Grindon Hall Christian School
| Motto | Per Pietatem ad Gaudium |
|---|---|
| Established | 1988 2000 (current school) |
| Type | Free school |
| Religion | Christian |
| Headteacher | Christopher Gray |
| Chairman of the Governors | Ian Parker |
| Founder | Elizabeth Gray |
| Location | Pennywell Road Sunderland Tyne and Wear SR4 8PG  United KingdomLua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. |
| Local authority | Sunderland |
| DfE number | 394/6010 |
| DfE URN | 138567 Tables |
| Students | 300 540 (2013/14) |
| Gender | Coeducational |
| Ages | 3–18 |
| Houses | Wilberforce and Shaftesbury |
| Colours | Red and Grey |
| Publication | Probo |
| Website | www |
Grindon Hall Christian School (sometimes shortened to Grindon Hall and occasionally abbreviated as GHCS) is a free school located in Sunderland, in the North East of England. It is non-selective and includes a Nursery, Primary Department and a Secondary Department. This arrangement allows the incorporation of students from 3 years old to Sixth Form (16–18 years of age). It is a family run school, based on Christianity, although it welcomes children from other faiths. There are approximately 540 children in the school as of 2013/14. Pupil numbers are significantly higher since the school became a free school.
Contents
History
Grindon Hall was originally a manor house. It became a sanitorium and later Fulwell Grange Christian School, which became Grindon Hall Christian School in the year 2000.
Fulwell Grange Christian School was founded by Elizabeth Gray in 1988. Her son, Christopher Gray, became head teacher following her retirement.[1] She has since become a school governor.
Previously an independent school, Grindon Hall became a free school in 2012 and is now state-funded and free to attend.
Buildings and grounds
The school compromises of a number of different buildings. One is the original Grindon Hall building, and this is used for the Secondary Department. An extension was added in 2001-2002, called the T-Block, which housed changing facilities and two classrooms. The Grade II listed Stable Block was converted[2] in order to be used as the Primary Department, along with 2 modular buildings. The Nursery Department is one modular building.
There is a front field which incorporates a rugby pitch, and in addition to this, there is a back yard, for use in wet weather and before school. The size of the estate is approximately 9 acres (36,000 m2).
Since becoming a free school, Grindon Hall has undergone various changes to its buildings which were completed for the 2013–14 school year. The aforementioned T-Block has been demolished, and in its place an extension, comprising a sports hall, changing facilities and dining hall. The extension also includes a 14-classroom primary school, replacing the Stable Block as the Primary Department. The Stable Block is now used as additional classrooms for the Secondary Department. Sixth Form, which was located in the T-Block, has been relocated to a modular building, comprising a study area and common room.
Academics
Grindon Hall hosts an annual Awards Evening at The Sage Gateshead where pupils from both lower- and upper-school are recognised for achievement in various areas of school life. It is also a chance for pupils to perform and show what they have learned over the year, such as performances from the school Choirs, acting and music performances.
School Awards:
- The Principal's Award, For outstanding achievement and contribution to the school
- The Vice Principal's Award, Two awards given for outstanding achievement, usually outside of school
- The Elizabeth Gray Shield, For courtesy, good manners and a caring attitude towards others
- The Sue Whan Prize, For serenity and amenability
- The Robert Forsyth Prize, For spiritual development
- The Browne Smith Baker Music Prize, For outstanding achievement in music
- The Tolent Prize, For the sports person of the year
- The Emily Dodds Poetry Prize
- Founder's Award, Each year up to seven of these are presented to pupils who have demonstrated outstanding academic excellence across all subjects
Subject prizes may also be awarded at the discretion of the Head of Department in lower-school, upper-school and sixth form categories.
House system
Pupils are assigned to one of the school's two house teams when they join the school. Pupils can gather points for their house team throughout the year by performing well academically, participating in organised house events, such as 5-a-side football tournaments or spelling bees, and from collecting merits.
In the final term (Trinity term), a Sports Day is traditionally held at Gateshead International Stadium where pupils in each year group compete against class mates in track and field events, in order to gain points for their House team. Points from Sports Day and throughout the year are totalled up on the day and the winning House team announced. The two winning House Captains (from Year 11) collect the trophy on behalf of their House team.
Notable former pupils
- Sammy Ameobi, professional football player
