Fryerns Comprehensive School

Fryerns School
Motto Latin: Age Quod Agis
("If you do something, do it well.")Motto on Fryerns pulpit in hall "Labor omnia vincit"
Established 1956
Closed 1999
Type Secondary school
Headteacher Mr Cyril Baggs, Mr Timothy Slater, Mr Stuart Hayes, Mr D.A. Anderson
Location Craylands
Basildon
Essex
SS14 3RN
England
Coordinates: 51°34′37″N 0°29′13″E / 51.577°N 0.487°E / 51.577; 0.487
Local authority Essex
DfE URN 115224 Tables
Ofsted Reports
Gender Mixed
Ages 11–18
Colours Blue/yellow         
Publication Fryern' Easy
Former name Fryerns Grammar and Technical School, Craylands County Secondary
Fate Closed in 1999
Website Fryerns Community School L.M.
Craylands School, built in 1935. Taken in 2007 by Paul Francis.
Fryerns School. 2007 by Paul Francis.
Badge of Fryerns School

Fryerns Comprehensive School /friːəns/, also known as Fryerns Community School, was a mixed intake secondary school in Basildon, Essex that opened in 1956. The school was situated around one mile directly east of Basildon town centre. It was closed in 1999 due to falling pupil numbers. The site is now being redeveloped into two housing estates.

History

Fryerns School was the first new secondary school to be opened in Basildon New Town.[1] Its name came from the nearby Fryerns Farm which also provided the name for the local area.

Fryerns was initially made up of two schools, a Grammar school and a Technical school. In August 1968 they merged with Craylands County Secondary school, which had opened on the same site in 1935, to create Fryerns Comprehensive. The influx of families into the area meant that another secondary school, Barstable, was placed across the road. In 1994 the school changed its name once again to Fryerns Community School.

Essex County Council Education department closed Fryerns in 1999 due to falling pupil numbers and a serious funding issue.[2][3] Basildon's demographics had changed markedly over the previous four decades. A rapidly ageing population meant that there were too many schools in the district for the number of pupils and Fryerns had to close. Fryerns, had been threatened with closure in 1990-1991 but a strong defence of the school was launched in parliament by the then Basildon Conservative MP David Amess.[4] In the speech he stated that no school would close in Basildon while he was its member of parliament. This turned out to be the case as in 1997 he did not contest the Basildon seat as the New Labour candidate Angela Smith MP was elected. Less than two years later the school had closed.

After closing, the newer school buildings to the south of the site were taken over by Essex Social Services and the playing fields next to it were used for a new housing estate. The school buildings and fields of the old Craylands school were left derelict. Eventually the buildings were demolished and work was started on another new estate.[5]

School traditions and achievements

Notable former pupils ("Fryernists")

Badge

The school's badge is a stag lying in a laurel wreath. This denotes peace, harmony and triumph.[11]

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Fryerns Comprehensive School.
  1. ↑ B. Cox (2006) "Basildon History Online." Retrieved 17/01/13
  2. ↑ "Fryerns School to close - It's official." Basildon Recorder, 21/09/98. Retrieved 17/01/13.
  3. ↑ "Carry on teaching until 1999" Basildon Recorder, 01/10/98. Retrieved 19/01/13.
  4. ↑ David Amess MP defends Fryerns School. 12/12/91 6.44 pm. Retrieved 19/01/13.
  5. ↑ "Craylands and Fryerns redevelopments." Retrieved 18/01/13.
  6. ↑ ‘’Residencies’’ Fryerns School, Basildon 1987. Retrieved 19/01/13.
  7. ↑ From a former pupil
  8. ↑ Official website.
  9. ↑ Netball career of Jillean Hipsey, nee Porter.
  10. ↑ From a former pupil.
  11. ↑ "Meaning of heraldry symbols" (sic) Retrieved 18/01/13

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Friday, March 11, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.