Conyers' School


Conyers School is a coeducational secondary school and sixth form with academy status, located in the town of Yarm, England.

History

The Free Grammar School was founded in 1590 by Thomas Conyers of Egglescliffe, who was issued letters patent by Queen Elizabeth I to found a grammar school in the parish of Yarm. The original Free Grammar School of Thomas Conyers was in the grounds of Yarm Parish Church, but transferred to a site off The Spital in 1884. In 1977, the school moved to its present site on Green Lane when it became a comprehensive school. The fee-paying Yarm School was founded on the site at The Spital in the following year.

Present day

The school catchment area covers the parish of Yarm and the surrounding villages including Kirklevington, as well as part of Ingleby Barwick. Conyers has approximately 1500 pupils, including 1300 in the lower school and 200 in the sixth form, with pupils studying for GCSE and GCE A-level examinations. Students are also able to study certain NVQ and BTEC courses. The current headteacher is Louise Spellman. Conyers School is one of a number of sixth form providers in the local area.
The school's previous Executive Head, John Morgan, was the President of the Association of School and College Leaders for the 2009-10 academic year. Whilst on this one year secondment, Louise Spellman became the school's Acting Head Teacher. In September 2010 the school remodelled its leadership. John Morgan returned from secondment to become Executive Headteacher. Louise Spellman took the role of Head of School, John Downs became the Deputy Head, and the other members of the executive team directors of an area within the school: Martin Maggiore, Brenda Oxlee, Christopher Aitkin, Carol Dunn, and Bob Whittingham. The school's pastoral and curriculum management is supported by a staff team. On 21 June 2012 the school announced that John Morgan, Head Teacher since 1995, had died. The school set up a special condolence page on its web site.
Conyers has specialisms in mathematics and computing, and is a Leadership Partner school. The October 2010 Ofsted inspection awarded the school a Grade 1 "Outstanding" for overall effectiveness.
The school's football team reached semi and quarter finals of the English School Boys National Cup in consecutive years.
In April 2012, the school began a consultation on the possibility of an academy conversion. The consultation found that there was an overall majority for supporting academy status. The school converted into an academy on 1 February 2013.