Wallington County Grammar School
Wallington County Grammar School is a selective boys' grammar school with a coeducational Sixth Form located in the London Borough of Sutton. From 1968 to the mid-1990s the school was known as Wallington High School for Boys. One of a handful of grammar schools in the borough, it is consistently ranked as one of the top performing state schools in the country based on its GCSE and A-level results.
History
WCGS opened on 19 September 1927 on the 33rd birthday of its founding headmaster, W.T. Hutchins, with 71 pupils, half a mile from the current site. The building had a single storey, with a wooden extension. The school moved to its present site on Croydon Road in 1935.During the Second World War, WCGS was damaged by a V-2 bomb. All windows were blown out and the roof collapsed. WCGS continued to function, with teachers and students working to rebuild the structure, and it was "business as usual". 52 old boys were killed in action.
The 1950s to 1970s marked a period of expansion and development for the school beyond its original structure as new buildings were constructed to meet the growing number of pupils. The "New Block", which contains laboratories and classrooms, was opened in 1952. It now houses all English and drama classes, as well as the dining hall. From the early 1960s until 1972, the first two years of the school were housed in classrooms at Carew Manor, half a mile away in Beddington Park. The Sixth Form block, located near the school playing fields, was completed in 1973, now containing classrooms instead.
In 1997, an old boy of WCGS, Chris Woodhead who was then HM Chief Inspector of Schools, opened a new science block. This block contains science classrooms, laboratories and various science department administration offices. The second part of the building's development was completed in 2000.
Girls were admitted to the sixth form from September 1999. WCGS gained academy status on 1 June 2011.
There is now a new finished DT and Music Block replacing the old one.
Headteachers
- Mr W.T. Hutchins, 1927–1959
- Mr J. Hitchin, 1959–1975
- Mr R.S. Harrison, 1975–1990
- Dr J. Martin Haworth, 1990–2009
- Mr Peter Smart, Acting 2009–2010; permanent 2010–2013
- Mr Jonathan Wilden, 2013–2016
- Mr Jonathan Wilden, Executive Headteacher of Folio Education Trust, 2016–Present
- Mr Jamie Bean, Head Of School, 2016–Present
Houses
On admission to the School, all pupils are assigned to one of six Houses, a vertical system which brings everyone together and is rooted firmly in the traditions of the School. Pupils represent their houses in competitions all throughout the school year. The leading house wins the Cock House Cup.House colours are worn for rugby and athletics. House ties are presented to those who have demonstrated exceptional leadership skills within their house.
The House system is run by house masters - teachers who direct the houses, and house captains - senior students responsible for day-to-day house activities.
| House | Colours | Namesake |
| Ruskin | Yellow & Black | Named after the writer, poet and art critic John Ruskin |
| Woodcote | Green & Black | A part of Wallington noted in Roman area records |
| Radcliffe | Navy & Sky Blue | Named after John Radcliffe, the 17th century physician and former area resident |
| Mandeville | Maroon & White | Named after Sir Geoffrey de Mandeville, resident and landholder after the Norman Conquest and mentioned in the Doomsday Book |
| Bridges | Blue & White | Named after sometime area resident, Canon Alexander Henry Bridges, Rector of Beddington |
| Carew | Blue & Red | A reference to a family of nobility in the area in Tudor times |
Academic performance
Academic performance at Wallington County Grammar School is outstanding, with students entering WCGS with very high levels of attainment. Progress and attainment in the Sixth Form are also exceptional. In the latest Ofsted report from 2017, WCGS was rated 'outstanding' in all areas, including Achievement, Behaviour and Safety of pupils; Quality of teaching, learning and assessment; Personal development and Welfare; 16 to 19 study programmes; and Leadership and Management.WCGS was awarded "science college" status in 2005 for its excellence in science and mathematics. This meant extra funding for the school, which helped to further improve the standard of the school's science department. More recently, WCGS was awarded a second specialism - "WCGS Applied Learning".
In February 2019, the school won the Evening Standard's Outstanding Academic Achievement Award, while its latest 'Progress 8' score places it amongst the top four percent of mainstream state-funded schools in the UK.
Extracurriculars
A fundraising concert, known as the Battle of the Bands, was held on 20 October 2006 in order to help fund WCGS' new sports hall. On this occasion, the event was competitive, and the winner was to be decided by a panel of judges. The winners, Dazed, also gave an acoustic performance after the concert in memory of Jimmy Li, a pupil of Wallington County Grammar school who had died in a car crash in January 2006. In total, more than £1000 was raised. The event, which is open to entries from the entire student body, has become a recurring annual event and a popular item in the school's calendar. WCGS plans to host future RAG events to raise money for the Make a Wish Foundation.The most recent, and largest, addition to extracurricular activities is the sports hall, which was opened in April 2010. The development of the hall cost £1.34 million, of which £785,000 was funded by the LEA and the remainder was funded by the school's and PTFA's own fundraising efforts. The construction incorporates various cutting edge aesthetic features including a V-shaped roof and subtly undulating walls.
Many extracurricular activities are offered by WCGS including debating, public speaking, chess, Christian Union, Islamic Society, art, drama, music, trips abroad, cricket, athletics, cross-country running and rugby union. As part of the school's drive to create more societies, newer clubs such as the Brexit Club, Puzzle Club and a Film Club have also been founded.
The main sporting achievement of WCGS was in 1999, the 1st XV Rugby team won the final of the Daily Mail U18 Vase in a match played at Twickenham Stadium. The match against Lymm High School ended 16-9 in WCGS's favour.
On 17 March 2006, a Charity Bands Concert was held at the school to raise money for Madidima Primary School in South Africa. Seven bands formed by the school pupils performed to an audience in the WCGS school hall and a total of £545 was raised through ticket and refreshment sales.
WCGS has regular trips abroad, which have included cultural tours to China and Russia; geography expeditions to Iceland and a cruise around the Red Sea. It is customary that at least two or three members of school staff lead the trips, as well as prefects or other senior members of staff.
Notable alumni
The following is a list of notable former pupils educated at Wallington, known as Old Walcountians:- Douglas Allen, Baron Croham GCB FRSA, senior civil servant
- Neil Ardley, musician, author
- Harold Barlow FRS, engineer, Pender Chair of University College London, Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, 1950–1966
- Herbert Barrie MRCPCH, paediatrician, co-founder of the Neonatal Society and the British Association of Perinatal Medicine
- David Bond, journalist, BBC sports editor 2009–2014
- John Cameron, composer, musician and recording artist, wrote theme music for Top of the Pops, orchestrator of Les Misérables
- Ryan Cummins, retired county cricketer,
- Paul Deighton, Baron Deighton KBE, investment banker, executive of London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games 2012
- Sunny Edwards, professional flyweight and super flyweight boxer
- Jim Horne, sleep neuroscientist and Professor Emeritus at University of Loughborough, England
- Norman Long, social anthropologist and Professor Emeritus at Wageningen University, Netherlands
- Mark Pallen, Professor of Microbial Genomics at the University of East Anglia, captain of winning team from Imperial College in University Challenge, 1995–96
- John Randall CBE, former President of the National Union of Students, senior civil servant
- Nick Ross, ex-presenter of Crimewatch
- Malcolm Savidge, former Member of Parliament for Aberdeen North
- M. J. Seaton FRS, Professor of Physics at University College London, President of the Royal Astronomical Society
- Mark Thurston, engineer, Chief Executive Officer of HS2 rail network project
- Ivan Tyrrell, psychotherapist, educator and artist, founder of The Therapist journal, Director of Human Givens College
- Philip Wilcocks CB, DSC, DL, Royal Navy officer
- Sir Christopher Woodhead, former HM Chief Inspector of Schools
- Philip Yea, Vodafone Director, chair of British Heart Foundation