Penistone Grammar School
| Motto | "Never Stop Flying" |
|---|---|
| Established | 1392 |
| Type | Community school |
| Headteacher | Jo Higgins |
| Founder | John Clarel |
| Location |
Huddersfield Road Penistone South Yorkshire S36 7BX England Coordinates: 53°31′58″N 1°38′10″W / 53.5327°N 1.6361°W |
| Local authority | Barnsley |
| DfE number | 370/4027 |
| DfE URN | 106653 Tables |
| Ofsted | Reports |
| Students | 1,579 |
| Gender | Co-educational |
| Ages | 11–18 |
| Colours | Black, white and red |
| Website | www |
Penistone Grammar School is a co-educational secondary school and former grammar school in Penistone, in the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley, South Yorkshire, England. It was founded in 1392 and its most notable alumnus is Nicholas Saunderson, the probable inventor of Bayes theorem, in the 18th century. The school has undergone many expansions, requiring the erection of several buildings, and now houses nearly 1,600 pupils from age 11 to 18. Its current OFSTED overall rating is grade 2 ('good') following an Ofsted inspection in October 2013.
The school was founded as the Free Grammar School of Penistone in 1392, when it is recorded that a gift of land was made by John Clarel, Lord of the Manor at Penistone, for the purpose of a school. Later, the school was situated in the town centre on a site opposite St. John the Baptist Church and across the road from the old Cloth Hall. In 1443 the Free Grammar School of Penistone received further bequests and in 1547, after the dissolution of the chantries, the school continued as the free school for the children of Penistone. Following further endowments, the school was rebuilt in 1702 and enjoyed a considerable period of academic renown under a series of very able Masters. In 1892 the school withdrew from its town centre site to a position about half a mile north-west of the town centre. Around this time the school took fee-paying boarders, had a strong reputation for mathematics and science, and a tradition of sending students to the University of Cambridge. The school remains on this site.
The school was originally an all-boys grammar school. Girls were admitted for the first time in 1907. In the late 20th century the school ceased to be a grammar school, becoming one of the first neighbourhood comprehensive schools in the country. It became fully comprehensive in 1969, with partial selection (for more distant pupils) for a few years prior to that. The comprehensive school initially retained its Grammar school name and traditions such as the house system and speech night. These traditions were gradually scaled back, with the standard of uniform downgraded from blazers to sweaters in the 1990s. However, as of the academic year beginning 2011, the school has reverted to blazers and restored its traditional house system. Also in 2011, despite a long campaign to preserve them, the old buildings were entirely demolished or sold to as private housing by Barnsley council, and the school moved into a brand-new purpose-built building.
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