Sir Joseph Williamson's Mathematical School
| Sir Joseph Williamson's Mathematical School | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
 | |
| , | |
| Information | |
| Type | "11-18 Voluntary Controlled Grammar School" |
| Motto | Sub Umbra Alarum Tuarum Under the shadow of thy wing |
| Established | 1701 |
| Founder | Sir Joseph Williamson |
| Principal | Keith Williams |
| Grades | Y7-13 |
| Enrolment | c.1100 |
| Campus | Maidstone Road, Rochester |
| Colour(s) | Yellow, dark blue, light blue |
| Affiliations | Medway LEA |
| Website | www.sirjosephwilliamson.medway.sch.uk |
Sir Joseph Williamson's Mathematical school is a boys' grammar school in Rochester, Kent, often known as Rochester Math or The Math. The 17th-century politician Sir Joseph Williamson left £5,000 to set up the school and another in Thetford, Norfolk. The school was called a mathematical school because it specialised in the teaching of navigation and mathematics to the sons of freemen of the city of Rochester, the Chatham Naval Dockyard being nearby. One of the six houses of the school is named Thetford in honour of the sister school.
The school was originally in Rochester High Street, spanning the city wall. The site is now the car park next to a nightclub. The school's playing fields and swimming pool were originally by the River Medway off Rochester Esplanade; they are now off Maidstone Road, Rochester, next to the area known as Priestfields (not to be confused with Gillingham FC's ground, Priestfield). An annexe (now known as P block) was built at the Maidstone Road site in the 1950s, housing all the first forms, and two classes each from the second and third years. In autumn 1968, the whole school moved to the site. Initially this featured a main block, hall, sports hall, gymnasium, 25-metre indoor swimming pool and science block. A music block has been recently expanded, to include a new teaching room and several new practice rooms.
In the 1990s a sixth form centre was constructed and at the turn of the century a maths block was created upon the old staff car park. The sixth form centre which houses a series of classrooms (for the use of pupils throughout the school) is also the base for careers education with a careers library within the building. There are still two sets of temporary classrooms. The school has also extensive sports facilities, including an artificial turf pitch (Astroturf) for hockey, two cricket pitches, tennis courts, and rugby pitches as well as the swimming pool, gym, and sports hall.
A mathematics centre opened in 2002, in line with the Math's status as a specialist school in maths and computing.
Williamson's estate set up another establishment in Norfolk: the Thetford School; this, with the Rochester Grammar, has become a sister school to the Math.
The school has seven academic years, from ages 11 to 18 and each year group contains six houses: Bridge, Castle, Gordon, Pitt, River and Thetford. The last two are comparatively new and were formed as the school expanded River house in 1993 and Thetford in 1996. Another house, Tower — named after Jezreel's tower in Gillingham and intended for boys from that borough — was disbanded between the wars. All compete for the Cock House competition, a scholastic and athletic annual contest.
In the 1990s, girls were admitted to the school for the first time, but only to pursue sixth-form education. The school was granted an "outstanding" status in its Ofsted report in 2006, and was given specialist status for humanities — history and geography.
Several pupils have won the Medway young musician of the year award. Music teachers attend the school on a weekly basis.
Former pupils are known as Old Williamsonians, or more jocularly as "Old Willies".
Prefect Body
The School has in place a prefect system. Prefects are elected from year 12 and hold office until December in year 13 when new year 12 pupils are elected to take over. A prefect is elected because of their personal traits - all prefects must have shown a sense of responsibility in previous school life. Both year 12 pupils and staff vote for those they feel would make good prefects.
The prefect hierarchy has three main levels. These are:
The Top Three - The School Captain (Currently Kieran Fitzgerald) and his two deputies (George Elsworth, Lawrence clemence). These pupils have overall control of the prefect system and are in charge of organising school events, as well as having to read alous on public occasions.
Senior Prefects - Eight prefects are elected to ensure that junior prefects are doing the correct thing at the correct time. The Top Three and Senior Prefects would have undertaken rigorous interviews and tasks to ensure that the eight prefects elected to this role show the traits of responsibility, leadership, ability to rationalise and self esteem.
Prefects - There are currently 42 junior prefects in office at the school. These prefects are accountable to their relevant Senior. Prefects undertake roles such as ensuring chairs are stacked in the lunch hall and patrolling the school's three main playgrounds.
All prefects wear a unique tie so they are recognisable by the other pupils. The tie is plain navy blue with the school's crest printed below the knot. All prefects are required to wear the tie, and most wear it with pride as the school has recognised them as a 'model pupil'.
Famous pupils
- David Garrick (1717-1779), actor, playwright and theatre manager. Briefly a pupil, apparently under the headmaster's private tutelage
- Bob Bean (1935-1987), Labour MP for Rochester and Chatham 1974-1979
- Harry Arnold, war correspondent and royal reporter on a number of national newspapers, including the Daily Mirror and The Sun
- Nitin Sawhney, musician, composer and disc jockey
- James Taylor, musician, founder of the James Taylor Quartet
- Matt Letley, percussionist, current drummer for Status Quo