King Alfred's Community and Sports College
Encyclopedia
King Alfred's is a secondary school in Wantage
, Oxfordshire
. It is named after King Alfred (Alfred The Great
) who was born in Wantage some time between 847 and 849AD.
The school has approximately 140 teachers and 2000 students spread across three sites.
The three schools (Segsbury Secondary Modern, Icknield Comprehensive and King Alfred's Grammar School) were broadly independent from each other, with some links from 1972. They merged to become Wantage School (Segsbury, Icknield, and King Alfred's Halls) for the 1984/5 academic term. For the 1987/8 term and beyond, the whole entity was renamed King Alfred's School to retain the former's history.
The Sixth Form was built in the late 1970s next door to Centre Site.
The School became a Specialist Sports College in the late 1990s.
Alumni include Lester Piggot
West Site (formerly Segsbury School) is the next site attended by students. They do a further two years here before moving on to Centre Site.
Centre Site (formerly King Alfred's Grammar School) is the last compulsory site attended by students, but the sixth form is optional.
In a recent OFSTED inspection, her majesty's inspector credited King Alfred's as an 'outstanding' (Feb 2011).
It has since been awarded Academy status, as part of the current academy scheme under the Education Secretary Michael Gove
. This was largely facilitated by such a positive OFSTED report. One of the reasons for application for Academy status is said to be so that enough funding can be secured to extend the buildings, another to reduce the impact of the cuts in funding that run into hundreds of thousands of pounds a year.
Wantage
Wantage is a market town and civil parish in the Vale of the White Horse, Oxfordshire, England. The town is on Letcombe Brook, about south-west of Abingdon and a similar distance west of Didcot....
, Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
. It is named after King Alfred (Alfred The Great
Alfred the Great
Alfred the Great was King of Wessex from 871 to 899.Alfred is noted for his defence of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of southern England against the Vikings, becoming the only English monarch still to be accorded the epithet "the Great". Alfred was the first King of the West Saxons to style himself...
) who was born in Wantage some time between 847 and 849AD.
The school has approximately 140 teachers and 2000 students spread across three sites.
History
The general history of King Alfred's is vague and often debated over by local historians. The school amalgamated with Icknield (now East Site) and Segsbury (now West Site) during the 1980s.The three schools (Segsbury Secondary Modern, Icknield Comprehensive and King Alfred's Grammar School) were broadly independent from each other, with some links from 1972. They merged to become Wantage School (Segsbury, Icknield, and King Alfred's Halls) for the 1984/5 academic term. For the 1987/8 term and beyond, the whole entity was renamed King Alfred's School to retain the former's history.
The Sixth Form was built in the late 1970s next door to Centre Site.
The School became a Specialist Sports College in the late 1990s.
Alumni include Lester Piggot
Sites
The East Site (formerly Icknield School) is attended first by King Alfred's students. They have two years of education here, before being moved on to the West Site.West Site (formerly Segsbury School) is the next site attended by students. They do a further two years here before moving on to Centre Site.
Centre Site (formerly King Alfred's Grammar School) is the last compulsory site attended by students, but the sixth form is optional.
Achievements
The school is nationally praised as a choice of secondary education in the local area and has been promoted to a foundation college due to the successes of its staff and pupils alike.In a recent OFSTED inspection, her majesty's inspector credited King Alfred's as an 'outstanding' (Feb 2011).
It has since been awarded Academy status, as part of the current academy scheme under the Education Secretary Michael Gove
Michael Gove
Michael Andrew Gove, MP is a British politician, who currently serves as the Secretary of State for Education and as the Conservative Party Member of Parliament for the Surrey Heath constituency. He is also a published author and former journalist.Born in Edinburgh, Gove was raised in Aberdeen...
. This was largely facilitated by such a positive OFSTED report. One of the reasons for application for Academy status is said to be so that enough funding can be secured to extend the buildings, another to reduce the impact of the cuts in funding that run into hundreds of thousands of pounds a year.