King James's School, Almondbury


King James's School is a coeducational secondary school located in Almondbury in the English county of West Yorkshire.

History

King James's Grammar School was founded as chantry school in 1547 and received its name and a royal charter in 1608 thanks to the efforts of three men who travelled on horseback to London to get a royal charter from the king. They rode from Farnley Tyas, the nearby village, having been sent to London to get the charter by the local wealthy men from Almondbury who wanted a local school for their offspring to visit. Extensions were made to the school by William Swinden Barber between 1880 and 1883.
The grammar school era ended in 1976 when it became a comprehensive school: King James's School. The school was designated a specialist Science College in 2004. In September 2012 the school converted to academy status. The current principal is Mr Ian Rimmer.

The school today

King James's School is a comprehensive secondary school with a catchment area that includes Almondbury, Dalton, Grange Moor, Kirkheaton and Lepton. The school offers GCSEs, BTECs and Cambridge Nationals as programmes of study for pupils. It has been labelled Britain's strictest school after a new rule book containing 40 new rules. Ones including not looking out of the window and asking why when they have been told off.

Publications

The school is the subject of two histories: A History of King James's Grammar School in Almondbury and King James's School in Almondbury: An Illustrated History.
A book Morning Assembly gives a detailed account of the life of former headmaster Harry Taylor together with a compilation in facsimile form of some 100 prayers collected by Harry Taylor for use each day at morning assembly.

Notable former pupils

King James's Grammar School