This chronology was originally by Dee Wetherell. Information on the education acts was contributed by Elizabeth Hoadley-Maidment. Additional research was by David Wilcock.
| Date | Event Related to Towcester Grammar School / Sponne School |
|---|---|
| 1430 | The datestone on the present building reads "Founded 1430 Rebuilt 1927" The school existed as such in the Chantry House as per instructions in the will of Archdeacon William Sponne and was run by the trust until 1867. |
| 1691 | The first school uniform? A benefactor to the school, William Perry, gave a piece of land in the parish of St. Margaret, Westminster, for the teaching of two poor boys in the parish of Towcester and for providing them with orange coloured coats and green caps, once in two years, at the discretion of the Churchwardens. (Ref 1). |
| 1738 | The school was educating 21 boys of Towcester and one of Greens Norton. |
| 1825 | An inspection by Lord Brougham's Commission found 22 boys at the school receiving elementary education in reading, writing and arithmetic, and in Latin "if they wished for it" [which they did not]. It was a grammar school and was "conducted in a manner satisfactory to the inhabitants". |
| 1850 | The Factory Act restricted all women and young people to no more than ten-and-a-half hours work a day. From the 1850s, Britain was the leading industrial power in the world. Superseding the early dominance of textiles, railway, construction, iron- and steel-working soon gave new impetus to the British economy. |
| 1866 | The inspection by the Endowed Schools Inquiry Commission reported that the "..Grammar School at Towcester is, to speak plainly, in an utterly bad and valueless state". Shortly afterwards the school was closed down. |
| 1867 | Plans were drawn up for a new school to be built by the police station. No action was taken on the plans and the school closed down indefinitely. During closure 'the trustees paid for the "charity boys" to be educated in Towcester Commercial School, first under John Steane and then (1881) under Dr W. T. Knight'. |
| 1869 | Endowed Schools Act. This resulted from the work of the Taunton Commission (1864-1868) which found that there were many towns without secondary schools. The commission recommended the establishment of rate-aided [paid for by local taxes] secondary schools which were established under the Act. This act provided for genuine mass education on a scale not seen before. The State became more interventionist and encouraged voluntary action assisted by local authorities. Elected school boards were permitted to levy money for fees and given powers to enforce attendance of most children below the age of thirteen. By 1874, over 5,000 new schools had been founded. (Ref 5). |
| 1887 | ' a new scheme under the Endowed Schools act of 1869 was approved by Queen Victoria. The Chantry house was surveyed and found to be in need of rebuilding.' The building was sold and local residents provided money for a new school. Principal benefactors were: Duke of Grafton, Sir Thomas G. Fermor Hesketh, Bart M.P., Lord Southampton & Thomas Ridgway Esq (each gave £100). Other local businessmen and the like gave smaller sums. (Ref 1). The Feoffees asked the architect to prepare plans for a school for 80 boys, and a headmasters house. |
| 1890 | Prior to the re opening of the school in a new site with a new headmaster there were some 'aspersions' made by Dr Knight about the conduct of the governors of the school and their hiring of a new headmaster. This led to an open letter 'to the ratepayers of Towcester' by one of the governors, R. W. Watkins that included a copy of an address given to the successful applicant by the college he was leaving. Dr Knight was trying to get on the governing board despite having a conflict of interest. |
| 1890 | The school reopened with 33 boys and new buildings costing £1050 built on the Brackley Road. The headmaster was Mr John Wetherell M.A. formally of Liverpool College. He was head until 1920. |
| 1892 | The first county council payment of £30 per annum was made and a photograph of the whole school was taken. |
| 1902 | The Balfour Education Act created Local Education Authorities which took over responsibility for board (elementary) schools and for grammar school funding. Endowed schools were grant-aided by LEAs while municipal and county secondary schools were maintained by LEAs. (The difference relates to the Articles of Governance.) |
| 1908 | Mr Andrew Gibbs was appointed as assistant to Mr Wetherell and stayed at the school for 36 years (1908-1944) |
| 1913 | County council took full responsibility for the school. |
| 1914 | Work started on building the Council Secondary School nearby. (Ref 3). |
| 1918 | The Fisher Education Act made secondary education compulsory up to the age of fourteen. Secondary education became a state responsibility. Under this Act, many endowed secondary schools sought to become central schools or secondary schools. I assume that girls were admitted to Towcester Grammar School/Sponne School as a result of this act. |
| 1920 | Mr Wetherell tendered his resignation and retired on 1st February. He died a few weeks later. |
| 1920 | P.G.F.Clark head (1920 - 1954). His proposal that the school colours should be blue and red and the Archdeacon Sponne's crest should be adopted as the school badge was rejected by the County Council on the grounds of the cost of the legal fees. (Ref 1) |
| 1920 | Girls were allowed in the school for the first time. There were 42 boys and 40 girls. |
| 1922 | There were 128 pupils. A full inspection by the Board of Education said the school "has made a good beginning and should do well". |
| 1923 | The original buildings were destroyed by fire on 12th December 1923. |
| 1926 | Mr P.G.F.Clark, the head master, founded the "Old Towcesterian's Association" which still flourishes today, with Rugby football, Cricket, Hockey and Tennis. |
| 1928 | The replacement building, still in use today, was officially opened on Wednesday 18th January 1928 by Sir A.R. de Capell Brooke, Bart., Chairman of Northamptonshire County Council. It was designed to accommodate 220 children a quarter of whom were admitted free, the rest paying fees of £4 10s 0d per term. |
| 1944 | The Butler Education Act established the tri-partite system of secondary education: grammar schools, secondary moderns and technical high schools. |
| 1947 | School leaving age was raised to fifteen. Following problems with the tripartite system (the technical high schools never really succeeded) the Labour government (I assume the one in the 1960s) sought proposals to move to a comprehensive system. However, this was done on a regional basis and as a result there are still some LEAs with grammar schools. |
| 1955 | Mr D.A.Beacock head (August 1954 - April 1960). (Ref 9). |
| 1955 | Towcester Grammar School Parents Association founded. |
| 1956 | Mr Beacock changed the school uniform from navy gymslips to grey skirts and pinafore dresses and he also changed the style of the hats. |
| 1957 | Plessey Caswell provides an annual grant for the furtherance of scientific education in the school. |
| 1960 | Jack Searle head (1960 - Easter 1969). He wrote a history of the school (Ref 1). |
| 1964 | The school has 400 pupils. |
| 1968 | Towcester Grammar School and the Council Secondary School merged to form Sponne School. (Ref 8). |
| 1969 | John Mayes head (September 1969 - 1991). |
| 1972 | School leaving age raised to sixteen. |
| 1980 | The school has 1050 pupils. |
| 1988 | The Education Reform Act introduced the National Curriculum, league tables and OFSTED to replace the HMI (Her Majesty's Inspectors). This Act was billed at the time as the most comprehensive Education Act since Butler. |
| 1991 | Ian Brown head (1991 - 2003). |
| 1993 | 1993-1995 Major building work physically joined the former secondary school with the former grammar school and provided a new staff room and office area. |
| 1999 | Sponne School became a designated Technology College (Ref 8). |
| 2004 | Jamie Clarke head (September 2004 - present). |
| 2010 | The school has 1200 pupils, around 80 teachers and 70 support staff. (Ref 8). |
| 2011 | March - Sponne school becomes an Academy |
| 2011 | September - Sponne School becomes a College of Science and Mathematics. |