Fairlands Middle School
Encyclopedia
Fairlands Middle School is a middle school
with 510 pupils aged between 9 and 13,
located in Cheddar
, Somerset
, England.
The school, which was established in 1976,
is a middle-deemed-secondary school meaning that it takes pupils of secondary school
age while providing both Key Stage 2
and Key Stage 3
education. Fairlands is part of the Cheddar Valley Community Learning Partnership,
a three-tier education
system which comprises nine first schools, two middle schools and one secondary school. Pupils enter Fairlands from first schools in Cheddar and the nearby villages of Draycott
, Shipham
and Axbridge
. In year 9 pupils move to The Kings of Wessex Academy, also in Cheddar.
of grammar
and secondary modern
schools in England and Wales. Up to this point, the area was served by The Kings of Wessex School secondary modern and Sexey's Grammar School
in nearby Blackford
.
In 1976, the three-tier
Cheddar Valley Community Learning Partnership was established, creating a system of first
, middle
and comprehensive upper
schools in the area. The Kings of Wessex School became a comprehensive, Sexey's Grammar School became Hugh Sexey Church of England Middle School
serving half of the Cheddar Valley,
and Fairlands Middle School was established to serve the other half.
In September 2010, Fairlands was one of the first two middle schools in England to be awarded specialist Technology College
status.
In 2011, Fairlands was twinned with School 108 in the central Russian city of Yekaterinburg
, as part of the BBC
Olympic Dreams project. Both schools will use the partnership for cultural exchange, and to follow the progress of high jump
er and former School 108 pupil Ivan Ukhov
in the 2012 Summer Olympics
.
for Key Stage 2
.
This was below the national average of 73% and the Somerset County Council
average of 75%,
and a drop on the school's achievement for the previous four years.
In 2009, an inspection by Ofsted
rated the school as good on a four point scale of outstanding, good, satisfactory, and poor.
The report praised the school's standard of education, leadership, teaching and expectations by both staff and pupils, all of which had improved since the previous inspection in 2006.
,
whose father was headteacher at The Kings of Wessex School.
Middle school
Middle School and Junior High School are levels of schooling between elementary and high schools. Most school systems use one term or the other, not both. The terms are not interchangeable...
with 510 pupils aged between 9 and 13,
located in Cheddar
Cheddar
Cheddar is a large village and civil parish in the Sedgemoor district of the English county of Somerset. It is situated on the southern edge of the Mendip Hills, north-west of Wells. The civil parish includes the hamlets of Nyland and Bradley Cross...
, Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
, England.
The school, which was established in 1976,
is a middle-deemed-secondary school meaning that it takes pupils of secondary school
Secondary school
Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age, takes place...
age while providing both Key Stage 2
Key Stage 2
Key Stage 2 is the legal term for the four years of schooling in maintained schools in England and Wales normally known as Year 3, Year 4, Year 5 and Year 6, when pupils are aged between 7 and 11. The term is applied differently in Northern Ireland where it refers to pupils in Year 5, Year 6 and...
and Key Stage 3
Key Stage 3
Key Stage 3 is the legal term for the three years of schooling in maintained schools in England and Wales normally known as Year 7, Year 8 and Year 9, when pupils are aged between 11 and 14...
education. Fairlands is part of the Cheddar Valley Community Learning Partnership,
a three-tier education
Three-tier education
Three-tier education refers to those structures of schooling, which exist in some parts of England, where pupils are taught in three distinct school types. A similar experiment was also trialled in Scotland....
system which comprises nine first schools, two middle schools and one secondary school. Pupils enter Fairlands from first schools in Cheddar and the nearby villages of Draycott
Draycott, Somerset
Draycott is a small village in Somerset, England, neighbouring the village of Cheddar on the southern edge of the Mendip Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty...
, Shipham
Shipham
Shipham is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England on the western edge of the Mendip Hills near the A38, approximately south of Bristol. It is in the local government district of Sedgemoor. The parish includes the village of Rowberrow and the hamlet of Star...
and Axbridge
Axbridge
Axbridge is a town in Somerset, England, situated in the Sedgemoor district on the River Axe, near the southern edge of the Mendip Hills. The town population according to the 2001 census was 2,024.-History:...
. In year 9 pupils move to The Kings of Wessex Academy, also in Cheddar.
History
The 1976 Education Act abolished the tripartite education systemTripartite System
The Tripartite System was the arrangement of state funded secondary education between 1944 and the 1970s in England and Wales, and from 1947 to 2009 in Northern Ireland....
of grammar
Grammar school
A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and some other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching classical languages but more recently an academically-oriented secondary school.The original purpose of mediaeval...
and secondary modern
Secondary modern school
A secondary modern school is a type of secondary school that existed in most of the United Kingdom from 1944 until the early 1970s, under the Tripartite System, and was designed for the majority of pupils - those who do not achieve scores in the top 25% of the eleven plus examination...
schools in England and Wales. Up to this point, the area was served by The Kings of Wessex School secondary modern and Sexey's Grammar School
Hugh Sexey Church of England Middle School
Hugh Sexey Church of England Middle School, formerly known as Sexey's School and Sexey's Grammar School, is a middle school and specialist Technology College in Blackford, Somerset, England. The school has 662 pupils, who join aged 9 in year 5 and stay until age 13 in year 8, after which they go to...
in nearby Blackford
Blackford, Somerset
Blackford is a village in Somerset, England, situated beside the A303 road, south west of Wincanton in the South Somerset district. There are two other places called Blackford in Somerset — one is a village near Wedmore, the other a tiny hamlet between Porlock and Minehead.It is part of the...
.
In 1976, the three-tier
Three-tier education
Three-tier education refers to those structures of schooling, which exist in some parts of England, where pupils are taught in three distinct school types. A similar experiment was also trialled in Scotland....
Cheddar Valley Community Learning Partnership was established, creating a system of first
First School
First school and lower school are terms used in some areas of the United Kingdom to describe the first stage of primary education. Some English Local Education Authorities have introduced First Schools since the 1960s...
, middle
Middle school
Middle School and Junior High School are levels of schooling between elementary and high schools. Most school systems use one term or the other, not both. The terms are not interchangeable...
and comprehensive upper
Comprehensive school
A comprehensive school is a state school that does not select its intake on the basis of academic achievement or aptitude. This is in contrast to the selective school system, where admission is restricted on the basis of a selection criteria. The term is commonly used in relation to the United...
schools in the area. The Kings of Wessex School became a comprehensive, Sexey's Grammar School became Hugh Sexey Church of England Middle School
Hugh Sexey Church of England Middle School
Hugh Sexey Church of England Middle School, formerly known as Sexey's School and Sexey's Grammar School, is a middle school and specialist Technology College in Blackford, Somerset, England. The school has 662 pupils, who join aged 9 in year 5 and stay until age 13 in year 8, after which they go to...
serving half of the Cheddar Valley,
and Fairlands Middle School was established to serve the other half.
In September 2010, Fairlands was one of the first two middle schools in England to be awarded specialist Technology College
Technology College
Technology College is a term used in the United Kingdom for a secondary specialist school that focuses on design and technology, mathematics and science. These were the first type of specialist schools, beginning in 1994. In 2008 there were 598 Technology Colleges in England, of which 12 also...
status.
In 2011, Fairlands was twinned with School 108 in the central Russian city of Yekaterinburg
Yekaterinburg
Yekaterinburg is a major city in the central part of Russia, the administrative center of Sverdlovsk Oblast. Situated on the eastern side of the Ural mountain range, it is the main industrial and cultural center of the Urals Federal District with a population of 1,350,136 , making it Russia's...
, as part of the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
Olympic Dreams project. Both schools will use the partnership for cultural exchange, and to follow the progress of high jump
High jump
The high jump is a track and field athletics event in which competitors must jump over a horizontal bar placed at measured heights without the aid of certain devices in its modern most practiced format; auxiliary weights and mounds have been used for assistance; rules have changed over the years....
er and former School 108 pupil Ivan Ukhov
Ivan Ukhov
Ivan Sergeyevich Ukhov is a Russian high jumper. He won gold medals at the 2010 IAAF World Indoor Championships and the 2009 European Athletics Indoor Championships. He was also the silver medallist at the 2010 European Athletics Championships and the winner of the high jump at the inaugural 2010...
in the 2012 Summer Olympics
2012 Summer Olympics
The 2012 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the "London 2012 Olympic Games", are scheduled to take place in London, England, United Kingdom from 27 July to 12 August 2012...
.
Academic performance
In 2010, 68% of pupils achieved Level 4 in mathematics and English in the National Curriculum assessmentNational Curriculum assessment
National Curriculum assessments are a series of educational assessments, colloquially known as Sats or SATs, used to assess the attainment of children attending maintained schools in England...
for Key Stage 2
Key Stage 2
Key Stage 2 is the legal term for the four years of schooling in maintained schools in England and Wales normally known as Year 3, Year 4, Year 5 and Year 6, when pupils are aged between 7 and 11. The term is applied differently in Northern Ireland where it refers to pupils in Year 5, Year 6 and...
.
This was below the national average of 73% and the Somerset County Council
Somerset County Council
Somerset County Council is the county council of Somerset in the South West of England, an elected local government authority responsible for the most significant local government services in most of the county.-Area covered:...
average of 75%,
and a drop on the school's achievement for the previous four years.
In 2009, an inspection by Ofsted
Ofsted
The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills is the non-ministerial government department of Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Schools In England ....
rated the school as good on a four point scale of outstanding, good, satisfactory, and poor.
The report praised the school's standard of education, leadership, teaching and expectations by both staff and pupils, all of which had improved since the previous inspection in 2006.
Notable pupils
Notable pupils at the school include comedian Richard HerringRichard Herring
Richard Keith Herring is a British comedian and writer, whose early work includes his involvement in the double-act, Lee and Herring...
,
whose father was headteacher at The Kings of Wessex School.