Priory School, Portsmouth
| Priory School | |
|---|---|
 The school in March 2019 | |
| Address | |
 | |
Fawcett Road ,, PO4 0DL England | |
| Information | |
| Type | Academy |
| Motto | Enjoy Respect Achieve |
| Religious affiliation(s) | Non-Affiliated |
| Established | 1974 (1888) |
| Local authority | Portsmouth |
| Department for EducationURN | 141175Tables |
| Ofsted | Reports |
| Head teacher | Stewart Vaughan |
| Gender | Coeducational |
| Age | 11 to 16 |
| Enrolment | 1218 |
| Colour(s) | Black and White |
| Former name | Portsmouth Southern Grammar School for Girls |
| Website | http://priorysouthsea.org |
Priory Schoolis asecondary schoolinSouthsea,Hampshire, England. It is situated in the northern area of Southsea borderingFratton,and lies close toFratton railway stationon the A2047. Stewart Vaughan is the Headteacher at the school.[1]Priory school is an academy and part of the Bohunt Education Trust.[2]
History
[edit]The current site was originally purchased by the Portsmouth School Board in May 1890 for £3000, at the time the area was known as "The Wilderness" due to the lack of development activity. On the site were several buildings in a heavy state of disrepair, among the buildings wereHoward's Cottagereputedly the oldest building in Portsmouth and home to the ghost of Lady Temple.[3]
The construction of the school cost £9,704 and took two years, the buildings were completed in May 1892.[4]Later extensions of the school site led it to cover the site of an old priory and a farm calledPriory Farm.[3]
In 1905 it was decided that the Francis Avenue School for girls should move to a building next to the boys school. This school, which cost £25,000 to build, was opened on 4 November 1907.[4]
During theFirst World War,the building was requisitioned by theWar Officeto create the 5th Southern General Hospital, a facility for theRoyal Army Medical Corpsto treat military casualties.[5]
During the 1920s the school became heavily over-crowded and an extension to the girls school was completed in 1934.[4]Portsmouth was considered a high-risk target during theSecond World Warand the girls school moved toSalisbury.[4]On 10 January 1941, German bombing led to the destruction of the boys school and the extension at the girls school.[4]The boys moved to the St Ronan's Road School, with the old boys school being left as a bombed out wreck for the next twenty years.[4]
In 1946 the girls school became thePortsmouth Southern Grammar School for Girls.TheSouthern Grammar School for Boyswas on Eastern Road and went on to be part ofPortsmouth College.[4]
In the late 1950s the boys school was demolished and replaced with a gymnasium for the girls school.[4]A lecture theatre was completed in the 1960s.[4]
In 1974 the boys school returned to the site, this time merging with the girls school to form Priory comprehensive school.[4]The school became a specialist sports college with the opening of the Priory Tennis Centre in 2006 and it became anacademy,sponsored by theBohunt Education Trust,in September 2014.[6]
Notable former pupils
[edit]- ProfJim Al-KhaliliOBE, Professor of Theoretical Physics at theUniversity of Surrey[7]
- Ben Close,professional footballer who plays forDoncaster Rovers FC
- Tommy Leigh,professional footballer who plays forAccrington Stanley FC
- Stephen Morgan,MP For Portsmouth South
- Dan Nlundulu,professional footballer who plays forSouthampton FC
- Jake Thomson,former professional footballer
Portsmouth Southern Grammar School for Girls
[edit]- Marilyn Cole,January 1972Playmate of the Month,and Playmate of the Year 1973
Notable former teachers
[edit]- Mary James (educator),1970-4 (at the girls' school)
References
[edit]- ^"New headteacher is up for the challenge at Southsea school".Portsmouth News. 5 November 2015.Retrieved26 July2019.
- ^"Priory School, a new academy with Bohunt Education Trust".Priory School. 2 September 2014. Archived fromthe originalon 21 October 2014.Retrieved26 July2019.
- ^ab"A short history of Priory School: Out of the Wilderness".Priory School. Archived fromthe originalon 4 September 2015.Retrieved26 July2019.
- ^abcdefghij"Priory School".Portsmouth Guide.Retrieved26 July2019.
- ^"Territorial Hospitals"(PDF).British Journal of Nursing. 5 December 1914.Retrieved26 July2019.
- ^"Priory School in Southsea the latest to become academy in bid to improve".Portsmouth News. 10 September 2014.Retrieved26 July2019.
- ^"Scientist visits his former Portsmouth school to give talk".Portsmouth News. 16 May 2016.Retrieved26 July2019.
Further reading
[edit]- Brian L Davies,A Short History Of Priory School (Southsea)(1997)
