Vandyke Upper School

Vandyke Upper School and Community College is an Upper School and Sixth Form college in Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire, England. There are currently 1,287 students attending compulsory education at Vandyke, with a further 261 students making up the 6th form.

History

The school was opened in 1976 as a comprehensive school for 13-18 year olds.

During the Ofsted inspection that took place between the 13th and 14th of December 2006, Vandyke Upper School achieved a Grade 2 (Good) rating.

Achievements

 

For several years, Vandyke Upper School has been a participant of the Rock Challenge, a dance and drama event promoting healthy lifestyles amongst school pupils. In September 2005, Vandyke Upper School achieved Sports College status. Vandyke Upper was granted £113,940 from the British Government's Big Lottery Fund in July 2006. The funding is to provide out of hours sporting activities to promote healthy living and open up new opportunities in sport for young people. In July 2007, the school was awarded the Government Charter Mark for excellence in customer service. Vandyke Upper School met 63 exacting standards of customer service to qualify for the award. The Government's Key performance indicator, a program that logs school's GCSE and Key Stage Two exam performances, has placed Vandyke's results in the top 25% of schools across the country. According to the log, 61 percent of Vandyke students attained A* to C grades in their GCSE's in 2007.

School Site

The main site of the school is divided into two main buildings. The buildings are divided into blocks which house different departmental sections of the school:

Main Building	Secondary Building
Administrative Block	English Department
Sixth Form Admin. and facilities	Science Department
Media Department	Year 11 Common Room (formerly 10 and 11 Cafeteria)
TV Studio	Humanities and CPRE Department
Cafeteria	History Department
Theatre and Drama Studio	Foreign Languages Department
Music Department	ICT and Business Department
Dance Studio	FT department
Specialist Sports Department	Design and Art Technology Department
Fitness Building (Gym)	Maths Village

Vandyke Upper School and Community college has facilities such as a flood lit artificial turf pitch and theatre. In 2006 and 2007, construction and refurbishment work occurred resulting in the creation of a new library, new administration blocks, new reception area, sports facilities including a dance studio and changing rooms. Over Summer 2007, work was carried out to refurbish the English block, as well as new buildings being developed within the music department.

Currently work is being undertaken in the Humanities department and the Arts Department to refurbish the Arts Room to make a dark room for the new photography course and the old dining room. The old dining room has been made into a extra PE/Dance Area plus a place for students to eat and relax during Lunch and break times.

Stratton Upper School

Stratton Upper School and Community College is a notable upper school located in Biggleswade, Bedfordshire, England. It is situated to the east of the town. The school has proven to be a relative success with Osted regarding the school as 'good with outstanding features'.

Admissions

The school educates 13 - 16 year olds, mainly from the town of Biggleswade and some surrounding villages (including some from Cambridgeshire). In addition, the school offers further education for 16 - 18 year olds through its Sixth form department.

Stratton Upper School is a specialist Mathematics and Computing College, and has also been designated as a Training school. As a training school the school offers a postgraduate programme as well as a Graduate Teacher Programme, and an Access to Education Scheme. It also has a working farm.

History

 

The school used to be known as Stratton Grammar Technical School which opened in 1950. In 1974 it became Stratton Upper School, from ages 14 to 18. In 1976 it became a comprehensive. It was built in such a fashion that if necessary it could be used as a war hospital in the event of future wars.

Sandy Upper School

Sandy Upper School and Community Sports College is an upper school located in Sandy, Bedfordshire, England.
The school educates 13 - 16 year olds, mainly from the town of Sandy and some surrounding villages. In addition, the school offers further education for 16 - 18 year olds through its Sixth form department.
Sandy Upper School was designated as a specialist Sports College in 2003. As a result of this, the school has improved its sporting facilities and hired specialised and dedicated sports teaching staff.

Samuel Whitbread Community College

Samuel Whitbread Community College serves the rural communities around the small market town of Shefford in Central Bedfordshire. It consists of an expanding upper school for years 13-18, a nursery school and facilities for adult education. The school holds Specialist Engineering College status.

History 

1970s

Originally designated Shefford & District Upper School, it was as Samuel Whitbread Upper School that it opened on a purpose-built site on the 4th September 1973, as part of Bedfordshire County Council's re-organisation into a 3-tier, non-selective school system. Adult education provision was in place from the beginning under Mr Gordon Ainscough, but the name of the institution was not changed to Samuel Whitbread Upper School and Community College until 1975 (when the 'Headmaster' became the 'Head') and it became Samuel Whitbread Community College, (led by a 'Principal') at some point in the late 90s.

The Headmaster when the school opened was Mr Kenneth Dodsworth, and the Chairman of Governors was Alderman W. Inskip.
The original intention was for the school to have an eventual roll of 1100, drawn from the existing secondary modern schools Robert Bloomfield and Etonbury, which were to become middle schools, and from 1975, a planned purpose-built Henlow Middle School.

There were 457 pupils when the school was opened: 249 in what was then '3rd Year' (now known as Year 9) from the Robert Bloomfield and Etonbury Schools; 94 in the '4th Year' (Year 10) and 117 in the 5th Year (Year 11) who were from Robert Bloomfield only. A vestigial 6th Form of 5 former Robert Bloomfield pupils was enrolled, although 6th form courses were not yet in place.

30 teachers were employed in September 1973, the last of whom retired in 2007, at that time there were 25 support staff, including 8 cleaners and 9 kitchen assistants. 

21st century

The site was extensively updated to provide new facilities and space for school departments as part of a Private Finance Initiative with the companies Bilfinger Berger, Galliford Try, Gensler and Helaba. The site is owned by Bilfinger Berger and maintained by Galliford Try Facilities Management. The new buildings were officially opened by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on 17th November 2006.

Samuel Whitbread's current Principal is Mr. Robert Robson.

The 2007 students (Year 11) are the biggest year group in the country with over 450 in one year.

Seeing itself as part of the local community, the college has instituted a "Good Neighbour" policy, which, amongst other things, includes small teams of pupils giving up an hour or two of their time to remove the huge amounts of litter scattered around the school and on most routes to and from the school.

Catchment area

The catchment area is bounded by the parishes of Arlesey, Stotfold, Stondon, Shillington, Campton, Chicksands, Haynes, Southill Stanford, Langford and Meppershall.

However, as with all schools, many students come from outside these catchment areas because of the college's specialist Engineering status. It also collaborates with other schools, so that students from local schools who choose to do an Engineering Diploma can study at the college. 

Sporting Achievements

The Year 11 Rugby team, consisting of many talented players, won the Bedfordshire Schools County Cup in 2010, beating Icknield High School 55-0 at Luton Rugby Club. This victory accompanies their previous County Cup successes, winning the trophy in 2009 and also 2008. They have now won the cup three years in a row, a prestigious achievement. 

Hall System

To help with managing the large number of students, the school employs a Hall system, whereby students are separated into two "halls" with which they are permanently associated.

The two halls are:

• Curie - Hall colour: Green
• Brunel - Hall colour: Blue

They are named after Marie Curie and Isambard Kingdom Brunel respectively. The colour scheme extends to uniform and student "planners", (diaries).

These halls are used to simplify lesson planning and other activities within school. Sporting events may be organised along "hall" lines.

Notable former students

• Ben Whishaw, actor, noted for acting the lead role in Tom Tykwer's film Perfume: The Story of a Murderer.

• Jack Collison A truly talented footballer during his time at the school who has gone on to represent Wales' u21s and full national side as well as playing for West Ham United's first XI.

Redborne Upper School and Community College

Redborne Upper School and Community College is an upper school located in Ampthill, Bedfordshire, England. The school serves the population of Ampthill, Flitwick and surrounding villages.
The school is specialist Sports College and has also been designated as a Training school. As a training school the school offers a postgraduate programme as well as a Graduate Teacher Programme, and an Access to Education Scheme. Through this the school has links with the University of Bedfordshire, Oxford Brookes University and Bedford College.
In July 2009, the school was awarded an Artsmark gold award from Arts Council England. The award is in recognition of the school's excellence in arts education.

Queensbury Upper School

Queensbury Upper School is a mixed, 13-18 upper school and sixth form in Dunstable, Bedfordshire, England. The school has been awarded Specialist Technology College status.

History

Kingsbury Technical College for Boys (a mixed-sex grammar school) and Queen Eleanor's School for Girls were merged in 1972 to form Queensbury Upper School, when Bedfordshire changed from a two-tier school system to a three-tier system.

Queensbury was the second Grant-maintained school. The school had been flagged for closure but the community, including the local MP, David Madel, fought to keep it open and took advantage of the introduction of the grant-maintained system introduced in 1988. Grant-maintained schools were abolished in 1998, and Queensbury converted to a Foundation School. The ten years as a Grant-maintained school had seen it increase in popularity from very low enrollment numbers (as the school was due to close) to being heavily oversubscribed.

Teachers

 

There are more than 101 teachers currently teaching in Queensbury Upper School.

Location

 

Queensbury is surrounded by three roads, Canesworde Road, Langdale Road and Hilton Avenue (Most of the roads located in this area are named after places in the Lake District). It is in South West Dunstable, but takes children from across Dunstable and the surrounding villages.

The site

 

Because the school used to be two separate schools, the buildings are quite a distant apart. There are two entrances from different sides of the site. On Langdale Road, there is the entrance to East building (the former Queen Eleanor's), and opposite Meadway there is an entrance to West building (via. Canesworde Road). The most recent addition to the school was 'Central' building in 785489.

Due to the site previously being two separate schools, there is some duplication in rooms across the school. There are, for instance, two gyms, main halls and canteens. Until the completion of Central building there were also two staff rooms; one per building.

Manshead Upper School

Manshead Upper School is a Church of England upper school located on the outskirts of both Caddington and Dunstable in Bedfordshire, England. The school (surrounded by countryside and hills) is administered by the Dunstable Ashton Foundation.

The school is the modern successor to Dunstable Grammar School which existed from 1881 to 1971 when Bedfordshire adopted the Comprehensive Education system. Manshead Upper School accepts students aged 13-18 from Dunstable, Caddington and the surrounding villages. The number of students currently attending is approximately 1100. Ashton (VA) Middle School in particular acts as a feeder school to Manshead. The School specialises in Science and Mathematics and also holds an Artsmark.

Notable alumni

• Khwaja Nazimuddin - Prime Minister of Pakistan 1951-53
• Kevin McCloud - designer, writer and television presenter
• Tim Robinson - former cricketer and current cricket umpire

Harlington Upper School

Harlington Upper School (aka: HUS) is a rural, coeducational comprehensive school in Harlington, Bedfordshire as well as a successful sixth form. The school holds Specialist Science College status.

History

The school was established in 1783 and the buildings have recently been completely refurbished. In 2007 a house-based approach to student support was developed which includes mixed-age or "vertical" tutor groups. This complements the invitation for Harlington to become the Deep Support Hub for the Eastern Region. The school is now one of only 9 schools nationally to have this status.

Students

 

The majority of students join Harlington from three Bedfordshire middle schools: Arnold, Parkfields and Robert Bloomfield. The students mainly live in the villages near Harlington including: Harlington, Toddington, Harlington Mill, Sharpenhoe, Barton-le-Clay, Silsoe, Clophill, Westoning, Greenfield, Flitwick, Luton, Chalton, and Streatley.

Most students join the school in year 9, aged 13. They take Key Stage 3 SATs in year 9 and GCSE exams in year 11, aged 16 or 15. some students stay on at the school after GCSEs and join a large sixth form of over 420. The most famous students to walk through the door of the school are David Beckham and Toby Flood along with the artist Picasso. In 2011 the school had a visit from the glamour model Katie Price, who gave a thrilling assembly on nano-sciences.

Specialist Status

In September 2006 the school gained Specialist Science College Status. The school continues to teach the full range of National Curriculum subjects, but uses its strength and expertise in Science and Mathematics to support other schools and the local community. The school has recently been asked by the DfES and Specialist Schools Trust to become a Deep Support Hub for the Eastern Region.

Cedars Upper School

Cedars Upper School and Community College is a secondary school and sixth form in Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire. The school has held specialist status as a Mathematics and Computing College since September 2006. Due to the specialization, the school is a Microsoft Sponsored School.

History

The school was founded as a grammar school in 1921 in Church Square, at the end of the High Street in Leighton Buzzard. The house was formerly occupied by Mary Norton. In 1973 the school became a comprehensive school and moved to its current location on Mentmore Road. Leighton Middle School was founded at the former location. 

 

Academics

Due to the high concentration on Maths, the school was able to send student representatives to the 2008 regional UK Maths Challenge, and nine students were sent to the National Student Investor Competition.

Houses

 

The school now has five houses named after rivers; Orinoco, Murray, Lena, Danube and Zambezi after the school changed to a vertical tutoring system in 2010.

The former houses were named after the patron saints of England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales; George, Andrew, Patrick and David

Awards

• David Heather, 2006, The Guardian regional award for "Teacher of the Year in a Secondary School.

 

All Saints Academy

All Saints Academy (formerly The Northfields Technology College) is an academy located in Dunstable, Bedfordshire, England.

All Saints educates 13 - 16 year olds, mainly from the town of Dunstable and some surrounding villages. In addition, the academy offers further education for 16 - 18 year olds through its sixth form department.

History

The school was launched under the direction of Frank Underwood on January 14, 1936, with 336 students. It was then known as Northfields Senior Elementary School. As a consequence of the Education Act 1944, Northfields then became a secondary modern school.

Following the 1967 Plowden Report, Bedfordshire LEA decided to implement the three-tier education system of lower, middle and upper schools in the county. By the end of the 1970s, Northfields was redesignated as a comprehensive upper school.

The school was among the first to operate a farm on site, with children looking after the animals, under Mr Jones (Science teacher) advice. There were pigs, cows & chickens, eggs were collected & either hatched or sold, the pigs & cows went through a full life cycle before entering the food chain. A part of the farm was given over to crops and farming methods. The farm lost importance in the mid-1970s and part of the land was taken for the new sports hall, as a result the farm lost its viability. Head Master at the time was Mr David Fone, Deputy Head Mrs Baines.

In the early 1980s under David Fone, the school took part in an experiment to promote the use of computers in schools and as a result received special funding which paid for BBC Model B computers in almost every classroom and every subject. The computers were linked by an early form of network. Some homework was done on computer and saved on network directories. There was also an attempt to fully computerise the school records. As a result of this David Fone received an OBE in 1989.

The school went through a period of decline, and was put into special measures in the early 2000s. However the school improved, and was renamed The Northfields Technology College after the school gained specialist status as a technology college.

Academy

 

The Northfields Technology College closed on 31 August 2009. It reopened the next day as the new All Saints Academy. The academy specialises in Science and Business, and will relocate to a new multi-million pound purpose-built school on the same site by 2012.

All Saints is sponsored by the St Albans Diocese of the Church of England and the University of Bedfordshire. Manshead Upper School in Dunstable is also sponsored by the Church of England, and objections have been made about possible religious influences on education in Dunstable as a whole (Queensbury Upper School is the only secondary school not be linked to the Church in Dunstable).

Notable alumni

• Faye Tozer, a theatre actress and singer who first gained fame as a member of the pop group Steps