The Hurst Community College
Encyclopedia
The Hurst Community College, previously The Hurst Community School, is a school in the village of Baughurst
, which is in the county of Hampshire in England. The school has been awarded specialist Science College
status.
for boys and girls aged from 11 to 16. It is categorised as a community school
, which means it is run wholly by the local education authority
(LEA). The school has been granted specialist science status
, for which the school receives funding additional to its normal budget. The school has remained a comprehensive school
, and has thus not taken the option available to specialist schools to select a proportion of its pupils.
Though the school does not provide higher education, it has links with both Queen Mary's College
, Basingstoke and the Basingstoke College of Technology
, where some pupils continue education after the age of 16.
The school has approximately 1000 pupils. Pupils come from a catchment area which includes the nearby town of Tadley
and the villages of Silchester
, Bramley
, and Sherborne St John
.
Students in the school are divided among four houses, named after ships of the United Kingdom navy: Challenger
, Endeavour
, Invincible
, and Victory
. These houses compete in sports, talent contests and other events.
The school has introduced a virtual learning environment
for the school using an open-source course management system entitled Moodle
, which provides online resources for access at home and school.
(OFSTED) inspected the school in May 2001. They concluded that the school was "a very good school with some excellent features", which had improved significantly since the previous inspection in 1997.
and an after-school club for children who attend local primary schools
. The school also hosts adult education
courses and has sports facilities.
Baughurst
Baughurst is a village and civil parish in Hampshire, England. It is located west of the town of Tadley, north of Basingstoke. In the 2001 census it had a population of 2,473....
, which is in the county of Hampshire in England. The school has been awarded specialist Science College
Science College
Science Colleges were introduced in 2002 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, science and mathematics...
status.
Description
The school provides secondary educationSecondary education
Secondary education is the stage of education following primary education. Secondary education includes the final stage of compulsory education and in many countries it is entirely compulsory. The next stage of education is usually college or university...
for boys and girls aged from 11 to 16. It is categorised as 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...
, which means it is run wholly by the local education authority
Local Education Authority
A local education authority is a local authority in England and Wales that has responsibility for education within its jurisdiction...
(LEA). The school has been granted specialist science status
Specialist school
The specialist schools programme was a UK government initiative which encouraged secondary schools in England to specialise in certain areas of the curriculum to boost achievement. The Specialist Schools and Academies Trust was responsible for the delivery of the programme...
, for which the school receives funding additional to its normal budget. The school has remained a comprehensive school
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...
, and has thus not taken the option available to specialist schools to select a proportion of its pupils.
Though the school does not provide higher education, it has links with both Queen Mary's College
Queen Mary's College
Queen Mary's College is a sixth form college in Basingstoke, Hampshire, England.-The College:The majority of the college's classrooms are housed in a single, two-storey, wide spread main building with a few smaller buildings and four temporary buildings providing most of the rest of the teaching...
, Basingstoke and the Basingstoke College of Technology
Basingstoke College of Technology
The Basingstoke College of Technology is a college in Basingstoke, Hampshire, UK. The college's main campus is located either side of Worting Road.-Courses:...
, where some pupils continue education after the age of 16.
The school has approximately 1000 pupils. Pupils come from a catchment area which includes the nearby town of Tadley
Tadley
Tadley is a town and civil parish in the English county of Hampshire.During the 1950s and 1960s, the Atomic Weapons Research Establishment , now known as AWE, became the area's largest employer, and a large number of houses were built during this period to accommodate AWRE workers...
and the villages of Silchester
Silchester
Silchester is a village and civil parish about north of Basingstoke in Hampshire. It is adjacent to the county boundary with Berkshire and about south-west of Reading....
, Bramley
Bramley, Hampshire
Bramley is a village and parish in Hampshire, UK. In the 2001 census it had a population of 3,348. It has a village shop, bakery, estate agency, pub and a railway station...
, and Sherborne St John
Sherborne St John
Sherborne St John is a village and civil parish near Basingstoke in the English county of Hampshire.-History:The village was named in the Domesday book as Sireburne. It became Shireburna , Schyreburne and Shirebourne Decani, Shireburn St...
.
Students in the school are divided among four houses, named after ships of the United Kingdom navy: Challenger
HMS Challenger
Eight ships of the Royal Navy have been named HMS Challenger, most famously the survey vessel Challenger that carried the Challenger expedition from 1872 to 1876....
, Endeavour
HMS Endeavour
HMS Endeavour may refer to one of the following ships:In the Royal Navy:, a 36-gun ship purchased in 1652 and sold in 1656, a 4-gun bomb vessel purchased in 1694 and sold in 1696, a fire ship purchased in 1694 and sold in 1696, a storeship hoy purchased in 1694 and sold in 1705, a storeship...
, Invincible
HMS Invincible (R05)
HMS Invincible was a British light aircraft carrier, the lead ship of three in her class in the Royal Navy. She was launched on 3 May 1977 and is the seventh ship to carry the name. She saw action in the Falklands War when she was deployed with , she took over as flagship of the British fleet when...
, and Victory
HMS Victory
HMS Victory is a 104-gun first-rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, laid down in 1759 and launched in 1765. She is most famous as Lord Nelson's flagship at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805....
. These houses compete in sports, talent contests and other events.
Curriculum
The school teaches subjects to GCSE and GNVQ standards. Pupils follow the National Curriculum.The school has introduced a virtual learning environment
Virtual learning environment
Defined largely by usage, the term virtual learning environment has most, if not all, of the following salient properties:* It is Web-based* It uses Web 2.0 tools for rich 2-way interaction* It includes a content management system...
for the school using an open-source course management system entitled Moodle
Moodle
Moodle is a free source e-learning software platform, also known as a Course Management System, Learning Management System, or Virtual Learning Environment...
, which provides online resources for access at home and school.
Performance
The Office for Standards in EducationOffice 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 ....
(OFSTED) inspected the school in May 2001. They concluded that the school was "a very good school with some excellent features", which had improved significantly since the previous inspection in 1997.
Community functions
The school provides facilities for use by the local community. There is a pre-school nurseryNursery school
A nursery school is a school for children between the ages of one and five years, staffed by suitably qualified and other professionals who encourage and supervise educational play rather than simply providing childcare...
and an after-school club for children who attend local primary schools
Primary education
A primary school is an institution in which children receive the first stage of compulsory education known as primary or elementary education. Primary school is the preferred term in the United Kingdom and many Commonwealth Nations, and in most publications of the United Nations Educational,...
. The school also hosts adult education
Adult education
Adult education is the practice of teaching and educating adults. Adult education takes place in the workplace, through 'extension' school or 'school of continuing education' . Other learning places include folk high schools, community colleges, and lifelong learning centers...
courses and has sports facilities.
Further reading
- The Hurst Community College, the school's website
- The Hurst Community College (with Specialist Science Status), details about the school from the local education authority, Hampshire County Council.