| Type | Co-educational secondary comprehensive with specialist Arts status |
|---|---|
| Headteacher | Mr D Williams |
| Location | Ash Hill Road Hatfield South Yorkshire DN7 6JH England |
| Local authority | Doncaster |
| DfE URN | 106784 |
| Ofsted | Reports |
| Students | 1,166 |
| Ages | 11–18 |
| Website | www.hatfield.doncaster.sch.uk |
Hatfield Visual Arts College is an Arts College on Ash Hill Road between Hatfield and Dunscroft in South Yorkshire England.
Based in Ash Hill, Hatfield, South Yorkshire, to the east of Doncaster near the A18 and M18, it educates 11–18 year olds from the areas of Hatfield, Stainforth, Dunsville, Dunscroft, Hatfield Woodhouse and teens from other regions of Doncaster. The site is shared with Coppice School, a school for pupils with learning difficulties from ages 3–18.
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The school was previously known as Hatfield High School. In 1997, a fire destroyed the science block section and former year 7 and 8 classrooms of the annexed Ash Hill Middle School. Another fire in November 2001 caused £750,000 of damage to the front building,[1] destroying the main hall and eighteen classrooms, including computer equipment the school had recently obtained in the Foundation IT building. Seven fire engines attended.[2] It became an Arts College in 2003. A new Arts and Maths building was opened on 26 January 2007 by Alan Johnson, called the Da Vinci Learning Centre.
The school is situated in a former coal mining area, with local pits closing in recent years, and consequently above average unemployment, although Stainforth Colliery opened again in January 2008.
To take books out of the library, a fingerprint system is used. Its former high level of truancy has been curbed by keeping children in at lunchtime, more police patrols, and electronic registration at the beginning every lesson.
The school had a strong history of performing arts with a locally acclaimed wind band and choirs. It's performing arts prowess is now demonstrated each year at the school pantomime and the various other performances which take place throughout the year. On 16 December 2009 the school decided to no longer use mixed year form classes and the forms are now separated into year groups. The school's last OFSTED inspection was in June 2011 when the school was deemed to have made good progress and was taken out of special measures only 18 months after being put in.
The school currently has a staff band named Chalkface composed of Mr Deakes on vocals, Mr Bacon on lead guitar, Mr Blackett on bass guitar, Mr Woods on keyboards, and the brains behind the unit, Mr Cairns on Drums.
The college has been given permission to convert to Academy status and from September 2011 will be known as Ash Hill Academy.
Hatfield VAC is set out in four blocks:
Students can study for GCSE, BTEC or A level qualifications. Although the school is improved from what it was, it still gets low GCSE results, barely above the national minimum, but about average for Doncaster LEA. The results at A Level are even lower. The Hungerhill School down the road (A18) in nearby Edenthorpe gets respectable GCSE results just over the national average, but has no sixth form. Only five of Doncaster's seventeen secondary schools get GCSE results over the national average, and the LEA wants six schools to become academies. Barnsley LEA also has low results.