Joseph Whitaker School
Encyclopedia
Joseph Whitaker School is a specialist sports college and secondary school in Rainworth
near Mansfield
, Nottinghamshire
in England
. Over 1,300 students are taught there, by a staff body of over 100 teachers. The current headmaster is Mr Martlew, who recently took over from J P Loughton after his Christmas 2010 retirement.
A fire in October 1995 destroyed the school hall and the sports hall and Gym of the adjoining leisure centre, which prompted a rebuild the following year.
is taught in the lower school area of the school. This area is all on one level, and it towards the north of the school. The drama department has only two rooms, though both are equipped with lighting and sound equipment. The school's dance studio is often used as an area for students, especially A level ones, to practice their work. The head of drama is Mr Paul Caputa.
is currently taught in a two story tower block, that is accessed through the school's main entrance. Both English Language
and English Literature
are taught. Carl
Farrell is the head of English.
includes History
, Geography
and Religious Studies
. These are also taught in the lower school. The head of humanities is Micheal Croft.
The IT team is headed by R Gaunt
These are taught in the lower school area, however they are mainly taught on a first floor level, with two classrooms on the ground floor. The MFL department has its own ICT suite, which students may use for homework or general knowledge-building activities. After Mr Marcel Porter's retirement in July 2010, Miss Bedford is the current HoMFL.
in each. There are also two practice rooms, in the music block, as well a separate building known as M3. This building has a few drum kits which the students use but nevertheless they need maintaining. The music department however holds a variety of other instruments. David Gillot is the head of the faculty as of January 2008.
, football
, badminton
, tennis
and netball
. There is also a large gymnasium, a dance studio with lighting and sound, full wall mirror and bar, and blackout curtains. The school recently has had an all-weather floodlit pitch built. The Director of Sport is Mr David Bell.
department is at the south end of the school. Physics
, Chemistry
, and Biology
are all taught from Year 7
(age 11) to Year 13 (age 18). The school has its own schemes of work
at KS3
, teaches the AQA
GCSE course, and the OCR
Science A Levels. The department has eight fully equipped laboratories
, along with a computer room and various other teaching rooms. There are two full-time lab technicians
.
Rainworth
Rainworth is a village which is split between the Newark and Sherwood and the Mansfield districts of Nottinghamshire, England.To the north of Rainworth is the village of Clipstone and to the east are the villages of Bilsthorpe and Farnsfield. Mansfield lies two miles to the west. The village of...
near Mansfield
Mansfield
Mansfield is a town in Nottinghamshire, England. It is the main town in the Mansfield local government district. Mansfield is a part of the Mansfield Urban Area....
, Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire is a county in the East Midlands of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west...
in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Over 1,300 students are taught there, by a staff body of over 100 teachers. The current headmaster is Mr Martlew, who recently took over from J P Loughton after his Christmas 2010 retirement.
History
The school is named after Joseph Whitaker (1850-1932) a naturalist and sportsman who lived at nearby Rainworth Lodge. and of whom a picture is hung above the entrance to the main hall.A fire in October 1995 destroyed the school hall and the sports hall and Gym of the adjoining leisure centre, which prompted a rebuild the following year.
Subjects
It is compulsory for all first year students (Year 7) to take the following subjects:- EnglishEnglish studiesEnglish studies is an academic discipline that includes the study of literatures written in the English language , English linguistics English studies is an academic discipline that includes the study of literatures written in the English language (including literatures from the U.K., U.S.,...
- MathematicsMathematicsMathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
- ScienceScienceScience is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
- FrenchFrench languageFrench is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
- Information TechnologyInformation technologyInformation technology is the acquisition, processing, storage and dissemination of vocal, pictorial, textual and numerical information by a microelectronics-based combination of computing and telecommunications...
- GeographyGeographyGeography is the science that studies the lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena of Earth. A literal translation would be "to describe or write about the Earth". The first person to use the word "geography" was Eratosthenes...
- HistoryHistoryHistory is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
- Religious StudiesReligious studiesReligious studies is the academic field of multi-disciplinary, secular study of religious beliefs, behaviors, and institutions. It describes, compares, interprets, and explains religion, emphasizing systematic, historically based, and cross-cultural perspectives.While theology attempts to...
- Physical EducationPhysical educationPhysical education or gymnastics is a course taken during primary and secondary education that encourages psychomotor learning in a play or movement exploration setting....
- Technology:
- GraphicsGraphicsGraphics are visual presentations on some surface, such as a wall, canvas, computer screen, paper, or stone to brand, inform, illustrate, or entertain. Examples are photographs, drawings, Line Art, graphs, diagrams, typography, numbers, symbols, geometric designs, maps, engineering drawings,or...
- Woodwork
- ElectronicsElectronicsElectronics is the branch of science, engineering and technology that deals with electrical circuits involving active electrical components such as vacuum tubes, transistors, diodes and integrated circuits, and associated passive interconnection technologies...
- Food TechnologyFood technologyFood technology, is a branch of food science which deals with the actual production processes to make foods.-Early history of food technology:...
- Graphics
Art and Design
The school recently had a new Art and Design department built, which also houses the school resource center, lecture theatre and sixth form study areas. The department is equipped for all curriculum needs from Year 7 to A level work. The head of art at the school is Sue Sexton.Drama
DramaDrama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...
is taught in the lower school area of the school. This area is all on one level, and it towards the north of the school. The drama department has only two rooms, though both are equipped with lighting and sound equipment. The school's dance studio is often used as an area for students, especially A level ones, to practice their work. The head of drama is Mr Paul Caputa.
English
EnglishEnglish language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
is currently taught in a two story tower block, that is accessed through the school's main entrance. Both English Language
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
and English Literature
English literature
English literature is the literature written in the English language, including literature composed in English by writers not necessarily from England; for example, Robert Burns was Scottish, James Joyce was Irish, Joseph Conrad was Polish, Dylan Thomas was Welsh, Edgar Allan Poe was American, J....
are taught. Carl
Farrell is the head of English.
Humanities
HumanitiesHumanities
The humanities are academic disciplines that study the human condition, using methods that are primarily analytical, critical, or speculative, as distinguished from the mainly empirical approaches of the natural sciences....
includes History
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
, Geography
Geography
Geography is the science that studies the lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena of Earth. A literal translation would be "to describe or write about the Earth". The first person to use the word "geography" was Eratosthenes...
and Religious Studies
Religious studies
Religious studies is the academic field of multi-disciplinary, secular study of religious beliefs, behaviors, and institutions. It describes, compares, interprets, and explains religion, emphasizing systematic, historically based, and cross-cultural perspectives.While theology attempts to...
. These are also taught in the lower school. The head of humanities is Micheal Croft.
Information Technology
IT is mainly taught above the food technology room, however other rooms in lower and upper school are also used. All IT suites are fitted out with computers, to which each student has their own username and password to access their personal account.The IT team is headed by R Gaunt
Modern Foreign Languages
This includes:- French LanguageFrench languageFrench is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
- Spanish LanguageSpanish languageSpanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
- and German LanguageGerman languageGerman is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
These are taught in the lower school area, however they are mainly taught on a first floor level, with two classrooms on the ground floor. The MFL department has its own ICT suite, which students may use for homework or general knowledge-building activities. After Mr Marcel Porter's retirement in July 2010, Miss Bedford is the current HoMFL.
Music
Music is taught in the upper school area. It comprises two classrooms, fitted with keyboards and a pianoPiano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
in each. There are also two practice rooms, in the music block, as well a separate building known as M3. This building has a few drum kits which the students use but nevertheless they need maintaining. The music department however holds a variety of other instruments. David Gillot is the head of the faculty as of January 2008.
Physical Education
As the school is a specialist sports college, the sports facilities are very modern. The school has a large sports hall that has room for 5 badminton courts. The sports hall is fitted out with basketball hoops, cricket nets as well as markings on the floor for basketballBasketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
, football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
, badminton
Badminton
Badminton is a racquet sport played by either two opposing players or two opposing pairs , who take positions on opposite halves of a rectangular court that is divided by a net. Players score points by striking a shuttlecock with their racquet so that it passes over the net and lands in their...
, tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
and netball
Netball
Netball is a ball sport played between two teams of seven players. Its development, derived from early versions of basketball, began in England in the 1890s. By 1960 international playing rules had been standardised for the game, and the International Federation of Netball and Women's Basketball ...
. There is also a large gymnasium, a dance studio with lighting and sound, full wall mirror and bar, and blackout curtains. The school recently has had an all-weather floodlit pitch built. The Director of Sport is Mr David Bell.
Technology
The technology department is towards the east of the school. It has a newly renovated food tech room, a large graphics room, a well-equipped electronics room as well as two workshops. Textiles has now been reintroduced back into the department by the new food and textiles teacher Miss S Gore. Mr L Gomersall is head of the Technology faculty.Science
The ScienceScience
Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
department is at the south end of the school. Physics
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
, Chemistry
Chemistry
Chemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....
, and Biology
Biology
Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines...
are all taught from Year 7
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...
(age 11) to Year 13 (age 18). The school has its own schemes of work
Scheme of work
In the UK, a scheme of work is a guideline that defines the structure and content of a course. It maps out clearly how resources and class activities and assessment strategies In the UK, a scheme of work is a guideline that defines the structure and content of a course. It maps out clearly how...
at KS3
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...
, teaches the AQA
Assessment and Qualifications Alliance
AQA is an Awarding Body in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. It compiles specifications and holds examinations in various subjects at GCSE, AS and A Level and offers vocational qualifications. AQA is a registered charity and independent of the Government...
GCSE course, and the OCR
OCR (examination board)
OCR is an examination board that sets examinations and awards qualifications . It is one of England, Wales and Northern Ireland's five main examination boards....
Science A Levels. The department has eight fully equipped laboratories
Laboratory
A laboratory is a facility that provides controlled conditions in which scientific research, experiments, and measurement may be performed. The title of laboratory is also used for certain other facilities where the processes or equipment used are similar to those in scientific laboratories...
, along with a computer room and various other teaching rooms. There are two full-time lab technicians
Technician
A technician is a worker in a field of technology who is proficient in the relevant skills and techniques, with a relatively practical understanding of the theoretical principles. Experienced technicians in a specific tool domain typically have intermediate understanding of theory and expert...
.