHOOL in Buckinghamshire, Amersham

Education Centre Information: Dr Challoner's Grammar School:

Establishment Type:Foundation School
Phase of Education: Secondary
Status: Closed
Local Authority: Buckinghamshire
Reason Establishment Closed: Academy Converter
Establishment Close Date: 31/12/2010
Boarders: No Boarders
Sixth Form: Has a sixth form
Urban/Rural Description: Urban > 10k - less sparse
Special Classes: No Special Classes
Religious Character: None
Total Pupils: 1286
Number of boys: 1286
Admissions: Selective
Age Range: 11-18
Gender: Boys
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Background:

In 1624, Dr Robert Chaloner (spelt with one l) provided in his will for the building of a free grammar school in Amersham, a small town in south Buckinghamshire on the edge of the Chilterns and convenient for London. The school moved to its current site in Amersham-on-the-Hill in 1905. There were regular and extensive building programmes in the 1950s, 1980s and 1990s, though the of the 1905 block remains the hub of school. Visits abroad have included Mongolia, Iceland, Sweden, Morocco and Barbados, and there are regular visits to the link school in northern Ethiopia. There are regular choral and orchestral concerts and jazz events, often in association with Dr Challoner's High School. A major musical is staged every two years. Sports facilities enhanced by addition of sports hall, floodlit all-weather sports pitch, and new cricket ground. Available sports include soccer, cross-country, hockey, cricket and tennis. Bursaries are offered each year for students to spend three months teaching English in Ethiopia. The school was the Oxford Union national debating champion in 1997 and won the national ESU public speaking competition in 2000. The Old Challoners' Society is active, as is the parent-teacher association known as Friends. The school won the Bucks Swan Award for Outstanding Pupil Progress in 2003, and was Secondary School of the Year for Sport in 2004 (Chiltern District). Over-subscribed, with four applications per place. Specialist science college status from September 2002. Artsmark (2002, 2005); Sportsmark (2003); Investor in People status (2004); DfES achievement award (2002, 2003). Ethos: 'The school aims to offer a happy, safe and secure atmosphere in which creativity and innovation can flourish'.