Wales High School
 | |
| Motto | Humble et Loyal |
|---|---|
| Established | 1970 |
| Headteacher | Giuseppe Di'Iasio |
| Chair of Governors | Jacqueline Holcombe |
| Specialism | Business and Enterprise (Operational) |
| Location |
Storth Lane Kiveton Park Rotherham South Yorkshire S26 5QQ England Coordinates: 53°20′37″N 1°16′25″W / 53.343519°N 1.273749°W |
| Local authority | Rotherham |
| DfE URN | 136331 Tables |
| Ofsted | Reports |
| Students | 1,600, 350 of whom in 6th form (2011) |
| Gender | Co-educational |
| Ages | 11–19 |
| Houses | Busli, Mortain, Rollo and Warenne |
| Colours | Blue, Gold and Silver |
| Parents' Association | 'Friends of Wales High School' |
| Adopted Charities | Bluebell Wood Hospice |
| Website | www.waleshigh.com |
Wales High School is an academy for 11–19 year olds, located in Kiveton, near Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England. Opened in 1970, the school provides education for its many connecting villages. Kiveton Park, Harthill, Todwick, Wales, Thurcroft and South Anston are the major villages which rely on Wales High School to educate their children. Despite being located in the Metropolitan Borough of Rotherham, the school is sometimes erroneously classed as being in Sheffield, yet it also has a Worksop telephone code. There is often confusion around the fact that the school is not in the country of Wales, nor is it in the small neighbouring village of Wales, South Yorkshire, which is less than a mile away. It is in fact situated in Kiveton Park. The school was previously a specialist in Business and Enterprise however, upon receiving academy status, the school relinquished its specialism owing to regulations stating that academies can not have an additional specialist status.
Ofsted Inspections
In mid 2006 the school had their first Ofsted inspection and was noted as an outstanding school overall, there was lots of good feedback but there was some improvements to be made for their next visit after this award the school was asked to become an academy under the new government policy. The school kept the name Wales High School with the previous headmaster Mr John Day stated that it will always remain so .
A new inspection came in 2012 shortly after the arrival of the new headmaster and the school was graded as being "in need of improvement", currently Gisueppe Di,iasio is aware of the improvements needed and is trying his best to make sure the school regains its outstanding status .
Leadership
Since the school opened in 1970 there have been 4 headteachers: Phillip Timothy, Lawrence Morton, John Day and Giuseppe Di'Iasio.
In 2006 Lawrence Morton stepped down as headteacher to take the role as the schools Chief Executive. Following this John Day became Headteacher. Day announced that the 2011-2012 academic year was to be his last as Headmaster. A new headmaster, Giuseppe Di'Iasio, joined the school in September 2012; he was previously Deputy Headteacher at King Ecgbert School.
Traditions
Wales High is seen as a school with traditional values, with procedures which take place each year. The following are important aspects of the school:
- Sponsored Walk: Every four years the school holds a sponsored walk to try to raise money for the school. The last two walks have financed refurbishment of the more dilapidated areas of the school.
- Full School Assembly: affectionately known as the 'Full School Squash' by students and staff alike. The assembly takes place fpur times a year with yearly opening and closing assemblies, where the school bell is rung by the youngest pupil/(s) to mark the beginning and ending of a school year, as well as an Easter assembly in April and a Christmas assembly. Every member of the school is expected at these formal assemblies, in which important news is delivered, certificates and awards are presented, and special guests are invited. Musical items are often delivered throughout the course of these assemblies.
- The Plough: a model plough held in a glass case, representing Year 7 diligence. Each term, the tutor with the highest diligence score are presented with the plough.
- Houses and the Dragon: Busli (Blue), Mortain (Black), Rollo (White) and Warenne (Yellow). Busli is named after Roger de Busli and Warenne after William de Warenne, two of William the Conqueror's knights, Mortain after his half-brother, and Rollo was one of his ancestors. Each student is assigned a house upon entering the school, which is an important part of the school's community. Students are provided with sports kit with their specific house colours, which is to be worn in P.E. lessons and house sporting events. Numerous house events are competed in, such as football, rugby, tennis, cross country and netball, as well as other non-sporting activities such as chess, drama and art. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the Dragon, a golden dragon statue in a glass case. The dragon is then engraved with the year and the winning house respectively.
- The Headmaster's Trophy: Each year, the sixth form compete for The Headmaster's Trophy. Lower Sixth play Upper Sixth annually in a match that is watched by all the school on an afternoon during the 2nd term.
- Sixth Form Committee: Every year, pupils in the final weeks of Year 12 apply for positions of responsibility in the school's student committee. The committee consists of around 25 pupils and is made up of a Head Boy, Head Girl, Deputy Head Prefects and Senior Prefects. Pupils interested in becoming part of the committee must formally apply via an application form and are invited to make presentations to a panel of senior members of staff and the lower school council. Once shortlisted, successful applicants are automatically appointed as Senior Prefects, however, students wanting to be considered for the roles of Deputy Head Prefects and Head Boy and Girl must make a further presentation to the Headteacher and Directors of Sixth Form. Students begin their terms of office in the September of Year 13 and remain in office until July of the following year. The committee is involved in discussions about how the school can be changed and is a vital part of the Student Voice within the school's infrastructure. In the 2011/12 academic year, the committee was involved in the appointment of the school's new Headteacher; Giuseppe Di'Iasio who succeeded John Day in September 2012. Badges of office, shaped in the style of the school logo, are presented in the opening Full School Assembly in September to the Senior Prefects, Deputy Head Prefects and Head Boy and Girl and are coloured bronze, silver and gold, respectively.
Refurbishments
The school has undergone recent renovation work.The 13 science department laboratories underwent a total revamp in around 2003. Around this time, the tower block also received a new white-stone facade that covers the previous grey stone walls.
In 2006, the Food Studies department rooms FS1 and FS2 were re-fitted with new appliances and units, bringing the kitchens up-to-date.
Facilities for disabled students are continuously improving, with wheelchair access now provided to almost every part of the school, including the P.E. department, where an elevator is installed to take passengers up to higher ground, where before it was impossible to do so.
The Sixth Form area has just undergone serious changes, making more space for an extended common room and renovating the study room across from the library to include personal, partitioned workspaces. In 2012, the Sixth Form Committee were granted their request to have Wi-Fi installed in the Sixth Form common room, study room, school library and staff room for work and leisure purposes.
Notable alumni
- Darren Bennett – dancer on BBC's Strictly Come Dancing who partnered Lynda Bellingham.
- Ryan Sampson – TV actor in a 2008 Doctor Who two part story, and ITVs Roman comedy Plebs
- James Toseland – motorcycle racer, winning the Superbike World championship title in both 2004 and 2007
References
External links
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