Caerleon Comprehensive School

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Caerleon Comprehensive School
Details
Location	Cold Bath Road, Caerleon, Newport
LEA	Newport
Region	Newport (South Wales)
Founded	Unknown
Staff
Total Staff	Approx 150
Headteacher	Mr Adrian G Davies
Deputy Head(s)	Mrs R Hughes, Mr P James
Assistant Head(s)	Mr N Ingham (Lower School) Mr P Jones (Upper School) Mrs E Roberts (Sixth Form)
Students
Total	1700
Age range	11–18
Gender	Mixed
Other
Motto	'Perserverance'
Website	None

Caerleon Comprehensive School is a state-run school situated in Caerleon on the outskirts of Newport, Wales. The school boasts an excellent reputation in the region, not only for the academic results of its pupils, but also for music and sport.

Contents 1 Identity 2 Facilities 3 Isca Block 4 Information Technology 5 Subjects Available 5.1 Exam Performance 6 School Environment 7 References 8 Other Notes 8.1 Mr J Kirkwood MBE

[edit] Identity

There are approximately 1,700 pupils on roll at the school at any one time, including a sizeable sixth form of around 300 pupils. All pupils are required to wear the a school uniform comprising black trousers or skirt, a black jumper, a sky blue shirt and a maroon tie with blue stripes. Sixth formers are distinguished by their white shirts and wholly maroon ties displaying the school crest of a Roman eagle above the emblem of a fortress, (a reference to Caerleon being the site of the Isca Augusta Roman fortress) underscored by the school's motto, 'Perseverance'.

[edit] Facilities

The school's facilities include several modern computer suites, a floodlit astro-turf pitch, recently resurfaced tennis courts, large playing fields, a modern Design and Technology block - which was opened in 1999 by Sir Terry Matthews OBE, a library, a canteen, numerous specialist classrooms (including science laboratories, music rooms, etc), a sizeable main hall, a nature reserve (not part of the school), and a separate sixth form building which houses classrooms for exclusively sixth form use, along with offices and a student common room which has been newly refurbished and now contains a coffee shop.

[edit] Isca Block

The 'Isca Block' which can be seen from the nearby M4 motorway by its distinctive green roof, was opened in 2005 by the Mayor of Newport in an after-school ceremony which featured musical items by some students. The new block was entitled 'Isca Block', after students were invited to submit ideas for the name of the building.. It contains 16 rooms: 3 Welsh rooms, 1 history room, 4 IT rooms, 2 German rooms and 6 French rooms. The Head of Year 7's office is located in the Isca block.

[edit] Information Technology

Prior to the opening of the Isca Block in 2005, there was one IT room in the new Design and Technology (J) block, and 3 on the second floor of the main (ABC) Block. There are two rooms containing computers in the 'J' Block, although one room is purely used for Computer Aided Design/ Manufacture (CAD/CAM)

When the Isca Block was opened it contained 4 IT rooms, this helped allieviate the queue for teachers to book classes into specialist IT rooms, and meant that the old ABC Block IT rooms could be converted into standard classrooms for the English Department and that each of the 4 IT teachers would have a classroom allocated to them.

The information technology network was recently updated with new flatscreen monitors and CPUs from Dell after requests from the IT Dept.

[edit] Subjects Available

Caerleon Comprehensive offers a wide ranging array of subjects beyond the staple Mathematics, English Literature and Language, Biology, Chemistry and Physics, with students able to study Welsh, French, German, History, Geography, Religious Education, Sociology, Business Studies, Information and Comunication Technology (ICT), Drama, Music, Design and Technology, Art, and more. Even more subjects are available for pupils to study at GCSE and/or AS Level and A2 Level (A Level).

[edit] Exam Performance

Secondary School Performance Tables reveal Caerleon Comprehensive's success record, with an average of 95% of pupils who took their GCSEs between 1998-2000 achieving five or more A* to G grades, and 72% achieving five or more grades at A* to C^[1].

[edit] School Environment

The school looks to foster a friendly environment, and beyond merely academic provision, offers students the chance to participate in numerous extra-curricular activities. The school has a number of successful teams in several different sports, including football, hockey, rugby and netball. It also offers those with musical talents the chance to participate in the school choir or orchestras. Moreover, the school participates in other schemes such as Young Enterprise and the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme, allowing pupils the opportunity at least to leave the school, be it at 16 or above, with more than just academic qualifications. The school's mission statement is

'To maximise the potential of all in a happy, caring and disciplined environment'

[edit] References

1. ^ .National Assembly for Wales

[edit] Other Notes

Its famous alumni include professional rugby union player Nick Walne.

In March 2007 a large fence was erected around the perimeter of the school buildings (excluding the playing fields). Senior staff cited 'security reasons' for this. The construction of the fence has prompted several long-running jokes from the male PE Department who are convinced the fence is to 'keep the water buffalo out'.

• Headteacher: Mr Adrian G Davies
• Chair of Governing Body: Mr A Pugh*
• Published Yearly Admission Number: 232+

[edit] Mr J Kirkwood MBE

• The previous chair Mr Jim Kirkwood MBE, died in February 2007 whilst still in his position. Vice-chair Mr A Pugh was positioned as acting-chair and memorial services for Mr Kirkwood were held on 23rd March 2007.