| Motto | Quality through co-operation |
|---|---|
| Established | 1991 |
| Type | City Technology College |
| Headmaster | Sir Kevin Satchwell |
| Location | Old Park Telford Shropshire TF3 4NW England |
| Local authority | Telford and Wrekin |
| DfE URN | 123627 |
| Ofsted | Reports |
| Students | 1200 |
| Gender | Mixed |
| Ages | 11–18 |
| Colours | Thomas Telford Red & White |
| Website | www.ttsonline.net |
Thomas Telford School is a City Technology College in Telford, Shropshire, England. Often referred to as 'TTS', it achieved the highest GCSE pass rate of any comprehensive school in England in 2008 and 2009.[1]
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Founded in 1991, the school was deemed a pioneering 'experiment' in specialist CTCs. The college's catchment area includes Telford, Wolverhampton and the villages and suburbs in between. The reason for this is that one of the school's leading sponsors, 'Tarmac' wanted to give something back to the Wolverhampton community in which the company is based. However Wolverhampton's Labour council did not wish to have such a school in Wolverhampton, so it was built in Telford instead, but still inviting Wolverhampton students. One of the school's initial main aims was to help relieve the under-performing schools in the urban areas of Wolverhampton. Thomas Telford School is unique in the sense that it generates most of its funds itself through the sale of its online curriculum content which is sold through its subsidiary company TTSOnline Limited (Thomas Telford School Online Limited).
The school produces and sells what it calls an "online curriculum". This consists of interactive learning materials, online tasks and even podcasts which all relate to various subject areas. The school's subsidiary company TTSOnline Ltd. then sells access to the content to other schools for a fixed price. Schools have the option to purchase access to one specific course (for example DiDA), or purchase the entire online curriculum. In addition to the online learning resources that the school provides, the school also provides training days; during these days the teaching staff from other schools can attend seminars at the school and learn the methods in which the school teaches the courses which it provides on its online curriculum and how to maximise the effectiveness of using it in a classroom environment. This combined training for and selling of the online curriculum is known as Project 40.
The school has long been at the forefront of using IT for education, the school makes use of electronic whiteboards provided by Smart Technologies in all classrooms, learning bases and study rooms. In addition to this the school has an advanced internal network operating mainly using Novell and Windows Advanced Server 2003 products. The school also provides an extranet, which is run using Novell Virtual Office, allowing students and staff to access their files and e-mail from home. Thomas Telford School also hosts its online curriculum in-house, with a web server and Real Streaming Media Server housed in the computer services department of the school. The school also has a mirror of its online curriculum at a high-speed London data centre.
The school has at least 1 computer in every classroom as well as around one hundred in each of the school's 4 ILC's (Independent Learning Centres). The school also has a state-of-the-art CAD/CAM suite; which provides access to an array of various Roland CAM CNC milling and machining equipment and a large bedded CO2. The CAD/CAM suite also consists of an HP A1 Pantone printer, HP A3 colour laser printer and HP A3 inkject laser printer as well as the schools network of other laser printers. The CAD/CAM suite also houses around fifty computers for students to produce work on the various CAD packages the school has which includes the latest version of AutoDesk Inventor.
It is noteworthy that Wikipedia has been blocked in the school since June 2008 despite the protests of staff and pupils. The teaching union ATL has described this as unreasonable, but teaching unions are not recognised by CTCs under their terms of reference. When trying to access the website it states Wikipedia as a security risk.
It is believed, now that, as of the start of the academic year in 2011, ICT will not become compulsory to Sixth Formers, and can be replaced by another subject option or extra Independent Learning time, this decision was most likely made due to the lack of successful results in A Level ICT in recent years, and students expressing dissatisfaction at taking the subject.
The school caters for students from the age of 11 through to 18. This is in a system of national year groups from Year 7 to 6.2 (year 13). The school also has a unique and successful system of after school curricular activities called Session 3 which are highly encouraged, and which it claims is pivotal to its success over the past years. GCSE and A level results have also improved year on year and now results are consistently around 100% pass rates. Most students leave Thomas Telford with 12 or more pass GCSES of which most are A or A* grades. In the 2008-09 Academic Year, one student left with 15 A or A* GCSES.
The school is also well known for its sporting prowess, with regular success in many sports at all levels, including county, regional and national levels. In the 2009-10 academic year the school won two national football finals and were finalists and semi finalists in a further 3. Also the Syncronised Swimming Team is currently national champions.
The school is unique for a number of reasons: It has not one, but several deputy heads; in place of daily assemblies, are televised, daily 'broadcasts' to the rest of the school in each classroom; there are electronic whiteboards in every classroom and lessons are 1½ or three hours long. One of the senior deputy heads, Dara Carroll, released a choir song album in his younger years.
In its short lifetime, barely a decade old, the school has made several notable achievements. Its current Headmaster, Sir Kevin Satchwell, was knighted in 2001 for services to education and the community,[2] and from 1998 to the present day, TTS has been named 'the most successful Comprehensive school in the UK', after 100% of its pupils gained 5 or more A*-C GCSE's, being the first and only comprehensive school ever to do so in 1998.
A rigorous method of applicant selection takes place, including an entrance test to allow all abilities to be reflected and equally proportioned in the school.
In 2005 Thomas Telford school produced the best results of any school comprehensive or otherwise at 16. Thomas Telford students scored an average of 760.3 points per student, more than 100 points better than its nearest rival. Headmaster Sir Kevin Satchwell commented that the school no longer uses the traditional yardstick of five or more GCSE passes at grades A* to C since all students achieved at least 12 GCSE passes at grades A* to C.[3]
The school is the best performing comprehensive school in England [4]
The school's facilities include Swimming Pool, Theatre, State of the Art Fitness Centre, Astroturf, Football pitches and will be receiving even more sport facilities as part of the Building Schools for the Future campaign.
In 2004, Thomas Telford federated with local under-performing school, Madeley Academy, placing one of its deputies in charge. This has seen exam results improve and other schemes like this across the UK. The academy is now graded Outstanding by Ofsted and is achieving great Ofsted Results and has a new building.
The school has helped set up two other schools. These are in Walsall and Sandwell; both are now fully built and operational. These are headed by former Deputy Headteachers at Thomas Telford School.
A handful of the school's alumni have gone on to achieve fame, nearly all of them sportsmen:
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