Coventry Blue Coat Church of England School
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| Coventry Blue Coat Church of England School | |
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| Motto | Christian education with care |
| Type | Voluntary aided Comprehensive |
| Religious affiliation | Church of England |
| Headteacher | (Acting Head Francis Peacock) |
| Specialism | Music |
| Location | Coventry West Midlands England |
| LEA | Coventry City Council |
| Ofsted number | 103745 |
| Students | 1300 (approx.) |
| Gender | Coeducational |
| Ages | 11 to 18 |
| Website | www.bluecoatschool.com |
The Coventry Blue Coat Church of England School and Music College is a comprehensive school in Coventry, England located in the Lower Stoke area of the city. It is a Cross Of Nails school, with links to a school in Bethlehem. The school motto reads "Christian Education With Care".
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History
The school was founded in 1714 as a school for girls. It moved to its present site in 1964. The original uniform included caped dresses and white hats.
Stephen Timbrell was the headteacher from 2001, when he took over from Dr. R Lewin, until May 12, 2008, when he died of pancreatic cancer.[1] Francis Peacock is currently the Acting Head.
Current enrollment is around 1305 pupils, and the school has recently become one of very few specialist Music Colleges in the country. The school has ties with Coventry Cathedral, and holds several church services there every year, including the annual prizegiving ceremony for outstanding pupils.
Year and school councils
At the start of the school year, each form elects several representatives to serve on the year council. Two or three of these year council representatives are elected to serve on the school council. The year councils discuss issues regarding school life and pass their findings to the school council, who consider them. The school council has a budget to facilitate resolution of these issues.
Choir
The school has an 8-part choir led by Mr. Philip Formstone. It performs choral works ranging from the early works of Thomas Tallis through Joseph Haydn's Insanae et Vanae Curae to the recent works of composers such as John Tavener. The choir visits cathedrals around the country annually, where it sings services for the week whilst the resident choir is away. These have included Chester, York, Blackburn, Salisbury, and Liverpool. The choir has sung mass in St Mark's Basilica, Venice. In the summer of 2007 the choir visited Wells Cathedral, and has been invited back this coming July.
The choir receives additional support from members of the public who bolster the ranks when support is required, providing a more balanced bass and tenor sound.
The choir has been entering the BBC Songs of Praise School Choir of the Year competition for the last three years, and has come close to winning several times, with the Choir winning the competition in the 2008 finals.[2][3] The choir is a regular on the BBC Radio 4 programme The Daily Service.
Dramatic productions
- The School has an annual dramatic production, which is open to all students. - - The school's latest head of drama, Matthew Connor-Hemming, has directed three productions, Bertolt Brecht's The Caucasian Chalk Circle and two musicals, Oliver! and Calamity Jane . Head of Music Norman Owen directed the music for both of this productions. The next "Spring Production" will be in the new state of the art theatre, and is rumoured to be Les Miserables
Acceleration
For the past few years the school has taken part in an acceleration scheme that allows gifted students to take certain subjects GCSE exams a year early. This can be done for Maths, Science, Geography, Modern Foreign Languages, History and Music.
Development
The school has built a new music centre with new funds given to the school after it was given music college status. A floodlit astroturf pitch has also been constructed. A theatre is currently being built. It is due to be finished around September 2008.
Uniform
The current Bluecoat School uniform consists of-
For Boys:: white shirt (all year), black/grey trousers (all year), Bluecoat tie (4+ stripes), black socks, black shoes (not trainers).
For Girls:: yellow blouse with Bluecoat tie (4+ stripes)(Winter), check white/blue blouse (Summer), blue trousers (all year), black shoes (no heel).
Notes and references
- ^ Canon Stephen Timbrell 17 March 1950 - 12 May 2008. Coventry Diocese (12 May 2008). Retrieved on 2008-05-15.
- ^ Songs of Praise School Choirs Contest – winners announced. BBC (20 March 2005). Retrieved on 2008-03-17.
- ^ School Choirs of the Year 2008. Songs of Praise. BBC (17 March 2008). Retrieved on 2008-03-17.
