Waingels College
Encyclopedia
Waingels College is a co-educational comprehensive
secondary school
located in Woodley, Reading
, Berkshire
, England
. It has a population of 1,500 students but may rise due to overcrowding in the area and an appeals process which now has to take place. Over 400 people apply for entry annually, though there are only 270 places available (a rise from 240 in previous years). The school has specialist status as a Mathematics and Computing College
.
In the 1970s and 1980s the school had four houses named for local connections: Bader (house colour red), after the airman Douglas Bader
who flew from the old Woodley airfield; Brunel (house colour yellow), the only survivor in the current line-up; Jerome (house colour blue), after the author Jerome K. Jerome
who wrote about the nearby River Thames; and Miles (house colour green), after the Miles Aircraft
company, once based at Woodley airfield.
The school was originally built back in 1970 to replace the old secondary modern school in Loddon Bridge Road. The school is being rebuilt (except for the following blocks, Music, sports, ICT and Maths) and will be complete in November 2011 at a cost of £31M.
, located on the other side of Woodley, as it is a specialist Sports College
. In 2010 Waingels College are representing Berkshire in a rugby tournament competing against other counties.
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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...
located in Woodley, Reading
Reading, Berkshire
Reading is a large town and unitary authority area in England. It is located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, and on both the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 motorway, some west of London....
, Berkshire
Berkshire
Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
, 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 has a population of 1,500 students but may rise due to overcrowding in the area and an appeals process which now has to take place. Over 400 people apply for entry annually, though there are only 270 places available (a rise from 240 in previous years). The school has specialist status as a Mathematics and Computing College
Mathematics and Computing College
Mathematics and Computing Colleges were introduced in England in 2002 as part of the Government's Specialist Schools Programme which was designed to raise standards in secondary education. Specialist schools focus specifically on their chosen specialism but must also meet the requirements of the...
.
Houses
In September 2006 the school was split into six houses. Each house has its own colour and is named after an inspirational role-model. Each house has a learning community, Red, Green and Gold which are seen on the uniform with a Red, Green or Gold collar around it and on the logo.| Name of house | Colour | Role Model |
|---|---|---|
| Astor | White | Nancy Astor, the first woman to sit as an MP Member of Parliament A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,... in the UK. |
| Brunel | Green | Isambard Kingdom Brunel Isambard Kingdom Brunel Isambard Kingdom Brunel, FRS , was a British civil engineer who built bridges and dockyards including the construction of the first major British railway, the Great Western Railway; a series of steamships, including the first propeller-driven transatlantic steamship; and numerous important bridges... , the engineer and creator of the Great Western Railway Great Western Railway The Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south-west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835 and ran its first trains in 1838... . |
| Da Vinci | Blue | Leonardo Da Vinci, the Italian scientist, inventor and artist. |
| Holmes | Red | Kelly Holmes Kelly Holmes Dame Kelly Holmes, DBE, MBE is a retired British middle distance athlete. She specialised in the 800 metres and 1500 metres events and won a gold medal for both distances at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens... , the Olympic gold medalist at middle distance. |
| Rowling | Yellow | J K Rowling the British author who created the Harry Potter Harry Potter Harry Potter is a series of seven fantasy novels written by the British author J. K. Rowling. The books chronicle the adventures of the adolescent wizard Harry Potter and his best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, all of whom are students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry... series. |
| Turing | Black | Alan Turing Alan Turing Alan Mathison Turing, OBE, FRS , was an English mathematician, logician, cryptanalyst, and computer scientist. He was highly influential in the development of computer science, providing a formalisation of the concepts of "algorithm" and "computation" with the Turing machine, which played a... , the British mathematician and cryptographer. |
In the 1970s and 1980s the school had four houses named for local connections: Bader (house colour red), after the airman Douglas Bader
Douglas Bader
Group Captain Sir Douglas Robert Steuart Bader CBE, DSO & Bar, DFC & Bar, FRAeS, DL was a Royal Air Force fighter ace during the Second World War. He was credited with 20 aerial victories, four shared victories, six probables, one shared probable and 11 enemy aircraft damaged.Bader joined the...
who flew from the old Woodley airfield; Brunel (house colour yellow), the only survivor in the current line-up; Jerome (house colour blue), after the author Jerome K. Jerome
Jerome K. Jerome
Jerome Klapka Jerome was an English writer and humorist, best known for the humorous travelogue Three Men in a Boat.Jerome was born in Caldmore, Walsall, England, and was brought up in poverty in London...
who wrote about the nearby River Thames; and Miles (house colour green), after the Miles Aircraft
Miles Aircraft
Miles was the name used to market the aircraft of British engineer Frederick George Miles, who designed numerous light civil and military aircraft and a range of curious prototypes...
company, once based at Woodley airfield.
The school was originally built back in 1970 to replace the old secondary modern school in Loddon Bridge Road. The school is being rebuilt (except for the following blocks, Music, sports, ICT and Maths) and will be complete in November 2011 at a cost of £31M.
Sports Day History
Sports days are held annually in Palmer Park. Before 2011, Years 7-9 were the only ones to compete, due to the Work Experience for Year 10, and Study Leave for Year 11. However, This has now come under dispute due to the fact Year 10s may no longer be going on Work Experience. Year 10s competing is currently undecided.Sporting achievements
The P.E. department at Waingels encourages students to take part in many extracurricular sporting activities such as football. Their main rival is The Bulmershe SchoolThe Bulmershe School
The Bulmershe School is a mixed-sex comprehensive school located in Woodley, Berkshire, England, which first opened in 1964 as a grammar school. It caters for children of all abilities between the ages of 11 and 18...
, located on the other side of Woodley, as it is a specialist Sports College
Sports College
Sports Colleges were introduced in 1997 as part of the Specialist Schools Programme in the United Kingdom. The system enables secondary schools to specialise in certain fields, in this case, PE, sports and dance. Schools that successfully apply to the Specialist Schools Trust and become Sports...
. In 2010 Waingels College are representing Berkshire in a rugby tournament competing against other counties.
Redevelopment
Waingels underwent a 31.1M redevelopment to the whole school, this includes many classrooms and high-tech features. The project is expected to be finished by December 2011.Notable alumni
- James HenryJames Henry (footballer)James Henry is an English footballer who plays for Millwall as a right winger or as a central midfielder.-Reading:Henry was born in Reading. Having grown up in Woodley, attending Waingels College which has sport facilities, and started his playing career at local club, Woodley Saints...
– professional footballer (currently playing for Millwall F.C) - Irwin Sparkes – musician (lead singer of The HoosiersThe HoosiersThe Hoosiers are an English pop/rock band, consisting of members Irwin Sparkes , Martin Skarendahl and Alan Sharland ....
) - Exit TenExit TenExit Ten is a British Rock/Metal band. Their debut full-length album, Remember The Day, was released in 2008. Their second studio album was released in October 2011.-Biography:Exit Ten are a post-hardcore/progressive rock band from Reading, Berkshire...
– progressive metalProgressive metalProgressive metal is a subgenre of heavy metal originating in the United Kingdom and North America in the late 1980s...
band - Jamie Willcox – musician (member of Pure Reason RevolutionPure Reason RevolutionPure Reason Revolution are a British rock group formed at the University of Westminster in 2003 and who are playing their final dates together in November 2011. Their music incorporates elements of progressive rock and electro. Their music has been variously described as 'Astral Folk' and 'New...
)
External links
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