Solihull School

History

In 1560 the revenues of the chantry chapels of St Mary and St Katherine in the parish church of St Alphege, Solihull were diverted for the endowment of a school for boys. The revenue of the chapel of St Alphege was added to the fund six years later, enhancing the capacity of the school. The education remained based in teachings of the Church and the desire to turn out 'respectable, thoughtful, successful young gentlemen'.

In the 17th century it became a boarding school and the number of pupils grew. The school became more notable and well thought of owing to the involvement of several prominent families. Much of this development came under the Headmastership of the Rev. Richard Mashiter who, in 1735, was famously elected ahead of Samuel Johnson, the celebrated author, essayist, and lexicographer. Johnson was passed over because the school's directors thought he was "a very haughty, ill-natured gent., and that he has such a way of distorting his fface [sic] (which though he can't help) the gent[s] think it may affect some lads in the pursuit of learning". The successful applicant Mashiter was, by marriage, related to the aristocratic Holbeche family and his daughter married John Short, a well-respected surgeon in Solihull who would go on to serve the school as a Feoffee for 57 years. Short's six sons were all educated at Solihull School and became professionally and socially successful. One of them, Robert Short, rose to the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel in the army of the East India Company and later became 54th Lord of The Manor of Solihull. Owing to a strong affection for Solihull School he expressly recommended it to his fellow officers and peers, according to the diaries of Caroline Clive.

In around 1879 the feoffees were replaced by a board of Governors who allowed £4,345 to be made available for an architect, J. A. Chatwin, to be commissioned to build a new school on a new site for 80 day boys and 20 boarders. Upon the building's completion in 1882, the school relocated to the new site on the Warwick Road from its previous location on the edge of Brueton Park. 'School House' is now a grade II listed building. Expansion continued on this Warwick Road site into the 20th century. Over the course of the 20th century the school grew steadily from 200 to nearly 1000 pupils.

In 1960 a new chapel was built and was named The Chapel of St Mary and St Katherine to commemorate the origins of the school.

Facilities

The school is based across two campuses. Solihull Senior School on the Warwick Road campus currently occupies a site of approximately 65 acres (260,000 m2). This is partly as a result of a former headmaster, Warin Foster Bushell, who in the 1920s bought much of the land himself when the governors refused to finance the purchase out of school funds. On his retirement Bushell sold the fields to the school at no profit. The school's quadrangle and surrounding classrooms, as well as the former hall, known as Big School, were built after this period, and were followed by a chapel and large teaching block and sports hall, amongst other additions. Solihull School has a number of rugby pitches, cricket squares and nets, tennis courts, football pitches and general purpose sports fields. There is a floodlit artificial pitch on the school's main campus, incorporating 2, 8x40 warm-up areas. The pitch is used primarily for hockey in the winter months and in the summer term the pitch affords a further 8 tennis courts and a multi-purpose training/coaching area.

One mile away, at Copt Heath, the school has another 13 acres (53,000 m2) of fields, comprising 4 rugby pitches, a new floodlit artificial pitch and a cricket square. These 13 acres (53,000 m2) are a part of the site that is home to the school's former pupils' organisation, the Old Silhillians' Association.

The school possesses a mountain cottage in Snowdonia, North Wales. The cottage was presented to the school in 1958 by the parents of David Fricke, who was a school pupil between 1946-1956, following his death. David was a keen mountain walker and it was felt that the cottage would be a fitting tribute to his memory. Most pupils will visit the cottage as part of Snowdonia School in the shell forms. Those taking part in CCF or the Duke of Edinburgh award scheme may also use this facility on other occasions.

In 1990 a building was constructed to house the junior school. This was followed by the extension of the science laboratories in 1995; the renovation of most classrooms, in 1998; and the conversion of Big School into a library, and the construction of a new hall and theatre building, completed in 2002, named the Bushell Hall after the former headmaster. A new pavilion was constructed in 2003, named the Alan Lee Pavilion after another former headmaster (1983–1996) who died shortly after its completion.

Opened in September 2005, a building provides fifteen new teaching rooms for the classics, history, economics and business studies, religious studies and IT departments. There is also a multi-purpose teaching room and a social area. It has been named the George Hill building after a governor of the school who died shortly before its completion. George Hill's business acumen helped secure the school's financial position throughout the 20th century.

School houses

Fetherston (Gold) – named after Barnaby Fetherston who was the first usher of the school; a post that today would be called deputy master. Fetherston was instrumental in obtaining donations of land from Henry Hugford, Thomas Dabridgecourt, Thomas Waring and Thomas Greswolde. The later three have their arms incorporated in the school badge.

Jago (Maroon) – named after 18th-century poet and Old Silhillian Richard Jago. Jago went to University College, Oxford and then returned to Warwickshire, eventually entering the clergy.

Pole (Sky blue) – named after the school's first headmaster.

Shenstone (Black) – named after 18th-century poet, Old Silhillian, classmate and lifelong friend of Jago, William Shenstone. Shenstone went to Pembroke College, Oxford and then returned home to manage his family's estate. On sporting occasions they are often referred to as the 'All Blacks', owing to their black shirts.

Windsor (Royal blue) – created in 1959 as a mark of respect to the royal family. Shortly afterwards, in 1960 and 1962, the school received two royal visits; from The Duchess of Kent and Queen Elizabeth II respectively.

School structure

The School is divided into sections. These form the basis of the pastoral structure of the school.

Solihull Preparatory School (Saint Martin's campus)

Nursery

Reception

Infants - I1 and I2

Junior School – J1, J2, J3, J4 (academic years 3, 4, 5, 6)

Solihull Senior School (Warwick Road campus)

Lower School – Thirds, Shells, Fourths (7, 8, 9)

Middle School – Lower Fifth, Upper Fifth (10, 11)

Upper School – Lower Sixth, Upper Sixth (12, 13)

Sport

The campus covers an area of approximately 60 acres (240,000 m2) and this includes rugby pitches, cricket squares, football pitches, an all-weather pitch, all-weather training areas, tennis courts, squash courts, Athletics facilities (running track and jumps/throws areas), climbing wall, rifle range, an indoor swimming pool and two gymnasiums.

Boys' games

Rugby union is the main competitive team sport and is played from the age of 11 onwards. The first XV traditionally play in a dark blue jersey with narrow, horizontal white and maroon stripes, white shorts and dark blue, maroon and white socks. The striped jersey has, in recent years, been swapped for a maroon shirt with blue sleeves. The teams have recently done well nationally, the first XV having won the Daily Mail Vase Cup in 2011 at Twickenham, which is the furthest the school has ever reached. Solihull School regularly produces players who attain representative honours at county level and beyond. The Big Side teams tour biennially to, amongst other countries, Australia, South Africa, Canada and New Zealand. In 2014, the school's senior rugby squad toured South Africa. The U15 age group travel to Italy or France each year to play against several club sides. Solihull School also plays rugby sevens, competing at national tournaments such as The National Schools Sevens at Rosslyn Park, Blackpool Sevens and Fylde Sevens. The Old Boys fixture is always an anticipated and contested event, with many pupils, Old Silhillians and parents turning out to watch the current XV compete against a selection of Old Silhillians. The match, held in early December, is usually preceded by a barbecue and followed by drinks, speeches and presentations in the Alan Lee pavilion.

Hockey is also a sport. The first XI have scored victories over Rugby School and Warwick School, both of which are local rivals, advancing through the rounds of the regional and national cup competitions in the process.

Football has recently been adopted into the curriculum in the senior school and the 1st XI compete in the ISFA.

Cricket has produced players who have represented Warwickshire CCC at first-class level. Both batsmen and bowlers from Solihull School have been cited in the Wisden Cricketers' Almanack for their performance over the course of a season. The school's recently formed Twenty20 team, who play in an all red kit, compete at various Twenty20 schools' tournaments around the country.

Music and drama

The school has a music society. There are three orchestras, a big band and instrumental groups and choirs. These range from traditional wind and string ensembles to African and Samba percussion groups.

Both the music and drama departments are able to use the Bushell Hall for performances. This building is used as an assembly hall and has a retractable stage with under-stage orchestra pit and seats an audience of around 1,000.

School publications

The Shenstonian is the school's annual publication and reviews the academic, sporting and other events within the school. It chronicles the achievements of pupils and publishes works of arts, poetry and prose. The editor is a member of staff. It is named, as is one of the houses, after the notable poet and Old Silhillian William Shenstone.

The Silhillian is the annual magazine of the Old Silhillians' Association. It includes news of the school, messages from the committee, news of former pupils, reminiscences of School, news of the Old Silhillian sports clubs and obituaries of Old Silhillians and former teachers.

The Greyhound is a termly publication, which replaced the headmaster's end of term letter. The magazine, in full colour, includes all the term's news and successes. It is available to view on the School's website in PDF format.

Marginal Gains is a termly publication of the history and politics department, in which students produce articles to be published and distributed around the school.

Notable alumni

Sport

Richard Masters, Chief Executive of the Premier League

Daniel Caines, athlete

John Curry, figure skater

Adrian Ellison, Olympic rowing coxswain 1984

Frank Foster, England cricketer

Will Grigg, Northern Ireland footballer

James Hudson, rugby union player

Richard Johnson, cricketer

Keith Jones, cricketer

Matthew Macklin, middleweight boxer

Bert Millichip, former chairman of the Football Association

Jim Proudfoot, football commentator

Bernard Quaife, cricketer

Mike Rawson, Olympic middle distance runner

Jamie Spires, cricketer

James Wallis, Great-Britain hockey player

Aoife Mannion, Footballer, Manchester United

Arts and entertainment

Adrian Nicholas Godfrey aka Nikki Sudden, singer-songwriter

Philip Achille, harmonica player

Cecil Aldin, artist and illustrator

James Barralet, cellist

David Briggs, organist and composer

Michael Buerk, broadcaster and journalist

Mike Bullen, writer

John Butt, conductor, organist, harpsichordist, and academic

Stephen Cole, broadcast journalist and news presenter

Laurence Cummings, harpsichordist, organist, and conductor

Andy Dickens, jazz musician

Richard Digby Day, stage director

Richard Hammond, journalist and television presenter (Top Gear and The Grand Tour)

Richard Jago, poet

Stewart Lee, comedian

Simon Mayo, BBC radio DJ and author

Phil Oakey, singer and songwriter (The Human League)

Theo Travis, musical artist

Lizo Mzimba, journalist and television presenter

Miles Ratledge drummer and co-founder of Napalm Death

Other (including academic and military)

Malcolm Burley, Antarctic explorer and Royal Navy commander

John Butterfield, Baron Butterfield, master of Downing College, Cambridge (1976–83) and vice-chancellor of the University of Cambridge (1983–85)

Richard Alan Cross, professor of philosophy at University of Notre Dame

Stephen Eyre, High Court judge

Sir Derek Higgs, businessman

Jonathan Manns, urbanist and developer

Stevie Parle, chef

Laurence Rees, historian

Frank H. T. Rhodes, president, Cornell University

Robert Short, East India Company lieutenant-colonel

Roger Tayler, astronomer, secretary (1971–79), treasurer (1979–87) and president (1989–90) of the Royal Astronomical Society

David Tustin, suffragan Bishop of Grimsby

Clive Upton, Professor of Modern English Language at the University of Leeds

Robert Vilain, professor of German and comparative literature at the University of Bristol

Richard R. Weber, Churchill Professor of Mathematics for Operational Research in the Statistical Laboratory, University of Cambridge

Politics and governance

Air Vice Marshal Peter John Harding, Defence Services Secretary (1994–98)

Christopher Ingham, diplomat, deputy head of mission and chargé d'affaires in Bucharest, ambassador to Uzbekistan, ambassador to Tajikistan

Sir Donald Logan, diplomat, ambassador to Guinea (1960–62), information counsellor at the British embassy in Paris, ambassador to Bulgaria (1970–73), deputy UK representative to NATO (1973–75)

Andrew MacKay, former Conservative MP for Bracknell and Deputy Chief Whip

Sir Oliver Wright, diplomat, ambassador to West Germany (1975–81), ambassador to the United States, 1982–86).