Freeston Business and Enterprise College

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Freeston Business and Enterprise College, founded in 1592 by John Freeston. The school has experienced much success over recent years with results improving consistently over the years. The majority of Freeston's students reside in Normanton and Altofts. The school has witnessed a recent injection of investment, becoming a Business College. After leaving the school many pupils continue their education at the further educational colleges of Wakefield or NEW College in Pontefract. Gill Metcalfe is the current headteacher of the school.

[edit] 2003 Inspection Report

Retrived from The Wakefield Education Inspectors Headteacher: Mrs. G. Metcalfe Age: 11-16 Type: VC Number on Roll: 1076 Annual Admission Number: 250

Freeston is an 11-16 Business and Enterprise College with a tradition of providing quality education in Normanton for almost 500 years. The College has a board of trustees - The Normanton Freeston Foundation - who own the extensive grounds on which the college stands. In 2003, the school was awarded Arts Mark silver and two years later achieved the prestigious specialist status of becoming the first Business and Enterprise College in the Wakefield area. From September 2006 Freeston will become a DfES funded Enterprise Hub School. We believe that enterprise will raise aspirations and standards of achievement. It is our aim to enable students to experience exciting and creative challenges for life.

The college enjoys excellent facilities. In 2004, our new Student Reception was completed and is now fully operational and staffed. In addition to the existing, spacious study rooms, the College enjoys a recently constructed Science facility; a well-stocked library, with its own internet access computer suite for research and revision; art studios; dedicated music and practice rooms and two drama studios. Together with our two ICT rooms, fully equipped Technology areas and extensive indoor and outdoor sports facilities (which include tennis courts, rugby, football and cricket fields and an all-weather pitch), the College provides a stimulating and pleasant environment for students to derive maximum benefit from these crucial years in education.

In 2004, Freeston became Wakefield’s only “Fully Service Extended School”, which has enabled our facilities to be integrated firmly at the centre of the community. We are creating a dedicated Family Learning Centre to encourage educational opportunities throughout the area, to raise aspirations and achievements. Through this facility, Freeston will have a busy programme of Study Support, Skills for Families, extensive and varied Adult and Lifelong Learning projects accessible for all ages. A new sports hall and fitness centre, due for completion in 2005, will serve to provide extensive school and community facilities for a range of activities. The building will also house a new ICT suite and cyber information point.

The OfSTED Report of November 2003 described Freeston: “The school has improved well since the last inspection…(and)… sets high expectations for pupils and works hard to achieve them. Pupil attitudes are good and there is a positive ethos…The trend of results since 2000 has been one of rapid improvement”. The College has excellent support services to care for students. These include Gifted and Talented Co-ordinators, Peer Mentors, Learning and Business Mentors, Educational Welfare Officers and Learning Support Assistants. Our excellent links with industry and commerce through our specialist status will further enhance the opportunities available to all our students and provide better preparation for the challenges of life in the workplace.