Wellington Academy
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[edit] Introduction and Brief History
Wellington Academy is a secondary school in Greenock serving Eastern and Central areas of the town. Opened in August 1990, as a result of a controversial merger with Cowdeknowes High School (now Notre Dame RC High School), slowly but surely, the school campus over recent years has fallen into a state of disrepair. Although extensively refurbished when the building was occupied and taken over from being "Grovepark High School", the school has not stood up to the test of time well. Various catchment area changes over the years has seen the school left with just two feeder primary schools.
[edit] Feeder Primary Schools
- Overton Primary - serving the Overton, Pennyfern and "the estates" areas of Greenock.
- Highlander's Academy Primary - serving the Town centre and the Bow Farm areas of Greenock.
[edit] Schools formerly associated with Wellington
- Oakfield Primary (until 2004) - serving the Weir Street, Muakinhill and Gibshill areas of Greenock.
- King's Glen Primary (until 2004) - serving the Leven Road, Clynder Road and Strone areas of Greenock.
- King's Oak Primary (2004-2006) - amalgmamated Oakfield and King's Glen primaries, areas as above. Now associated with Port Glasgow High School
- Lady Alice Primary - serving the Grieve Road and Barr's Cottage areas of Greenock. Now associated with Greenock High School.
Many critics of Wellington's catchment area argue that it was always far too small and thus the school never would gain full potential - For example, school children from the east end Gibshill area of Greenock and western Port Glasgow attend Greenock Academy in the affluent West End - a school 4 miles away from Gibshill and 2 miles further west from Wellington's more Central location.
[edit] School Background
The school has a very good reputation within not only Greenock but in Inverclyde and beyond. It has gained in the past good reports from HMIE Inspectors and also competes in many national events and contests such as Young Enteprise Scotland and the Stock Market Challenge. The small size of the school has made it popular with pupils - with only around 400 pupils at present. The pupils also seem to be very proud of their school with uniform uptake high and participation in events in the wider community representing Wellington also at a high level.
However, this has also made it a contender for closure as its current capacity is almost 900 pupils. Inverclyde Council have decided that in June 2007, the school will shut and amalgamate with Greenock High School.
[edit] Closure and Controversy
In June Wellington will amalgamate with Greenock High School - a school also suffering from falling school rolls and unsatisfactory accommodation issues (with capacity at 1100 and it being half full). Eventually both schools will merge into the one brand new school sometime within the next three years at a school built on the site of the Ravenscraig Football Pitches - close to the current Greenock High site in the Spango Valley area of Greenock. The new school will have 7 associated primary schools:
- Highlanders Academy Primary.
- Overton Primary.
- Lady Alice Primary.
- Earnhill Primary.
- Ravenscraig Primary.
- Inverkip Primary.
- Wemyss Bay Primary.
In addition, it will continue to be common place for pupils from Goruock Primary and Skelmorlie Primary to go to the new school, as well as all other Inverclyde Schools if appropriate placing requests are granted.
In the planning process, the "new school" had an ambigious working title of "West Inverclyde Secondary School". Parents and pupils in both current schools voted for the name "Inverclyde Academy" to be the chosen name for the new school - reflecting its wide catchment area.
Inverclyde Academy will serve 50% of Inverclyde's population and will have a catchment area stretching from Wemyss Bay - on the Inverclyde border) to Central Greenock. Its capacity will be around 1,200 pupils - making it easily the largest High school in Inverclyde and likely also the 2nd largest High School in the traditional county of Renfrewshire - behind Park Mains High School in Erskine (with 1500 pupils). When opening in August it will have approximately 950 pupils - with rolls split between the current Greenock High and Wellington campuses.
Parents of both schools fought hard to save each school - even election of a new local council of Lib Dem councillors who assured Wellington would be safe if elected. This idea though has fallen by the wayside and now parents are uniting and looking to the future.
[edit] Facilities
At present, Wellington also has a Nursery or Pre-School located in its campus as well as variously well equipped facilities for the disabled - such as lifts and ramps for easy access. And it is, in fact, the only school in the council area with that facility. It also hosts a state-of-the-art fitness suite as well as excellent sports facilities. It also has a good reputation for Learning Support and catering for additional needs and there are teacher training classrooms and Sport Scotland facilities located on site too.
The school also plays host to a community wing on the first floor which is also a common room for sixth year pupils - a facitlity which is well used by pupils and also various youth clubs who use it.
[edit] Changes at the Top
The head teacher since the school's introduction (and the head of Cowdeknowes High before it) - Mr Jim McCallum - retired in December 2006. He will be replaced by Mr Billy Paul - who is a current Deputy Head in the school until the school and Greenock High officially merge in June of this year (2007). The new headteacher will be Catherine Sorenson - current Head Teacher of Greenock High School. She will also transfer into the new role for the new Inverclyde school. It has also been recently decided that both schools will operate under a single identity but as separate schools in two buildings until the new school is complete.
[edit] After Amalgmamation
In the "new" school come August, the S1 and the S3 year groups will not be in the Wellington building but will be transferred to the Greenock High "Spango Valley" campus. It has also been agreed that after the new school moves into the site at Ravenscraig, the current Wellington building will be refurbished to take pupils in Notre Dame High School - whilst a new school is built on that site (a school in itself which will be merged with St. Columba's RC High School in Gourock. After that (2010/12) it is expected that the site will be razed to the ground - bringing to an end of an era to a site which has hosted some five schools on its site in central Greenock since the early 20th Century.
[edit] Standard Grade Subjects at Wellington
Subjects taught In Wellington at Standard Grade include:
- Music.
- Geography.
- History.
- RMPS.
- Art.
- Maths.
- English.
- French.
- Italian. (now not an option for new standard grade pupils next year but only taught to the current S3, next year pupil will be taught Sopanish in line with Greenock High)
- Administration.
- Computing.
- Home Economics.
- Graphics.
- Craft and Design.
- Physical Education.
- Science Subjects (Biology, Science, Chemistry, and Physics).
Many students now at Wellington and throughout Inverclyde travel to other schools as "consortium" students to study certain highers. However most Standard Grades which can be done at Wellington can also be followed up at an Intermediate or Higher Level. This is a problem which a new school aims to rectifty - trying to offer as broad a curriculum as possible.
[edit] Notable Pupils
AWARD WINNERS 2006:
- Senior DUX (S5/6)- Jonathan Glass.
- Middle School DUX (S3/4)- Frazer Dewar.
- Junior School DUX (S1/2)- Daniella Ovalle.
AWARD WINNERS 2005:
- Senior DUX (S5/6)- Martin Skirving.
- Middle School DUX (S3/4)- Mhairi Lyle.
- Junior School DUX (S1/2)- Irene Murphy, Emma Stevens.
HEAD BOY & HEAD GIRL (Session 2006/07):
- Jonathan Glass. Mhairi Lyle.
- Graeme Baillie. (DEPUTE) Gillian Mukumba. (DEPUTE)
HEAD BOY & HEAD GIRL (Session 2005/06):
- John Doak. Gabrielle Baker.
- Andrew Carter. (DEPUTE) Laura Sorrie. (DEPUTE)
[edit] Senior Staff
- Mr J McCallum (Head teacher 1990-2006/Science teacher)
- Mr D W Hunter (Deputy head teacher - S5/6 Head/History teacher)
- Mrs L Biagioni (acting Deputy head teacher - S3/4 Head/IT teacher)
- Mr W Paul (Deputy head teacher/Maths teacher/Acting Head Teacher 2007)
- Mr S Smyth (Deputy head teacher - S1/2 Head/Maths teacher)
[edit] Guidance Team
At wellington, the guidance system is divided differently for pupils in the 'Middle' school upwards (s4->). It is catergorised alphabetically as A, B, C, and E. There is no 'D' group, however in the year 2001, Wellington's largest ever first year intake (135 pupils) meant a new 'D' class had to be made up. But, no Guidance group was ever introduced to coincide with this. In the lower school (as an attempt to streamline things when the new amalgamated school comes into operation) guidance groups are divided by P, Q and R - an oddity of sorts.
Current Guidance Teachers include:
- Mrs L Mooney.
- Mr T Sharkey.
- Mrs I Weston.
- Mrs K Malloy.
- Mrs C Munro.
- Mr D Mooney (Careers Officer)
- Mr W McKittrick.
