DERBY GRAMMAR SCHOOL
A modern school expanding upon a long heritage, Derby Grammar School is an excellent, small, selective day school that offers boys and girls education from pre-school through to sixth-form in a traditional, faith-based setting. Derby Grammar School (sometimes abbreviated as DGS) was established to continued the legacy of the ancient Derby School which had become a comprehensive school open to all pupils in Derby regardless of academic ability and without payment of tuition fees before it closed in the early 1990s. Derby Grammar School seeks to offer families in the area the same quality of education that had come to be associated with its renowned predecessor school.
ABOUT
Derby Grammar School was founded in 1995 when the historic Derby School closed. The school opened to boys on a selective admissions basis offering a classical grammar education at secondary level before slowly expanding to include a primary school and, as of 2019, a pre-school. The school has slowly moved to co-educational, admitting girls into it’s sixth-form college, primary school and pre-school. As of 2023, Derby Grammar admits both boys and girls at all levels, ending a legacy of all-boys education in Derby that dates back to the 1100s.
A school has existed in Derby as far back as 1160 which ultimately became the Derby School which was refounded in 1554. The school was a traditional English public school offering boarding and day places to young men seeking a university-preparatory education in the classical grammar tradition. With great changes to the education sector in the 1960s and 1970s, Derby School became a mixed-sex comprehensive school leaving Derby without a traditional grammar school and few fee-paying alternatives for parents seeking an education outside of the state sector. For families of faith this was particularly challenging and, with this in mind, a group of parents and educators came together to establish Derby Grammar School which was intended to be a continuation of the Derby School’s model and approach. The new school was established on the grounds of Rykneld Hall, a stately home and one-time military hospital in Littleover on the outskirts of Derby.
As a fee-paying school with an Anglican ethos, Derby Grammar School has eked out a reputation as a fantastic school offering a broad range of academic and athletic opportunities to day pupils from the town and neighbouring counties. The school regularly sends pupils up to Oxbridge colleges and to Russell Group universities. It is an academically selective school with places being highly sought after. Only those candidates who achieve top results in entrance examinations (such as common entrance for feeder prep schools or the 11+ for state school admissions) are considered for places at the school. Whilst the school has an attached junior school, places may not be guaranteed for those pupils unless the requisite minimum standards have been achieved.
Derby Grammar School pupils are able to participate in the sports and activities typical of a top-tier English private school, including comprehensive music and fine arts programmes with a school choir and orchestra; LAMDA approved dramatics and a national award-winning debating team. The school offers a wide range of advanced representative sports including: athletics (track and field); badminton; basketball; cricket, cross country; golf; hockey (field); rugby (union); squash; and swimming. Pupils can also pursue coaching qualifications and have access to sports science schemes to enhance their athletic training and knowledge. Derby Grammar has recently commissioned a significant upgrading of their sports facilities. The school is pioneering an advanced engineering programme with a focus on automobile racing. The school also offers pupils support in undertaking the Duke of Edinburgh award and has an active Combined Cadet Force, preparing pupils for entry into the armed forces (and officer training). On admission to the school students are assigned to one of the four houses under the school’s house system. Throughout the academic year students compete against on another on behalf of their houses in academic and athletic competition. The school subscribes to the Forest School Association programme.
Students also may participate in a number of musical groups and clubs, lunchtime activities, membership clubs and societies with options including chess, archery, a capella, magic, science, mindfulness and lego.
Derby Grammar School alumni are referred to as Old Derbeians – the same name applied to past pupils of it’s predecessor, The Derby School. Indeed, alumni of both schools are invited into the Old Derbeians Society further demonstrating Derby Grammar’s claim to being the successor school to Derby’s ancient public school. The ODS maintains detailed records of past pupils and regularly convenes events to bring together school alumni. Many alumni represent Derby RFC after graduation.
The school, its’ governors and its’ executives are members of the Association of Governing Bodies of Independent Schools (AGBIS); Admissions, Marketing and Communications in Independent Schools (AMCIS); the Forest Schools Association (FSA); the Independent Schools Association (ISA); the Independent Schools’ Bursars Association (ISBA); the Independent Schools Council (ISC); the Society of Heads (SOH); and was previously affiliated with the Woodard Schools group. The school is inspected by the Independent Schools Inspectorate.
RECOMMENDED READING:
‘A HISTORY OF THE DERBY CHARITIES, SHOWING THE ORIGINAL TERMS OF THE BEQUESTS AND THE PRESENT ADMINISTRATION’
HENRY L. KEMP – IBSN 978-1014094117
‘A HISTORY OF THE DERBY SCHOOL CADET CORPS’
ANDREW POLKEY – IBSN 978-1858187006
INFORMATION
FULL NAME
DERBY GRAMMAR SCHOOL
NICKNAME
DGS
CATEGORY
PRIMARY AND SECONDARY SCHOOL
ALL-THROUGH SCHOOL
BOYS SCHOOL
FAITH SCHOOL
FEE-PAYING SCHOOL
GRAMMAR SCHOOL
INDEPENDENT SCHOOL
PRE-PREPARATORY AND PREPARATORY SCHOOL
PRIVATE SCHOOL
SIXTH FORM COLLEGE
ESTABLISHED
1995 (LEGACY SCHOOLS 1160)
GENDER
CO-EDUCATIONAL (FORMERLY BOYS UNTIL 2023)
ADMISSIONS
DAY
AGES
4 – 18
GRADES
RECEPTION – SIXTH FORM
ENTRANCE CRITERIA
SELECTIVE SUBJECT TO ENTRANCE ASSESSMENT. PREFERENCE GIVEN TO EXISTING DERBY GRAMMAR SCHOOL JUNIOR SCHOOL PUPILS
SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS
IN ACCORDANCE WITH NATIONAL GUIDELINES
CURRICULUM
ENGLISH CURRICULUM
GCSE
A-LEVELS
INSPECTION AUTHORITY
INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS INSPECTORATE
LANGUAGE OF INSTRUCTION
ENGLISH
FAITH / ETHOS
ANGLICAN (CHURCH OF ENGLAND)
PEDAGOGY / PHILOSOPHY
—
CAMPUS
SUBURBAN
HOUSES
ATKINSON | BEMROSE | BLACKTON | DERBY
CO-CURRICULAR
CHESS
CHOIR
COMBINED CADET FORCE
DEBATING
DRAMA
DUKE OF EDINBURGH
FORUMLA 24
ORCHESTRA
VARIOUS ACADEMIC SOCIETIES AND SOCIAL CLUBS
SPORTS
ATHLETICS (TRACK & FIELD)
BADMINTON
BASKETBALL
CRICKET
CROSS COUNTRY
GOLF
HOCKEY (FIELD)
RUGBY UNION
SQUASH
SWIMMING
OPERATOR
DERBY GRAMMAR SCHOOL TRUST LIMITED
PATRON / VISITOR
SIR NIGEL RUDD (PATRON)
BISHOP OF DERBY (VISITOR)
DUKE OF DEVONSHIRE (VISITOR)
PRESIDENT
—
HEAD OF SCHOOL
MR PAUL LOGAN (HEADMASTER)
ENROLLMENT
218 PUPILS
FACULTY
39 STAFF
RATIO
9:1
AVERAGE CLASS SIZE
11 PUPILS
TUITION FEES
GBP £3,025 – £5,5004 PER ANNUM
ADDITIONAL FEES AND CHARGES MAY BE APPLICABLE
SCHOLARSHIPS, BURSARIES & FINANCIAL AID
VARIOUS BURSARY AND SCHOLARSHIP SCHEME OPTIONS AVAILABLE TO QUALIFYING OR GIFTED CANDIDATES
ENDOWMENT
—
FEEDER SCHOOLS
DERBY GRAMMAR PRIMARY SCHOOL
LEAVERS DESTINATIONS
NOTTINGHAM TRENT UNIVERSITY
UNIVERSITY OF NOTTINGHAM
RUSSELL GROUP
UNIFORM
NAVY BLUE BLAZER, GREY PIPED JUMPER, WHITE SHIRT, SCHOOL TIE AND CHARCOAL GREY TROUSERS / SKIRTS.
SCHOOL UNIFORM AVAILABLE HERE.
SCHOOL TIE
SCHOOL COLOURS
BOAT CLUB COLOURS
—
ACCREDITATIONS, ASSOCIATIONS AND AFFILIATIONS
ATHLETIC CONFERENCES & SPORTS LEAGUES
RIVAL SCHOOLS
—
SISTER SCHOOLS & PARTNER SCHOOLS
DERBY HIGH SCHOOL
GUERNSEY GRAMMAR SCHOOL
SCHOOL MOTTO
VITA SINE LITTERIS MORS (LIFE WITHOUT LEARNING IS DEATH)
SCHOOL MASCOT
—
SCHOOL SONG
—
SCHOOL PUBLICATION
—
ALUMNI ASSOCIATION
CELEBRATED ALUMNI & FACULTY
BEN BRADLEY MP
CONTACT DETAILS
RYNKELD HALL
RYNKELD ROAD
LITTLEOVER
DERBY
DERBYSHIRE DB23 4BX
ENGLAND
UNITED KINGDOM
DERBY GRAMMAR SCHOOL
DGS
RYNKELD HALL, RYNKELD ROAD, LITTLEOVER, DERBY, DERBYSHIRE DB23 4BX, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM
PRIMARY AND SECONDARY SCHOOL
ALL-THROUGH SCHOOL
BOYS SCHOOL
FAITH SCHOOL
GRAMMAR SCHOOL
INDEPENDENT SCHOOL
PRE-PREPARATORY AND PREPARATORY SCHOOL
ABOUT
ESTABLISHED 1995 (LEGACY SCHOOLS 1160)
FEE-PAYING
DAY
BOYS (CO-EDUCATIONAL SIXTH FORM)
AGES 4 – 18 (RECEPTION – SIXTH FORM)
ANGLICAN (CHURCH OF ENGLAND)
