Biddenham Upper School
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| Biddenham Upper School and Sports College | |
| Established | 1988 |
| Type | Comprehensive Upper School |
| Headteacher | Mr Mike Berrill |
| Specialism | Sports College |
| Location | Biddenham Turn Biddenham Bedfordshire MK40 4AZ England |
| LEA | Bedfordshire |
| Ofsted number | 109690 |
| Students | 955 |
| Gender | Coeducational |
| Ages | 13 to 18 |
| Website | http://www.biddenham.org |
| Coordinates: | |
Biddenham Upper School is a 13-19 coeducational state comprehensive school serving the Brickhill, Harpur and Queens Park areas of Bedford plus the village of Biddenham, England. It was formed in 1988 from the merger of John Howard and Pilgrim schools.
Its first head teacher was Garry Fitzhugh; the head teacher, as of 2007, is David Bailey and the Principal is Mike Berrill.
Biddenham is a specialist Sports College.
[edit] Layout
Biddenham is divided into six main blocks rather than one whole building like most schools. These are Hurst (H) block (named after Geoff Hurst, the former English footballer), Radcliffe (R) block (named after Paula Radcliffe, the English runner), Akabusi (A) block (named after Kriss Akabusi, the English athlete), Tendulkar (T) block (named after Indian cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar), Davies (D) block (named after English swimmer Sharron Davies), and the Sports block (named after Tanni Grey-Thompson, the English paralympic athlete). The blocks were named in 2003 by competition winner Ian Whitmore, a student at Biddenham.
H, A, T, and R blocks all face a central quadrangle, where many students spend break and lunchtimes. The quad is currently being widened and refurbished with picnic benches.
[edit] Timetable
Biddenham has a somewhat unusual school day, consisting of only four 75-minute lessons and breaks between each lesson. Other unusual features include the absence of any morning registration (students are registered in each lesson), the fact that bells are not used, and the earlier start and finish times. A typical school day is as follows:
8.00 - Lesson 1
9.15 - Break 1
9.35 - Lesson 2
10.50 - Break 2
11.00 - Lesson 3
12.15 - Lunch break
12.55 - Assembly/tutor period or extended lunch break (varies on different days)
1.15 - Lesson 4
2.30 - End of school day
After-school clubs take place from 2.45 until 4.00, and sixth formers may have a 5th lesson during this period on some days.
