Backwell School
 | |
|
The main gates | |
| Established | 1954 |
|---|---|
| Type | Secondary Academy |
| Trust | North Somerset Teaching Alliance |
| Headteacher | Julian Baldwin |
| Deputy Headteachers | Ben Houghton, Jon Nunes |
| Chair of Governors | Maurice Moloney |
| Location |
Station Road Backwell North Somerset BS48 3BX England Coordinates: 51°24′58″N 2°44′21″W / 51.4161°N 2.7392°W |
| DfE number | 802/4129 |
| DfE URN | 136722 Tables |
| Ofsted | Reports Pre-academy reports |
| Capacity | 1,728 (Data from January 2015) |
| Students | 1,706 (Data from January 2015) |
| Gender | Mixed |
| Ages | 11–18 |
| Houses | Cotswold, Mendip, Sedgemoor and Quantock |
| Colours | Navy blue & gold |
| Publications | Backchat, Backwell School Radio |
| Teaching school | Yes, since 2012 |
| Website |
www |
Backwell School is an comprehensive secondary academy in Backwell, North Somerset, England.
The school (a National Teaching School with Healthy School and International School status), leads the North Somerset Teaching Alliance, has had academy status since March 2011. It also holds the Artsmark Gold award and includes a sixth form.
Backwell has previously been a Beacon School, visual and performing arts college specialist school and National Training School. It has 1,738 pupils, of which 387 are in the schools sixth form as of 2016, from the age of 11 (year 7) to the age of 18 (year 13).[1]
History
The original secondary modern school at Backwell was founded by Somerset County Council in 1954 and later became a comprehensive school in 1976 when the tripartite education system was abolished in the area. The school's original building dates from 1954,[2] when Britain was in the midst of a post-war school-building boom.[3]
In 2009, 71% of GCSE pupils achieved at least five GCSE passes above grade C including English and Maths.[4] This is 21% above the national average that year. It is the highest performing state secondary school in North Somerset.[5]
In November 2008, Backwell School was rated as outstanding by Ofsted.[6] It was inspected again in May 2013 (no. 413323) due to the school having converted to academy 2 years previous. It was judged to be outstanding in all categories
On 11 September a small fire broke out in the Cotswold house building, causing minor damage to the block. All staff and pupils were safely evacuated.[7]
Headteacher Julian Baldwin announced on 23 November that he would be retiring at the end of the 2015-16 academic year, having worked at the school for 15 years; five as deputy headteacher followed by 10 as headteacher.[8]
Catchment area
The school's catchment area includes the villages of Backwell, Yatton, Claverham, Cleeve and Kingston Seymour, although several hundred of the school's pupils come from locations outside of its official catchment area from locations such as Nailsea and Bristol. Admissions are managed by the local education authority - North Somerset Council.
School site
The site at Backwell is relatively large, featuring multiple large sports grounds to the North. Buildings vary extremely in design and age with the oldest part of the original school, known as 'Lower School' and the 'Science Corridor, which includes the main theatre, dating back to 1954 - being the same design as at Kingsmead School while the Sixth Form Centre was completed in just 2011.
Extracurricular activities
Backwell is known for its strong association with the performing arts; in particular its bi-yearly Whole School Productions, regular music concerts and student-organised Sixth Form Productions.
In 2015 a radio station was launched, having been set up by the student council. Run entirely by a team of students it broadcasts a variety of music and topical conversation in line with its mission statement, often summarised to four words: For students — by students.[9]
Notable alumni
- Richard Ottaway, member of Parliament for Croydon South[10]
- Joel McIver, author[11]
- Chris Cox, magician
- Chris Dent, cricketer
- Chris Wood, golfer
- Amy Wadge, Grammy-winning singer-songwriter
Former headteachers
- Julian Baldwin
- Roger Mason
- R Nosowski
References
- ↑ "Backwell School" (PDF). Retrieved 8 November 2015.
- ↑ "Planning committee meeting minutes". North Somerset Council. 11 November 2001. Retrieved 30 May 2007.
- ↑ "Designing Britain — Schools". Retrieved 25 November 2015.
- ↑ "Backwell School". Education League Tables. BBC News Education. 13 January 2010. Retrieved 7 April 2010.
- ↑ "Secondary schools in North Somerset". BBC News. 13 January 2010. Archived from the original on 23 March 2010. Retrieved 7 April 2010.
- ↑ "Inspection Report". Ofsted. 20 November 2008. Retrieved 6 March 2009.
- ↑ Cardwell, Mark (14 September 2015). "Backwell School evacuated as three fire crews tackle blaze". North Somerset Mercury Website. North Somerset Mercury. Retrieved 26 September 2015.
- ↑ Baldwin, Julian (23 November 2015). "Letter from Headteacher" (Letter). Backwell School Website. Backwell School. Retrieved 25 November 2015.
- ↑ Sparling, Helen (30 January 2015). "Radio Station Launched!" (News Update). Backwell School Website. Backwell School. Retrieved 10 February 2015.
- ↑ "Richard Ottaway". BBC News Online. 2001. Retrieved 13 February 2008.
- ↑ Interview in Venue magazine, 2008