St Birinus School
Encyclopedia
St Birinus School is a comprehensive
secondary school
for boys in Didcot
, Oxfordshire
and the surrounding rural area. the headteacher is Mr Alwyn Richards, the current deputy headteacher is Dr. S Mundy. The school has been awarded with Technology
and Language College
statuses as of 2006. The mixed Sixth Form is shared with the Didcot Girls' School
.
St Birinus first opened in 1936 taking its name from Saint Birinus who was the first Bishop of Dorchester
, and celebrated its diamond jubilee in 1996. As of 2006, St Birinus has also celebrated its 70th Anniversary.
It has the support of the local business community and receives extra funding to promote its specialities in Technology and Languages. The school caters for pupils 11-18, and has facilities including a new Humanities Centre opened in the spring of 2004 and a new Mathematics Centre, which was officially opened by Johnny Ball
in 2001.
The new science centre, which cost £4.8 million was open on the 11/03/09, it is the best equipped science centre for schools in Oxfordshire and one of the best in the United Kingdom. It was officially opened on Wednesday 14th October 2009 by BBC nature presenter George McGavin
.
Events to celebrate the schools 70th milestone included a whole school sponsored walk which raised £11,461 for the Oxford Children's Hospital Appeal and its link school in The Gambia
, West Africa.
As a result of being a major supporter for the Children's Hospital, St Birinus School has been recognised for its contribution having its name engraved with Andrew Baker on a plaque of recognition which sits inside the children's hospital atrium. Young supporter Andrew Baker represented the efforts of the school at the official opening ceremony of The Children's Hospital (CHOx) in November 2008 when Her Majesty The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh commemorated with the unveiling of a plaque in front of a small group of supporters, patients and staff.
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...
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...
for boys in Didcot
Didcot
Didcot is a town and civil parish in Oxfordshire about south of Oxford. Until 1974 it was in Berkshire, but was transferred to Oxfordshire in that year, and from Wallingford Rural District to the district of South Oxfordshire...
, Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
and the surrounding rural area. the headteacher is Mr Alwyn Richards, the current deputy headteacher is Dr. S Mundy. The school has been awarded with Technology
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...
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...
statuses as of 2006. The mixed Sixth Form is shared with the Didcot Girls' School
Didcot Girls' School
Didcot Girls' School is a comprehensive secondary school for girls in Didcot, Oxfordshire and the surrounding rural area. The school has been awarded with Language College and Technology College status . The mixed Sixth Form is shared with St Birinus School...
.
St Birinus first opened in 1936 taking its name from Saint Birinus who was the first Bishop of Dorchester
Bishop of Dorchester (Roman Catholic)
The Bishop of Dorchester was a bishop in the pre-Reformation Church of England in the Anglo-Saxon period, in charge of the Diocese of Dorchester. His seat, or cathedra, was at the cathedral in Dorchester-on-Thames in Oxfordshire.-History:...
, and celebrated its diamond jubilee in 1996. As of 2006, St Birinus has also celebrated its 70th Anniversary.
It has the support of the local business community and receives extra funding to promote its specialities in Technology and Languages. The school caters for pupils 11-18, and has facilities including a new Humanities Centre opened in the spring of 2004 and a new Mathematics Centre, which was officially opened by Johnny Ball
Johnny Ball
Johnny Ball is a British television personality, a great populariser of mathematics and the father of BBC Radio 2 DJ Zoë Ball.-Early life:...
in 2001.
The new science centre, which cost £4.8 million was open on the 11/03/09, it is the best equipped science centre for schools in Oxfordshire and one of the best in the United Kingdom. It was officially opened on Wednesday 14th October 2009 by BBC nature presenter George McGavin
George McGavin
George C. McGavin FLS FRGS is an entomologist, author, academic, television presenter and explorer.He is Honorary Research Associate at Oxford University Museum of Natural History and The Department of Zoology of Oxford University, where he lists his interests as "Terrestrial arthropods especially...
.
Charity work
St. Birinus is also very supportive to many worthwhile charities and organisations, and raises money heavily every year throughout each term. During the 2005-2006 academic year the pupils in year 7 have taken part in many fund raising activities including cake sales, work outs and sponsored silences. For the past six years (2003-2008), St. Birinus School has committed itself to raising over £11,094 for the Oxford Children's Hospital, a £15m charity fund raising campaign with the school's efforts spearheaded by former student & sixth former, Andrew Baker who inspired everyone to get involved and coordinated activities. It has also been promoted in the media as a result making St. Birinus a well-known school to prospective and current parents.Events to celebrate the schools 70th milestone included a whole school sponsored walk which raised £11,461 for the Oxford Children's Hospital Appeal and its link school in The Gambia
The Gambia
The Republic of The Gambia, commonly referred to as The Gambia, or Gambia , is a country in West Africa. Gambia is the smallest country on mainland Africa, surrounded by Senegal except for a short coastline on the Atlantic Ocean in the west....
, West Africa.
As a result of being a major supporter for the Children's Hospital, St Birinus School has been recognised for its contribution having its name engraved with Andrew Baker on a plaque of recognition which sits inside the children's hospital atrium. Young supporter Andrew Baker represented the efforts of the school at the official opening ceremony of The Children's Hospital (CHOx) in November 2008 when Her Majesty The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh commemorated with the unveiling of a plaque in front of a small group of supporters, patients and staff.