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Knights Templar School
Address
Park Street Baldock, Hertfordshire England
Information
Type	State
Established	1939
Head teacher	Andrew Pickering
Age	11 to 18
Enrollment	Approx. 1331

Knights Templar School is located in the market town of Baldock in North Hertfordshire. In a February 2006 OFSTED report, the school was described as "outstanding", one of only eight secondary schools in Hertfordshire to be so recognised.

History

The Knights Templar School opened the day before the start of the Second World War in 1939 as the Baldock Secondary School, and was renamed The Knights Templar School by Vivian Crellin, a former Headmaster of the school and a scholar of Baldock's medieval history . Since that time the school has seen several new buildings and ever increasing pupil numbers, leading to oversubscription every year. The school claims no connection with the Masonic order of Knights Templars or with The Da Vinci Code – rather, it is named after the chivalrous medieval order of the Knights Templar, who founded Baldock and built the original 12th century parish church of St Mary the Virgin. in the town. The motto of the Knights Templar School is "Courage and Courtesy".

Houses

The school Houses are named Crellin, Hancock, Hine, Pembroke, Bennett, Knights and Templar. They are named after former Headmasters of the school, local educationists, the Earl of Pembroke (the school is supposedly built on land owned by the Earl in the medieval period), and the Knights Templars, after whom the school was re-named.

Recent years

In September 2005 it became a specialist school for Sport and the Performing Arts. Indeed, the school has always had a strong musical tradition, with about a third of all pupils taking extra tuition in an instrument or voice. The Big Band and Senior Chamber Choir regularly perform locally and the school organises a music tour bi-annually, geared mainly towards these two groups (though anyone is welcome). The last was to Budapest in Hungary and the next will be to Liguria in Italy in July 2008. A former pupil, Frances Balmer, won the 2004 BBC Proms Young Composers' Competition .

The Knights Templar School received a great deal of coverage in the national media in 2002 over the 'fixing' of 'A' level grades by examination boards. The school was the first in the country to appeal the grades awarded to its students in GCE 'Psychology'

Several years ago the school's GCSE Art results were in the top 10 in the country. In July 2007 the school's Art Department successfully gained the Guinness World Record for Painting by Numbers.

As a specialist school in Sport the Knights Templar School also has a million-pound sports centre with fitness suite and a flood-lit all-weather sports pitch.

There are currently (in 2007) 1331 pupils on the school's roll.

Notable former students

• Leanne Wilson (actress)
• Rowan Oliver, drummer with Goldfrapp

References

1. "Inspectors name outstanding schools" – Guardian Unlimited
2. OFSTED report, February 2006
3. Performance as reported on BBC website
4. Hertfordshire Genealogy: Baldock

External links

• Knights Templar School website
• The Knights Templar School on the 'Good Schools Guide'
• Religious Education Department website

• Schools in Hertfordshire