The Bay House site was originally a co-educational Normal School known as Gosport County Grammar School, which was founded in 1902.
Comprehensive
Bay House School, as it is today known, was established in 1972 through the amalgamation of Gosport Grammar School and Privett Secondary School. Sited adjacent to Stokes Bay, part of its premises occupies Bay House, built in 1838 by Decimus Burton as a seaside villa for Alexander Baring, 1st Baron Ashburton. The gardens of the house stretched all the way down to the sea at Stokes Bay as there was little more than a track in the way, which later became Stokes Bay Road. John Croker, a friend of Lord Ashburton, was so impressed by the grounds that in 1842 he purchased the land next to Bay House and built his home there- Alverbank House, which later came to become the Alverbank Hotel.
Ashburton House, Gosport From 'The Illustrated London News', 12 April 1863 The admiralty are about to take a lease of Lord Ashburton's mansion and grounds on the shore of Stokes Bay, which have recently been purchased by the War Department. It is the intention of the Admiralty, when they house and grounds are handed over to them, to fit the mansion up as a college for naval cadets.
In 1870, a naval college was established at Bay House, which became known as Ashburton House. Prince Alfred Ernest, Duke of Edinburgh, who was Queen Victoria's second son, attended the academy. He stayed at Alverbank House while he was studying there. In 1892, Col. Francis Sloane-Stanley, a close friend of the Prince of Wales- who was later to become King Edward VII- took over the house. In a major fire in late 1984, the house, a grade II listed building, was badly damaged, but was subsequently restored to its current condition. The house re-opened to pupils in 1987. In 1943 the house was sold to Gosport Borough Council, and the 17 acres of parkland were donated to the people of the borough. Following World War II, the house became Gosport County Grammar School. The school was renamed Bay House School in 1972. The school has developed significantly since this time, including introducing a Sixth Form to the Gosport Area.
Teachers
The school has roughly 250 teachers. Some of the teachers appeared on the BBC Two quiz show Eggheads. In March 2010, the assistant head teacher, Jim Wood, told an education seminar in Portsmouth that school teachers should act like Dirty Harry. In 2010 former head of year James Braid was jailed for abusing boys throughout his 30-year career.
Academic performance
Bay House’s GCSE results are typically higher than the national state average. In 2017, Bay House obtained 14% above national average A* to B grades at A-level. Placing Bay House’s Sixth Form as the top 1% of schools in the country for ‘value added’. Bay House is currently the best performing state A-level provider in the county of Hampshire, with a 100% pass rate.
Ofsted Report
From the recent report in 2017, Bay House received a 'GOOD' rating and some key messages from the report were:
Bay House 'continues to be good'.
Post-16 outcomes continue to be exemplary.
Bay House School has 'a very positive ethos and sense of purpose'.
The pupils and students conduct themselves well and behaviour continues to be superb.
The progress and attainment of pupils in English, mathematics, science and humanities is particularly strong.
