Gayhurst School

Gayhurst School Trust is a preparatory school in Buckinghamshire, England.

History

The School was founded in 1908

Description

Situated on the edge of the town in twelve acres of playing fields and woodland, the school is co-educational; girls were introduced to Nursery, Reception, and Year 7 from September 2008.

The current Headmaster is Mr. Davies, who joined the school in 2016.

School Houses

There are four school houses. They are Campbell, Stafford, Taylor and Gibbs. These houses are named after the previous headmasters except Campbell who was a deputy head.

School Subjects

The school has a varied curriculum. The school subjects are English, Maths, Science, Geography, History, R.S, Music, Art, Drama, IT, French and Latin.

Sport

Games and activities are an integral part of life at Gayhurst. The sports' facilities have been considerably enhanced by the construction of an all-weather Astroturf surface. The chief sports for the boys are Rugby, Soccer and Cricket but Hockey, Tennis, Athletics and Swimming are also important and are timetabled into the working week. For the girls the main sports will be Netball, Hockey, Swimming, Gymnastics, Rounders, Ballet and Dance but they too will have the opportunity to participate in other sports that take place at the school.

Facilities

The school has a great range of facilities. It has a science labs, cricket squares, playing fields, large woods, a new cricket pavilion, a school hall and an all weather pitch.

The Nursery

The new Nursery was opened in September 2008, as Gayhurst became a co-educational school.

The Junior School

The Junior School is for children from 4 to 8 years of age. It has benefited from two recent building projects and now has modern, well-equipped classrooms, individual tuition rooms, IT resource and activity rooms, a Junior library, all-weather playground and an adventure playground. The children arrive in Reception at rising-five as part of two non-selective parallel classes. Class sizes are small. The Reception groups have approximately sixteen children. Classroom assistants help with all the year groups but particularly with the youngest children. Entry into the Reception classes is by registration. There are no interview procedures at this young age. The parents of children registered for entry into Reception are contacted approximately eleven months before to confirm their acceptance of a place. . Entry higher up the school would normally include some test procedures and a reference in the Autumn term. However tests for children whose families are relocating to the area take place throughout the year. Children in the Junior School are taught most of their subjects by their form teacher although specialist staff teach them for Music, PE and Games.

The Senior School

At eight years of age the children transfer to the Senior School where they are gradually introduced to specialist subject teaching. The Senior School too has recently been completely rebuilt. There are ten subject teaching rooms, a new Art and Design room, Library, two modern Science laboratories, a Music suite and a fully equipped, purpose built computer laboratory. By nine years of age all the children would be expected to move to and from the various specialist subject classrooms during each teaching day. In this respect the 45 period, weekly timetable resembles that of a secondary school which the children enjoy and find stimulating. Heads of Subject Departments are in close liaison with the Junior School staff. There is a Head of Junior School, a Head of Middle School, a Director of Sport and Activities and a Deputy Head Teacher, all of whom meet with parents regularly and who, at various stages, are involved in the overall development of the boys and girls.

There are three parallel forms in Year 4 but at this stage the children are formally setted in English and Mathematics. In Years 7 and 8 the children are streamed. Science is taught in modules of Physics, Chemistry and Biology and the French becomes more academic although there is still a considerable emphasis on spoken French. All the children are introduced to Classics in Year 4 while the upper stream also studies Spanish in the last two years at Gayhurst. History, Geography, Religious Studies, Art/Design, I.T. and Music are all taught by subject specialists.

Boys and girls are prepared for a wide range of secondary schools both boarding and day, maintained and independent. The Headmaster is always happy to discuss the range of secondary schools that might be best for your son or daughter. Where it is appropriate the school might recommend that a child sits for scholarship which may be academic, musical, artistic or sporting. Gayhurst has a long record of success in such examinations which are extremely rigorous.

Religion

Gayhurst was founded as a Church of England school. Today it retains that emphasis and Christian values and perceptions remain a central feature of the school's philosophy. School assemblies are held daily and conducted along Christian lines. Gayhurst enjoys close links with St James' Church in Gerrards Cross where it holds its annual Carol services.

Hugh Henry

On 4 December 2011, Hugh Henry (80) who was a teacher at Gayhurst School in the 1950s, was charged together with Roland Peter Wright, the former Head Master of Caldicott School, with child sex offences alleged to have taken place at Caldicott between 1959 and 1970. They appeared in court in Aylesbury on 17 February 2012.

Hugh Henry, 82, of Pomeroy Close, Amersham, was due to be sentenced alongside Wright on 6 February 2014 after previously admitting 11 counts of indecency with or towards a child, and two of gross indecency with a child, but Henry is believed to have killed himself by jumping in front of a train two days before he was due to be sentenced for sex crimes.

A British Transport Police (BTP) spokeswoman said: "BTP officers were called to the line close to Amersham London Underground (LU) station on Tuesday, 4 February after a report that a man had been struck by a train. Henry was due to be sentenced with Roland Peter Wright, 83, from Farnham Royal, Buckinghamshire, who assaulted five pupils aged eight to 13 at Caldicott Boys' Preparatory School between 1959 and 1970. An inquest is being held."

External links

• Gayhurst School

Coordinates: 51°35′40″N 0°33′58″W / 51.5945°N 0.5661°W / 51.5945; -0.5661