| Established | 1957 (As The Ridings High School), 2009 (As The Ridings' Federation Winterbourne International Academy) |
|---|---|
| Type | Academy |
| Principal | Robert Evans (Academy Principal) Rob Gibson (Chief Executive Principal) |
| Location | High Street Winterbourne South Gloucestershire England |
| DfE URN | 135944 |
| Ofsted | Reports |
| Students | 1,823 |
| Gender | Mixed |
| Ages | 11–18 |
| Website | www.trfwia.org.uk |
The Ridings' Federation Winterbourne International Academy, formerly The Ridings High School, is a large secondary school located in the village of Winterbourne in South Gloucestershire, on the outskirts of Bristol, England.
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The Ridings High School was founded in 1957 and opened by former Labour minister Tony Benn.
In 2007, Rob Gibson (Headteacher) was invited by the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) to consider a move to Academy status as the Lead (non-financial) sponsor in a Hard Federation, incorporating King Edmund Community School in Yate. As a result, in September 2009, The Ridings Federation of Academies was established with two independent academies, Winterbourne International Academy (formerly 'The Ridings High School' and the lead sponsor) and Yate International Academy (formerly King Edmund Community School).
Gibson became the Chief Executive Principal of the Federation and the Statutory Headteacher of both academies. Under Gibson's direction, each Independent Academy has its own principal: Robert Evans at Winterbourne International Academy and Roger Gilbert at Yate International Academy. The Winterbourne International Academy has approximately 1,820 students on roll including 370 in its sixth form. The Yate International Academy has approximately 600 students on roll including 95 in its sixth form. The Federation and both academies base their curriculum models upon the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme. The Winterbourne International Academy delivers the International Baccalaureate Diploma (post-16). International Baccalaureate results have been consistently above the International benchmark pass rate of 80%. Since 2008, The Winterbourne International Academy has had three students awarded the prestigious Prime Minister's Global Fellowship: students have used these awards to travel to China and Brazil.
The school (and now Academy) has expanded since its inception, providing services such as a technology college, Arts Centre and Sixth Form. Since 2006 it has offered the International Baccalaureate, becoming the first school in South Gloucestershire to offer this qualification, and even attracting students from abroad.[1] It hosts the most popular Sixth Form in the county, with children joining at the age of 16 from all of the other local secondary schools.
To mark the school's fiftieth year, The Ridings invited all of its former students and staff to celebrate the event in May 2007.