|
Headmaster |
Mr J.M. Richardson |
School type |
Grammar , Boarding |
Religious affiliation |
None (traditionally Church Of England ) |
Founded |
1656 |
Location |
Newport , Shropshire |
Local Education Authority |
Telford And Wrekin |
Age range |
11-16 (boys) and 16-18 (mixed) |
Enrollment |
800 |
Campus |
Town campus with rural sports grounds |
School color(s) |
Maroon; Navy blue |
House color(s) |
Clive-Red; Darwin-Blue; Talbot-Black; Webb-Green |
Major sports |
Rugby, cricket |
is a state
Grammar School in
Newport ,
Shropshire . Its name is sometimes
Abbreviated to AGS.
Adams' is a selective state school, which admits both
Boarding and day pupils, and is a specialist technology college. The school, including the sixth form, has approximately 800 pupils (750 boys, 50 girls). The school educates only boys in Years 7 to 11 (ages 11 to 16), while the
Sixth Form (ages 16 to 18) is
Mixed . The
Haberdashers are still important in the running of the school: they provide some of the school's funding and have representatives in its governing body.
The school is divided into four
Houses for competitive and pastoral purposes. These are named after notable
Salopians :
Clive House is named after
Clive Of India . Its colour is red, and it is represented by an elephant.
Darwin House takes its name from
Charles Darwin . Its unofficial coat-of-arms has been depicted variously a lion and Darwin's head, and its colour is royal blue.
Talbot House is named for
Charles Talbot . It is represented by black and white, and its coat of arms, though it has varied, generally includes a dog (although not always a Talbot Hound). The Talbot House motto is 'forte et fidele', translating to 'strength and faithfulness'.
Webb House, the youngest of the houses, comes from
Captain Matthew Webb . It is given an emerald green.
Highlights of the school year include the Smedley and Dixon Cups: the inter-house
Rugby and
Drama competitions respectively. The school also has a number of clubs and societies. These include
Army ,
Royal Navy and
RAF CCF sections,
Chess club, Christian Union and the William Adams Arts and Debating Society.
The current Headmaster (incumbent since
1996 ) is Mr. JM Richardson and the deputy headmasters are Mr. Barratt and Mr. Warren-Smith.
Adams' was founded in
1656 by
William Adams , a wealthy citizen of the
City Of London and a Haberdasher who was born in the town. It was opened on
March 25 1657 .
The School under the Headmastership of Reverend Samuel Lea MA turned down the services of
Dr. Johnson , later to be the pre-eminent scholar of the 18th Century, who wrote one of the first English Dictionaries.
Charles Dickens (1812- 1870) stayed at The Bear Hotel, now called Beaumaris House that forms part of the school's Boarding House. Chetwynd House was formerly the home of Elizabeth Parker, the recluse on whom Dickens modelled Miss Havisham in
Great Expectations (1861).
A notable former Headmaster is
Alec Peterson who created the
International Baccalaureate , headed the Education Studies Department at Oxford University and also ran Military Intelligence in South East Asia following World War two.
''Former pupils are known as "Old Novaportans" (initiated as "ON").''
- Longford Hall - junior boarding house and sports fields owned by the school, about 1 mile away from the main school site, in the village of Longford .
- Taylor D, Taylor R (2002) ''Mr. Adams' Free Grammar School''. Philimore: London. (ISBN 1860772218)
:, Taylor D is a former headmaster of AGS.
