The Burgate School And Sixth Form Centre
Encyclopedia
The Burgate School opened in 1957 and is an 11-18 comprehensive school
. The school is situated in Fordingbridge
, Hampshire
, and at the current time has approximately 1250 students. The school is heavily over-subscribed, with pupils achieving results above the national average at all levels, and good GCSE results. The school's motto
is 'Learning for Life'.
in 2011: the inspection report judged the school to be 'satisfactory' and the Sixth Form college to be 'outstanding'. The Burgate School and Sixth Form Centre was recognised in Ofsted's 2005 "honours list" of the most outstanding schools in England, one of 234 schools that had been mentioned twice in chief inspectors' annual reports over the preceding decade.
After a successful grant from the government a new extension was added to house an extra 290 pupils and 6th form students
s and each of the tutor groups in the 11-16 school is given a house
. These are Northgate, Southgate, Eastage and Westgate, which in turn supplanted a system based on local places which in the late 60s/early 70s were Sarum, Wilton, Cranborne & Beaulieu (House colours were green, yellow, blue & red). Houses compete against each other during the annuals sports day
. There are also sports assemblies with the sports heads all through the year.
There are around 50 teachers at the school, four of whom make up the Senior Management Team (SMT): David Pover,Katja Gibson, Fiona Bradfield and Robin Padfield.
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...
. The school is situated in Fordingbridge
Fordingbridge
Fordingbridge is a town and civil parish with a population of 5,700 on the River Avon in the New Forest District of Hampshire, England, near to the Dorset and Wiltshire borders and on the edge of the New Forest. It is south west of London, and south of the city of Salisbury. Fordingbridge is a...
, Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
, and at the current time has approximately 1250 students. The school is heavily over-subscribed, with pupils achieving results above the national average at all levels, and good GCSE results. The school's motto
Motto
A motto is a phrase meant to formally summarize the general motivation or intention of a social group or organization. A motto may be in any language, but Latin is the most used. The local language is usual in the mottoes of governments...
is 'Learning for Life'.
Ofsted inspections
The school was last inspected by OfstedOffice for Standards in Education
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 ....
in 2011: the inspection report judged the school to be 'satisfactory' and the Sixth Form college to be 'outstanding'. The Burgate School and Sixth Form Centre was recognised in Ofsted's 2005 "honours list" of the most outstanding schools in England, one of 234 schools that had been mentioned twice in chief inspectors' annual reports over the preceding decade.
After a successful grant from the government a new extension was added to house an extra 290 pupils and 6th form students
Specialist Needs Bid Attempts
The School initially applied for special needs status in Sports in 2002. These plans were later discarded. Modern Languages was later considered as a possible 'specialism', before it was decided to apply for the status in Humanities. Specialist needs status in the Humanities has been granted.Tutor groups and houses
Each year group has six tutor groupTutor group
A tutor group is a term used in UK schools, broadly equivalent to the United States term "homeroom". The term is most frequently used in Secondary schools where students may be taught in a number of different groupings throughout the day...
s and each of the tutor groups in the 11-16 school is given a house
House system
The house system is a traditional feature of British schools, and schools in the Commonwealth. Historically, it was associated with established public schools, where a 'house' refers to a boarding house or dormitory of a boarding school...
. These are Northgate, Southgate, Eastage and Westgate, which in turn supplanted a system based on local places which in the late 60s/early 70s were Sarum, Wilton, Cranborne & Beaulieu (House colours were green, yellow, blue & red). Houses compete against each other during the annuals sports day
Sports day
Sports days, sometimes referred to as Field Day, are events staged by many schools and offices in which people take part in competitive sporting activities, often with the aim of winning trophies or prizes...
. There are also sports assemblies with the sports heads all through the year.
Staff
The headteacher is Mrs Celia Nicholls, first joined the school as a teacher in 1983, from Ansford School, Castle Cary, and became headteacher in 1988. She announced her resignation at the end of the 2009/10 academic year and the school is currently looking for a replacementThere are around 50 teachers at the school, four of whom make up the Senior Management Team (SMT): David Pover,Katja Gibson, Fiona Bradfield and Robin Padfield.
History
- 1957: Founded in January as a secondary modern schoolSecondary modern schoolA 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...
, under the name "Fordingbridge County Secondary School". Ralph Labdon, Headteacher - 1962: Name changed to "The Burgate County Secondary School".
- 1967: Ralph Labdon retires and is replaced by David Benfield.
- 1980: Following county reorganisation into the comprehensive systemComprehensive schoolA 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...
, the school re-opened in September as "The Burgate School" with comprehensive status. - 1981: David Benfield retires as Headteacher, and is replaced by Alan Hollands.
- 1988: After an extended secondment, Alan Hollands assumes a full-time job at TRIDENT Training Hampshire. He is succeeded by Deputy Head Celia Nicholls. The current Deputy Head, Ian Kirby, also joined the school.
- 1994: New drama block and science facilities opened by Murray WalkerMurray WalkerGraeme Murray Walker, OBE is a former Formula One motorsport commentator...
. - 1995: New sixth formSixth formIn the education systems of England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, and of Commonwealth West Indian countries such as Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Belize, Jamaica and Malta, the sixth form is the final two years of secondary education, where students, usually sixteen to eighteen years of age,...
centre opened by Esther RantzenEsther RantzenEsther Louise Rantzen CBE is an English journalist and television presenter who is best known for presenting the BBC television series That's Life!, and for her work in various charitable causes. She is founder of the child protection charity ChildLine, and also advocates the work of the Burma...
and Desmond WilcoxDesmond WilcoxDesmond John Wilcox was a British documentary maker at the BBC and ITV. He was producer of This Week, Man Alive and That's Life!.- Early life :...
, - 2000: Extension to the Sixth Form.
- 2006: Fantastic Art Department within the school and sixth form.
- 2007: Mr Pover passes his head teachers award!
- 2008: New Sixth Form annexe under construction.
- 2008: Government stops funding for the new annexe. Burgate faces £148,000,000,000 debts...
- 2011: Academy Status Granted