Wales High School
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| Wales High School | |
| Motto | Humble et Loyal |
| Established | 1970 |
| Headteacher | Mr. J. Day |
| Chair of Governors | Mr J Beeston |
| Specialism | Business and Enterprise (Operational) |
| Location | Storth Lane Kiveton Park, Sheffield South Yorkshire S26 5QQ England |
| LEA | Rotherham |
| Ofsted number | 106961 |
| Students | 1542, 317 of whom in 6th form (2006) |
| Gender | Co-educational |
| Ages | 11 to 18 |
| Houses | Busli, Mortain, Rollo and Warrene |
| School colours | Blue, Gold and Silver |
| Parents' Association | 'Friends of Wales High School' |
| Adopted Charity | Barnado's |
| Website | www.waleshigh.com |
Wales High School is a Local Authority controlled school for 11-18 year olds, located in Kiveton, near Rotherham, South Yorkshire in the United Kingdom. Opened in 1970, the school provides education for its many connecting villages. Kiveton Park, Harthill, Todwick, Wales, Thurcroft and South Anston are the major villages which rely on Wales High School to educate their children. Despite being located in the Metropolitan Borough of Rotherham, the school is sometimes classed as being in Sheffield, yet it also has a Worksop telephone code. There is often confusion around the fact that the school is not in the country of Wales, nor is it in the small neighbouring village of Wales, South Yorkshire, which is less than a mile away. It is in fact situated in Kiveton Park. It specialises in Business and Enterprise and in a recent 2006 Ofsted inspection gained "outstanding", an achievement attained by a minority of the best schools in the country.
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[edit] Tradition
Wales High is seen as a school with traditional values, with procedures which take place each year. The following are important aspects of the school:
- Full School Assembly: affectionately known as the 'Full School Squash' by students and staff alike. The assembly takes place four times a year with yearly opening and closing assemblies, where the bell is rung to mark the beginning and ending of a school year, as well as an Easter assembly in April and a Christmas assembly. Every member of the school is expected at these formal assemblies, in which important news is delivered, certificates and awards are presented, and special guests are invited. Musical items are often delivered throughout the course of these assemblies.
- The Plough: a model plough held in a glass case, representing Year 7 diligence. Each term, the tutor with the highest diligence score are presented with the plough.
- Houses and the Dragon: Busli (Blue), Mortain (Black), Rollo (White) and Warrene (Yellow). Each student is assigned a house upon entering the school, which is an important part of the school's community. Students are provided with sports kit with their specific house colours, which is to be worn in P.E. lessons and house sporting events. Numerous house events are competed in, such as football, rugby, tennis, cross country and netball, as well as other non-sporting activities such as chess, drama and art. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the Dragon, a golden dragon statue in a glass case. The dragon is then engraved with the year and the winning house respectively.
- The Sixth Form Rugby Match: Each year, the sixth form compete for The Headmasters Trophy. Year 12 play Year 13 annually in a match that is watched by all the school on a Wednesday afternoon during the 2nd term. The 2008 match took place on the 19th of March, and was won by the Year 13s. The scoreline was 13-0 to the upper sixth, but was not an accurate reflection of how tight a game it was.
[edit] Famous Pupils
- James Toseland - The World Superbike Champion.
- Ryan Sampson - In the BBC TV programme After You've Gone as "Alex". Sampson also does theatre and has been involved in other TV work.
- Darren Bennett - Features on BBC's Strictly Come Dancing who partnered with Emma Bunton in the series four.
- Daz Ward - 1995 Embassy World Pool Champion
- Phillip Probert - Competed in Stars in their eyes
- Matthew Goddfrey - World Champion Angler
[edit] Recent Refurbishment
The school has undergone recent renovative work, costing millions of pounds. The 13 science department laboratories underwent a total revamp in around 2003. Around this time, the tower block received a new white-stone facade that covers the previous grey stone walls.
In 2006, the Food Studies department rooms FS1 and FS2 were re-fitted with new appliances and units, bringing the kitchens up-to-date.
Disabled facilities are continuously improving, with wheelchair access now provided to almost every part of the school, including the P.E. department, where an elevator is installed to take passengers up to higher ground, where before it was impossible to do so.
The Sixth Form area has just undergone serious changes, making more space for an extended common room and renovating the study room across from the library to include personal, partitioned workspaces.
