Cheadle Hulme School

Cheadle Hulme School is a coeducational private day school in Cheadle Hulme, Greater Manchester, England, for pupils aged 3 to 18, and a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference.

Founded in 1855 as The Manchester Warehousemen and Clerks' Orphan Schools, it sent pupils to an existing school in Shaw Hall, Flixton, before it moved into its own premises in Park Place, Ardwick, in 1861, and to its current location in 1869.

The school became independent in 1976 when the Labour government abolished the direct grant system.

The school grounds covers 83 acres, has over 1,500 pupils, and in addition to its academic programme offers a wide variety of extra-curricular activities. The most recent inspection report rated "the quality of pupils’ academic and other achievements" and "the quality of the pupils’ personal development" as "excellent". The report found that Reception children demonstrate "exceptional achievement" and Junior School pupils achieve an "excellent standard across all their areas of learning". In the Senior School, pupils’ success in public examinations reflect the "high academic standards" of the school and that pupils "develop skills, knowledge and understanding to a high standard across a wide range of subjects."

Foundation
In the early 1850s, life expectancy for those working in the inner-cities was extremely poor and Manchester was no exception. Many of these workers were worried about the fate of their children should they die. A school for the orphans of warehousemen and clerks, which later became the Royal Russell School, had already been set up in London in 1853, and on 20 September 1854, a representative from the London school met with some Manchester men (one of whom was Ezekiel Browne) in the Albion Hotel to gather support for it. During the discussion, support for a local school became clear, and following this meeting a committee was formed to develop the idea. The school was to be called "The Manchester District Schools for Orphans and Necessitous Children of Warehousemen and Clerks", and it was to be open to all children, regardless of gender or religious background.

The proposal was advertised to warehousemen and clerks across the north-west of England; the men were asked for one guinea or more per year, which would pay for their child's education and well-being, should the father die and the family left "necessitous". A set of rules was created, which outlined how the school should be run; these were adopted at the first meeting of the subscribers of 26 February 1855. These rules included the ages of admission (between 7 and 12 years old), with boys being taught until the age of 14, and girls until the age of 15, and that the school was for orphans and necessitous children of warehousemen and clerks only. Proposals for a complementary day school were discussed extensively, but this idea was postponed until the orphan school had been successfully set up.

In July 1855, the committee sent out advertisements for the election of the first children to the school. The earliest scholars were elected by subscribers to the institution; the condition of their election depended on a few factors, including how long the child's father had subscribed and the family's circumstances. Subscribers had a number of votes depending on how much money they had subscribed. Fifteen applications had been received by September, and on 29 October 1855, commonly referred to as the school's founding date, six children were elected into the school at the Athenaeum in Manchester.

At this time there were no premises or staff since the committee wished for more time to plan for their own premises and staff. The children were instead sent to an existing boarding school in Shaw Hall, Flixton. However, six years later they moved to Park Place, Ardwick, in the centre of Manchester. By this time it had already been decided that a new school should be built and the foundation stone of the main building in Cheadle Hulme was laid in 1867. The school moved to its present site two years later.

Foundation scheme
Since the beginning, the school had been a boarding school, originally for the orphans (fatherless children) (known as "Foundationers") for whom it was established. As early as 1862, it started to accept fee paying boarders and an increasing number of day pupils to help to support the "Foundation Scheme".

From 1921 the school had also decided to become part of the government's education programme, choosing in 1926 to become part of the Direct Grant system, with some of the day pupils funded by grants from the Board of Education. However, boarding remained the keystone of the school's objects and the cornerstone of its pastoral and sporting activity (even as late as the 1960s), but the number of Foundationers was declining. In the 1950s the annual subscription to the Foundation Scheme was raised from one guinea to two guineas, but with the creation of the Welfare State joining the scheme became increasingly less popular. In 1955 there were 82 Foundationers and 44 paying Boarders. Seven years later, these figures had reversed.

War years
During World War I, the school hospital was used by the Red Cross for treating over 1,400 injured soldiers.

Students from Manchester High School for Girls and Fairfield High School for Girls Droylsden were evacuated to the school during World War II.

Sixty Old Waconians lost their lives in World War I, and 46 in World War II.

An increasing number of day pupils were taken during the Second World War to help with the war effort as new schools in the areas could not be built.

At the part of the school called laundry hill (next to where food and nutrition is nowadays), there are some steps that are now covered by bars but once used to lead to air raid shelters made during the Second World War.

Girls from Manchester High School were evacuated to the School so there had to be shelter for over 1000 people and they put 'dugouts' on the field to accommodate them.

The Broomefield (What used to be the headmaster's house) was built in 1906 had additional air raid shelters put in the cellars during the Second World War.

Independent status and growth
By the 1950s and 1960s, Cheadle Hulme School had become a renowned direct grant grammar school, deciding to become, again, independent in 1976 when the Labour government abolished the Direct Grant Scheme.

During the 1970s and 1980s, the school continued to thrive. With the expansion of the junior school, the school roll topped 1,000 pupils for the first time and an anonymous donation allowed for a refurbishment of the Boarding House, although the number of children choosing to board was steadily declining. By the beginning of the 1990s, the number of boarders had dropped to only 77 so the decision to close the Boarding House was made by the new Head Mr Donald Wilkinson. The old dorms have since been converted into classrooms. The rest of the school was growing, however, as a new Infants Department opened in 1998 taking children from the age of 4. New buildings sprang up in the 1980s and 1990s including specialist buildings such as for the ICT and MFL departments.

On 26 October 1995, the school became a Grade II Listed Building.

Junior School
Built in 1970, the main Junior School building houses ten classrooms. An Infant Department was opened in 1998 and expanded further in September 2002 to accommodate an extra class at Reception, Year 1 and Year 2. There are two classes in each year group from Reception to Year 4, increasing to 3 classes from Year 5 within the Junior School. Students progress to the next year group automatically in the Junior School, then all pupils are required to take our entrance exam into the Senior School with the vast majority of pupils moving up into the Senior School.

There are a wide range of clubs ranging from food club to tennis. Pupils have two sports lessons and one swimming lesson per week and the Year 5 and 6 students take part in regular matches in football, netball, hockey, swimming, cricket and athletics. Music lessons are held once a week in the Infants and twice a week in the Juniors. Pupils have regular opportunities to perform in assemblies, concerts and dramatic productions. The Junior School has many facilities available to it including a library, swimming pool, field, astro-turf pitch and tennis and netball courts. The current headteacher of the Junior School is Mr Vincent Weightman.

Academic
The school offers a wide range of subjects, with students taking GCSEs (mostly Edexcel International GCSEs, with exceptions for a few subjects) at the age of 16 and A Levels in the sixth form. Sixth Form students are offered a variety of subjects which can be chosen in any combination alongside a range of extension ‘Plus 1’ options, through the Sixth Form Pathways programme. These are; Extended Project Qualification, Core Maths, Arts Award, Elite Sport Programme, Fourth A level subject.

Sport
CHS pupils are involved in a range of sporting activities. There are major teams in football, rugby union, netball and field hockey. The school also currently has a number of players in the school who play for England squads in a variety of sports; students can earn school colours for good sporting performance.

In addition to the team sport all pupils play at least an hour of sport each week as part of their timetable. The sports available include badminton, basketball and yoga, in addition to options like football, cricket and rugby.

Music
The school offers a wide range of musical opportunities to students, including a choir and various bands (concert, wind, big band). The school has a record of ambitious music making, which was initiated by Geoffrey Keating, who was Director of Music during the 1960s. Keating went on to become Director of Music at Millfield School in Somerset, but left behind a thriving choral tradition. To this was added, during the 1970s, some equally ambitious orchestral activity, and the school orchestra has tackled works such as symphonies by Beethoven and Dvořák, Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue and the Cello Concerto by Elgar. The department is currently headed up by Mr Philip Dewhurst (Director of Music)

The school offers music scholarships for entry at 11+ and Sixth Form.

Drama
CHS has a large Drama department which produces a number of annual plays involving wide areas of the school. In recent years the school has produced Billy Liar, Midsummer Night's Dream, Blue Remembered Hills, West Side Story, Guys and Dolls, Henry V and South Pacific.

Politics
Regular mock elections and referendums are held, giving sixth-form students a chance to lead a campaign, followed by a school-wide vote.

The school Think Tank club has played host to guest speakers such as BBC political editor Nick Robinson, MPs Mark Hunter, Graham Brady and Kate Green and BBC North West political editor Arif Ansari.

Model United Nations
Model United Nations (MUN) is a popular student activity. The school has developed a fine reputation as a leading MUN school, with students having won numerous awards for the standard of their debate and research skills at conferences across the United Kingdom and in Europe. As well as attending many large international conferences, the school also plays host to Model United Nations Cheadle Hulme (MUNCH). MUNCH is a popular MUN conference attended by schools from across the United Kingdom and, increasingly, from around the world.

Trips
Cheadle Hulme School students have the opportunity to take part in a number of educational trips to enhance their understanding of the subjects that they are studying.

Students have enjoyed a number of trips in recent years, including:
 * Washington D.C., where they have taken part in activities such as tours of the Pentagon, The White House and Congress, meetings with US interest groups such as Common Cause, and visits to the Smithsonian Institution.
 * Westminster and Whitehall, where students have met with politicians such as shadow Chancellor George Osborne, Old Waconian Alf, Lord Dubs, local MP Mark Hunter and journalists from the Reuters news agency.
 * Brussels, including visits to the European Commission and European Parliament.
 * Moscow and Saint Petersburg.
 * The Battlefields.
 * Berlin
 * Eyam.
 * The Gambia. A geography trip to the Gambia to study ecosystems and visit the Gambia High School, a school linked to CHS. Social action aspects are also included in the trip with mosquito nets, books and pens etc. given to the young people of the linked school along with time spent with children of local refugee schools.
 * Tokyo technology trip

And for Lower School, years 7 to 9
 * Day trips to Chester, Manchester Jewish Museum and many other places.
 * Brittany trip for Year 8s.
 * Ski trip to the Swiss Alps.

Other activities
Other extracurricular activities include the business start-up scheme Young Enterprise, a philosophical society, Chess club, Go club, German club, Film club, Gourmet club, and participation in a local Mock Trial competition. Students are also encouraged to take part in the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme. Student also have been taking part in F1 in Schools where they have won awards throughout the years. There are many more activities which cover a wide range of areas including cooking, building, photography, and much more.

Annual events
Since 2000, all students, parents and staff attend an evening entitled Celebration of Cheadle Hulme School once a year, where the achievements of the previous year are celebrated through a series of speeches, and the talents of students are put on display. The school song, Jerusalem, is also sung by all in attendance. A speech is also given by a special guest, often an alumnus of the school. Previous speakers have included Alf, Lord Dubs and Katie Derham. This event replaced Founder's Day, which was held at St. George's Church, Stockport.

Originally, the Celebration event was also used to award the school prizes to those who had graduated in previous years. There are school prizes in each subject, as well as special prizes for things such as overall academic achievement, achievement in sport, and to thank those who served on the school council. Recipients of these prizes were invited back to be presented with them. However, since 2005, prizes have been presented at a special graduation ceremony in the school's grounds.

Every year the school puts on two Music concerts, a Spring Concert and a Winter Concert. All students that take part in musical clubs/activities within the school are invited to attend. Past venues include Stockport Town Hall and the RNCM.

Also in the Music department, every year there is a Music Festival, a competition in which instrumentalists and vocalists will compete in different categories to be crowned 'Young Musician of The Year". Guest judges, usually well-esteemed musicians, will go to the school to help decide the winner. There are usually new judges every year.

The school also have an event every 2 years where people from different universities and occupations come to answer questions that the student may have about certain career paths, this is called The Future Self Convention.

The school also does many school theatre productions throughout the year, which are open to the public to go and watch. Past productions include: Pride and Prejudice; Chatroom; The Wizard of Oz; Blood Wedding; A Midsummer Night's Dream, and many more.

Notable alumni
Alumni of Cheadle Hulme School are known as "Old Waconians", a remnant of the original name of the school ("Warehousemen And Clerks").

Military

 * Henry Probert (1926-2007), Director of Education, Royal Air Force, 1976–1978.

Politics

 * Chris Davies (born 1954), former Liberal Democrat Member of the European Parliament
 * Alf Dubs, Baron Dubs (born 1932), Labour politician
 * Billy Hughes (1914–1995), educationist and politician, Principal of Ruskin College, Oxford, 1950–1979

Stage, screen, radio, television and journalism

 * Katie Derham (born 1970), ITV Evening News presenter
 * Aimee Lou Wood (born 1994), actress
 * Phoebe Dynevor (born 1995), actress
 * Emily Fleeshman (born 1986), actress


 * Richard Fleeshman (born 1989), actor
 * Daniel Rigby actor and comedian, BAFTA award winner
 * Nick Robinson (born 1963), former BBC political editor
 * Miranda Sawyer (born 1967), journalist
 * Sam Bloom (born 1981), actor, singer

Music

 * Gordon Crosse (born 1937), Composer
 * Susan Bullock (born 1958), soprano
 * Rupert Taylor (born 1983), electronic music producer
 * Jack Sheen (born 1993), conductor & composer

Sciences

 * Alex Stokes (1919–2003), biochemist, co-discoverer of the structure of DNA.

Sport

 * Alex Bruce (born 1984), footballer
 * Bronte Law (born 1995), golfer
 * Duncan Watmore (born 1994), Middlesbrough footballer
 * Matt Winter (born 1993), cricketer
 * Tyrese Campbell (born 1999), footballer
 * Josh Pritchard (born 1992), footballer

Headteachers

 * 1855–61 – Mr McDougall
 * 1861–63 – Mr Henry Adkin
 * 1863–64 – Mr Harrison
 * 1865–66 – Mr Edward Eversden
 * 1867–80 – Mr William Laurie
 * 1880–84 – Mr Alfred Stone
 * 1884–1906 – Mr George Board
 * 1906–22 – Mr Robert Purdy
 * 1922–54 – Mr T.T.R. Lockhart
 * 1954–62 – Mr Douglas Whiting
 * 1962–63 – Mr David Wilcox
 * 1963–74 – Mr Leslie Johnston
 * 1974–76 – Mr David Wilcox
 * 1977–89 – Mr Colin Firth
 * 1990–2000 – Mr Donald Wilkinson
 * 2001 – Mr Andrew Chicken
 * 2001–10 – Mr Paul Dixon
 * 2011–18 – Ms Lucy Pearson
 * 2019–Present - Mr Neil Smith
 * 2024-Present - Mr Richardson