Alun School
Encyclopedia
The Alun School is a large secondary school serving the community of Mold, Flintshire
, North Wales
, and its surrounding villages. It is part of the Flintshire LEA. It was formed in 1970 as a result of the merger of the Alun Grammar School and the Daniel Owen Secondary Modern School.
Some of the school's present buildings (Daniel Owen Building) date from 1938, the remainder being opened on the formation of the current comprehensive or built in the years since. In 1989 the roll stood at 1432, and in 1999 it was 1548. In January 2010 there were 1762 students with over 550 students in the Sixth Form and over 120 teachers. The main school is over-subscribed and the Sixth Form is the biggest Sixth Form in Wales and one of the biggest in the UK.
The most recent inspection of the school took place in March 2010 when it received the top grade (Grade 1) in all seven of the inspection categories. It was described as a "very good school with many outstanding features". The school has produced a summary booklet of headline quotes Inspection Booklet, and the full report of the inspection can be read at 2010 Inspection Report.
The school is sometimes known colloquially as Mold Alun, to distinguish it from the nearby Castell Alun secondary school in Hope
.
Headteachers of Daniel Owen Secondary Modern School / Central School
Headteachers of Alun School (became comprehensive in 1967 and moved to present site in November 1973)
Mold, Flintshire
Mold is a town in Flintshire, North Wales, on the River Alyn. It is the administrative seat of Flintshire County Council, and was also the county town of Clwyd from 1974 to 1996...
, North Wales
North Wales
North Wales is the northernmost unofficial region of Wales. It is bordered to the south by the counties of Ceredigion and Powys in Mid Wales and to the east by the counties of Shropshire in the West Midlands and Cheshire in North West England...
, and its surrounding villages. It is part of the Flintshire LEA. It was formed in 1970 as a result of the merger of the Alun Grammar School and the Daniel Owen Secondary Modern School.
Some of the school's present buildings (Daniel Owen Building) date from 1938, the remainder being opened on the formation of the current comprehensive or built in the years since. In 1989 the roll stood at 1432, and in 1999 it was 1548. In January 2010 there were 1762 students with over 550 students in the Sixth Form and over 120 teachers. The main school is over-subscribed and the Sixth Form is the biggest Sixth Form in Wales and one of the biggest in the UK.
The most recent inspection of the school took place in March 2010 when it received the top grade (Grade 1) in all seven of the inspection categories. It was described as a "very good school with many outstanding features". The school has produced a summary booklet of headline quotes Inspection Booklet, and the full report of the inspection can be read at 2010 Inspection Report.
The school is sometimes known colloquially as Mold Alun, to distinguish it from the nearby Castell Alun secondary school in Hope
Hope, Flintshire
Hope is a small village in Flintshire, north-east Wales. The village is located approximately 3 miles / 4.5 km from the Wales-England border, on the course of the River Alyn....
.
Buildings
The Alun has many distinguishable buildings and areas. These include:- Lloyd Parry Building containing the Reception
- Tower Block containing many classrooms
- Daniel Owen Building containing classrooms and the Daniel Owen Hall
- Central Block containing most of the practical departments and workshops etc.
- Gym, Canteen, Construction building
- Tennis courts, All-Terrain Pitch, Extensive Playing Fields
- Drama Theatre shared with the Welsh-medium school Ysgol Maes GarmonYsgol Maes GarmonYsgol Maes Garmon is a Welsh-language comprehensive school in Mold, Flintshire, for children aged 11 to 18. The school was established in 1961 and has approximately 550 pupils. It shares some facilities with Alun School nearby...
- Sports Centre (joint community use) including swimming pool, squash courts etc.
Headteachers
Headteachers of Alun School / Alun County Secondary School / Alun Grammar School- William Lloyd Parry (1880–1922) Founder of the School : A book is available from the school 'The Lloyd Parry Years' go to Alun School History
- Owen Hughes (1922–1941)
- Joseph Jones (1942–1958)
- Gareth Lloyd Jones (1958–1965)
- David Leadbeater (1965–1967)
Headteachers of Daniel Owen Secondary Modern School / Central School
- Harold Shaw (1939–1940)
- Ceriog Williams (1940–1967)
Headteachers of Alun School (became comprehensive in 1967 and moved to present site in November 1973)
- David Leadbeater (1967–1972)
- Ray (Gerry) German (1972–1974) (Dismissed)
- Wynne Williams (Acting Headteacher from Easter 1974 - Summer 1975)
- James Hanson (1975–1991)
- David Williams (1991–1997)
- Paul Mulraney (1997–2008)
- Ashley Jones (2008–Present)
Notable alumni
Notable ex-students include:- Matt BarbetMatt BarbetMatthew "Matt" Barbet is a British television journalist who presents 5 News. He was previously a presenter and reporter for BBC London from 2003 to 2007, presented BBC London's Children in Need coverage in 2006 and he also acted as an occasional presenter on BBC Breakfast in 2007, as a cover for...
- Channel 5 News presenter - Brooke Benjamin (1929-1995), FRS, Sedleian Professor of Natural Philosophy at Oxford
- Jonny BucklandJonny BucklandJonathan Mark "Jonny" Buckland is an English guitarist and musician, best known as the lead guitarist of the band Coldplay.-Early life:...
- musician, ColdplayColdplayColdplay are a British alternative rock band formed in 1996 by lead vocalist Chris Martin and lead guitarist Jonny Buckland at University College London. After they formed Pectoralz, Guy Berryman joined the group as a bassist and they changed their name to Starfish. Will Champion joined as a... - Nick FentonNick FentonNicholas Leonard "Nick" Fenton is an English professional footballer who plays as a defender. He is currently playing for Morecambe, having previously played for Manchester City, Notts County, A.F.C...
- footballer, a former player for Manchester City; now playing with Morecambe FC - Anthony Fenton - footballer, a former player for Portsmouth FC; brother of the above
- Andy NichollsAndy NichollsAndy Nicholls , is an English former football hooligan, manager, and author of a number of books on football hooliganism. He has been banned from every ground in England and Wales. He is banned from for life from the home ground of the team he supports, Everton, Goodison Park...
- author - Emma Jones - journalist