| Type | Academy |
|---|---|
| Headteacher | Gerard MacMahon |
| Specialism | Science College |
| Location | Hardenhuish Lane Chippenham Wiltshire SN14 6HJ England |
| DfE URN | 136632 |
| Ofsted | Pre-Academy Reports |
| Students | 1,685 |
| Gender | Coeducational |
| Ages | 11–18 |
| Website | www.sheldonschool.co.uk |
Sheldon School is a large mixed comprehensive school in Chippenham, Wiltshire, England for students aged 11 to 18. It is one of three in Chippenham, the others being Abbeyfield and Hardenhuish. The school is currently headed by Gerard MacMahon, who joined the school in 2004. It became an Academy in April 2011.
Following the war, there was a large turnover of pupils and staff and a continued increase in pupil numbers, rising to 547 in 1956 (102 of these in the Sixth Form), as the Grammar School served the triangle of Chippenham, Corsham and Melksham. Constant growth of the area saw the major development in 1956 of a new secondary modern school for girls to the south of Hardenhuish Church and, in 1959, a secondary modern school for boys, Chippenham Boys High School.
In 1966, the Girls School integrated with the Grammar School in a semi-comprehensive system to educate children of 14 and over.
In 1975, the three existing schools were merged into two comprehensive schools, under the names Hardenhuish and Sheldon. Hardenhuish was made up of the old Grammar School and Girls School buildings, spanning right across the old Hardenhuish estate and comprising seven blocks.
Chippenham Boys High School was renamed Sheldon School to reflect having become coeducational.
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The school is consistently amongst the top performing schools, for its type, in the area and in 2006 59% of its pupils achieved an A*-C in five subjects, including Mathematics and English.[1] Its A Level results were even better and in 2007 the school was fifth overall in the whole of Wiltshire.[2] Sheldon's previous Ofsted inspections resulted in the school being identified as "particularly successful" on three separate occasions.[3] Only seven comprehensive schools in the country had received this accolade, confirming its status as one of the highest achieving schools in the area.
Sheldon had its fourth Ofsted inspection on March 27 2008.[4] The lead inspector was Mr Christopher Russell HMI. The outcome was even more impressive.
The most significant aspect of the report is that Sheldon was judged to be "outstanding" in all 38 inspection categories - an exceptional achievement matched by only six comprehensive schools in 1,500 Ofsted inspections.
The summary begins: This is an outstanding school. When it was inspected three years ago, it was judged to be very good with many outstanding features. It has improved significantly since then. Parents recognise and appreciate the school’s quality and the very large majority of responses to the inspection questionnaire were very positive. One parent’s comment was typical of many: “We have always found Sheldon to be an excellent school, well led and run by excellent staff who are always well informed about the children they are teaching”.
Gerard MacMahon, said:
“We are very proud of what Sheldon’s staff and pupils have achieved. It is rare for a school to be judged outstanding by Ofsted. To be judged outstanding in all 38 categories is an exceptional achievement I was pleased that the inspection team picked out Sheldon’s positive ethos and the behaviour, attitudes and relationships of pupils. The outstanding achievements of our children in their exams are easy to measure and praise, but the inspectors were able to identify why the school is so successful Sheldon is the first Wiltshire school to achieve a perfect report. In fact, Sheldon’s Ofsted record is now better than any other comprehensive school in England. But we must keep our feet on the ground, we know that there are many ways in which we can improve„.
Sheldon School became an Academy on 1 April 2011.
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