Bablake School
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (June 2009) |
| Bablake School | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Location | |
 | |
Coundon Road Bablake , , Coventry CV1 4AU | |
| Coordinates | 52°24′49″N 1°31′17″W / 52.4137°N 1.5214°W |
| Information | |
| Type | Private day school |
| Motto | Spiritus Vicis (The Spirit of Opportunity) |
| Established | 1560 |
Local authority | Coventry |
Chair | Coventry School Foundation |
Headmaster | Andrew Wright |
| Gender | Co-educational mixed |
| Age | 3 to 19 |
| Enrolment | 719 |
| Houses | Bayley, Crow, Fairfax, Wheatley |
| Colours | Maroon and gold |
| Website | bablake |
Bablake School is a co-educational private day school in Coventry, England. It was founded in 1560. It is part of the Coventry School Foundation, a registered charity,[1] along with King Henry VIII School, King Henry VIII Preparatory School and Cheshunt School. Bablake is a selective, independent school and a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference.
History
[edit]
The school was founded in 1560 with 21 boys.[2][3][4][5][6][7]
Bablake church, now known as St John's, stands adjacent to the school's original buildings. The school holds concerts in the church, and has sung Evensong there.[8] Many of the pupils were originally choristers of the church. The relationship continued through the figure of Edward Jackson, who from 1734 was vicar of the church and headmaster of the school. The expansion of the Bablake site continued via land grants.[9] In the 1890s, Bablake moved to its current site in Coundon Road, where it continued as a public school with six all-boys' boarding houses.
In the 1930s, fifty acres of land on Hollyfast Road were purchased to expand the playing fields of the school. During the Second World War, the school was evacuated to Lincoln. In 1975 the first female pupil was admitted. The school had already stopped taking boarders. In the late 1980s the school built its modern languages block; a few years later Bablake Junior School opened and in 2000 the English, drama and music block was completed, sited on what was originally the headmaster's garden.
In October 2020, it was announced that Bablake would merge with King Henry VIII School.[10] The proposed new school was initially named Coventry School, before backlash from parents and staff led to Bablake and King Henry VIII School being chosen.[11] The combined school was planned to open in September 2021.[12] The plan was abandoned during the course of 2021, with the decision to share some facilities and teaching between King Henry VIII School and Bablake School.[13] In June 2022, governors agreed to return to the original name, Bablake School.
Coat of arms
[edit]The arms of Bablake School are those of its benefactor, Thomas Wheatley: Sanguine a Lion Rampant Argent, on a Chief Or, Three Mullets of the second.
Structure
[edit]
The Bablake site houses two schools: a junior school that takes children between year 3 and year 6, and a senior school that takes children between year 7 and sixth form.
The school uses the house system.[citation needed]
Facilities
[edit] |
The school has a swimming pool and indoor sporting facilities on site including an indoor artificial climbing wall and fully equipped gym. It also has four tennis courts, which are used as netball courts at other times in the year. Off site there are rugby pitches, hockey astroturf and cricket squares.
In the English/Drama/Music block there is a theatre and a rehearsal room.
Notable former pupils
[edit] | This list of alumni may not follow Wikipedia's verifiability policy. (February 2017) |
- Kare Adenegan, won 2018 BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year
- Mark Best, cricketer for Loughborough MCCU
- Paul Best, cricketer for Warwickshire
- Olivia Broadfield, singer-songwriter[citation needed]
- Robert Clift, hockey player, Olympic gold medallist
- Norman Coke-Jephcott, composer and organist
- Martine Croxall, BBC News presenter
- Fred Daniels, film still photographer[citation needed]
- John Egan, industrialist[14]
- Geoff Evans, rugby player
- Tony Fairbrother, aeronautical engineer, flight test engineering on the maiden flight of the de Havilland Comet, the first jet airliner
- Shane Geraghty, rugby union player
- Courtenay Griffiths, criminal barrister
- Kenneth Hegan, England international footballer
- John Herington, military historian and airman[15]
- Melissa Kite, journalist[citation needed]
- Leonard Lord, industrialist[citation needed]
- Tony Mottram, tennis player, former British number 1
- Brian Matthew, broadcaster[16]
- Jack Parsons, cricketer
- Angus Russell, businessman, former CEO of Shire plc
- James Shelley, educationalist, critic and broadcaster[citation needed]
- Nick Skelton, showjumper, Olympic gold medallist
- Nicholas Thompsell, High Court judge
- Donald Trelford, journalist, former editor of The Observer[17]
- Melissa Walton, Hollyoaks actress, as Loretta Jones[18]
Appearances in the media
[edit]Part of the 2009 Christmas film Nativity! was filmed at the school.[19][20]
The first three episodes of the 2019 BBC Two series Back in Time for School, covering the period from 1895 to 1959, were filmed at the school.[21]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Coventry School Foundation, registered charity no. 528961". Charity Commission for England and Wales.
- ^ Seaborne, Malcolm (2020). The English School: Its Architecture and Organization 1370-1870. Vol. 1. Routledge. p. 30. ISBN 978-1-000-05694-5. Retrieved 29 May 2026.
- ^ History, gazetteer, and directory, of Warwickshire. 1874. p. 330. Retrieved 29 May 2026.
- ^ McGrory, David (2018). A-Z of Coventry: Places-People-History. Amberley Publishing Limited. ISBN 978-1-4456-7489-6. Retrieved 29 May 2026.
- ^ Fox, Levi (1947). Coventry's Heritage: An Introduction to the History of the City. Coventry Evening Telegraph. p. 143. Retrieved 29 May 2026.
- ^ Nall, George (1872). Nall's Threepenny Yarmouth Guide. G. Nall. p. 19. Retrieved 29 May 2026.
- ^ "BABLAKE SCHOOL, COVENTRY. DISTRIBUTION OF PRIZES". Coventry Evening Telegraph. 6 February 1895. Retrieved 29 May 2026.
He thought the school had splendid history. If they went back to its origin in 1560
- ^ "Choral Evensong At St John's". www.bablake.com. Retrieved 2 December 2020.
- ^ "History | Bablake School". www.bablake.com. Retrieved 2 December 2020.
- ^ Souza, Naomi de (2 October 2020). "Two historic Coventry schools announce they are merging". CoventryLive. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
- ^ Souza, Naomi de (14 January 2021). "New name revealed in private schools merger". CoventryLive. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
- ^ "Bablake and King Henry VIII to merge into a single all-through school in 2021". Coventry Observer. 2 October 2020. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
- ^ "Campaigners welcome U-turn in controversial KHVIII and Bablake merger plans – but vision for 'one school' remains". Coventry Observer. Retrieved 10 March 2023.
- ^ Harrison, Michael (30 July 2004). "Sir John Egan: Monopoly man gets ready to pass go for second time". The Independent. Retrieved 29 May 2026.
- ^ Clark, W. R. (1996). "John Herington (1916–1967)". In Ritchie, John (ed.). Australian Dictionary of Biography. Vol. 14. Melbourne University Press. Retrieved 29 May 2026.
- ^ Fountain, Nigel (8 April 2017). "Brian Matthew obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 29 May 2026.
- ^ Chilton, Steve (10 April 2015). "Is Coventry man Donald Trelford Britain's oldest new dad?". Coventry Live. Retrieved 29 May 2026.
- ^ McMullen, Marion (1 March 2010). "Hollyoaks star Melissa Walton returns to Stratford College". Coventry Telegraph. Archived from the original on 13 March 2012. Retrieved 29 May 2026.
- ^ McMullen, Marion (20 November 2009). "How Nativity! turned Coventry into a film star". CoventryLive. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
- ^ "5 Star 'Nativity' opens!". www.bablake.com. 27 November 2009. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
- ^ Hainey, Fionnula (10 January 2019). "BBC's Back In Time For School puts Cov back in the spotlight". CoventryLive. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
Further reading
[edit]- Peter Burden, The Lion and the Stars: A History of Bablake School, Coventry (Coventry: Coventry School Foundation, 1990)
External links
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