Coundon Court School

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Coundon Court School and Community College
Type Comprehensive
Religious affiliation Non-denominational
Headteacher Mrs Deborah Morrison, OBE
Specialism Technology College
Location Northbrook Road
Coventry
West Midlands
CV6 2AJ
England
LEA Coventry City Council
Ofsted number 103729
Students 1,702 (approx.)
Gender Coeducational
Ages 11 to 18
School colours Black/red/grey
Website www.coundoncourt.coventry.sch.uk

Coundon Court School is a comprehensive school in Coundon, Coventry, England. The current headteacher is Mrs Deborah Morrison, OBE. The school has been awarded specialist status as a Technology College.

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[edit] Overview

Coundon is a mixed non-selective comprehensive community college with 1,753 pupils, including 329 sixth form students. The school is very successful and oversubscribed and is located in the northwestern suburbs of Coventry, adjacent to the open countryside of the Coundon Wedge.

[edit] History

Built on the site of a medieval monastery, "Coundon Court" was the family home of George Singer who lived here from 1891 – 1912. Singer died in 1907 having founded the Singer Cycle and Motor Company. Now called the 'Old House', the school still use this building for the English department, IT rooms and administration offices, including the Head teacher's. Much of the original fittings still remain. Even though parts were rebuilt following World War II. The school began as Coundon Court High school in 1953, with Miss E.M. Forster as headteacher, reorganising as a Girls' Comprehensive in 1966. In 1972, the school amalgamated with Barker Butts Secondary Modern school and then became a mixed comprehensive school. The site has been extensively developed and boasts a large range of modern facilities. In January 2007, the school opened two new state-of-the-art buildings, a sixth form centre and a performing arts centre.

[edit] Recent achievements

Coundon Court has Technology College status which means they receive an extra grant over three years. New Information Technology resources have been introduced to all areas of the curriculum with special emphasis on Mathematics, Science and Technology. Following an outstanding OFSTED report, Coundon Court were invited to become a Beacon School. This means that Coundon has gained funding over three years to build links with partner primary and secondary schools.

Coundon Court also has Training School status. This means that they are working in partnership with the University of Warwick to develop and improve practice in teacher training.

In 1997, Coundon Court became the first school in Coventry to be awarded Investors in People status. In 2007, the school was reassessed and was reawarded the standard again. The school also gained an Investors in Careers Award which showed that they are committed to working closely with parents, children and the Careers Service to develop an effective careers programme.

The provision for Physical Education and the level of participation in extra curricular sport has been acknowledged with the award of the English Sportsmark Gold Award. They are one of only a handful of schools in the country to receive this award on two consecutive occasions.

The curriculum provision has also gained recognition. In 2007, they were successful in gaining the Schools Curriculum Award which demonstrated their commitment to community education and links with business and industry.

The 1994 OFSTED report commented that they were "a caring community" within which "the feeling of welcome and care is in evidence everywhere". A second OFSTED report in 1998 highlighted their progress in standards of achievement "which are significantly better than the average achieved nationally". In 2007, A level students gained an average of 20.6 points in their exams. The overall pass rate was 95% with 76% of students achieving grades A to C. These results are the most successful in the city. At GCSE, 69% of the pupils achieved five or more A* to C Grades.

The school has a community football team - Coundon Court F.C. founded in 2002, Coventry's only FA charter standard development club.

[edit] Former head teachers

  • Miss E.M. Forster
  • David Kershaw CBE
  • John Vickers

[edit] Alumni

  • Mo Mowlam (1949 – 2005), was a British politician
  • Jim Hamilton (born 1982), a Scottish rugby union footballer