Katharine Lady Berkeley's School facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Katharine Lady Berkeley's School |
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Wotton Road
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England
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| Coordinates | 51°37′54″N 2°21′51″W / 51.63157°N 2.36415°W |
| Information | |
| Type | State school (comprehensive) Academy |
| Motto | non palma sine pulvere (no reward without effort) |
| Religious affiliation(s) | Mixed |
| Established | 1384 |
| Founder | Lady Katharine Berkeley |
| Department for Education URN | 137033 Tables |
| Ofsted | Reports |
| Headteacher | Hannah Khan |
| Gender | Coeducational |
| Age | 11 to 18 |
| Enrolment | 1,470 |
| Houses | Wellicome (Red), Berkeley (Green), Durand (Blue), Logan (Yellow) |
| Colour(s) | Maroon, Blue, Yellow |
| Publication | The Berkeleyan |
| Alumni | Old Berkeleyans (OBs) |
| Website | http://www.klbschool.org.uk |
Katharine Lady Berkeley's School, often called KLB, is an academy school for students aged 11 to 18. It is located near Wotton-under-Edge in Gloucestershire, England. This school is highly rated, being one of the best non-fee paying schools in the South-West of England. It's also ranked among the top schools in the entire country.
Contents
School History and Founding
The school was started by Katherine, Lady Berkeley way back in 1384. She created it for six students, making it one of the oldest schools still running in England. While other schools might have existed nearby, Lady Berkeley made this one official. She even got a special permission from the King, called a royal licence. This school then became a model for how other schools could be set up.
KLB was founded before many famous schools like Eton, Harrow, and Westminster. It opened just two years after Winchester College. The very first headteacher, appointed in 1384, was John Stone.
Early School Buildings
The original school buildings were in School Lane, Wotton-under-Edge. They were built in 1726, with more parts added later. In 1908, after the school started accepting both boys and girls, a building called Church Mill was bought. After the First World War, another building, Carlton House, was rented from the Post Office.
Lady Katharine's original plan for the school was written down in a special document. It said that she wanted to help poor students who wanted to learn grammar, which was seen as the basis for all other learning. She wanted to make sure that a master (teacher) and two poor scholars could live there. The master would teach all students who came to the school for free.
This important document was sealed with Lady Katharine's own seal. The seal shows St. John holding a lamb. Around the edge, it has a Latin message that means "the seal of the school house of Wotton-under-Edge." This seal is still used today on school prizes and badges for the Head Boy and Head Girl. It's also on the cover of the school magazine, The Berkeleyan. The badge worn on school blazers shows the Berkeley coat of arms.
Modern School Buildings and Growth
In January 1963, the school moved from its old location in Wotton to a brand new building. This new building, on Kingswood Road, was designed for 350 students. More extensions were added starting in March 1972. By Autumn 1973, these new parts were finished. Katharine Lady Berkeley's then reopened as a larger school for 830 students. At the same time, Wotton Secondary School closed.
In 1984, the school celebrated its 600th birthday! Princess Anne even visited for the celebration. In 1989, the Duke of Gloucester opened the Renishaw Centre, which was a new computer room. Since then, the school has added three more computer rooms. The Renishaw Company has also helped by updating the equipment in the Renishaw Centre.
In 1992, the school became a grant-maintained (GM) school. This meant it could make its own decisions about how to improve its buildings and plan for the future. In 1996, KLB became a Language College. This allowed the school to teach seven modern languages and Latin.
More buildings were added in 1994 to handle the growing number of students. The school grew from 1,010 students in 1984 to 1,170 in 1994, and then to 1,340 by 1998. In September 1997, more new buildings were finished, adding six classrooms. A special Language Centre was opened in September 1996.
In 1999, even more construction began. This included a new two-story building with 11 classrooms, three ICT (computer) suites, and a new library. Also, three new laboratories were added to the Science Centre. In 2007, the school gained a second special status as a training school. This means it helps train new teachers. The school now has about 1500 students.
In September 2011, the school officially became an academy. Since then, 8 out of 11 rooms in the Science block have been completely redone, and several new classrooms have been added. In 2021, the school won a special bid for a big rebuild project, with the designs being finalized in early 2022.
Famous Former Students
Many notable people have attended Katharine Lady Berkeley's School. Here are a few:
- William Tyndale, a famous scholar
- Edward Jenner, a physician and scientist known for developing the smallpox vaccine
- Mathew Blagden Hale, an Anglican bishop
- Adjoa Andoh, an actor
- Catherine Johnson, a playwright
- Simon Mason, an England hockey goalkeeper
- Sean Rigg, a professional footballer
- Ben Morgan, an England rugby union player
- Joyce Rimmer
School Leaders Over Time
Katharine Lady Berkeley's School has had many headteachers since it was founded in 1384. The very first headteacher was John Stone. Over the centuries, many dedicated leaders have guided the school. The current headteacher is Hannah Khan, who started in 2023.
