Belper School
Encyclopedia
Belper School and Sixth Form Centre is a comprehensive school
located in the town
of Belper
, Derbyshire
, England
. It has Foundation School
status and is a specialist Technology College
. In 2007, Ofsted reported that it was a 'good' school, while in 2009 it was deemed 'satisfactory' due to a dip in academic achievement/teaching standards. The deliberately caring policy of the school has ensured that the school remains above average in performance scores beyond academic achievement. Particularly extensive facilities have been made for the arts, catering and foreign languages. It has received Healthy Schools status and the Artsmark Gold award. The current headteacher is Trevor Harding.
"Belper School has a distinctive ethos which stresses positive relationships between students, staff and parents as the key basis for learning and personal development. Students wear no formal uniform
and use the first names of teachers, resulting in an informal atmosphere around the school, but one where the students feel well supported by adults. 'It is what gives our school a unique flavour and enables us to view our teachers as equals', one student said."
-owned Glow-Worm boiler factory and the former Deb factory, which has since been demolished and had housing built on it.
Grammar School
founded in 1909 and two secondary modern school
s. Belper High School was built as a 13-18 high school (upper school
) and took shape in a barely complete, largely open-plan new building, built adjacent to the local sports centre. Roland Mathias
, the poet, was headmaster of the Herbert Strutt School from 1958-64. Herbert Strutt School had around 650 boys and girls.
From 1973 until 1986, the school was part of an experimental three-tier educational system, with a number of local primary schools feeding into two larger middle schools; the former Herbert Strutt Grammar School (renamed the Herbert Strutt Middle School) and Parks Middle School, located on Belper's Park's Estate. These two middle schools then fed pupils into Belper High School.
s. It was the first Technology College in Derbyshire, and was officially opened as such by Gillian Shepherd (Education Secretary) on 15 November 1994. Thorntons
, the confectionery company once based in the town of Belper became major sponsors. At the ceremony, members of the NUT
handed out leaflets condemning the public-private involvement
. Support from Thorntons
and other local firms has helped the school remodel most of its accommodation to suit an 11-18 school population.
Art block was opened in 2006. In September 2006, the school rebranded with a new logo as 'Belper School and Sixth Form Centre' and abandoned its use of the "Four Gates" logo. The logo, comprising four intertwined gates, symbolised the four surrounding villages of Ambergate, Bargate, Openwoodgate and Shottlegate.
The school has recently expanded further with the introduction of a new block of 10 classrooms for Foreign Languages and Media Studies. This block opened in early 2010. An hourly updated webcam image of the extension work was available on the School's website.
crystals were dropped by a teacher when they collided with a student in a corridor. As a result, two pupils had minor burns and 36 were taken to hospital for smoke inhalation.
On 6 September 2007, a small fire broke out in the Technology Department's "laser
room", the location of a relatively small laser cutter. The fire itself was extinguished immediately after it was found, but the fire alarm was still raised at around 2:35pm. The school was evacuated, and the fire brigade called to ensure that the structure was sound. The building was declared safe soon after. The Technology Department was closed for a short while to assess the damage. The laser cutter, estimated to be worth £24,500 was destroyed, while three panes of window glass were also damaged. The damage of the fire slowed down GCSE students projects, some of whom were 100% reliant on the laser cutter
.
Comprehensive school
A comprehensive school is a state school that does not select its intake on the basis of academic achievement or aptitude. This is in contrast to the selective school system, where admission is restricted on the basis of a selection criteria. The term is commonly used in relation to the United...
located in the town
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
of Belper
Belper
Belper is a town and civil parish in the local government district of Amber Valley in Derbyshire, England.-Geography:Belper is situated eight miles north of Derby and is centred in the valley of the River Derwent...
, Derbyshire
Derbyshire
Derbyshire is a county in the East Midlands of England. A substantial portion of the Peak District National Park lies within Derbyshire. The northern part of Derbyshire overlaps with the Pennines, a famous chain of hills and mountains. The county contains within its boundary of approx...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It has Foundation School
Foundation school
In England and Wales, a foundation school is a state-funded school in which the governing body has greater freedom in the running of the school than in community schools....
status and is a specialist Technology College
Technology College
Technology College is a term used in the United Kingdom for a secondary specialist school that focuses on design and technology, mathematics and science. These were the first type of specialist schools, beginning in 1994. In 2008 there were 598 Technology Colleges in England, of which 12 also...
. In 2007, Ofsted reported that it was a 'good' school, while in 2009 it was deemed 'satisfactory' due to a dip in academic achievement/teaching standards. The deliberately caring policy of the school has ensured that the school remains above average in performance scores beyond academic achievement. Particularly extensive facilities have been made for the arts, catering and foreign languages. It has received Healthy Schools status and the Artsmark Gold award. The current headteacher is Trevor Harding.
Admissions
Belper School is larger than average, catering for around 1,400 students between 11 and 18 years-old. The majority of the school is white British with below average numbers of cared-for children and children identified as having special educational needs or disability.Ethos
The 2009 Ofsted report had this to say about the school:"Belper School has a distinctive ethos which stresses positive relationships between students, staff and parents as the key basis for learning and personal development. Students wear no formal uniform
School uniform
A school uniform is an outfit—a set of standardized clothes—worn primarily for an educational institution. They are common in primary and secondary schools in various countries . When used, they form the basis of a school's dress code.Traditionally school uniforms have been largely subdued and...
and use the first names of teachers, resulting in an informal atmosphere around the school, but one where the students feel well supported by adults. 'It is what gives our school a unique flavour and enables us to view our teachers as equals', one student said."
Location
It is situated on John O'Gaunts Way, which is just off Kilbourne Road (A609) in the north-east of the town, towards Openwoodgate. It is located directly next-door to Belper Leisure Centre, which it jointly owns and runs with Amber Valley Borough Council. It is also located very near to the VaillantVaillant
Vaillant may refer to:*Vaillant *Vaillant, Haute-Marne, a commune of the Haute-Marne department, France*Vaillant and Vaillant, le journal de Pif, children's magazines*Michel Vaillant, a comic book character...
-owned Glow-Worm boiler factory and the former Deb factory, which has since been demolished and had housing built on it.
History
The school, previously known as Belper High School was created in 1973 from an amalgamation of the existing 'Herbert StruttGeorge Herbert Strutt
George Herbert Strutt , was a cotton mill owner and philanthropist from Makeney and Belper in Derbyshire. Strutt became a High Sheriff. He was a descendant of Jedediah Strutt. The Strutt family made themselves, and Britain, rich with their cotton business...
Grammar School
Grammar school
A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and some other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching classical languages but more recently an academically-oriented secondary school.The original purpose of mediaeval...
founded in 1909 and two secondary modern school
Secondary modern school
A secondary modern school is a type of secondary school that existed in most of the United Kingdom from 1944 until the early 1970s, under the Tripartite System, and was designed for the majority of pupils - those who do not achieve scores in the top 25% of the eleven plus examination...
s. Belper High School was built as a 13-18 high school (upper school
Upper school
Upper Schools tend to be schools within secondary education. Outside England, the term normally refers to a section of a larger school. There is some variation in the use of the term in England.-State Maintained Schools:...
) and took shape in a barely complete, largely open-plan new building, built adjacent to the local sports centre. Roland Mathias
Roland Mathias
Roland Glyn Mathias , was a Welsh writer, known for his poetry and short stories. He was also a literary critic, and responsible with Raymond Garlick for the success of the literary magazine Dock Leaves , later from 1957 The Anglo-Welsh Review. He edited it from 1961 to 1976...
, the poet, was headmaster of the Herbert Strutt School from 1958-64. Herbert Strutt School had around 650 boys and girls.
Three tier education
The new school, opening on a new site in September 1973, was built with the new leisure centre, which it still jointly uses. Michael Tucker was the new headmaster.From 1973 until 1986, the school was part of an experimental three-tier educational system, with a number of local primary schools feeding into two larger middle schools; the former Herbert Strutt Grammar School (renamed the Herbert Strutt Middle School) and Parks Middle School, located on Belper's Park's Estate. These two middle schools then fed pupils into Belper High School.
Two tier education
In 1986, this system was changed to a more conventional two-tier system, in which Herbert Strutt Middle School became Herbert Strutt Primary School. The Parks Middle School was subsequently closed, and the school buildings, which were in an awful state were demolished. In 2008, the Herbert Strutt Primary School moved into new accommodation, while the historical Grade II* listed building still remains on the A6, located directly opposite Babington Hospital.Technology College
In 1994, it became one of the United Kingdom's first Technology CollegeTechnology College
Technology College is a term used in the United Kingdom for a secondary specialist school that focuses on design and technology, mathematics and science. These were the first type of specialist schools, beginning in 1994. In 2008 there were 598 Technology Colleges in England, of which 12 also...
s. It was the first Technology College in Derbyshire, and was officially opened as such by Gillian Shepherd (Education Secretary) on 15 November 1994. Thorntons
Thorntons
Thorntons is a UK chocolate company established by Joseph William Thornton in 1911. Thorntons today is a £180 million turnover company with nearly 400 shops and cafes and around 200 franchises together with internet, mail order and commercial services...
, the confectionery company once based in the town of Belper became major sponsors. At the ceremony, members of the NUT
National Union of Teachers
The National Union of Teachers is a trade union for school teachers in England, Wales, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man. It is a member of the Trades Union Congress...
handed out leaflets condemning the public-private involvement
Private Finance Initiative
The private finance initiative is a way of creating "public–private partnerships" by funding public infrastructure projects with private capital...
. Support from Thorntons
Thorntons
Thorntons is a UK chocolate company established by Joseph William Thornton in 1911. Thorntons today is a £180 million turnover company with nearly 400 shops and cafes and around 200 franchises together with internet, mail order and commercial services...
and other local firms has helped the school remodel most of its accommodation to suit an 11-18 school population.
New buildings
It continued to expand in numbers and a new Sixth Form block and science laboratories were added in 2002, while a new £1.4 millionArt block was opened in 2006. In September 2006, the school rebranded with a new logo as 'Belper School and Sixth Form Centre' and abandoned its use of the "Four Gates" logo. The logo, comprising four intertwined gates, symbolised the four surrounding villages of Ambergate, Bargate, Openwoodgate and Shottlegate.
The school has recently expanded further with the introduction of a new block of 10 classrooms for Foreign Languages and Media Studies. This block opened in early 2010. An hourly updated webcam image of the extension work was available on the School's website.
Chemical spill and fire
On Wednesday 17 September 2004, the school made national news after a chemical spill occurred within the Science department. IodineIodine
Iodine is a chemical element with the symbol I and atomic number 53. The name is pronounced , , or . The name is from the , meaning violet or purple, due to the color of elemental iodine vapor....
crystals were dropped by a teacher when they collided with a student in a corridor. As a result, two pupils had minor burns and 36 were taken to hospital for smoke inhalation.
On 6 September 2007, a small fire broke out in the Technology Department's "laser
Laser
A laser is a device that emits light through a process of optical amplification based on the stimulated emission of photons. The term "laser" originated as an acronym for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation...
room", the location of a relatively small laser cutter. The fire itself was extinguished immediately after it was found, but the fire alarm was still raised at around 2:35pm. The school was evacuated, and the fire brigade called to ensure that the structure was sound. The building was declared safe soon after. The Technology Department was closed for a short while to assess the damage. The laser cutter, estimated to be worth £24,500 was destroyed, while three panes of window glass were also damaged. The damage of the fire slowed down GCSE students projects, some of whom were 100% reliant on the laser cutter
Laser cutting
Laser cutting is a technology that uses a laser to cut materials, and is typically used for industrial manufacturing applications, but is also starting to be used by schools, small businesses and hobbyists. Laser cutting works by directing the output of a high-power laser, by computer, at the...
.
Alumni
- Rebecca BrewerRebecca Brewer- Career :Brewer left drama school in 2010 and landed the role of Jenny Dillingham in Andrew Lloyd Webber's Aspects of Love at the Menier Chocolate Factory, directed by Sir Trevor Nunn...
, Actress(1989-) - Ross DavenportRoss DavenportRoss Paul Davenport is a British swimmer. He won two gold medals in the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne for the 200 m freestyle and the 4×200 m freestyle relay....
, Gold medalist swimmer (1984- ) - Alison HargreavesAlison HargreavesAlison Jane Hargreaves was an English mountain climber from Derbyshire. Educated at Belper School, her accomplishments included scaling Mount Everest solo without supplementary oxygen in 1995. She also soloed all the great north faces of the Alps in a single season—a first for any climber...
, Mountaineer (1963–1995)
The Herbert Strutt School
- Sir Alan BatesAlan BatesSir Alan Arthur Bates CBE was an English actor, who came to prominence in the 1960s, a time of high creativity in British cinema, when he demonstrated his versatility in films ranging from the popular children’s story Whistle Down the Wind to the "kitchen sink" drama A Kind of Loving...
CBE, actor in 1960s kitchen sink realismKitchen sink realismKitchen sink realism is a term coined to describe a British cultural movement which developed in the late 1950s and early 1960s in theatre, art, novels, film and television plays, whose 'heroes' usually could be described as angry young men...
films - George Bosworth (1927–35) CBE CEng, Director from 1969-77 of Newcastle upon Tyne PolytechnicNorthumbria UniversityNorthumbria University is an academic institution located in Newcastle upon Tyne in the North East of England. It is a member of the University Alliance.- History :...
- John Bowmer, former Chief Executive of the world-wide AdeccoAdeccoAdecco S.A. is a human resources company, based in Glattbrugg near Zurich, Switzerland. Adecco employs 700,000 temporary workers and contractors who are supplied to business clients, and has over 32,000 employees and 5,500 offices in 60 countries and territories around the world...
Group from 1996–2002 and Chairman from 2002-5, and Chairman since 2007 of the Kellan Group - Reginald CoatesReginald CoatesProfessor Reginald “Rex” Charles Coates was a British civil engineer, academic and the 114th president of the Institution of Civil Engineers.-Early life:...
, Professor of Civil Engineering from 1983-2004 at the University of NottinghamUniversity of NottinghamThe University of Nottingham is a public research university based in Nottingham, United Kingdom, with further campuses in Ningbo, China and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia...
and President from 1978-9 of the Institution of Civil EngineersInstitution of Civil EngineersFounded on 2 January 1818, the Institution of Civil Engineers is an independent professional association, based in central London, representing civil engineering. Like its early membership, the majority of its current members are British engineers, but it also has members in more than 150... - Timothy DaltonTimothy DaltonTimothy Peter Dalton ) is a Welsh actor of film and television. He is known for portraying James Bond in The Living Daylights and Licence to Kill , as well as Rhett Butler in the television miniseries Scarlett , an original sequel to Gone with the Wind...
, actor notably in The Living DaylightsThe Living DaylightsThe Living Daylights is the fifteenth entry in the James Bond series and the first to star Timothy Dalton as the fictional MI6 agent 007. The film's title is taken from Ian Fleming's short story, "The Living Daylights"...
and Licence to KillLicence to KillLicence to Kill, released in 1989, is the sixteenth entry in the Eon Productions James Bond series and the first one not to use the title of an Ian Fleming novel. It marks Timothy Dalton's second and final performance in his brief tenure in the lead role of James Bond... - Cyril Fogg CB (1925–32), Director from 1973-5 of the Admiralty Surface Weapons Establishment (ASWE)
- Prof David Leslie HawksworthDavid Leslie HawksworthDavid Leslie Hawksworth is a British mycologist and lichenologist currently with a professorship in the Universidad Complutense de Madrid in Madrid, Spain and also a Scientific Associate of The Natural History Museum in London. In 2002, he was honoured with an Acharius Medal by the International...
CBE, mycologist and lichenologistLichenologyLichenology is the branch of mycology that studies the lichens, symbiotic organisms made up of an intimate symbiotic association of a microscopic alga with a filamentous fungus....
, Research Professor since 2001 at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid (Complutense University of MadridComplutense University of MadridThe Complutense University of Madrid is a university in Madrid, and one of the oldest universities in the world. It is located on a sprawling campus that occupies the entirety of the Ciudad Universitaria district of Madrid, with annexes in the district of Somosaguas in the neighboring city of...
), President from 1986-7 of the British Lichen Society, from 1990-1 of the British Mycological SocietyBritish Mycological SocietyThe British Mycological Society is a learned society established in 1896 to promote the study of fungi.-Formation:The Society was formed based on the efforts of two local societies, the Woolhope Naturalists' Field Club of Hereford and the Yorkshire Naturalists’ Union. The curator of the Hereford...
and from 1994-7 of the International Union of Biological Sciences, and Editor from 200-8 of Mycological ResearchMycological ResearchFungal Biology is a scientific journal that publishes peer-reviewed papers on all aspects of basic and applied research of the fungi, including lichens, yeasts, oomycetes, and slime moulds.- History :... - Mike InghamMike InghamMike Ingham, MBE is a British football commentator and broadcaster.-Early life:He grew up in Duffield and Quarndon , and attended The Herbert Strutt School in Belper, then a grammar school...
, Chief Football Correspondent since 2004 at BBC Radio 5 LiveBBC Radio 5 LiveBBC Radio 5 Live is the BBC's national radio service that specialises in live BBC News, phone-ins, and sports commentaries... - David Kinnersley, economist (educated as a wartime evacuee), and first Chief Executive from 1973-6 of the North West Water AuthorityNorth West WaterNorth West Water was a water supply company serving north west England. It was originally the North West Water Authority, one of ten regional authorities created by the Water Act 1973. In 1989 it became North West Water plc, and was privatised...
- Prof Larry Rotherham CBE, metallurgist, President from 1964-5 of the Institution of Metallurgists, and from 1965-6 of the Institute of Metals, expert on creepCreep (deformation)In materials science, creep is the tendency of a solid material to slowly move or deform permanently under the influence of stresses. It occurs as a result of long term exposure to high levels of stress that are below the yield strength of the material....
-resistant materials heading the team that discovered how metal fatigue brought down early de Havilland CometDe Havilland CometThe de Havilland DH 106 Comet was the world's first commercial jet airliner to reach production. Developed and manufactured by de Havilland at the Hatfield, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom headquarters, it first flew in 1949 and was a landmark in aeronautical design...
airliners, and Vice-Chancellor from 1969-76 of the University of BathUniversity of BathThe University of Bath is a campus university located in Bath, United Kingdom. It received its Royal Charter in 1966.... - Prof William WatsonWilliam Watson (sinologist)Professor William Watson CBE was professor of Chinese art and archaeology at the University of London. He was a leading member of the teams that organised the Genius of China exhibition at the Royal Academy in 1973 and the Great Japan Exhibition, held in 1981-82...
CBE, Professor of Chinese Art and Archaeology from 1966-83 at the School of Oriental and African StudiesSchool of Oriental and African StudiesThe School of Oriental and African Studies is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and a constituent college of the University of London...
, and President from 1981-4 of the Oriental Ceramic Society - Harold Wilmot CBE, Chairman from 1949-65 of Beyer, Peacock and CompanyBeyer, Peacock and CompanyBeyer, Peacock and Company was an English railway Locomotive manufacturer with a factory in Gorton, Manchester. Founded by Charles Beyer and Richard Peacock, it traded from 1854 until 1966...
- Shirley Edwin McEwan Wright, Chief Executive from 1972-7 of the Livingston Development CorporationLivingston, ScotlandLivingston is a town in West Lothian, Scotland. It is the fourth post-WWII new town to be built in Scotland, designated in 1962. It is about 15 miles west of Edinburgh and 30 miles east of Glasgow, and is bordered by the towns of Broxburn to the northeast and Bathgate to the northwest.Livingston...