The Skinners' School
The Skinners' School (formally The Skinners' Company's Middle School for Boys and commonly known as Skinners'), is a British Grammar School with academy status for boys located in the town of Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent, England. Established in 1887, the school was founded by the Worshipful Company of Skinners (one of the 111 livery companies of the City of London) in response to a demand for education in the region.[1] Today Skinners' remains an all-boys grammar school, recently awarded specialist status in science and mathematics in recognition of these disciplines' excellent teaching. The current enrolment is 1119 pupils, of whom around 326 are in the sixth form.[2] The first headmaster was Reverend Frederick Knott, after whom Knott House is named. The current Headmaster is Edward Wesson.
The Skinners' School
Grammar School
"To God Only Be All Glory" and "In Christo Fratres"
1887
Edward Wesson
Boys
11 to 18
1200+
Sebastian, Atwell, Hunt, Knott, Nicholson (from 1/9/2017)
The Leopard
The Leopard Song
Skinners' boys generally take eleven General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) tests in Year Eleven (aged 15–16), and they have a choice of three or four A-levels in the sixth form. An Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted) inspection in November 2021 graded The Skinners' School as "good".[3] The majority of students go on to higher education following the completion of their A-levels at the end of Year Thirteen (aged 17–18), and in 2011 and 2022, one in ten Year 13 students gained an Oxbridge offer.
The Skinners' School has uniform requirements that apply to all boys at the school, including those in the sixth form. These requirements have changed over the decades.
Traditionally
Variations throughout each school year, although some traditions have been repealed:
There was also the honours school tie for pupils who made an achievement for the school name, such as winning a local inter-school race. This tie was red, black, and white, diagonally striped.
Present Day
Years 7-10:
Years 11-13:
Sports Kit
PE/Gym Lessons
Games
Other ties are also available, however. Sporting achievements result in the presentation of school 'colours', a tie unique to the sport the achievement was gained in, which is presented by the headmaster in front of the school. The same goes for outstanding ability within the CCF. Prefect ties can be worn by the head boy, deputy head boys and senior prefects, as well as school and form prefects (These are black with horizontal red stripes).
Many boys have represented sports teams at county, regional and national level. Ties awarded to such boys are also accepted within the uniform policy.
Sixth Form[edit]
The sixth form are provided with their own common room, featuring recreational seating and an adjacent study centre equipped with computing facilities. There is also a common room for prefects situated under the headmaster's office in School House. There is also a common room for Sixth Form English students equipped with computing facilities and recreational seating area.
The current head of sixth form is Mr Craig Fleming, the longest serving full time member of staff at the school (1990–). The current assistant heads of sixth form are Mr Doug Clucas and Miss Sara Edwards.
The current headmaster is Edward Wesson.
Past headmasters have included:
The Reverend Frederick Knott
The Rev. F.G. Knott was selected by the school Governors from over 80 candidates who applied to be headmaster of the new Skinners Company's Middle School for Boys. After graduating from Magdalene College, Cambridge he taught at Dulwich College for a number of years, before taking up his first role as Skinners' School headmaster aged 27. The following report on a speech he made at Skinners Day in 1900 provides a strong indication of the ethos he imbued the school with during its formative years.
"It was impressed upon them [the boys] the necessity of some relief from work and toil, and sports undoubtedly acted as such. It strengthened them, gave them a better constitution, and gave more power for work and better results. The School is not to be regarded as a place where many lessons were stuffed into their brains. It was a place where character was formed, where they learned to associate with friends and where they learned to be in sympathy with their thoughts and ideas. It was a preparation for a greater life."
Student Leadership[edit]
In the summer term of Year 12, school prefects are selected. Leadership roles amongst the prefects now include the head boy, two deputy head boys, the chairman of the school council, the parents' association and Old Skinners' Society liaison prefect, two senior prefects and five house captains. Other school prefects are divided between the roles of duty prefect and form prefect.
There are usually approximately sixteen form prefects, who take responsibility for a year eight or year seven form, two to a form.
Boards in School Hall denote previous positions of importance including Head Boys and CCF Commanding Officers. Until recently boys who earned a place at an Oxford or Cambridge college would have their name added to the university honours board although that practice has now been ceased due to the volume of boys gaining Oxbridge places each year.
In recent years, enthusiastic science students in the sixth form independently took it upon themselves to write and distribute an online science magazine about topics that interested them.