The School and its buildings
Our School was established on Church Street, Edmonton soon after 1624, and
has occupied its present site on Haselbury Road since 1910, the same year that
the current school motto QUI PATITUR VINCIT (Who endures wins) was
introduced by Richard Ashworth, the Headteacher of that era.
Much of the North end of the school dates from 1910 with substantial additions
including The Great Hall, in 1928 and further development particularly the
Gymnasia and Technical Labs in 1966. A new Performing Arts Centre was
built in 2000 and the Sports/Dining Hall complex was completed in 2006.
Apart from general teaching rooms there are a large number of
rooms dedicated to specialist teaching. There is a suite of 12 Science
laboratories, all of which have been fully re-equipped and modernised.
Our 6 Technology rooms have similarly been upgraded.
There is a suite of specialist ICT rooms which are used extensively in
the teaching of a large number of curriculum subjects. The suite contains over 200
modern PCs, all networked and widely accessible to pupils and teaching staff.
Pupils have controlled access to the Internet and there is a comprehensive
Intranet service. Increasing use is being made of interactive whiteboard and
wireless technology and we have developed home to school links to provide
students and staff with remote access to learning resources.
The School has the benefit of a large Library with some 20,000 volumes in
stock and a chartered librarian to offer help and advice. In addition a separate
Learning Resources Centre contains a further 2,000 reference volumes, a wide
selection of periodicals and ICT facilities. All our pupils are trained in ways
of retrieving information for their school work and for their interest and are
encouraged to use the facilities for study at lunchtime and after school. There
is Connexions Careers Library with extensive on- and
off-line facilities for accessing the latest data on university courses and
avenues for future career development.
For the Sixth Form, there is a large Common Room and a quiet Study area
with computer access.
The Music, Drama and Media Studies departments have specialist facilities
in their dedicated building, offering a range of studios, larger spaces for
music and drama and air conditioned individual music practice rooms.
A multi-purpose performance space (auditorium/theatre/art gallery) is planned for 2009.
For PE, there are approximately 12 acres of playing fields
laid out, according to season, for football, hockey, rugby, cricket, rounders
and athletics. Tennis is played on the tarmac area at the rear of the School.
A 4 Badminton court Sports Hall was commissioned in 2006. The building also houses a
Sports Science and two further classrooms, a Fitness Room, and a new Dining hall and kitchen.
Girls' and Boys' Changing Rooms & Showers have been refurbished as have all
toilet facilities over a four year development program.
Our Great Hall, with a fully equipped stage and seating for over 1000
people, is used for whole school assemblies, concerts, drama productions and
other major school events.
The Latymer Foundation
In 1624, a City merchant Edward Latymer bequeathed certain property to trustees
on condition that they were to clothe and educate “eight poore boies of
Edmonton”. With this endowment the School was first established close to
Edmonton Parish Church. The original endowment and those of subsequent
benefactors now comprise The Latymer Foundation at Edmonton. This supports the
School in many ways - ownership of the Field Centre in Snowdonia being one. The
debt we all owe to the memory of Edward Latymer is recognised each year at our
Foundation Day services.
The School and its Governors greatly value the degree of independence bestowed
by its founder's generosity and its Voluntary Aided status which have allowed it
to develop traditions of excellence in many spheres while staying firmly
anchored in the maintained sector of education.