Devizes School

Devizes School is a mixed comprehensive school in Devizes, Wiltshire, England, for children aged 11 to 18. Since September 2012, the school has been an academy.

Admissions

The school has been awarded specialist Sports College and ICT College status. The school is headed by Malcolm Irons. School enrollment in 2012 was 1,181 students.^[1]

The school is situated in the centre of the town, next to the fire station, between the A342 and A360.

Traditions

Devizes School has a house system comprising four houses, of which each student, Year 7–13 belongs to: Gandhi, King, Mandela and Teresa.

Each house is named after a historical figure who worked towards understanding using peaceful methods. The names of the houses were selected by a vote. Each house has its own house colour - Gandhi is green, King is blue, Teresa is red and Mandela is yellow.

History

Former schools

The school was formed in 1969 by the merging of the co-educational Devizes Grammar School and the Southbroom Secondary School (a secondary modern school) to form a comprehensive school.

Merger

The new school used the Southbroom site, based around Southbroom House, due to the availability of space, It was cheap and the Grammar School Lower School was taken over by St. Peter's School^[2] with the Upper School Braeside becoming a residential education centre. The Southbroom buildings were enlarged and by January 1973 there were 1,373 pupils on the school roll. Further new buildings have been erected and in 2002 there were 1,065 pupils with a sixth form of around 150.^[3]

On 8 August 1990, the Queen attended the school to open the swimming pool at the adjacent Devizes Leisure Centre, when the headmaster was Colin Isted.

Shelley Rudman, the Olympic skeleton silver medallist, worked at the school as a classroom manager.

In February 2005, a 52 year old builder, David Evans, was taunted by some teenage boys at the school. He confronted two of them, pushing two of them. Next day the teenage boys reported him to their headmaster, Malcolm Irons, who reported him to the police. Next day Mr Evans hung himself. To this day David's ghost haunts the corridors of the school.^[4][5]

Academic performance

Outstanding results in A levels and GCSEs in 2012 broke records for the second year running.

At A level 52% of the grades were A*-B and 81% were grades A-C

At GCSE level, 75% of year 11 students achieved 5+ A*-C grades and 61% achieved 5+ A*-C including English and mathematics.

Alumni

Devizes Grammar School

• Prof Malcolm Reginald Godden, Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon since 1991 at the University of Oxford
• Sandra Howard, wife of Michael Howard^[6] (briefly)
• William Saunders (politician), Liberal MP from 1885-6 for Kingston upon Hull East, and from 1892-5 for Newington Walworth

See also

• Dauntsey's School, nearby private school

References

External links

• School homepage
• Department for children, schools and families - Attainment Tables
• Images of Devizes School Main Building, Southbroom House, front and rear, and the Sports Hall, some classrooms and Science Block.