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The Kings of Wessex School is a coeducational comprehensive school located in Cheddar, Somerset, England. It has 1,197 students aged 13 to 18,[1] of both genders and all ability levels. It is run as a Church of England foundation school. It was awarded the specialist status of Technology College in 2001, enabling it to develop its IT facilities and improve courses in Science, Mathematics and Design Technology. The school runs a leisure centre, Kings Fitness & Leisure, which has a swimming pool and sports facilities that are used by its students and the pupils of other schools in the surrounding area, as well as being open to members of the public. The school grounds contain the ruins of an ancient Saxon palace and chapel. The school has achieved accreditation from Investors in People.[2] It has also received a Sportsmark award and two Artsmark awards in the 2001–2002 and 2004–2005 academic years.[3]
[edit] Academic performanceThe school produces strong academic results. Its Key Stage 3 scores for 2005 were an aggregate percentage score of 250, compared with 225 for schools in Somerset and 217 for schools in England.[4] At GCSE level 73% of pupils achieved 5 or more A* to C grade passes, compared with 56% in Somerset and the rest of England.[5] In 2006 the measure of GCSE performance was changed to 5 or more A* to C grade passes including Mathematics and English. Using this new stricter measure the school scored 64% compared with 44.4% in Somerset and 45.8% in England.[6] In 2008, three GCSE RE students obtained marks which placed them in the top ten nationally of the 67,739 students who took the exam.[7] In 2009, the school achieved its best ever GCSE results, with 81% of pupils gaining five or more A* to C passes, and 70% gaining five A* to C passes including maths and English,[8] making it the top performing school in Somerset. [edit] Ofsted inspectionsA 2007 Ofsted report, based on an inspection that took place in April 2007, concluded that the school "provides a good standard of education and has some outstanding features. As one parent rightly commented, ‘It is a school of which to be proud’". Furthermore it stated "There is a shared commitment on the part of leaders, staff and governors to raising achievement. This is an inclusive school with a number of key strengths. The school’s work in partnership with others to promote learners’ well-being is excellent. The students’ enjoyment of school is outstanding. The specialist provision for students with learning difficulties and disabilities is excellent". It did highlight some areas where the school could improve, most notably the lower achievements of boys compared with girls, and the need to promote independent learning within the classroom and outside of school. The report acknowledged that the school had made well targeted improvements since its 2002 inspection, but pointed out that "Development plans are not clear enough about how actions will be evaluated, particularly their effect on pupils’ achievement".[9] A previous Ofsted report from 2002 stated that The Kings of Wessex was a "good school with a very good sixth form" and enabled its students to do well in examinations and tests. It described the school as a "friendly, harmonious community" and praised the way students took responsibility for their own learning. Its criticisms included the complaints that religious education was not adequate for older students, and that not all students could take part in daily collective worship.[10] [edit] History [edit] Historic linksThe school is located within a conservation area and all building work is supervised in case excavations reveal any significant archaeological finds. The grounds contain the remains of a Saxon palace.[11] A wooden "great hall" was constructed around the reign of King Alfred the Great (died 899AD). It was rebuilt around 930 AD and a chapel and other buildings were added. The palace hosted the Witenagemot, an assembly of powerful figures, in AD 941, 956 and 968. The remains were excavated during the construction of the school, but have since been re-buried. The layout is marked with concrete plinths. In January 2006, during the building of a new languages block at the school a grave, believed to be Roman, was uncovered.[12] The grave contained the skeleton of a man, believed to be around 50 years old and pagan rather than Christian due to the north-south orientation of the grave. At least one member of staff has been found to have genetic links to stone age inhabitants of the area.[13] Scientists compared DNA taken from a 9,000 year-old skeleton known as "Cheddar Man" with that of fifteen school pupils and five adults from Cheddar village. A match was found, appropriately enough with the school's history teacher, Adrian Targett. This is claimed to be the longest human lineage ever to be traced, and supports the theory that the Britons were descended from ancient hunter-gatherers who later turned to agriculture, rather than a from more recent wave of immigrant farmers. The school and its grounds are also used by the Kingfisher Trust's Christian youth camps in early August each year. [edit] Technology College statusBeing in a rural area with few large local manufacturers, the school had some difficulty in raising the £54,000 of sponsorship necessary to gain Technology College status,[14] but many small donations from local employers and charities enabled it to reach the target. The headmaster claimed that the process of soliciting funds helped the school to refine its focus and gave local businesses more of a stake in the school. He also stressed that the new status of Technology College would not lead to any reduction of its strength in the arts. [edit] Foundation statusIn 2006, the school governors voted for foundation status. This was well supported despite some vocal opposition from a minority of parents in the local press. Foundation status has not changed the school's Christian ethos. It still maintains close ties with St Andrews Church in Cheddar and the vicar remains as one of the school governors. [edit] Sports centreIn April 2009, the sports centre, which is located within the grounds of the school, was taken over by the school. It was previously run by Somerset County Council, but is now owned and operated by the school and has been rebranded as Kings Fitness & Leisure. The takeover follows an attempt by Sedgemoor District Council, who subsidise the swimming pool, to reduce its funding contribution to the centre by diverting money set aside for maintenance to fund operation.[15] The council's attempt was abandoned following a local protest campaign.[16] [edit] FutureIn 2006, the school opened a new languages block. In January 2008, it opened a new drama building, the Kings Theatre.[17] Unfortunately there is no prospect of government money being made available under the Building Schools for the Future initiative to rebuild the main fabric of the school within the next 10 years. The school is currently attempting to get permission to rebuild their main entrance allowing for a two-way flow of traffic. [edit] ControversyThe school has a reputation for maintaining strict discipline. In 2003, 22 children who were said to be wearing unsuitable uniforms were isolated in the school's supervised learning unit and forbidden to talk to each other.[18] Some had been wearing plain blazers purchased at supermarkets, instead of the more expensive blazers with badges available only from the school outfitters. Although parents soon complied with the regulations, they compared the measures to Dickensian strictness and formed an action committee which protested to the local education authority and to Education Secretary Charles Clarke. The headteacher justified the action, saying it had the desired effect. The schools pointed out that financial help is available for parents with modest means. In January 2007, the school featured in TV and national newspaper reports following the punishment of a year 11 pupil for eating an apple in an area of the school where the consumption of food is forbidden. The pupil chose to ignore the 30 minute detention that he was given as punishment. As a result he was given an after school detention which he again ignored. The school then placed the pupil in the supervised learning unit for a day. The pupil's parents took the story to local TV station ITV West News, but then the story was picked up by the BBC,[19] as well as local and national newspapers.[20][21] The school defended its action and issued a press statement which said "For health and safety reasons students are only allowed to eat in designated areas (the school hall and gym). All students are aware of this rule and the consequences of not adhering to it." and "The Kings of Wessex is a high performing school and has high expectations of all students both in terms of academic work and behaviour. Kings is currently oversubscribed in all year groups. It is unfortunate this student and parents chose to escalate a relatively minor disciplinary incident by repeatedly refusing to accept the punishment." Subsequent press coverage praised the school for taking a firm stance on discipline.[22] In June 2009, the school once again made national headlines when the head, Chris Richardson, announced a ban on pupils kissing.[23] The Sun, a tabloid newspaper, used the headline "It's Snogwarts" in its article about the kissing ban.[24] It also made reference to the previous apple and blazer related controversies. [edit] AlumniNotable alumni include:
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