European School, Culham
Encyclopedia
The European School in Culham
, Oxfordshire
, is one of 14 European School
s around Europe
and the only one in United Kingdom
and currently has around 800 Nursery/Primary (4–11 years old) and secondary (11–18 years old) students.
It is sited on the grounds of the former Culham College, a teacher training college established in 1852 by Samuel Wilberforce
, Bishop of Oxford
. The Gothic Revival architect
Joseph Clarke
designed its buildings, and Sherwood and Pevsner
described them as "institutional Victorian Gothic at its grimmest".
As of October 12, 2003, the student population of the European School, Culham was 884 — of which 88 were in the nursery school, 343 in the primary school and 453 in the secondary school.
The European School Culham school newspaper was set up in 1994 as the "Culham Oracle". Recently it changed name to BIAS.
There are five language sections: German (DP or DS), French (FP or FS), Italian (IP or IS), Dutch (NP or NS) and English (EP or ES).
Each language has its own year group:
Nursery
Primary ("X"P)
Secondary ("X"S)
For nursery there are two year groups. For Primary there are 5 year groups ("X"P1 to "X"P5)and for secondary there are 7 ("X"S1 to "X"S7). With the number of students in the Dutch and Italian sections decreasing these groups are usually grouped with the English classes for Science, Sports and Maths. L1 is still taught to the semi-merged groups in mother tongue.
The school's future is currently under discussion. These schools were formed primarily with the aim of serving Commission's employees where EU projects were present. JET/EFDA, in Culham, is currently scheduled for closure with the project moving to Cadarache, France around 2016/17. Parents and the local community are seeking to transform the school in order to safeguard its future as an associate European school. Details on the related activities can be accessed from the CESPA or the English Trust for European Education
ETEE sites (see below).
Culham
Culham is a village and civil parish on the north bank of the River Thames, just over south of Abingdon in Oxfordshire.-Manor:The toponym comes from the Old English Cula's hamm, referring to the village's position in a bend of the Thames...
, Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
, is one of 14 European School
European School
The European Schools are co-educational schools providing nursery, primary and secondary. They are established to provide free education for children of personnel of the European Institutions and leading to the European Baccalaureate. Other children may be admitted subject to the availability of...
s around Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and the only one in United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and currently has around 800 Nursery/Primary (4–11 years old) and secondary (11–18 years old) students.
It is sited on the grounds of the former Culham College, a teacher training college established in 1852 by Samuel Wilberforce
Samuel Wilberforce
Samuel Wilberforce was an English bishop in the Church of England, third son of William Wilberforce. Known as "Soapy Sam", Wilberforce was one of the greatest public speakers of his time and place...
, Bishop of Oxford
Bishop of Oxford
The Bishop of Oxford is the diocesan bishop of the Church of England Diocese of Oxford in the Province of Canterbury; his seat is at Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford...
. The Gothic Revival architect
Gothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
Joseph Clarke
Joseph Clarke (architect)
Joseph Clarke, FRIBA was a British Gothic Revival architect who practised in London, England.-Career:In 1839 Clarke exhibited an antiquarian drawing with the Oxford Society for Promoting the Study of Gothic Architecture. Clarke was made an Associate of the Royal Institute of British Architects in...
designed its buildings, and Sherwood and Pevsner
Nikolaus Pevsner
Sir Nikolaus Bernhard Leon Pevsner, CBE, FBA was a German-born British scholar of history of art and, especially, of history of architecture...
described them as "institutional Victorian Gothic at its grimmest".
As of October 12, 2003, the student population of the European School, Culham was 884 — of which 88 were in the nursery school, 343 in the primary school and 453 in the secondary school.
The European School Culham school newspaper was set up in 1994 as the "Culham Oracle". Recently it changed name to BIAS.
There are five language sections: German (DP or DS), French (FP or FS), Italian (IP or IS), Dutch (NP or NS) and English (EP or ES).
Each language has its own year group:
Nursery
Primary ("X"P)
Secondary ("X"S)
For nursery there are two year groups. For Primary there are 5 year groups ("X"P1 to "X"P5)and for secondary there are 7 ("X"S1 to "X"S7). With the number of students in the Dutch and Italian sections decreasing these groups are usually grouped with the English classes for Science, Sports and Maths. L1 is still taught to the semi-merged groups in mother tongue.
The school's future is currently under discussion. These schools were formed primarily with the aim of serving Commission's employees where EU projects were present. JET/EFDA, in Culham, is currently scheduled for closure with the project moving to Cadarache, France around 2016/17. Parents and the local community are seeking to transform the school in order to safeguard its future as an associate European school. Details on the related activities can be accessed from the CESPA or the English Trust for European Education
English Trust for European Education
The English Trust for European Education is a UK registered charitable organisation founded in 2008 to further the principles of European Education in England, as taught in the European School, Culham. Prof...
ETEE sites (see below).
Sport
The school's basketball team were U14 national champions in 2000 and U19 national champions in 2003. The school finished 9th in Eurosport 2005 in Munich and 6th in Karlsruhe in 2009.Facilities
The European School Culham has many sport and educational facilities. These are:- A full-size basketball/volleyball indoor sports hall
- A five-a-side sized indoor gym
- A sport field
- Another sport field across the road which can be accessed using a bridge going across Abingdon road
- A library
- 4 computer rooms.