St Mary Redcliffe and Temple School

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St Mary Redcliffe and Temple School

Contact Information	Phone: 0117 3772100 Fax: 0117 3772101
Established	1966
Type	State
Head Teacher	Elisabeth Gilpin
Location	Somerset Square Redcliffe, Bristol, Bristol United Kingdom
Enrollment	Approx. 1350 students
Ages	11 to 18
Website	www.smrt.bristol.sch.uk

St Mary Redcliffe and Temple School is a Church of England Voluntary Aided school for 11-18 year-olds situated in the inner-city suburb of Redcliffe (sometimes 'Redcliff'), Bristol. It is also referred to as St Mary Redcliffe, Redcliffe and SMRT. The school is in close proximity to both St Mary Redcliffe Church (on its northern side) and Bristol Temple Meads train station (to the east), while its southern boundary follows the 'New Cut' of the River Avon. It is the only Church of England Secondary school in the Diocese of Bristol. Unlike most Comprehensive State schools, entry is not restricted by catchment area; the school serves both the city and the outlying communities of Greater Bristol, for which there are no alternative Church of England schools. The schools administration now also includes a small number of places to serve the community, for which no church link is required. The school is currently designated a 'Specialist Humanities College'. The school's headteacher (since 2005) is Elisabeth Gilpin; Director of Sixth Form is Adrian Champion.

1 History and culture
2 Teaching and learning
3 References
4 External links

[edit] History and culture

On receiving an Elizabethan Royal Charter in 1571, St Mary Redcliffe School began in a building outside the south porch of St Mary Redcliffe Church (near the present-day war memorial), before moving to the Lady Chapel inside the church. Termed a 'Free Grammar School' ^[1], this school merged with Temple Colston School (founded 1709) in 1966, creating the co-educational 'SMRT', which moved to its present site in Somerset Square the following year. The dates of foundation for the original boys' and girls' schools (i.e. 1571 and 1709) appear superimposed on the Maltese cross-like crest of the school-uniform badge, itself part of the school's coat of arms.

On entry to SMRT in Year 7, students traditionally join James House (for a number of years located at Boot Lane, in nearby Bedminster); they are then placed in one of the four main houses: Canynges (yellow), Cartwright (blue), Colston (red) and Francombe (green). The house names refer to notable civic dignitaries, ecclesiastical benefactors and educational pioneers of Bristol. Although the colours of the SMRT shield include 'Colston' blue (usually identified outside the school as Royal blue), the colour assigned to the eponymous house is actually red.

The school's two mottos are 'Steadfast in Faith' (historic) and 'A Christian Community Committed To Excellence' (modern). Both reflect the partnership with St Mary Redcliffe Church, and also the official faith. Annual events include House Eucharists, beginning and end of year services, an Ascension Day Eucharist, the Redcliffe Community Summer Fete, a Christmas carol service, and the annual Colston Day service.

The school has been included a number of TV appearances. In 2005 the school's buildings and uniforms featured in the BBC's Patrick's Planet, while a number of episodes of the Bristol-based Casualty drama series have also been filmed at the school. In 1997, to celebrate the 500th anniversary of John Cabot's discovery of mainland America, SMRT students were invited to follow the progress of a replica of Cabot's ship, which the BBC filmed as it recreated the voyage of The Matthew from the area in which it was built.

Every year the school nominates a student for the Diana Memorial Award. In 2006 Daniel Mesfin won the award for constant service to the school council, the Healthy Schools campaign, Francombe House and the wider community.

[edit] Teaching and learning

As of 2006, SMRT has over 1,350 students, including approximately 350 in the Sixth Form (Years 12-13)^{[citation needed]}. With the exception of some lessons requiring extra space and facilities (for example, fields at Brislington being used for Games), most subjects are taught either in the Main Building (begun 1965), Temple Colston Building (opened 1987), Cartwright Building (opened 1998) or on the outdoor 'Arena' and hard-courts.

GCSE and 'A' level examination results are generally above the national average^{[citation needed]}. As well as being a Specialist Humanities College, SMRT was granted Beacon School status in 2000, and has also been part of the 'Excellence in Cities' scheme (incorporating 'Gifted & Talented' programmes).

Until 2005 SMRT's sixth-form programme shared the main premises with the rest of the school. The Redcliffe Sixth Form Centre was opened in 2004, and is based separately on Redcliffe Hill.