Balcarras School
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Balcarras School is comprehensive school for 11 to 18 year olds, located in Charlton Kings, Cheltenham, UK.
[edit] History
Balcarras School was opened to pupils on 2 September 1986 and occupied the site previously known as Charlton Kings County Secondary School, which was closed as part of a secondary re-organisation scheme in Cheltenham.
This process re-shaped the local education system : it resulted in school closures and marked the demise of single sex education in the town, (except in the private sector), but it gave birth to a new school in Charlton Kings, Balcarras . There was already a farm and a hotel that took that local place name. Balcarras was at this point an 11-16 comprehensive.
The official opening, which was hosted by the new Headteacher, Mr. Nigel Cooke, followed on the afternoon of Wednesday 12 November when the guest of honour was the Mayor of Cheltenham, Mr. Don Perry, T.D. and the vicar of Charlton Kings dedicated a sun-dial in commemoration of the occasion. The Chairman of Governors, Mr. Barrie Anderson, also welcomed the four patrons of the school Houses named after them : Mrs. Winifred Foley, Mr. Tom Graveney, O.B.E., Mr. Gordon Ottewell and Mr. Peter Selvey.
The accommodation comprised ten classrooms, an assembly hall, (also used as a dining hall), and stage, a gymnasium with changing rooms and showers, a library, science and rural science laboratories and special rooms, (in some cases also used as classrooms), for woodwork, metalwork, domestic subjects, art, needlework and light crafts.
This building is now but a small part of what Balcarras has become. First of all was added the Science block, and then came the building which houses History and Maths and is connected to the Sixth Form Centre. After that came the Dining Room block and then the Sports Hall seemed to bring the building programme to a close. The playing field which had formerly finished at a hedge, whose centre was marked by the famous oak tree, was extended towards the foot of the Cotswold Hills.
In the mid 1990's the numbers of pupils entering post-16 education, and having to travel across the town to find it, created a demand for a sixth form in the eastern part of the town, fuelled by enthusiastic parents and channelled through a steering group of staff and governors. In september 1998 the sixth form was opened by HRH the Princess Royal.
The continued appeal of the school has led to a seemingly relentless expansion which required a further building programme in 1999 to create another new feature, the six-roomed Modern Languages block, which was opened on 23rd March 2000 by Philipe St. Andre, former French rugby international.
November 2000 saw the arrival of OFSTED inspectors for the School's second inspection. They were greatly impressed by what they saw, with two features standing out strongly - the warmth of the atmosphere throughout the school and the quality of the teaching. The teaching in the Sixth Form was the best the inspectors had seen!
In October 2001 the new Music accommodation was opened and celebrated by the first annual House Music Competition, with superb solo and ensemble renditions from every House. Just 1 point out of 300 separated 1st from joint 2nd but Graveney became the first winners!
2002 saw two major developments; the opening of the astroturf pitch and pavilion, largely funded by Sport England, serving the school and local sporting community, and the extension to the modern languages building, housing the geography department and ICT.
Finally in 2006, a superb new art block was added onto the other end of the modern languages block, giving Balcarras some of the best art facilities in the county.
Balcarras has come a long way since its opening in 1986, doubling its numbers from 650 11-16 pupils to its position today as an 11-18 school of 1300 pupils and students with a national reputation for the quality of the education it provides.
