Stratton Upper School
 | |
| Established | 1950 |
|---|---|
| Type | Academy |
| Headteacher | Mr Rob Watson M.Ed |
| Location |
Eagle Farm Road Biggleswade Bedfordshire SG18 8JB England Coordinates: 52°05′12″N 0°15′01″W / 52.08665°N 0.25015°W |
| DfE number | 823/4005 |
| DfE URN | 137886 Tables |
| Ofsted | Reports |
| Students | 1,184 as of January 2015 |
| Gender | Mixed |
| Ages | 13–19 |
| Website |
stratton |
Stratton Upper School [1] is a mixed upper school and sixth form located in Biggleswade, Bedfordshire, England. It is situated in the east of the town.
The school has previously proven to be a relative success with Ofsted regarding the school as 'good with outstanding features'. Following extensive remodelling of the curriculum during the period 2012-2014, Ofsted again rated the school "good" against a newer, far more demanding Inspection framework. In conjunction with the Central Bedfordshire Local Authority, the school is planning to expand in order to accommodate the growing population of Biggleswade. The centrepiece of this expansion will be a state-of-the-art new science department, set to open in the Autumn of 2016.
Admissions
The main body of the school educates both male and female students aged between 13 and 16, mainly from the town of Biggleswade and some surrounding villages (including some from Cambridgeshire). In addition, the school offers further education facilities for students up to the age of 19 through its Sixth Form department.
Stratton Upper School has been designated as a Training School. As a training school the school offers a postgraduate programme as well as a Graduate Teacher Programme, and an Access to Education Scheme. There is also a working farm on site.
History
The school was originally constructed during the late 1940s, being built in such a fashion that it could be used as a hospital in the event of another major conflict akin to the Second World War. The school first opened its doors to students in 1950 as "Stratton Grammar Technical School," though much of the facility remained unfinished at this time and construction would continue over the following years, with the site not finally completed until 1956.
In 1976 the facility was one of many grammar schools in Britain during the period to become a comprehensive. The consequences of transition from a selective-admissions school into a comprehensive were difficult, and for some years Stratton suffered a beleaguered reputation. This culminated in a transformative period during the late 1990s and early 2000s, with the school consistently rated highly by Ofsted and achieving successful results. Stratton was subsequently the first school in the Biggleswade area to apply for and gain academy status in 2011. The school is now managed in conjunction with Gamlingay Village College by the Stratton Education Trust, and plans to extensively expand the site are expected to be put in place in the near future.
In April 2013, a fire in the Humanities Department of the school caused an estimated £30,000 worth of damage and resulted in temporary closure.[2] Another minor incident occurred at the school in January 2016, when on-site building workers accidentally cut through an ancillary gas pipe. Some parts of the site were temporarily closed to students as a result, but lessons were not affected.
Headmasters
Mr H. Blayney (1950-1973)
Mr G. Suggitt (1973-1982)
Mr B. Farman (1982-1996)
Mr N. Bramwell (1996-2010)
Mr R. Watson (2010–Present)[3]
Notable former pupils
Grammar school
- Chris Roycroft-Davis, Sun journalist
References
- ↑ "Home". Stratton.beds.sch.uk. Retrieved 2013-04-12.
- ↑ "Fire causes £30,000 worth of damage at school". Biggleswade Today. Retrieved 26 April 2013.
- ↑ "Sixty years strong for Stratton". Biggleswade Today. Retrieved 15 October 2010.