Parkside Community College
Encyclopedia
Parkside Community College is a state secondary school
with 600 places for children aged 11–16, situated in Cambridge
, Cambridgeshire
, England
. It is part of the Parkside Federation, along with Coleridge Community College
and Language College
. The College is situated in the centre of the city, north of Parker's Piece
. It is now a member of the Parkside Federation along with Coleridge Community College
under Principal Andrew Hutchinson. Parkside was the first school to be designated a specialist media arts college in 1997, under the UK government's specialist schools programme. It has developed a second specialism in Modern Foreign Languages. Although called a 'community college', it is neither a community school
nor a College
but has had Foundation status since 2003.
It is situated east of the A603 and next to the main Cambridge Parkside police station and the National Express coach stops. It is east of Emmanuel College, Cambridge
.
Its work as a specialist media arts college has been documented in a number of research studies by staff at the school. These include studies of an extensive primary school animation project (e.g. Burn and Parker, 2001), run in conjunction with the Cambridge Film Consortium, a group composed of Anglia Ruskin University
, City Screen (an Arts cinema chain), the Cambridge Film Festival
, and Parkside itself.
The most recent and comprehensive account of the school’s media work, giving examples of work in digital video, computer games, animation, and television drama, as well as work across the curriculum, is provided in Burn and Durran’s Media Literacy in Schools (2007).
On 1 December 2008, the Nova 9 helium balloon took two space-suited teddies close to the edge of space from the grounds of Churchill College, Cambridge
. The space suits were designed by 11-13 year olds at the school. The journey took just over two hours. The teddies descended back to Earth and landed near Ipswich
, being located by GPS
equipment.
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...
with 600 places for children aged 11–16, situated in Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
, Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire is a county in England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the northeast, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire to the west...
, 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...
. It is part of the Parkside Federation, along with Coleridge Community College
Admissions
The college has two specialities as an Arts CollegeArts College
Arts Colleges were introduced in 1997 as part of the now defunct Specialist Schools Programme in the United Kingdom. The system enabled secondary schools to specialise in certain fields, in this case, the performing, visual and/or media arts...
and Language College
Language College
Language Colleges were introduced in 1995 as part of the Specialist Schools Programme in the United Kingdom. The system enables secondary schools to specialise in certain fields, in this case, modern foreign languages...
. The College is situated in the centre of the city, north of Parker's Piece
Parker's Piece
Parker's Piece is a flat and very roughly square green common located near the centre of Cambridge, England. The two main walking and cycling paths across it run diagonally, and the single lamp-post at the junction is commonly known as Reality Checkpoint...
. It is now a member of the Parkside Federation along with Coleridge Community College
Coleridge Community College
Coleridge Community College is a state secondary school with 600 places for children aged 11–16, situated in Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England. The school is now a member of the Parkside Federation along with Parkside Community College. Previously, it had been placed on special measures, and was...
under Principal Andrew Hutchinson. Parkside was the first school to be designated a specialist media arts college in 1997, under the UK government's specialist schools programme. It has developed a second specialism in Modern Foreign Languages. Although called a 'community college', it is neither a community school
Community school
The term "community school" refers to types of publicly funded school in England, Wales, the Republic of Ireland, the United States, Australia, Canada and New Zealand to a school that serves as both an educational institution and a centre of community life. A community school is both a place and a...
nor a College
College
A college is an educational institution or a constituent part of an educational institution. Usage varies in English-speaking nations...
but has had Foundation status since 2003.
It is situated east of the A603 and next to the main Cambridge Parkside police station and the National Express coach stops. It is east of Emmanuel College, Cambridge
Emmanuel College, Cambridge
Emmanuel College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge.The college was founded in 1584 by Sir Walter Mildmay on the site of a Dominican friary...
.
History
The long history of the school is related in An Epoch-Making School, by former Deputy Principal Rosemary Gardiner (1983), which presents the transformations of the school from its origin as the Higher Grade Schools in Melbourne Place (1913), through its successive incarnations as the Central School for Boys and Girls and then Cambridge Grammar School for Girls.Research work
Anglia Ruskin University
Anglia Ruskin University is one of the largest universities in Eastern England, United Kingdom, with a total student population of around 30,000.-History:...
, City Screen (an Arts cinema chain), the Cambridge Film Festival
Cambridge Film Festival
The Cambridge Film Festival is one of the biggest film festivals in the UK. The festival historically took place during early July, but now takes place annually during September in Cambridge....
, and Parkside itself.
The most recent and comprehensive account of the school’s media work, giving examples of work in digital video, computer games, animation, and television drama, as well as work across the curriculum, is provided in Burn and Durran’s Media Literacy in Schools (2007).
On 1 December 2008, the Nova 9 helium balloon took two space-suited teddies close to the edge of space from the grounds of Churchill College, Cambridge
Churchill College, Cambridge
Churchill College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England.In 1958, a Trust was established with Sir Winston Churchill as its Chairman of Trustees, to build and endow a college for 60 fellows and 540 Students as a national and Commonwealth memorial to Winston Churchill; its...
. The space suits were designed by 11-13 year olds at the school. The journey took just over two hours. The teddies descended back to Earth and landed near Ipswich
Ipswich
Ipswich is a large town and a non-metropolitan district. It is the county town of Suffolk, England. Ipswich is located on the estuary of the River Orwell...
, being located by GPS
Global Positioning System
The Global Positioning System is a space-based global navigation satellite system that provides location and time information in all weather, anywhere on or near the Earth, where there is an unobstructed line of sight to four or more GPS satellites...
equipment.
Academic performance
It gets well above average results at GCSE - the best for state schools in Cambridge. With around 60 state schools nationwide, the school plans to offer the IGCSE especially in science subjects, largely prompted by the scientists among its pupils' parents.External links
- Parkside Federation
- Cambridgeshire County Council Admissions website
- City of Cambridge Education Foundation
- EduBase
News items
- Independent July 2010
- Daily Mail December 2008
- Teddy-nauts in December 2008
- Cuddly cosmonauts in December 2008
- Visit to the Arctic in July 2007
- Use of technology wins award in August 2005