Dormston School

Dormston School is a secondary school for children located in Sedgley, West Midlands, England. The schools has specialist status as a Mathematics and Computing college.[1] The school has around 1,200 pupils aged 11 to 16 on the roll, and approximately 80 teaching staff.[1]

The school has five year groups, each of which contain eight classes of approximately 28 children, with some 224 pupils starting the school every year. The tutor groups are split into 'X' and 'Y' populations who are educated separately for all lessons, although pupils mix for some subjects at GCSE level.

The school has playing fields, which include two football pitches and a multi-purpose outdoor sports area for sports including netball and hockey.

History

Dormston School was established in 1935. The original site consisted of a single two-storey building that contained 19 classrooms as well as a dining hall, gymnasium, assembly hall and library. This building remains in existence to this day, although substantial alterations have taken place since the mid 1990s and several completely new buildings have been added since the late 1960s. The school was built by Sedgley Urban District council, but since 1966 has existed within the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley[1]

In July 1996, the National Lottery granted the Dormston School £4 million to build the Arts and Sports Center, which was completed three-and-half years later. The construction of this complex saw the demolition of the old staff room and toilets, as well as the loss of a playground.[2]

The Dormston Center, which joins onto the Dormston School, was opened in March 2000. It includes a theatre, sports hall, art gallery and gymnasium. It cost £5.5 million to build. £4 million of the cost came from a lottery grant in August 1996. Money was also raised for the Children's Liver Disease Trust in aid of a pupil suffering from the condition in late 2002.

In July 2000, it raised a huge sum of money which went towards a new minibus - the previous school minibus had been destroyed by arsonists. The new minibus was destroyed once again by arson a few days later and never replaced.

In 2000, Dormston School was credited with the Charter Mark in recognition of its excellent standards. Mrs O'Connor's last day (19 December) was marked with a farewell assembly, presented by her long-serving deputy Mr Wally Francis - who retired four years later. Mrs O'Connor was headteacher at Dormston from September 1983 until December 2000, when she retired to make way for Mrs Stephanie Sherwood - who was previously head-teacher at the Buckpool School in Stourbridge. During Mrs O'Connor reign at the helm, school leaver exam pass rates more than tripled, regularly exceeding 50% throughout the 1990s, and the school was credited with the Charter Mark just before her retirement.

During December 2001, the school raised well over £1,000 for the Birmingham Children's Hospital Cancer Unit - where a 14-year-old pupil, Luke Edwards, was receiving treatment for lymphatic cancer. He died nine months later after contracting an infection.

A memorial staff garden was created at the back of the main assembly hall in 2007 in memory of former school caretaker Mr John Hopson, who died on 26 September 2005 after a short illness having collapsed in school grounds.

In 2010, it was the 11th best performing of 21 secondary schools in the Dudley borough for GCSE results, with 53% of pupils leaving the school that year with 5 or more grades at C or above.[1][3]

In summer 2012 the school achieved the worst GCSE grades in the Dudley Borough. The school was inspected by Ofsted twelve months later and placed under Special Measures. Stephanie Sherwood retired at the end of the school year in July 2013 and her successor Ben Stitchman took charge in September 2013. The school's move into Special Measures is the result of a long period of decline which can be traced back up to 15 years before. A high turnover of staff, declining pupil behaviour and growing complaints from local residents about incidents involving Dormston pupils in and an out of school hours became increasingly commonplace from the late 1990s.

Timeline

School buildings

Art, Science and Technology blocks were added in the late 1960s and early 1970s. These were expanded in the early 1990s. A fourth block, housing music, drama, dance and English classrooms was built in 1990/91, followed shortly afterwards by three Modern Languages classrooms, two mobile classrooms (mostly for teaching English) and two Art rooms were added. These expansions took place to accommodate the extra pupils following the local authority's decision to reduce the secondary school starting age from 12 to 11, as well as an increase in the school's capacity to hold more than 1,100 pupils. It had provided capacity for some 700 pupils during its days as a 12-16 school. That figure had risen to more than 900 when the age of admissions was reduced, but high demand for places saw it increased beyond 1,000 within a few years.

Two science laboratories were opened in the autumn of 2003, as was a Sixth Form Centre (owned by Dudley College) in September 1996. The sixth form block was demolished in about 2007 and transferred to the mobile classrooms which had been erected more than a decade earlier.

The school blocks A to E

A Block

On the school's completion in 1935, this was the sole building, containing 19 classrooms, offices, a library, assembly hall and gymnasium.

The offices for the Heads of Year and Isolation Room were added in 1999 after a remodelling of the former girls changing rooms and the Careers office. The former boys changing rooms and a neighbouring office were remodelled at the same time to create an ICT suite, and a ground floor classroom was divided into an office and a storage room.

A Block originally contained the offices for the senior management, but on the relocation of these facilities to D Block during the 1990/91 academic year this area was converted into the Learning Support department as well as a Resources centre.

The library was relocated to the new Personal Learning Centre in October 2008 and the original library was divided into two ICT suites.

Classrooms in A Block are used for the teaching of Mathematics, Geography, History,R.E, English and ICT.

B Block

B Block was added in about 1972. It houses six science laboratories as well as two Food Technology suites. Two further B Block classrooms - actually within C Block - were added in 1992 and house the art department, which was previously accommodated in two downstairs B block rooms which were then converted into science laboratories.

It has not been substantially altered since its construction, although all of the laboratories have been refurbished, as have both of the Food Technology suites.

C Block

C Block was built a few years before B Block in the late 1960s. The downstairs of the building includes two Science laboratories, a CAD/CAM centre as well as workshops for Graphic Design, Resistant Materials (which was opened in 1992 to replace a downstairs workshop in A Block) and Systems & Control. The upstairs of the block is given over to a Textiles suite.

The two Science laboratories were refurbished in 2001.

D Block

D Block houses the senior management offices, reception area, music studio, drama studio, dance studio, one music classroom and five Modern Languages classrooms. Its construction was confirmed in 1989 and took place the following year as the school looked to improve its performing arts facilities and provide additional classroom space due to a growing demand for pupil places and the increased pupil numbers that the reduction of the secondary transfer age would see.

It was opened during the 1990/91 school year and was detached from the rest of the school until the Dormston Centre was opened a decade later.

Being a modern structure, no substantial alterations have yet been made to D Block, although some redecoration has taken place since 2003 due to vandalism and general wear and tear of the building's fabric.

E Block

E Block was completed in September 2003 and houses two classrooms used for Art and Science.

Further building work on E Block was completed in October 2008 and a second floor was completed five years later. This houses the new Personal Learning Centre.

Mobile classrooms

There are currently two mobile classrooms at the school, on a playground next to A Block, which currently accommodate the sixth form; this had previously existed in a two-storey mobile building next to C Block for about 10 years. These classrooms were added during the first half of the 1990s.

Dormston Centre

The Dormston Centre includes a sports hall, fitness centre, art gallery, theatre and cafe.[1] It cost nearly £6 million to build, £4 million of which was provided by a grant from the National Lottery. The go-ahead for the centre was given in July 1996 when the Lottery grant was given, and the facilities were in use by March 2000 - six months behind schedule. The official opening took place on 1 December 2000.

The ground floor of the Dormston Centre is known to students and visitors as The Atrium, in which student's art work is exhibited. The staff room for Dormston School is also located in the ground floor of the Dormston Centre.

The theatre in the Dormston Centre has hosted pupil's productions of West Side Story (March 2000), Oliver! (March 2001), Macbeth (July 2001) and We Will Rock You (March 2009). Pupils were working on a series of new productions including, Hairspray which was shown 9–12 February 2010, The Blues Brothers was shown in 2011, Our House in 2012, Grease in 2013 and the upcoming We Will Rock You in 2014. On 5 March 2009 the Dormston Centre hosted an edition of the BBC's 'Question Time' television programme hosted by David Dimbleby.

The Mill Theatre is also used for some assemblies.

The centre's changing rooms and toilets were remodeled in 2009 due to continued vandalism which had already led to the previous changing rooms being refurbished in 2006.

Dormston School's lottery grant

The Dormston School received a National Lottery grant in July 1996 to contribute towards the cost of building a high quality sports and arts centre on its site. Work began in early 1998, with the facilities opening in March 2000 and being officially opened on 1 December that year.[2] Two years later, the Dudley News criticised the project as a "failure" as few people in the local area were making use of it and a number of people did not even know where it was. The centre was first proposed in the late 1980s along with D Block, but had to be postponed for several years due to the lack of funding.

The local Youth Club project

The Youth Club is run by volunteers several evenings a week. It closed in September 2001 following an extensive vandalism attack by several pupils and a member of the public. It was re-opened in 2004 following a refurbishment and the replacement of a mobile building.

Notable pupils

Senior staff

Gifted and Talented policy

Year 7 pupils take a series of "MIDYIS" tests which give the teachers an insight into each pupil's potential. Each pupil's progress in then closely monitored, and some students will be given the option of attending Summer Schools - an event organised by the National Academy at University of Warwick. They can also attend a Science club which is open to Key Stage 3 pupils. There is also an optional day visit to Oxford University for some of these pupils.

Since September 1999, certain pupils entering key stage 3 have been selected for accelerated key stage 4 courses which will see them complete a GCSE in Year 10 and an AS Level in Year 11. There are normally 20 pupils per subject in every year group who take each course.

Mrs Fiona Moseley, Head of English and now one of the school's longest-serving teachers since her appointment in September 2000 initially as a year head, is consultant for the "Gifted and Talented" policy. The previous consultant was Mrs Elaine James.

There is also an annual presentation evening, held every December, for the previous academic year's school leavers. Subject prizes as well as several achievement and effort awards are awarded to students nominated by staff.

Extracurricular activities

Extracurricular activities include:[1]

There are after-school clubs for subjects including Science and Technology.

With access to the state-of-the-art Dormston Centre, the school has regularly performed drama productions; the first of these was West Side Story in March 2000. Each key stage gives an annual Performance Arts Evening for pupils to display their various talents.

Year 10 pupils are involved in the Young Enterprise initiative and in 2005 received a local award for being the "Most Enterprising Company".

Year 9 and GCSE pupils have the opportunity to attend revision and coursework support classes.

Pupils with individual educational needs are encouraged to attend small group or one-to-one sessions organised by the Learning Support Department.

Year 10 pupils have the opportunity to apply to become a Senior, which gives them extra responsibility during their final year of compulsory education. This system has long been in place, having originally been pioneered during the days of Mrs O'Connor's stewardship. New to the policy since September 2005 has been the appointment of a "Head Boy" and "Head Girl" (who each have deputies).

There is also an active School Council, and each year pupils are encouraged to vote for a pupil in their year group to be elected as their councillor. The school council raises concerns of students in the school to staff. The school also participates in the annual UK Youth Parliament elections.

The '1999 Short skirts débâcle'

In March 1999, the school made the headlines when 41 girls were either sent home, made to put on baggy trousers or isolated from lessons for wearing excessively short skirts as part of a local crackdown on sexily dressed school pupils.[2][2][4] 21 female pupils aged from 11 to 16 were suspended and the rest segregated away from the other pupils.[2][4] The school's then head-teacher, Mrs Barbara O'Connor, was supported by most people connected to the school when she made this decision. The girls were sent home or removed from lessons for wearing short skirts which were more than 2 inches (51 mm) above the knee.[5] This action was taken after several complaints from various sources, including some male pupils and members of the local community, who had expressed their concern about the rude and sexy way some of the girls were dressing.[2][4] It became known locally as the '1999 Short skirts débâcle'. A similar, but less spectacular situation occurred soon after due to a purge of jeans and tight trousers.[5]

School uniform dress code offence. The total number of pupils involved. Those who finally did not change and got expelled. Those suspended until could return in longer skirts. Those isolated that day and returned in longer skirts. Those isolated that day and returned in baggy trousers.
Mini-skirts 40 1 21 20 0
Tight skirts 1 0 0 0 1
Tight trousers 1 0 0 0 1
Kulottes 7 0 0 0 7
Jeans 40 0 0 4

.[2][4][5]

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 http://www.dormston.dudley.gov.uk . Retrieved on March 5, 2010.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 2.9 cdnedge.bbc.co.uk .Retrieved on March 10, 2010.
  3. ↑ "BBC News - Secondary schools and colleges in Dudley". Bbc.co.uk. 2011-01-12. Retrieved 2013-04-05.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 http://www.highbeam.com .Retrieved on March 10, 2010.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-109752478.html