Haberdashers' Adams facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Haberdashers' Adams(Adams' Grammar School)
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Coat of arms of the Haberdashers' Company
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| Address | |
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High Street
, , TF10 7BD
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| Coordinates | 52°46′11″N 2°22′52″W / 52.7697°N 2.381°W |
| Information | |
| Type | Grammar school Boarding school Academy |
| Motto | Traditional Values, Modern Approach' |
| Established | 1656 |
| Founder | William Adams |
| Department for Education URN | 137446 Tables |
| Ofsted | Reports |
| Chair of Governors | James Penney |
| Headmaster | Gary Hickey |
| Gender | Boys and Girls (11-18) |
| Age | 11 to 18 |
| Enrolment | 1050 |
| Colour(s) | |
| Publication | The Novaportan; The Eighth-hour |
| Former pupils | Old Novaportans |
| School hymns | Jerusalem |
| Trust | Haberdashers' West Midlands Academy Trust |
| School Houses | Owen , Darwin , Talbot Webb , Sa'adu |
Haberdashers' Adams is a special school in Newport, Shropshire, England. It's a grammar school for boys and girls aged 11 to 18. Some boys can also live at the school as boarders.
The school was started in 1656 by William Adams. He was a rich merchant and a member of the Worshipful Company of Haberdashers. This is one of the oldest and most important trade groups in London. In 2018, the school changed its name from Adams' Grammar School to Haberdashers' Adams. From 2024, girls will be able to join the school from Year 7, which is a big change in its long history.
Contents
School History
Haberdashers' Adams was founded in 1656 by William Adams. He was a wealthy merchant from Newport who sold fabrics and clothing. William Adams had no children, so he decided to use his money to start a school.
The school first opened on March 25, 1656. This was a time when England was going through political changes. Oliver Cromwell gave Adams permission to start the school. To make sure the school would last, Adams put the Haberdashers' Company in charge of running it forever. The school's founding rules were even confirmed by an Act of Parliament in 1660.
Haberdashers' Adams was given a large farm estate of about 900 acres (3.6 km²) in Knighton. This land provided money for the school for many years. The school also received 1,400 books when it started, which was a very large library for a school back then. Most of these books were sold over time when the school needed money.
The Knighton estate was sold off in parts during the 20th century. The money from the last sale was used to buy Longford Hall. This building became a place for students who live at the school.
The school grew slowly at first. The original building, called Big School, was the only one for a long time. Then, Main School (also known as the S-Block) was built in the 1920s. Over the next 90 years, the school expanded a lot. It bought more buildings in Newport for student housing. A new science block was built in the 1960s. The school also built a new gymnasium, which later became a theatre. It is now a common area for older students.
During the First World War, 362 former students, called Old Novaportans, served in the military. Sadly, 45 of them died. After the war, a memorial was set up to help the children of those who died. A tablet listing the names of those who died was put up in 1921. Another tablet was added in 1948 for those who died in the Second World War. Both memorials are now in the school library.
In 1993, girls were allowed to join the sixth form (the last two years of school) for the first time. This ended the school's long tradition of only teaching boys. In the 1990s, new buildings were added for design technology and maths. The maths block is now used for English classes. In the early 2000s, the school raised money for a new sports hall and fitness suite. A new building called the Paddock Block was built in 2019 for Maths, Art, and a new hall.
In 2011, Haberdashers' Adams became an academy. This means it gets funding directly from the government. The school also joined with another Haberdashers' school, Haberdashers' Abraham Darby. In 2018, the school officially changed its name to Haberdashers' Adams. This was to show its strong connection to the Worshipful Company of Haberdashers.
Admissions and School Performance
Haberdashers' Adams is a selective school. This means students have to pass an exam to get in. It accepts both students who live at home (day pupils) and those who live at the school (boarders).
Academic Performance
In 2013, Ofsted (the UK's school inspection body) rated Haberdashers' Adams as an "Outstanding" school. More recently, in 2022, Ofsted changed the rating to "Good".
School Life
The current headmaster of Haberdashers' Adams is Gary Hickey. He became headmaster in November 2016.
House System
Haberdashers' Adams has a house system. Students are put into different houses, and they compete against each other in sports and other activities. This is a source of pride for the students. The houses are named after famous people from Shropshire:
- Owen House: This house has scarlet as its color. It is named after Wilfred Owen, a famous poet from the First World War. This house used to be called Clive House, but its name was changed in 2021.
- Darwin House: This house uses royal blue. It is named after Charles Darwin, a famous scientist who developed the theory of evolution. He was born in Shrewsbury.
- Talbot House: This house uses black and white colors. It is named after "Old Talbot" (Sir John Talbot). He was a famous English military leader.
- Webb House: This house was started in 1994 and uses emerald green. It is named after Captain Matthew Webb, a famous swimmer and naval officer.
- Sa'adu House: This is the newest house, started in 2021, and its color is purple. It is named after Alfa Sa'adu, a former student who worked for the NHS and sadly died during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Throughout the school year, there are many house events. These include music, drama, public speaking, and sports competitions like rugby, cross country, and swimming. There are also competitions in subjects like geography, history, poetry, and languages.
Boarding Houses and Student Leadership
The school has special buildings where students can live. The junior boarding house, Longford Hall, is near the school's sports fields. In 2017, the Haberdashers' Company helped the school buy and renovate Beaumaris Court. This became the new senior boarding house, Beaumaris Hall. It replaced three older boarding houses.
Longford Hall was built in 1785. It has beautiful grounds with formal gardens. There's even a "ha-ha," which is a hidden ditch that keeps animals out of the gardens. This ha-ha is now part of the school's annual cross-country race.
When students join the school in Year 7, boarders live in dormitories. When they move to Beaumaris Court, they usually share double rooms or sometimes get single rooms.
Combined Cadet Force
The Haberdashers' Adams CCF is a group for students in Year 8 and above. It teaches students about military skills and leadership. Many students from the CCF go on to join military academies like Sandhurst. The CCF also takes part in local events, like the parade on Remembrance Sunday.
The CCF has its own building for equipment and meetings. They sometimes hold overnight training exercises at places like Longford Hall or military bases. These exercises teach battle skills and fieldcraft. The CCF is inspected every two years by a senior officer from the Army or RAF.
Both the Army and RAF sections of the CCF have summer camps every year. They visit real military bases like RAF Cranwell. Students can also go on adventure training camps and leadership courses. They even get to attend special events like D-Day commemorations.
Sport
Haberdashers' Adams has a strong tradition in rugby. All boys in Years 7 and 8 play rugby during the autumn and spring terms. From Year 9, students can choose to continue rugby or switch to field hockey. Cricket and athletics are the main sports in the summer term. Older students can often choose any sport they like.
Most sports training and events happen at the school's Longford Hall playing fields. The school has special afternoons for sports, where each year group goes to Longford for physical activity.
Recently, football was brought back to the school after almost 100 years.
Haberdashers' Adams also organizes summer sports tours abroad every two years. These tours are for the senior rugby, hockey, and girls' netball teams. Past tours have included rugby trips to South Africa and Australia, and a hockey and netball trip to Barbados.
International Links
Haberdashers' Adams has student exchange programs with schools in other countries. These programs allow students to visit and learn in France, Germany, and Poland.
| School | City |
|---|---|
 Oberschule zum Dom |
Lübeck |
 Collège Roqua |
Aubenas |
 I Liceum Ogólnokształcące im. Cypriana Kamila Norwida |
Bydgoszcz |
The school also connects with Ringwood Secondary College in Melbourne, Australia.
Old Novaportans
Former students of Haberdashers' Adams are called "Old Novaportans" (or "ON"). The school supports the Old Novaportans' Club. This club organizes events like reunions, dinners, and sports games for its members throughout the year.
Academia
- Piers Corbyn (born 1947) – a weather forecaster and businessman.
- Donald Court (1912–1994) – a professor of child health.
- William Cureton (1808–1864) – an expert in ancient languages.
- Dave Goulson (born 1965) – a professor of biology and expert on bumblebees.
- Thomas Hollis (1720–1774) – a generous supporter of Harvard University.
- Helmut Koenigsberger (1918–2014) – a professor of history.
- Sir Oliver Lodge (1851–1940) – an inventor and the first head of Birmingham University.
- Stuart Meeson (born 1972) – a physicist.
- James E. Quibell (1867–1935) – an archaeologist who studied ancient Egypt.
- Maurice Stacey (1907–94) – a scientist who helped create vitamin C.
Clergy
- Robert Charnock (1663–1696) – a dean at Magdalen College, Oxford.
- Silvester Horne (1865–1914) – a Member of Parliament (MP) and a minister.
- Gerald Lander (1861–1934) – a Bishop in Hong Kong.
- Thomas Percy (1729–1811) – a Bishop of Dromore who wrote famous poetry.
Media and Arts
- M. J. Bassett – a film director and scriptwriter.
- Simon Bates (born 1946) – a radio disc jockey.
- Barrington J. Bayley (1937–2008) – a science fiction writer.
- Tom Brown (1662–1704) – a writer known for satire.
- Radzi Chinyanganya (born 1987) – a TV presenter for Blue Peter.
- Jerskin Fendrix (born 1995) – a musician and Academy Award nominee.
- Ewen Henderson (1934–2000) – a sculptor.
- Eliot Higgins (born 1979) – an investigative journalist.
- Norman Jones (1932–2013) – an actor.
Politics & Business
- Peter Butler (born 1951) – a former Conservative MP.
- Jeremy Corbyn (born 1949) – a Labour MP and former Leader of the Labour Party.
- Nick Jenkins (born 1967) – the chief executive of moonpig.com.
- John Leveson-Gower, 1st Earl Gower (1694–1754) – a powerful government official.
- Thomas Parker, Earl of Macclesfield (1666–1732) – a Lord Chancellor and acting leader of Great Britain.
Military
- Captain Thomas Ashburnham (1855–1924) – the 6th Earl of Ashburnham.
- General George Colt Langley (1810–96) – a General in the Royal Marines.
- Matthew Smith (ca.1665-ca.1723) – a 17th-century spy.
- Sir Charles Buckworth-Herne-Soame Bt (1864–1931) – the 10th Baronet.
- Major-General Francis Ventris (1857–1929) – a General Officer Commanding British Forces in China.
Sports
- Cedric Boyns (born 1954) – a cricket player.
- Peter Ranells (born 1954) – a cricket player.
- Graham Kitchener (born 1989) – a rugby player for Worcester Warriors and England.
- Dan Redfern (born 1990) – a cricket player.
- Peter Short (born 1979) – a rugby player for Bath Rugby and England Saxons.
Former Staff
- Ryan Palmer (born 1974) – a maths teacher and former Jamaican national chess champion.
- Agnes Miller Parker (1895–1980) – a former art teacher, engraver, and illustrator.
- Alec Peterson (1908–1988) – a former headmaster and founder of the International Baccalaureate.
- Donald Fear – a history teacher who won £1,000,000 on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? in 2020.
See also
- Longford Hall – the junior boarding house and sports fields.
- Grade II* listed buildings in Telford and Wrekin
- Listed buildings in Newport, Shropshire
Images for kids
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Longford Hall
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The oldest known sketch of Big School by Francis Perry (d.1765)
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AGS' Georgian-era senior boarding houses near Big School on Lower Bar (in use until September 2017)
