The Mountbatten School

Coordinates: 50°59′02″N 1°28′12″W / 50.984°N 1.470°W / 50.984; -1.470

The Mountbatten School is an 11-16 secondary school located on Whitenap Lane in Romsey, Hampshire, England. The school opened in 1969^[2] as a comprehensive school. The school was founded by Earl Mountbatten on land that was originally part of the Broadlands estate.

Lord Mountbatten was the school's founder patron. Lord Mountbatten's accolades include Viceroy of India, 1st Sea Lord and, additionally, was involved in an aborted plot to overthrow the democratically elected labour government of Harold Wilson. The current patron is his great granddaughter The Hon. Alexandra Knatchbull.

Lord Mountbatten's personal crest was adopted as the school's badge at his suggestion. Containing the Order of the Garter's motto, 'Honi Soit Qui Mal Y Pense', special permission to the use the crest was granted by Queen Elizabeth II.

Pupils are divided into five school houses named after ships of the Royal Navy with particular association to Lord Mountbatten: HMS Wishart, Daring, Kelly, Illustrious, and HMS Lion.

The school is an 11-16 co-educational academy, situated in the Parish of Romsey Extra. The majority of pupils are drawn from Romsey and Southampton districts including Chilworth, North Baddesley, Nursling, and Rownhams. As of 2012, there are 1,420 pupils. The school has a standard Year-7 intake of 284.

The linked primary schools are Halterworth Community Primary School, North Baddesley Junior School, Nursling Church of England Primary School, Romsey Primary School, Rownhams St. John's Church of England Primary School, and Wellow School. The school attracts a significant proportion of its pupils from out-of-catchment non-linked primary schools.

Headteachers of the Mountbatten School have been:

Mr. E. P. M. Chesterton (1969-?)

Mr. H. J. Winkle (?-1985)

Mr. G. Wilkinson (1985-1991)

Mrs. L. K. Morffew (1991-2007)

Mrs. H. McIlroy (2007–present).

Specialist status and National Awards

The school became a Language College in 2000,^[3] and gained Sports College status in September 2004. In September 2006, the school became the hub of the Mountbatten School Sports Partnership with several local schools. The school holds several national awards: High Performing Specialist School (2008, 2009, 2010, 2011); International Schools Award (2007, 2011); Arts Mark Gold Award (2007, 2011); Youth Sports Trust Gold Partner (2011); Get Set Olympic Network (2010); Eco Schools award (2009) and Ofsted Lead Behaviour School (2008).

In 2012, the school was recognised by the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust as one of the hundred most-improved schools in England. The school joined the Leading Edge Network in 2012.

Facilities

Following a number of successful financial appeals and external funding bids, the school facilities have grown and developed since 1969. The original building, the Viceroy’s Building, contains the school hall, English, Science, and the dining hall facilities. Humanities and Art are housed in the Lower Humanities Building and the Jubilee Building which was completely refurbished in 2012. Sport has the original gymnasium, a sports hall opened in 1985 by Prince Charles, a state-of-the-art fitness suite (which is also open to the public), and a sports science laboratory. ICT and technology are housed in the Mulberry Building, which was completely rebuilt in 2013. Modern foreign languages and mathematics are located in the Brabourne Building, opened by Pamela, Countess Mountbatten of Burma, in 1985. The Lantern Theatre building contains the drama and music rooms, including a recording studio and theatre. The Lantern is part of a community project funded by Hampshire County Council and the National Lottery . There is a separate dedicated Student Services Building which following rebuilding was opened in 2014.

The school's trading subsidiary, Personal Best Education, is housed in the Malta Building.

Every faculty area has a dedicated ICT suite and/or laptop trolley. There are three Mac suites for music and art. There are extensive playing fields and play courts.

Academy status

The Mountbatten School gained academy status on 1 April 2011.

Curriculum & extra curricular

Pupils at the Mountbatten School study a broadly academic curriculum. As a Language College, most pupils follow French or Spanish to GCSE. English Baccalaureate subjects are particularly popular. Many pupils follow Triple Science to GCSE. In 2012, GCSE options included Art, Astronomy, Business Studies, Catering, Child Development, Classics, Computing, Drama, Geography, Graphics, History, ICT, Latin, Media Studies, Music, Product Design, P.E., Religious Studies, Resistant Materials, Sociology, and Textiles. The Mountbatten School has a strong extra-curricular ethos. P.E., Music, and Drama, are all strengths. There are international visits to the USA, France, Spain, Italy, and Turkey.

Notable alumni

Some notable former pupils of the school include:

• Terry Bartlett - gymnast, competed for Great Britain at the 1984, 1988 and 1992 Olympic Games.
• Steve Basham - footballer; played 19 games for Southampton F.C. in the Premier League; now at Oxford City.
• Martin Butler - musician and composer of classical music.
• Joe Brooks - singer / songwriter.
• Laura Carmichael - actress.
• Andy Cook - former professional footballer.
• Julia Copus - poet and radio dramatist.
• Richard Dibden - former Hampshire cricketer.
• David Dickson - film producer, and joint founder of Bow Street Films.
• Charlie Dimmock - television presenter and gardener.
• Sarah-Jane Hutt - Miss World in 1983.
• Lukas Jutkiewicz - former Swindon and Everton striker, now playing for Coventry City.
• Martin Kellaway - cricketer.
• Sam McQueen - Southampton F.C. professional footballer.
• Melanie Purkiss - athlete. Reached the semi-finals of the 400 metres in the 2002 Commonwealth Games.

References

External links

• Official website