major public schools". This success was not insignificant: Twenty-three places between 1950 and 1962. A fire in 1971 caused £5,000 worth of damage to the school. Between 2006 and 2009 the Ashley Thorne Building (named after a former and long serving governor of the school) was built to house the music and drama departments, as well as a new library. The latter has since been converted into Sixth Form study space and the library moved to its previous position in the school. Uniform Poole Grammar students in Years 7–11 wear a uniform of a green blazer, black or grey trousers and a white shirt. The boys in Years 7–8 wear a school tie without stripes, those in Year 9–11 wear a tie with stripes. Once entering the sixth form, students may wear their own choice of clothing, though this must still include a shirt and tie, smart trousers and either brown or black shoes. For sport, the boys are required to wear a white T-shirt, the school's green and yellow rugby jersey, black shorts and bottle green football socks. When attending science classes or certain Design Technology classes the boys are expected to bring a white lab coat. Subjects Poole Grammar School mandates GCSEs in either double or triple science, English language and literature, mathematics, and religion and philosophy. The school also offers GCSEs in art, biology, computing and ICT, Design Technology (resistant Materials; graphics; food technology), drama, geography, history, foreign languages (French, German, and Spanish), and music. Poole Grammar offers A-Levels in all of the above subjects, as well as ancient history, business studies, economics, geology, media studies, politics, psychology, and sociology. Sports Sport is a major part of life at Poole Grammar, which has only had four heads of sport and physical education since the school was founded. The school owns large playing fields adjacent to the main buildings. They are used as football and rugby pitches, with two overlapping cricket fields and as a running track during the summer. Pupils also play sports on the school playground. The two large gyms provide changing facilities, a climbing wall, indoor volleyball courts and a room for weights and fitness training. The school boasts two astroturf tennis courts, installed in 2008, with a further two concrete courts on the playground used during the summer term. A multi-use games area was installed in 2010. In 2021 Poole Grammar School was granted