Wheatley Park School
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Wheatley Park School is a secondary school of around 1400 pupils situated in Holton, approximately eight miles to the south-east of the city of Oxford. Its current headteacher is Kate Curtis who was promoted to the position in 2005 to replace Nicholas Young.
The school is steeped in history, boasting a Georgian Manor, a moat and island, as well as a natural spring, a venison house, and buildings used as head-hospital wards during World War II. There is also a tree recorded in the Doomsday book, a tradition being to see how many year 7s can be fitted inside. It was partially damaged and hollowed out in 1999 when a fire was lit near to it by a student. Used as a base during the English Civil War of the 1600s, it is said that Oliver Cromwell's daughter was married on the moat, and it is rumoured that a passageway connects this site to the nearby village of Wheatley. The history at Wheatley Park is argued to be the most extensive for any state school. Recently Historians have been exploring the history of the Manor and its inhabitants, the wine cellar underneath the island and many other unanswered questions, including whether the school really is haunted by the many ghosts that new students are warned about on their first day. Wheatley Park, when described, often is assumed to be a private school with its extensive grounds, superb history and subjetcs on offer such as Latin.
The school is currently improving facilities on its site. A new mathematics block was opened in 2004, and a building for the John Watson school, with which Wheatley Park School is affiliated, was opened in September 2006.
WPS is a specialist Arts College, as well as providing after-school and extra-curricular activities, including rock climbing and sailing. Sixth form student Justin Visser recently won the 2005 29er Youth World Championship for sailing in San Francisco. The school produces a musical every year: recent shows include Grease (2006), Sweeney Todd (2005), Little Shop of Horrors (2004) and West Side Story (2003). Further arts connections include holding an annual Sixth Form fashion show in aid of charity, being host to the Oxford branch of Sands Theatre Arts School, and being host to an annual film festival. The school consistently achieves art A-level results within the top 5 in the country.
The school also prides itself on the number of foreign trips it offers, including annual excursions to Italy, Spain, France and Germany. Popular trips also include excursions to Russia, China, Iceland and America. Wheatley Park also participates in the World Challenge programme - in July 2006, a team of 16 went to Vietnam. Previous destinations include Tanzania and Peru.
Notable alumni include Supergrass[citation needed], who have said that without Wheatley Park they would never have formed. It also welcomes a number of famous visitors, these having recently included Boris Johnson and the Vice Admiral Gretton.
In the academic year 2006 to 2007 Wheatley Park School Drama department are hosting a brand new playwriting festival. Workshops will be run by leading youth theatre playwrights and Drama practitioners (including Mark Wheeller, Paul King and Andy Kemp) will be run from September to February to inspire the community to write new short plays(between 10 and 30 mins). These will be performed by schools around Oxfordshire, groups at Wheatley Park and local theatre companies including Wheatley Productions between March and July 2007. A gala at Wheatley Park on the 5th July 2007 will celebrate the new work created as part of the festival.
