Chessington Community College
Encyclopedia
Chessington Community College is a secondary modern community
secondary school
, sixth form college
with a sport centre in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames
, Greater London
. It is adjacent to Chessington South railway station
operated by South West Trains
and connected by bus routes 71 and 467.
It has been rebuilt as part of a £27,000,000 project funded by the Department for Children, Schools and Families
as part of the Governments Better schools for the future scheme and has been completed with all staff and students now able to enjoy the facilities. The school has also mounted many other successful productions including Beauty And The Beast, A Midsummer Nights Dream and the most recent A Willy Wonka Production all of which were broadcasted by the local newspapers of Surrey.
, large areas of Chessington, east and west of the Leatherhead Road, were scheduled for building development to serve as overspill areas for Surbiton, Kingston and Malden. This meant that new schools had to be provided and it was decided by the then county council to build a new secondary boys' school in Garrison Lane and to retain Moor Lane as a secondary girls' school.
In September 1953, Fleetwood County Secondary boys' school was opened as a three form entry school with 324 boys on role and with Mr. Loveless as Headmaster. There were the usual problems connected with establishing a new school and others due to the following reason:
As house building in the area progressed, boys of all ages were continually being admitted to the school making a stable organisation almost impossible, and in some cases resulting in boys of different age groups being taught in the same classes.
The school very soon became overcrowded and this problem was accentuated because all the rooms had been built for classes of 30.
Some forms in fact had more than 40 on roll and it was only just possible to get them into the rooms. This situation was relieved in 1958 by the addition of two classrooms and a library.
The number of boys from Chessington families was quite small with many boys travelling in from a distance. For the majority there was, as yet, no community tradition and the first settling down period of two or three years was difficult.
Time and the natural course of events solved most of these early problems; building slowed down and the annual intakes were reduced to the normal 3 form entry. Casual admissions during the year became normal and forms were reduced in size so that no form was of more than 35, most being just below 30.
A healthy community spirit began to develop in the school with the increasing growth of extra-curricular activities, societies and other activities which had a noticeable effect on the attitude and behaviour of boys in general.
In July 1957, Mr. Loveless retired and Mr. Johnson replaced him. As a boys' school, Fleetwood was inspected by Her Majesty's Inspectors from the Ministry of Education in July 1962, just prior to the admission of girls. The inspection concluded that Fleetwood County Secondary School for Boys was a good school which made a most valuable contribution to the community it served.
Under the Surrey Development Plan for Secondary Education, girls were admitted to what was renamed Fleetwood County Secondary School, the first girls being admitted in September 1962 when 38 girls joined the existing 383 boys. In the following years, numbers began to rise as more girls joined the school.
During the 1980s, during a period of falling rolls and partly due to the geographical location of the school, numbers began to fall. Consideration was given by Kingston Local Education Authority to close the school. This angered many of the parents and residents in the Chessington and Hook areas who felt that local amenities were being taken away from the south of the borough to its detriment. Following a great deal of political debate locally, Kingston’s Education Committee decided to keep the secondary school in the south of the borough but given the complaints about lack of recreational facilities decided that a new educational establishment was needed in the borough which would also serve the community needs of the Chessington and Hook area.
In September 1989, Chessington Community College was established with Mr. J. P. Hayes as its first headteacher.
In 1992, the College opened its £2 million sports centre which was built not only to provide indoor sporting facilities for the pupils of Chessington Community College but also to serve the sporting needs of the local community in the evenings and at weekends. The College progressed well under the headship of Hayes with the percentage of Year 11 pupils gaining 5 A* -C GCSEs rising from 19% in summer 1990 to nearly 50% in summer 1995.
In 1997, Hayes was appointed to a new headship and Mr. J.P. Allen took over the headship, followed by Mr. D. Kemp who took over as principal in September 2002 having been deputy principal since April 1990.
Chessington Community College has also achieved Investor in People.
The Investors in People Standard is based on three key principles:
Plan – Developing strategies to improve the performance of the organisation;
Do – Taking action to improve the performance of the organisation;
Review – Evaluating the impact on the performance of the organisation.
The college is part of the Socrates Comenius Project, Comenius seeks to develop knowledge and understanding among young people and educational staff of the diversity of European cultures , languages and values. It helps young people acquire the basic life skills and competences necessary for their personal development, for future employment and for active citizenship.
Community school
The term "community school" refers to types of publicly funded school in England, Wales, the Republic of Ireland, the United States, Australia, Canada and New Zealand to a school that serves as both an educational institution and a centre of community life. A community school is both a place and a...
secondary school
Secondary school
Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age, takes place...
, sixth form college
Sixth form college
A sixth form college is an educational institution in England, Wales, Northern Ireland, Belize, Hong Kong or Malta where students aged 16 to 18 typically study for advanced school-level qualifications, such as A-levels, or school-level qualifications such as GCSEs. In Singapore and India, this is...
with a sport centre in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames
Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames
The Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames is a borough in southwest London, England. The main town is Kingston upon Thames and it includes Surbiton, Chessington, New Malden and Tolworth. It is the oldest of the three Royal Boroughs in England, the others are Kensington and Chelsea, also in London,...
, Greater London
Greater London
Greater London is the top-level administrative division of England covering London. It was created in 1965 and spans the City of London, including Middle Temple and Inner Temple, and the 32 London boroughs. This territory is coterminate with the London Government Office Region and the London...
. It is adjacent to Chessington South railway station
Chessington South railway station
Chessington South railway station is in Chessington in the south of the London Borough of Kingston upon Thames in South London, England, and is the terminal station of the Chessington branch. The station is served by South West Trains, and is from London Waterloo in Travelcard Zone 6.-History:The...
operated by South West Trains
South West Trains
South West Trains is a British train operating company providing, under franchise, passenger rail services, mostly out of Waterloo station, to the southwest of London in the suburbs and in the counties of Surrey, Hampshire, Dorset, Devon, Somerset, Berkshire, and Wiltshire and on the Isle of Wight...
and connected by bus routes 71 and 467.
It has been rebuilt as part of a £27,000,000 project funded by the Department for Children, Schools and Families
Department for Children, Schools and Families
The Department for Children, Schools and Families was a department of the UK government, between 2007 and 2010, responsible for issues affecting people in England up to the age of 19, including child protection and education...
as part of the Governments Better schools for the future scheme and has been completed with all staff and students now able to enjoy the facilities. The school has also mounted many other successful productions including Beauty And The Beast, A Midsummer Nights Dream and the most recent A Willy Wonka Production all of which were broadcasted by the local newspapers of Surrey.
History
Before 1953, there was only one secondary school in the Chessington area, Moor Lane secondary mixed school, which was opened in 1936 with Mr. Loveless as headmaster. After the World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, large areas of Chessington, east and west of the Leatherhead Road, were scheduled for building development to serve as overspill areas for Surbiton, Kingston and Malden. This meant that new schools had to be provided and it was decided by the then county council to build a new secondary boys' school in Garrison Lane and to retain Moor Lane as a secondary girls' school.
In September 1953, Fleetwood County Secondary boys' school was opened as a three form entry school with 324 boys on role and with Mr. Loveless as Headmaster. There were the usual problems connected with establishing a new school and others due to the following reason:
As house building in the area progressed, boys of all ages were continually being admitted to the school making a stable organisation almost impossible, and in some cases resulting in boys of different age groups being taught in the same classes.
The school very soon became overcrowded and this problem was accentuated because all the rooms had been built for classes of 30.
Some forms in fact had more than 40 on roll and it was only just possible to get them into the rooms. This situation was relieved in 1958 by the addition of two classrooms and a library.
The number of boys from Chessington families was quite small with many boys travelling in from a distance. For the majority there was, as yet, no community tradition and the first settling down period of two or three years was difficult.
Time and the natural course of events solved most of these early problems; building slowed down and the annual intakes were reduced to the normal 3 form entry. Casual admissions during the year became normal and forms were reduced in size so that no form was of more than 35, most being just below 30.
A healthy community spirit began to develop in the school with the increasing growth of extra-curricular activities, societies and other activities which had a noticeable effect on the attitude and behaviour of boys in general.
In July 1957, Mr. Loveless retired and Mr. Johnson replaced him. As a boys' school, Fleetwood was inspected by Her Majesty's Inspectors from the Ministry of Education in July 1962, just prior to the admission of girls. The inspection concluded that Fleetwood County Secondary School for Boys was a good school which made a most valuable contribution to the community it served.
Under the Surrey Development Plan for Secondary Education, girls were admitted to what was renamed Fleetwood County Secondary School, the first girls being admitted in September 1962 when 38 girls joined the existing 383 boys. In the following years, numbers began to rise as more girls joined the school.
During the 1980s, during a period of falling rolls and partly due to the geographical location of the school, numbers began to fall. Consideration was given by Kingston Local Education Authority to close the school. This angered many of the parents and residents in the Chessington and Hook areas who felt that local amenities were being taken away from the south of the borough to its detriment. Following a great deal of political debate locally, Kingston’s Education Committee decided to keep the secondary school in the south of the borough but given the complaints about lack of recreational facilities decided that a new educational establishment was needed in the borough which would also serve the community needs of the Chessington and Hook area.
In September 1989, Chessington Community College was established with Mr. J. P. Hayes as its first headteacher.
In 1992, the College opened its £2 million sports centre which was built not only to provide indoor sporting facilities for the pupils of Chessington Community College but also to serve the sporting needs of the local community in the evenings and at weekends. The College progressed well under the headship of Hayes with the percentage of Year 11 pupils gaining 5 A* -C GCSEs rising from 19% in summer 1990 to nearly 50% in summer 1995.
In 1997, Hayes was appointed to a new headship and Mr. J.P. Allen took over the headship, followed by Mr. D. Kemp who took over as principal in September 2002 having been deputy principal since April 1990.
Awards
The school has achieved sports college status which means the college is a benchmark for the provision sports teaching in the borough, the school often leads and hosts sporting event from Football competition to Netball competitions, the status also means the school gets more fundings for their sports facilities.Chessington Community College has also achieved Investor in People.
The Investors in People Standard is based on three key principles:
Plan – Developing strategies to improve the performance of the organisation;
Do – Taking action to improve the performance of the organisation;
Review – Evaluating the impact on the performance of the organisation.
The college is part of the Socrates Comenius Project, Comenius seeks to develop knowledge and understanding among young people and educational staff of the diversity of European cultures , languages and values. It helps young people acquire the basic life skills and competences necessary for their personal development, for future employment and for active citizenship.