Commonweal School
|
School Photographed in October 2007 | |
| Motto | Salubritas et Industria |
|---|---|
| Established | September 1927 |
| Type | Academy |
| Head Teacher | Mr. Bob Linnegar |
| Deputy Head Teacher | Mr. Charles Drew |
| Chairwoman of Governors | Dr. Jokie Bakker |
| Location |
The Mall Swindon Wiltshire SN1 4JE England 51°32′57″N 1°47′16″W / 51.54911°N 1.78785°WCoordinates: 51°32′57″N 1°47′16″W / 51.54911°N 1.78785°W |
| DfE URN | 137190 Tables |
| Ofsted | Reports Pre-academy reports |
| Students | 1,250 |
| Gender | Coeducational |
| Ages | 11–18 |
| Colours | Blue and Black |
| Website |
www |
The Commonweal School is a secondary school with academy status with a performing arts specialism, located in Swindon, Wiltshire, England. It is situated in the south-west of Swindon, south of the A4289.
History
The Commonweal School was founded in 1927 where most of the first Commonweleans had been transferred from the College and Euclid Street Secondary Schools. The original building was designed for just 410 pupils in total. September 1939 say a sudden rise in numbers to 530 pupils, half from East Ham Grammar School plus 'detached' evacuees. In 1965, it became a Senior High School, taking pupils of all abilities aged 14 to 18. There was a second re-organisation in 1983 when Commonweal became a seven-form entry comprehensive school for pupils aged 11 to 16, therefore losing its sixth form. Its Academy Status was awarded on 1 August 2011, previously, it had been a foundation school. An expansion in September 2014 saw the opening of its brand new Sixth Form, known as C6.
Leadership
Over the last ninety years, Commonwealeans have seen many Headmasters. Mr 'Tam' Hartley was the first headmaster. Doctor C.E Jones was appointed Headmaster of Commonweal back in 1932, the namesake of the Shield awarded to the house that annually wins Sports Day. Keith Defter succeeded Michael Salt following his retirement in 1998. In an email to parents over Easter 2017, Keith Defter announced that he would be retiring following the Summer term after almost two decades. Bob Linnegar, the Schools Deputy Head, takes over the role of Headteacher from September 2017.
School Houses
There are four school houses within Commonweal which are each named after a historical site within Wiltshire. Each house is designated its own colour and head and deputy.
- Ridgeway
- Sarum
- Stonehenge
- Whitehorse
Upon arrival at the school, each student is placed within a house. This house will act as a 'Community' for the students, as students will compete in 'Interhouse Events' throughout the year. The house with the most amount of points will be awarded the interhouse shield. The house that wins sports day will be awarded the prestigious 'Dr. Jones' Shield'. Whilst in their final year of Commonweal, students are able to apply to become house officials, otherwise known as Prefects.
Sixth Form (C6)
In December 2012, it was proudly announced by the Head that the Department for Education had accepted the school's bid for a sixth form. The Sixth Form opened in September 2014 with places for up to 300 students. The Sixth Form (C6) is situated within brand new, purpose built facilities, funded by the Department for Education. The sixth form runs a range of academic courses, alongside a varied enrichment programme. The Commonweal Sixth Form website is live at http://www.commonwealsixth.co.uk/
Academic performance
It gets the joint highest GCSE results in Swindon with Highworth Warneford School. Four schools in Swindon get above average results. The GCSE results are increasing each year.
Alumni
- Keith Browning, atmospheric scientist
- Justin Hayward, musician
- Lyndon Ogbourne,[1] actor
References
External links
- Official website
- Template:Sixth Form website