Belper School

Belper School and Sixth Form Centre

Established	1973
Type	Foundation school
Headteacher	Mr. Martyn M. Cooper
Specialism	Technology
Location	John O'Gaunt's Way Belper Derbyshire DE56 1RZ England Coordinates: 53°01′33″N 1°27′35″W / 53.02587°N 1.45978°W / 53.02587; -1.45978
Local authority	Derbyshire
DfE number	830/5404
DfE URN	112989 Tables
Ofsted	Reports
Students	1,468
Gender	Coeducational
Ages	11–18
Website	Belper School

Belper School and Sixth Form Centre is a comprehensive school located in the town of Belper, Derbyshire, England. It has Foundation School status and is a specialist Technology College. In February 2013, Ofsted reported that it 'requires improvement'.^[1]

The deliberately caring policy of the school has ensured that the school remains above average in performance scores beyond academic achievement. Particularly extensive facilities have been made for the arts, catering and foreign languages. It has received Healthy Schools status and the Artsmark Gold award. The current headteacher is Mr Martyn Cooper.

Admissions

Belper School is larger than average,^[1] catering for around 1,400 students between 11 and 18 years-old. The majority of the school is white British with below average numbers of cared-for children and children identified as having special educational needs or disability.^[1]

Ethos

The 2009 Ofsted report had this to say about the school: "Belper School has a distinctive ethos which stresses positive relationships between students, staff and parents as the key basis for learning and personal development. Students wear no formal uniform and use the first names of teachers, resulting in an informal atmosphere around the school, but one where the students feel well supported by adults. 'It is what gives our school a unique flavour and enables us to view our teachers as equals', one student said."^[2]

Location

It is situated on John O'Gaunts Way, which is just off Kilbourne Road (A609) in the north-east of the town, towards Openwoodgate. It is located directly next-door to Belper Leisure Centre, which it jointly owns and runs with Amber Valley Borough Council. It is also located very near to the Vaillant-owned Glow-Worm boiler factory and the former Deb factory, which has since been demolished and had housing built on it.

History

The school, previously known as Belper High School was created in 1973 from an amalgamation of the existing 'Herbert Strutt Grammar School founded in 1909 and two secondary modern schools. Belper High School was built as a 13-18 high school (upper school) and took shape in a barely complete, largely open-plan new building, built adjacent to the local sports centre. Roland Mathias, the poet, was headmaster of the Herbert Strutt School from 1958-64. Herbert Strutt School had around 650 boys and girls.

Three tier education

The new school, opening on a new site in September 1973, was built with the new leisure centre, which it still jointly uses. Michael Tucker was the new headmaster.

From 1973 until 1986, the school was part of an experimental three-tier educational system, with a number of local primary schools feeding into two larger middle schools; the former Herbert Strutt Grammar School (renamed the Herbert Strutt Middle School) and Parks Middle School, located on Belper's Park's Estate. These two middle schools then fed pupils into Belper High School.

Two tier education

In 1986, this system was changed to a more conventional two-tier system, in which Herbert Strutt Middle School became Herbert Strutt Primary School. The Parks Middle School was subsequently closed, and the school buildings, which were in an awful state were demolished. In 2008, the Herbert Strutt Primary School moved into new accommodation, while the historical Grade II* listed building still remains on the A6, located directly opposite Babington Hospital.

Herbert Strutt School

Technology College

In 1994, it became one of the United Kingdom's first Technology Colleges. It was the first Technology College in Derbyshire, and was officially opened as such by Gillian Shepherd (Education Secretary) on 15 November 1994. Thorntons, the confectionery company once based in the town of Belper became major sponsors. At the ceremony, members of the NUT handed out leaflets condemning the public-private involvement. Support from Thorntons and other local firms has helped the school remodel most of its accommodation to suit an 11-18 school population.

New buildings

It continued to expand in numbers and a new Sixth Form block and science laboratories were added in 2002, while a new £1.4 million Art block was opened in 2006. In September 2006, the school rebranded with a new logo as 'Belper School and Sixth Form Centre' and abandoned its use of the "Four Gates" logo. The logo, comprising four intertwined gates, symbolised the four surrounding villages of Ambergate, Bargate, Openwoodgate and Shottlegate.

The school has recently expanded further with the introduction of a new block of 12 classrooms for Foreign Languages and Media Studies. This block opened in early 2010. An hourly updated webcam image of the extension work was available on the School's website.

Chemical spill and fire

On Wednesday 17 September 2004, the school made national news ^[3] after a chemical spill occurred within the Science department. Iodine crystals were dropped by a teacher when they collided with a student in a corridor. As a result, two pupils had minor burns and 36 were taken to hospital for smoke inhalation.

On 6 September 2007, a small fire broke out in the Technology Department's "laser room", the location of a relatively small laser cutter. The fire itself was extinguished immediately after it was found, but the fire alarm was still raised at around 1:35pm. The school was evacuated, and the fire brigade called to ensure that the structure was sound. The building was declared safe soon after. The Technology Department was closed for a short while to assess the damage. The laser cutter, estimated to be worth £24,500 was destroyed, while three panes of window glass were also damaged. The damage of the fire slowed down GCSE students projects, some of whom were 100% reliant on the laser cutter.

Alumni

• Rebecca Brewer, Actress(1989-)
• Ross Davenport, Gold medalist swimmer (1984- )
• Alison Hargreaves, Mountaineer (1963–1995)
• David Gibb, Folk Musician (1990- )

The Herbert Strutt School

• Sir Alan Bates CBE, actor^[4] in 1960s kitchen sink realism films
• George Bosworth (1927–35) CBE CEng, Director from 1969-77 of Newcastle upon Tyne Polytechnic
• John Bowmer, former Chief Executive of the world-wide Adecco Group from 1996–2002 and Chairman from 2002-5, and Chairman since 2007 of the Kellan Group
• Reginald Coates, Professor of Civil Engineering from 1983-2004 at the University of Nottingham and President from 1978-9 of the Institution of Civil Engineers
• Timothy Dalton, actor^[4] notably in The Living Daylights and Licence to Kill
• Cyril Fogg CB (1925–32), Director from 1973-5 of the Admiralty Surface Weapons Establishment (ASWE)
• Prof David Leslie Hawksworth CBE, mycologist and lichenologist, Research Professor since 2001 at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid (Complutense University of Madrid), President from 1986-7 of the British Lichen Society, from 1990-1 of the British Mycological Society and from 1994-7 of the International Union of Biological Sciences, and Editor from 200-8 of Mycological Research
• Mike Ingham, Chief Football Correspondent since 2004 at BBC Radio 5 Live
• David Kinnersley, economist (educated as a wartime evacuee), and first Chief Executive from 1973-6 of the North West Water Authority
• Prof Larry Rotherham CBE, metallurgist, President from 1964-5 of the Institution of Metallurgists, and from 1965-6 of the Institute of Metals, expert on creep-resistant materials heading the team that discovered how metal fatigue brought down early de Havilland Comet airliners, and Vice-Chancellor from 1969-76 of the University of Bath
• Prof William Watson CBE, Professor of Chinese Art and Archaeology from 1966-83 at the School of Oriental and African Studies, and President from 1981-4 of the Oriental Ceramic Society
• Harold Wilmot CBE, Chairman from 1949-65 of Beyer, Peacock and Company
• Shirley Edwin McEwan Wright, Chief Executive from 1972-7 of the Livingston Development Corporation

References

• Guardian 9 May 1976, page 22

External links

• Belper School's official website
• Ofsted Inspection Reports
• The History of Rural Studies at Belper School 1973 - 1990
• EduBase