Old Newportonian Society (Alumni)
“The Old Newportonian Society is our valued Alumni at Joyce Frankland Academy, Newport. Our Alumni are involved in many events on the Academy Calendar, with highlights across the year. These events are great social events and are open to any member of the Alumni both young and old to attend, share their experiences of the Academy as they remember it and catch up with fellow ex-students, alongside current students, ex and current staff. The committee meets in the second week of each half term to discuss forthcoming Alumni events and how it can best support the Academy.
The Alumni have been great supporters of the Academy, both in sharing their time, experience, expertise and financial resources, showing their willingness to continue in Dame Joyce Frankland’s ambition of developing ‘good members of the Common Wealth’.
Further to helping the Academy, the society also acts as a vehicle for its members to keep in touch with each other after they leave. The society sends out at least two newsletters each year, one in July and one in December, which contain information about forthcoming events, reports from events which have taken place and articles of interest. Please do take the time to sign up to become a member via the application form and share in the community that a thriving Alumni brings.”
Finally, to support raising funds for the Academy, the society runs a 100 club which is drawn at the Committee Meetings. If you would like to take part and support this please complete the form below.
Old Newportonians Application Form
Old Newportonians 100 Club Form
A brief history of the Old Newportonian Society
The Old Newportonian Society was founded in 1895 at the George Inn, Southwark, by a group of former students including A.L. Simmons who attended the Academy from 1882 to 1885. Simmons originally thought of the idea of forming a former students society in a letter to William Waterhouse who was Headmaster from 1878 to 1911.
On 7th December 1895 the Society was officially formed and set up by a few Old Newportonians and has been in continuous existence ever since. Currently there are over one thousand members some fifty of whom live abroad. Since its formation the society has endeavoured to help the Academy in any way it can. In the last thirty years or so, members of the society have contributed in excess of £150,000 to support the Academy. The support of such appeals including raising funds to build the Music Suite and the Drama Studio, as well as supporting individual students or groups of students in the furtherance of their studies, educational and cocurricular pursuits.
Newsletters
Please see our most recent Newsletters from
Committee Members
Committee 2024-25
President: Spencer Hill
Treasurer: Ian Smith [1959-66] and Michael Wheelhouse
100 Club Organiser: Rick Reynolds
Joyce Frankland Academy, Newport Secretaries: Daniel Grindrod and Lee Gamble
Committee Members: Roger Bedford, Jon Dudley, Victoria Hill, Alan Mills, David Morris, Simon Price-Whittle, Duncan Roberts (Principal), Chris Szaj, Martin Szaj, Martin Tomlinson,
Auditor: Richard King [70-77]
