St Mary Redcliffe and Temple (SMRT) School is a CE VA (Voluntary Aided) school near the centre of Bristol, UK, situated in the inner-city suburb of Redcliff (or 'Redcliffe') and bordered by the New Cut of the River Avon to the South. One of the city's oldest educational institutions, it is the only Church of England Secondary school in the Diocese of Bristol. The school is often referred to simply as 'St Mary Redcliffe' or just 'Redcliffe'. The school's headteacher is Elisabeth Gilpin.
Origins
On receiving a Royal Charter in 1571, St Mary Redcliffe School was started in a building outside the south porch of St Mary Redcliffe Church (near the present-day war memorial), before moving inside to the Lady Chapel. Described as a 'Free Grammar School' [1] during part of its long history, the school merged with Temple Colston School in 1966, making it the co-educational Comprehensive school of today, which moved to its present site in Somerset Square the following year. The dates of foundation for the original boys' and girls' schools (i.e. 1571 and 1709) appear superimposed on the cross-shaped crest of the school-uniform badge, itself part of the school's coat of arms.
School Houses
On entry to the school in Year 7, students join James House (for a number of years located at Boot Lane, in nearby Bedminster); they are then placed in one of the four main houses: Canynges (yellow), Cartwright (blue), Colston (red) and Francombe (green). The house names refer to notable civic dignitaries, ecclesiastical benefactors and educational pioneers spanning many centuries of Bristol's history.
It is interesting to note that although the colours of the school's shield include 'Colston' blue (usually identified outside the school as Royal blue), the colour assigned to the eponymous house is actually red.
(Plans to render James House obsolete by bringing to an end the Year 7 tutor-group system were proposed in 2006 but are yet to be confirmed.)
A Christian Community...
The school's ancient motto is "Steadfast in Faith". More widely used is "A Christian Community Committed To Excellence" which reflects both the close partnership between SMRT and its parish, and the personal faith of many of today's students and staff. Events involving church and school alike include House Eucharists, beginning and end of year services, an Ascension Day Eucharist, numerous musical performances, the Redcliffe Community Fete and the annual Colston Day service (during which students receive a ceremonial 'Colston bun').
...Committed To Excellence
In recent years the school's GCSE and 'A' level examination results have placed it high on national league tables, making it one of the most successful state schools in the area. In recognition of its achievements, the school was awarded Beacon School status in 2000, has been part of the Excellence in Cities initiative and has also recently become a Specialist Humanities College.
The School Today
SMRT has over 1,350 students, including 350 in the Sixth Form (Years 12-13). With the exception of a few specialist lessons requiring extra space and facilities (most notably PE and Games at Brislington), all subjects are taught on the one site, comprising the Main Building (begun 1965); Temple Colston Building (opened 1987); Cartwright Building (opened 1998) and the outdoor 'Arena' and hard-courts. Until recently, all Post-16 students had to share this increasingly overcrowded site with the rest of the school. However, in 2004 the school acquired further premises on Redcliffe Hill for the new Redcliffe Sixth Form Centre, increasing sixth-form capacity to 450 students and replacing in-school sixth-form setup. The Director of Sixth Form is Adrian Champion.
The School on TV
SMRT has made a number of TV appearances during the last decade. In 1997, in celebration of the 500th anniversary of John Cabot's discovery of mainland America, students of the school were invited to follow the progress of a replica of Cabot's ship, which the BBC filmed as it recreated the voyage of The Matthew from the parish in which she was built.
SMRT has also featured in several episodes of the BBC Casualty drama series, and in 2005 the school's buildings and uniforms were used during the on-___location filming of CBBC's Patrick's Planet, which included an opening sequence of the school from space!
References
- ^ Library History Database: http://www.r-alston.co.uk/school.htm/
External links
1. * School website
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