Ashdown Technology College
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| Ashdown Technology College | |
| Motto | CARE (Curriculum, Achievement, Responsibility, Excellence) |
| Established | c.1989 |
| Type | Technology College |
| Religious affiliation | None, studies various religions. |
| Headteacher | Mrs. L. Jones |
| Founder | Mrs. M. Snell, Ashley Cross Girls School, Seldown Boys School |
| Location | Poole Dorset England, United Kingdom |
| Students | 600 |
| Gender | All |
| Ages | 12-14 to 14-16 |
| Houses | None |
| School colours | Black,Blue |
| Website | Ashdown Homepage |
Ashdown Technology College is a secondary school in Poole, Dorset, the United Kingdom. It is a fusion of two previous schools, Ashley Cross Girls School and Seldown Boys School, its name an amalgamation of the two schools. It was opened on July 7, 1989. Currently, Mrs. L. Jones is the headteacher.
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[edit] History
[edit] Construction and Opening
The construction of Ashdown School was announced in 1986 and work quickly begun on a large field in Canford Heath, Poole, Dorset. The new secondary school would be the end result of two closing schools, Seldown Boys School and Ashley Cross Girls School, fusing together. The name Ashdown is the amalgamation of the two schools. Both schools used their premises until work on Ashdown was completed.
During construction, a time capsule was placed somewhere within the brick walls and if the school is demolished, it will likely be opened. Fifty Ash Trees were planted around the border of the school's large field, to represent the school's new name. However, deliberately started fires have destroyed some the trees, the most recent happening in 2003. A collage was made from various drawings of the original two schools, and it hangs in the entrance of the school.
On July 7, 1989, Ashdown School opened its doors for the first time. It was officially opened by Princess Margaret and headteacher Mrs. Mollie Snell. Six hundred students attended the opening of the school. The school's estimated worth price was £5 million.
[edit] Events in 1990-1999
In 1990, Mrs. Snell retired from her post as headteacher and passed it on to Mr. Ashley Pellegrini, who previously taught in a comprehensive school in Middlesex. The school also celebrated its first Sports Day on the school's field and running track; this became a yearly tradition for the school. New ICT facilities were also opened.
In 1991, the school performed its first Christmas pantomime, "The Magic Sword", directed by then-head of drama, Mrs. J. Williams. School shows eventually disappeared from the yearly events, as did Drama, but it they may still be reintroduced due to student suggestions. The school previously had a newspaper named the Ashdown Echo (a parody of the Echo newspaper), but it eventually stopped being produced. The first Year 11 Prom was held too. The School Council was first created, to help improve the school's conditions.
In 1995, the Charter Mark Award was given to Ashdown for Excellence in Public Service. Mr. Pellegrini was supposed to go to London to receive it from the Prime Minister, John Major, but he was late due to a wrong diary entry, but was helped by the Site Manager Mr J Higgs and Mrs C Cheary The Bursar. Students from the school visited the Houses of Parliament and Number 10, Downing Street a year later in 1996.
Disaster struck in 1997. On October 7, Two arsonists set the school on fire at 2:00 a.m. and burnt down part of the school, destroying the music room. The school was closed for a week as police,teachers and Site Manager along with Council staff examined damage to the school. A new area was constructed in 1999, with a new music room and five new classrooms that would become Maths rooms. The school received a second Charter Mark Award in 1998.
[edit] Events in Recent Years
In 2000, the school was presented a DfES School Improvement Award. In 2001, under the DfES; Specialist Schools programme, Ashdown became a Technology College and changed its name to Ashdown Technology College. New state-of-the-art technology is added in several classrooms, including interactive whiteboards.
In 2004, students achieved the best GCSE results in the history of Ashdown. 2005 saw Ashdown being recognised by the Specialist Schools Trust as one of the "Most Improved" and "Best Added Value" Schools in the country. The DfEs also designated Ashdown as a High Performing Specialist School. Near the end of the school term, Ashdown said goodbye to its Deputy Head, Mrs. Sleat, who retires after 42 years of teaching. New Deputy Head, Mr. Wood, joins the staff.
2006 was a good year for Ashdown, not only getting new GCSE results but was also redesignated as a Technology College with Vocational Learning added to its specialisms. Sixth Form was also introduced. Headteacher, Mr. Pellegrini departed as well, leaving to teach new headteachers further up the country. In 2007 he has been replaced by Mrs. Jones. The new term beginning in September, will also introduce a new school uniform.
[edit] School's facilities
Ashdown Technology College is primarily one large building with all the facilities within. The reception area and main hallway is the entrance to the school with the head offices located here. There are twenty-one main classrooms, teaching various subjects including Maths, English, French, Spanish, History, Geography, Religious Education and other such lessons.
There are various departments of the school, including three Art rooms, one of which is a small house-like structure on the grounds of the school called the Art Bungalow; five ICT facilities, one of which is also used to teach Business Studies; six rooms for Design Technology, each focusing on different areas of DT (e.g. Graphic Products, Resistant Materials, CADCAM and Food Technology); six science laboratories; a large Drama Hall used for assemblies; a studio used for dancing and also doubles as part of the cafeteria; a Learning Support Centre; a large music room; and a library for research purposes.
Ashdown Leisure Centre was constructed with the school where students often carry out their PE Lessons. The leisure centre is mainly a large sports hall, with a bar only open to the public upstairs, and also a gym. Outside, is a tennis court and a pair of squash courts that are being rebuilt into a dance studio. The school grounds have several mobile classrooms. A large field covers the back of the school, which is shared with Haymoor Middle School. There is also a large running track, an astroturf field used for hockey and football, and an athletics area in the back of the track used on Sports Day.
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