| Motto | Know Balls |
|---|---|
| Established | 1973 |
| Specialism | Science College |
| Location | Goswell End Road Harlington Bedfordshire LU5 6NX England |
| Local authority | Central Bedfordshire |
| DfE URN | 109673 |
| Ofsted | Reports |
| Students | 1401 |
| Gender | Coeducational |
| Ages | 13–18 |
| Houses | 6 |
Harlington Upper School (aka: HUS) is a rural, coeducational comprehensive school in Harlington, Bedfordshire as well as a successful sixth form. The school holds Specialist Science College status.
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The school was established in 1783 and the buildings have recently been completely refurbished. In 2007 a house-based approach to student support was developed which includes mixed-age or "vertical" tutor groups. This complements the invitation for Harlington to become the Deep Support Hub for the Eastern Region. The school is now one of only 9 schools nationally to have this status.
The majority of students join Harlington from three Bedfordshire middle schools: Arnold, Parkfields and Robert Bloomfield. The students mainly live in the villages near Harlington including: Harlington, Toddington, Harlington Mill, Sharpenhoe, Barton-le-Clay, Silsoe, Clophill, Westoning, Greenfield, Flitwick, Luton, Chalton, and Streatley.
Most students join the school in year 9, aged 13. They take Key Stage 3 SATs in year 9 and GCSE exams in year 11, aged 16 or 15. some students stay on at the school after GCSEs and join a large sixth form of over 420. The most famous students to walk through the door of the school are David Beckham and Toby Flood along with the artist Picasso. In 2011 the school had a visit from the glamour model Katie Price, who gave a thrilling assembly on nano-sciences.
As of September 2007, the forms are not sorted by year group (age) but rather by house, there are six houses each with 12 forms of mixed age range. The houses are named after mythical creatures and gods, Apollo, Europa, Hercules, Midas, Pegasus, Theseus. The forms are named after the letters from HARLINGTON other than the repeated N which is replaced by the U from Upper. The name of an individual form is the initial letter of the house and the initial letter of HARLINGTOU, for example the first form in Apollo would be AH then AA, AR etc. With the new house structure, there are a number of responsibility positions available for students to fill, e.g. House captain, editor of the house newspaper.
Between October 2003 and April 2006, the school underwent a major building and refurbishment programme as part of the Mid-Bedfordshire PFI scheme. In November 2006, the Mid-Bedfordshire PFI scheme was officially opened by the Queen during a visit to Bedfordshire.
In September 2006 the school gained Specialist Science College Status. The school continues to teach the full range of National Curriculum subjects, but uses its strength and expertise in Science and Mathematics to support other schools and the local community. The school has recently been asked by the DfES and Specialist Schools Trust to become a Deep Support Hub for the Eastern Region.