King Edward VI Five Ways
Encyclopedia
King Edward VI Five Ways (KEFW) is a selective, humanities specialist grammar school located in the Bartley Green
area of south Birmingham
, England
. As of April 2008, the school has a second specialism, a specialist Science College.
, in that it is the only one of the schools to be fully co-educational. The school scored "outstanding" in every category with Ofsted
report in November 2005. The school is Voluntary Aided, and parents pay no fees to the day-to-day running of the school. However parents are asked to make a 'voluntary contribution' each year to 'The School Club'. This money is used solely to provide extras and benefits for all school pupils throughout the year. The school uses some unusual terminology which usually matches that used in the other foundation schools. One such example is the naming of Site Managers or caretakers as "Porters".
A boys' school established in 1883 as part of the King Edward VI Foundation
, the school's original site was that of the former Edgbaston Proprietary School, on Hagley Road at its junction with Ladywood Road, at Five Ways
, approximately 1 mile south-west of Birmingham city centre. The school opened for the first time on January 16, 1883. The original Headmaster was E.H.F. MacCarthy, who remained at his post until retirement in 1916 (who now has a building named after him at the Bartley Green site). Originally, school ended at 16, and the only way to go to Oxbridge
was to go to the main King Edward's School
, at the time in New Street
. However, MacCarthy's successor, Mr Barker, introduced the idea of the Sixth Form as a way to get straight from Five Ways to university.
During the Second World War, the Headmaster at the time, Mr Dobinson, decided to evacuate the school to Monmouth
, and boys from Five Ways attended Monmouth School
. This meant that all of the staff and pupils moved to share accommodation in the town, and could only keep in contact with family via correspondence. Mr Dobinson was the only person from the school to frequent Birmingham at all during the war.
After the war, the school was becoming overcrowded as expansion began to take its toll. Due to expansion around the school there was no opportunity to build on the current grounds, so a new site was found. On April 23, 1958 the school opened at its current home in Bartley Green, a suburb on the extreme south-west of Birmingham. The new school was built on the site of the Bartley Farm, which had been purchased by the Foundation, next to Bartley Reservoir
. The site was elevated, and in the winter a bleak place.
The relocation was not universally popular. The school Debating Society passed a motion regretting the move. Staff were concerned about the effect the relocation to such a distant suburb would have on the intake of the school, which because of its central location had previously drawn its intake from the whole city, and it is true that many boys who had joined the school at Five Ways, easily reached from all parts of the city, suddenly had considerably longer journeys to reach the school at its new, remote location. This undoubtedly affected admissions in later years. The school's corridors were considered too narrow, and whilst the playing fields were extensive the school buildings themselves were small and rather basic, with limited common areas.
The time since 1958 has seen the development of much improved facilities, largely due to Arminio, however. Buildings new to the Bartley Green site include the Eyles and Chowen Centres, the former and current home of the school's Sixth Form. A music block and technology block have been added, as well as a Sports Hall and the MacCarthy Block. There has also been the expansion of the Science Wing, and increased seating capacity in the hall with an annex. As well as the current building of the Fitness Suite and extension to the art rooms in the MacCarthy Block.
Five Ways was one of the first schools in the West Midlands to introduce computer technology in 1978. This was achieved with a communications link to use computing facilities at Aston University
.
Girls were first admitted to Five Ways from 1988, firstly in the Sixth Form, and then into the main school ten years later. Today, Five Ways is the largest co-educational state grammar school in the West Midlands
, and one of the top five co-ed grammar schools nationally.
Yvonne Wilkinson was Acting Headmistress from September 2002 - December 2002. She is also the first Headmistress in the school's history, although as she served for only one term, it is not considered an actual Headmistressship.
entrance exam to get into the school. The King Edward VI Foundation holds its exams at the same time, and generally a candidate will sit one exam for multiple schools within the foundation. 155 are selected from each year, from more than 1,500 candidates; with a few more accepted every year on appeal. A pupil has the opportunity to list the Foundation schools that he or she prefers, and depending on the results, will get allocated into one of the schools. To gain entry to one of these grammar school it is known to be quite a tough test and very competitive.
Four subjects are picked at AS Level. An additional (fifth which is compulsory) is chosen in Year 11 with Science in Society (replacing Science in Public Understanding) or General Studies. Some students take AS English and/or AS IT alongside these courses too. Options exclusive to A Level studies are: Economics, Government & Politics, Media Studies, Classical Civilisation, Sport Studies, Psychology and Philosophy as well as courses from down the school. There is also a Further Maths option, which enables a candidate to take two A Levels in Mathematics over the two years. There is the option to "drop" a subject at A2 Level, and if the student wishes, pick up an AS in another subject. The first year of Sixth Form also contains a course in General Studies or Critical Thinking, which can be carried on to A2 level in the second year. The school also offers from 2011, for Sixth Form Students, a new education system: The International Baccalereate.
The International Baccalaureate is taking its first cohort of students in 2011. For the first 2 year course a variety of SL and HL subjects have been offered along with TOK (Theory of Knowledge). Subjects World Literature and Mathematics are compulsory but are at SL and HL. One subject from Biology, Chemistry or Physics must be chosen at SL or HL. One subject from History, Geography or Economics must be chosen at SL or HL. One subject from French, Spanish, German (and hopefully in the future Mandarin and Latin) at ab initio [from scratch] level, SL or HL. One more option is fulfilled by a science, humanities or foreign language option or the choice of Visual Arts at SL or HL.
team, that has produced several notable athletes . One former student, Tom Parsons
, who went on to compete in the Commonwealth Games
for England
. In 2007, Parsons finished tenth in the high-jump at the 2007 World Athletics Championship
, in Osaka
, Japan
.
is the traditional Summer term sport within Five Ways. Teams of all age groups compete regularly..
is Five Ways' traditional Winter sport. Five Ways regularly enters the Daily Mail Cup
, with mixed success. In 2006/2007, the Under 15 Team advanced to the quarter finals before going out after a home draw 7-7 to Bishop of Hereford's Bluecoat School
. In 2005 and 2006, there was a tour to Biarritz
, in France
. In 2007-2008 the Year 7 team won the Greater Birmingham, and the 2010-2011 U15 team still unbeaten in Europe
The school also reached the final of the Oxford Schools Competition, and the finals of the Cambridge Schools Competition, two hitherto unprecedented triumphs for Five Ways. reaching the final 4 schools in the country in the 2007 "debating matters" tournament and in 2007 and 2008, won the 'Great Shakespeare Debate' at Stratford-Upon-Avon. They managed to win the competition, defeating North London Collegiate School
in the final in both years.
(as a full school production) by Geoffrey Chaucer
and The Tempest
by William Shakespeare
in 2005, which was entered into the BBC Shakespeare competition. Also, at Christmas last year, was the upper school production of Black Comedy
by Peter Shaffer
. In 2006 Bugsy Malone
by Alan Parker
and The Agamemnon
were produced; an all female cast of Macbeth
, which along with The Merchant of Venice
, were entered into the BBC Schools Shakespeare Festival. The lower school (KS3) has also performed two plays: Tom Sawyer and Ernie's Incredible Illucinations.
For the 2007/08 academic year, a whole school production of Grease
the musical took place. Other productions included a 'multi-cultural' Dracula
, which had received much attention in the West Midlands press prior to the actual play, an upper-school production of Dinner
and Much Ado About Nothing
for the Shakespeare Youth Festival.
For the 2008/09 academic year, the Sixth Form (and subsequently, only,) production was The Count of Monte Cristo
. This was the school's first student written and directed play, and was done by then-Upper Sixth former Stuart Hardy.
During 2009/10 there was a dramatic rise in the amount of drama being introduced into the school. There was the Fairytale High productions which took place during Autumn Term, with an Asian Arts drama production too. Then a commendable following performances included The Crucible
which was nominated for a commendation in the Columba trophy (with a KEFW student winning an award at the ceremony). Moreover into Spring Term, there was a tremendous Jesus Christ Superstar Musical production which blew away the vast audience watching with powerful and blissful singing from all actors. A KS3 performance displaying the Fairy Tale: Beauty and the Beast
was also staged by Sixth Form Students. Finally, an Open Air Shakespeare production in the Summer was presented to end the year with A Midsummer Night's Dream
on the school quadrangle.
The FDC has been running for two years now, with the other schools of the King Edward VI Foundation competing. In 2006 it was won by King Edward VI Five Ways, as was the Stage Craft award, the best KS3 actress award, and the best KS3 overall award.
grades, due to participating in outside competitions. The school regularly participates in the UK Chess Challenge
, and in 2007, two of their players reached the final stage of the competition.
is also used for some performances.
However, the recent revival in the house system has brought with it a wide variety of both sporting and non-sporting events, throughout the whole year, which involve the participation of every age group in the school. Varied in nature, these include house Cross-Country, Sudoku and Cookery. House points are awarded to the house with the highest number of merit points in each year, with 2nd, 3rd and 4th place houses getting fewer points.
The most popular event in the new House System, is the tug-o-war. It is quite custom for the whole sports hall to be filled with passionate spectators, cheering on those involved. The event concludes with a staff house tug-o-war, as well as a Student-Staff match to round off the event.
Yearly totals are announced in the final assembly of the year. The 2009-2010 academic year standings were:
A table of the winners:
The current results see Barker as the top scorers on the leaderboard, followed by Roach.
The School Council aims to bring about the changes in the school that its pupils wish to see. Some notable achievements include:
The 2006/7 school year saw the Council make a conscious effort to be more known throughout the school, through a variety of methods including sponsoring showings of various films, posters around the school, and running charity events such as the Five Ways interpretation of World AIDS Day
.
The Sixth Form Council was a precursor to the School Council and achieved notoriety when in 2003 it reported the school to the Health and Safety Executive
over fire safety failings. The HSE sided with the students and mandated the school to improve the alarm system and replace fire doors.
site, there are many outdoor sports pitches for a variety of sports including (amongst others) Rugby
, Cricket
, Hockey
, Rounders
, football
, Athletics
and Netball
. Almost all indoor sports are catered for, including Swimming
and the Tyn-Y-Waen Climbing Wall – which was opened by climber Ben Moon
in June 2005. The school has buildings, known as "blocks" for subject groups, and a separate humanities building (which currently also houses the Sixth form centre). There are a number of dedicated computer rooms, a staffed library, a Connexions
career room, and most classrooms are now equipped with Interactive whiteboards and a new fitness centre.
A recent acquisition by the school has been a mobile fieldwork unit for use by the Humanities Departments.
Also a new fitness suite has been installed with lots of apparatus from treadmills to weights.
. There are 8 routes, numbered FW1 through FW8. They are used by about 85% of the school. The public buses 22,18 and 002 are also highly used buses. They are run by National Express West Midlands
.
The school has enjoyed its many international links worldwide, which have brought a wide range of opportunities, development, exchanges and experiences - social, charitable, curricular and developmental – to its pupils and staff.
These Links enabled Five Ways to win the DfES Full School Award, celebrating Internationalism and it was described as "a major honour for excellence in this field."
formed from within the school in 2003 exists to promote friendship and share educational resources with their Tanzania
n friends at Babati Day School in the rurally remote town of Babati
, Manyara.
Mr Wilson initiated this link after visiting Babati in 2002. The school has now raised several thousand pounds altogether to support Babati Day, all pupils taking part in fund raising. A trust fund has been set up and the money has been used for classroom renovation projects, air fares for Babati teachers to visit Britain, the cost of supporting an e-mail link between the schools, and so on.
A party of 45 students and teachers visited Babati in 2003, and carried out a classroom renovation. The Headmaster and a teacher colleague visited Birmingham in 2003-4, learning about teaching, management and leadership, as a result of which the school has developed a school improvement strategy.
One of the schools' World Challenge
parties passed through Babati and helped build its first sports facility, a basketball court.
A second group of students and teachers travelled to Babati in July 2005. This group carried out renovations and also focused on teaching English as a foreign language. All students involved on the trip took Swahili lessons to facilitate this. Staff involved developed curriculum projects in English, Science, R.E. and Modern languages as a result of the visit.
The most recent activity in this school link, came in Summer 2006 when a small group of students from the VI Form travelled to Babati to see the construction of a brand new ICT facility for Babati Day. Pupils from KEFW were actively involved in both the delivery of an ICT infrastructure, and the inaugural ICT lessons at the school, Supported by the Babati Link Group, a roadmap for future development of this facility has been put in place.
in 2005. They have an established link with the English School
in Guangzhou
, but struggle to accommodate the numbers of students from the partner school that wish to visit Britain. Therefore Five Ways agreed to assist. Six students spent time in Birmingham in July 2005 and a party of six sixth formers and Deputy Head Mrs Long visited China
in October 2005.
in February 2004. Since then a group of students from India visited Birmingham in July 2004, and spent time in classes with Year 7 students. A group of sixth formers and two members of staff returned to India
in February 2005. They carried out various teaching and learning activities. The next stage is to embed the link with India into the curriculum. We also welcome another party from India in November 2005, this time including teachers who will study teaching and learning in British schools, as well as six Year 8 students.
The school is also in the process of establishing a video conference link with Walter Payton High School in Chicago.
The partnership school is a mixed comprehensive and very highly regarded school right in the centre of Lyon
. This is an ideal exchange/link as Lyon is the twin town of Birmingham, while KEFW and Lycée St Just offer very similar characteristics.
The intention is that once initial contacts have been established, students will begin to communicate at a more advanced level, sharing ideas on study projects and using their contacts to inform work in various subjects. As well as this, it is planned to establish a video conference link.
Teachers will have the opportunity to share ideas on teaching and learning, and teacher visits between the schools for CPD purposes are envisaged soon.
It is hoped also to arrange a sports tour to South Africa
, taking in the two partner schools.
whilst on the Circum Iceland trip during half term. They met with a number of staff, including the Headmaster, to discuss future plans and had a tour of the school which is relatively new in that it is the result of an amalgamation of two of the oldest schools in the town.
Future plans include Video Conferencing and Teacher/Student visits.
Bartley Green
Bartley Green is a residential suburban area and electoral ward to the south west of Birmingham city centre, England. The ward is part of the Edgbaston constituency which has been under Labour rule for almost ten years. It is located in the metropolitan county of the West Midlands and was in the...
area of south Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, 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...
. As of April 2008, the school has a second specialism, a specialist Science College.
Background
It was first in the school league tables in 2007. Currently the school has around 1,500 pupils in attendance amongst the lower school (years 7-11) and over 400 in the sixth form, and over 100 staff including the current headmaster D. J. Wheeldon, a former Deputy Head and teacher at the school. He will be retiring at the end of this school year. The school is unique amongst the King Edward VI FoundationFoundation of the Schools of King Edward VI
The Foundation of the Schools of King Edward VI in Birmingham is a charitable institution that operates two independent schools, five voluntary aided selective state schools in Birmingham, England and one academy....
, in that it is the only one of the schools to be fully co-educational. The school scored "outstanding" in every category with Ofsted
Ofsted
The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills is the non-ministerial government department of Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Schools In England ....
report in November 2005. The school is Voluntary Aided, and parents pay no fees to the day-to-day running of the school. However parents are asked to make a 'voluntary contribution' each year to 'The School Club'. This money is used solely to provide extras and benefits for all school pupils throughout the year. The school uses some unusual terminology which usually matches that used in the other foundation schools. One such example is the naming of Site Managers or caretakers as "Porters".
History
Foundation of the Schools of King Edward VI
The Foundation of the Schools of King Edward VI in Birmingham is a charitable institution that operates two independent schools, five voluntary aided selective state schools in Birmingham, England and one academy....
, the school's original site was that of the former Edgbaston Proprietary School, on Hagley Road at its junction with Ladywood Road, at Five Ways
Five Ways, Birmingham
Five Ways is an area of Birmingham, England. It takes its name from a major road junction, now a busy roundabout to the south-west of the city centre which lies at the outward end of Broad Street, where the Birmingham Middle ring road crosses the start of the A456 .-History:The name of Five Ways...
, approximately 1 mile south-west of Birmingham city centre. The school opened for the first time on January 16, 1883. The original Headmaster was E.H.F. MacCarthy, who remained at his post until retirement in 1916 (who now has a building named after him at the Bartley Green site). Originally, school ended at 16, and the only way to go to Oxbridge
Oxbridge
Oxbridge is a portmanteau of the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge in England, and the term is now used to refer to them collectively, often with implications of perceived superior social status...
was to go to the main King Edward's School
King Edward's School
King Edward's School or King Edward VI School is the name of several schools, the majority of them founded during the reign of King Edward VI...
, at the time in New Street
New Street
New Street may refer to:*Birmingham New Street railway station, a railway station in Birmingham, UK*New Street, Birmingham, a street in Birmingham, UK...
. However, MacCarthy's successor, Mr Barker, introduced the idea of the Sixth Form as a way to get straight from Five Ways to university.
During the Second World War, the Headmaster at the time, Mr Dobinson, decided to evacuate the school to Monmouth
Monmouth
Monmouth is a town in southeast Wales and traditional county town of the historic county of Monmouthshire. It is situated close to the border with England, where the River Monnow meets the River Wye with bridges over both....
, and boys from Five Ways attended Monmouth School
Monmouth School
Monmouth School is an HMC boys' boarding and day school in Monmouth, Monmouthshire in south east Wales. It was founded in 1614 by William Jones. It is run as a trust, the William Jones's Schools Foundation, by the Worshipful Company of Haberdashers, one of the Livery Companies...
. This meant that all of the staff and pupils moved to share accommodation in the town, and could only keep in contact with family via correspondence. Mr Dobinson was the only person from the school to frequent Birmingham at all during the war.
After the war, the school was becoming overcrowded as expansion began to take its toll. Due to expansion around the school there was no opportunity to build on the current grounds, so a new site was found. On April 23, 1958 the school opened at its current home in Bartley Green, a suburb on the extreme south-west of Birmingham. The new school was built on the site of the Bartley Farm, which had been purchased by the Foundation, next to Bartley Reservoir
Bartley Reservoir
Bartley Reservoir is a reservoir for drinking water in Birmingham, England. It covers 460,000 square metres.It is known as the place where Bill Oddie did much of his early birdwatching, and features in his books and television programmes...
. The site was elevated, and in the winter a bleak place.
The relocation was not universally popular. The school Debating Society passed a motion regretting the move. Staff were concerned about the effect the relocation to such a distant suburb would have on the intake of the school, which because of its central location had previously drawn its intake from the whole city, and it is true that many boys who had joined the school at Five Ways, easily reached from all parts of the city, suddenly had considerably longer journeys to reach the school at its new, remote location. This undoubtedly affected admissions in later years. The school's corridors were considered too narrow, and whilst the playing fields were extensive the school buildings themselves were small and rather basic, with limited common areas.
The time since 1958 has seen the development of much improved facilities, largely due to Arminio, however. Buildings new to the Bartley Green site include the Eyles and Chowen Centres, the former and current home of the school's Sixth Form. A music block and technology block have been added, as well as a Sports Hall and the MacCarthy Block. There has also been the expansion of the Science Wing, and increased seating capacity in the hall with an annex. As well as the current building of the Fitness Suite and extension to the art rooms in the MacCarthy Block.
Five Ways was one of the first schools in the West Midlands to introduce computer technology in 1978. This was achieved with a communications link to use computing facilities at Aston University
Aston University
Aston University is a "plate glass" campus university situated at Gosta Green, in the city centre of Birmingham, England.Established in 1895 as the Birmingham Municipal Technical School, Aston was granted its Royal Charter as Aston University on 22 April 1966...
.
Girls were first admitted to Five Ways from 1988, firstly in the Sixth Form, and then into the main school ten years later. Today, Five Ways is the largest co-educational state grammar school in the West Midlands
West Midlands (region)
The West Midlands is an official region of England, covering the western half of the area traditionally known as the Midlands. It contains the second most populous British city, Birmingham, and the larger West Midlands conurbation, which includes the city of Wolverhampton and large towns of Dudley,...
, and one of the top five co-ed grammar schools nationally.
List of Headmasters
The school had 11 Headmasters in its history, the first four of which are used as the names of its four Houses.- Revd Egerton Francis Mead MacCarthy 1883 - 1916
- Arthur Ernest Barker 1916 - 1933
- Charles Henry Dobinson 1933 - 1945
- Harry Robert Roach 1946 - 1951
- Thomas Charles Burgess 1951 - 1963
- Roland MathiasRoland MathiasRoland 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...
1964 - 1969 - Peter Rodney Watkins 1969 - 1974
- Geoffrey Sanders 1974 - 1991
- Revd John G. Knowles 1991 - 1999
- Peter Limm 1999 - 2002
- David Wheeldon 2002 – Present
Yvonne Wilkinson was Acting Headmistress from September 2002 - December 2002. She is also the first Headmistress in the school's history, although as she served for only one term, it is not considered an actual Headmistressship.
Entry
Pupils must pass an Eleven PlusEleven plus
In the United Kingdom, the 11-plus or Eleven plus is an examination administered to some students in their last year of primary education, governing admission to various types of secondary school. The name derives from the age group for secondary entry: 11–12 years...
entrance exam to get into the school. The King Edward VI Foundation holds its exams at the same time, and generally a candidate will sit one exam for multiple schools within the foundation. 155 are selected from each year, from more than 1,500 candidates; with a few more accepted every year on appeal. A pupil has the opportunity to list the Foundation schools that he or she prefers, and depending on the results, will get allocated into one of the schools. To gain entry to one of these grammar school it is known to be quite a tough test and very competitive.
Subjects Offered
At GCSE, students are obliged to choose at least one humanities subject (options include History, Geography and Geology), at least one foreign language (options include French, German, Latin, Spanish and Mandarin), and other traditional subjects such as Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Maths, Statistics, English Language, English Literature and Religious Studies. Students would have also taken a short course in ICT a year early, during year 9; as well as this some English and Triple Science coursework/modules are taken in year 9 too. There are other options available such as: Geology, which has run as an after school voluntary course, ran over two years, and held a year early. Other options include: Music, Art (including photography), Expressive Arts, Drama, Product Design, Food Technology, Systems and Control, PE and AS Information Technology (conditional on an 'A' in IT GCSE). Also year 11 are now offered one of a multitude of English subjects including GCSE English Literature and AS English Language, in addition to the English Speaking Board and AS Communications and Culture course. The requirements to stay in the school for A Levels are 4 A grades in the subjects selected for A Level study.Four subjects are picked at AS Level. An additional (fifth which is compulsory) is chosen in Year 11 with Science in Society (replacing Science in Public Understanding) or General Studies. Some students take AS English and/or AS IT alongside these courses too. Options exclusive to A Level studies are: Economics, Government & Politics, Media Studies, Classical Civilisation, Sport Studies, Psychology and Philosophy as well as courses from down the school. There is also a Further Maths option, which enables a candidate to take two A Levels in Mathematics over the two years. There is the option to "drop" a subject at A2 Level, and if the student wishes, pick up an AS in another subject. The first year of Sixth Form also contains a course in General Studies or Critical Thinking, which can be carried on to A2 level in the second year. The school also offers from 2011, for Sixth Form Students, a new education system: The International Baccalereate.
The International Baccalaureate is taking its first cohort of students in 2011. For the first 2 year course a variety of SL and HL subjects have been offered along with TOK (Theory of Knowledge). Subjects World Literature and Mathematics are compulsory but are at SL and HL. One subject from Biology, Chemistry or Physics must be chosen at SL or HL. One subject from History, Geography or Economics must be chosen at SL or HL. One subject from French, Spanish, German (and hopefully in the future Mandarin and Latin) at ab initio [from scratch] level, SL or HL. One more option is fulfilled by a science, humanities or foreign language option or the choice of Visual Arts at SL or HL.
2007 Results
At GCSE, 100% of candidates achieved at least 5 A*-C grades, and 96% of all entries were between A*-C. 62.5% were in the A*-A range. The school excelled in English Literature and Religious Studies. In English Literature, the top 5 entries nationally (AQA) were all from Five Ways, and in Religious Studies, only 1 candidate failed to score an A or A* in both the short and full courses. 4 candidates had 100% A* results. At A Level, there was a 100% pass rate, with 5 candidates achieving 5 A grades, and a total of 39 candidates achieving 3 or more A grades.Amount of sport
At Five Ways, there are 2 periods for sport, consisting of 50 minutes each, each week. This is called "Games", separate from PE, which is another 50 minutes. Before 2007 (September) periods would have been 60 minutes and games would only take up one hour. Now games is 100 minutes per week, for all years as a double period on different days. The main sports in games are netball, hockey, rounders, football, basketball for girls, and cricket and rugby for boys. Two groups partake in different sports.Athletics
The school has an athleticsAthletics (track and field)
Athletics is an exclusive collection of sporting events that involve competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking. The most common types of athletics competitions are track and field, road running, cross country running, and race walking...
team, that has produced several notable athletes . One former student, Tom Parsons
Tom Parsons (athlete)
Thomas Martin Parsons is a British athlete competing in high jump.Parsons has yet to make a major international breakthrough but he has competed at a high level finishing 20th in the 2003 European Juniors, 17th in the 2005 European U23 championships, 10th in the 2005 World University Games, 11th...
, who went on to compete in the Commonwealth Games
Commonwealth Games
The Commonwealth Games is an international, multi-sport event involving athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930 and takes place every four years....
for 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...
. In 2007, Parsons finished tenth in the high-jump at the 2007 World Athletics Championship
2007 World Championships in Athletics
The 11th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations , were held at Nagai Stadium in Osaka, Japan from 24 August to 2 September 2007...
, in Osaka
Osaka
is a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
.
Cricket
CricketCricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
is the traditional Summer term sport within Five Ways. Teams of all age groups compete regularly..
Rugby Union
Rugby UnionRugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
is Five Ways' traditional Winter sport. Five Ways regularly enters the Daily Mail Cup
Daily Mail Cup
The Daily Mail RBS Cup is the annual English schools' rugby union cup competition. The semi-finals are now held at Broadstreet Rugby Club. The final is held at Twickenham Stadium. Competitions are held at the U18 and U15 age group levels...
, with mixed success. In 2006/2007, the Under 15 Team advanced to the quarter finals before going out after a home draw 7-7 to Bishop of Hereford's Bluecoat School
Bishop of Hereford's Bluecoat School
The Bishop of Hereford's Bluecoat School is a mixed comprehensive secondary school in the Tupsley district of Hereford, England. It is a voluntary aided school, which takes children from the age of 11 through to the age of 16. It is a Church of England school and is administered by the Hereford...
. In 2005 and 2006, there was a tour to Biarritz
Biarritz
Biarritz is a city which lies on the Bay of Biscay, on the Atlantic coast, in south-western France. It is a luxurious seaside town and is popular with tourists and surfers....
, in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. In 2007-2008 the Year 7 team won the Greater Birmingham, and the 2010-2011 U15 team still unbeaten in Europe
Debating
In 2006 the school competed in the grand final of the Midlands School Debating Competition, one of four teams to make it this far out of over 100 schools competing and finished in third place overall.The school also reached the final of the Oxford Schools Competition, and the finals of the Cambridge Schools Competition, two hitherto unprecedented triumphs for Five Ways. reaching the final 4 schools in the country in the 2007 "debating matters" tournament and in 2007 and 2008, won the 'Great Shakespeare Debate' at Stratford-Upon-Avon. They managed to win the competition, defeating North London Collegiate School
North London Collegiate School
North London Collegiate School is an independent day school for girls founded in 1850 in Camden Town, and now in the London Borough of Harrow.The Good Schools Guide called the school an "Academically stunning outer London school in a glorious setting which, in 2003, demonstrated its refusal to rest...
in the final in both years.
Drama
Recently, there have been many drama productions, including The Canterbury TalesThe Canterbury Tales
The Canterbury Tales is a collection of stories written in Middle English by Geoffrey Chaucer at the end of the 14th century. The tales are told as part of a story-telling contest by a group of pilgrims as they travel together on a journey from Southwark to the shrine of Saint Thomas Becket at...
(as a full school production) by Geoffrey Chaucer
Geoffrey Chaucer
Geoffrey Chaucer , known as the Father of English literature, is widely considered the greatest English poet of the Middle Ages and was the first poet to have been buried in Poet's Corner of Westminster Abbey...
and The Tempest
The Tempest
The Tempest is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1610–11, and thought by many critics to be the last play that Shakespeare wrote alone. It is set on a remote island, where Prospero, the exiled Duke of Milan, plots to restore his daughter Miranda to her rightful place,...
by William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
in 2005, which was entered into the BBC Shakespeare competition. Also, at Christmas last year, was the upper school production of Black Comedy
Black Comedy
Black Comedy is a one-act farce by Peter Shaffer, first performed in 1965.The play is written to be staged under a reversed lighting scheme: the play opens on a darkened stage...
by Peter Shaffer
Peter Shaffer
Sir Peter Levin Shaffer is an English dramatist and playwright, screenwriter and author of numerous award-winning plays, several of which have been filmed.-Early life:...
. In 2006 Bugsy Malone
Bugsy Malone
Bugsy Malone is a 1976 musical film, very loosely based on events in New York City in the Prohibition era, specifically the exploits of gangsters like Al Capone and Bugs Moran, as dramatized in cinema...
by Alan Parker
Alan Parker
Sir Alan William Parker, CBE is an English film director, producer, writer and actor. He has been active in both the British cinema and American cinema and was a founding member of the Directors Guild of Great Britain.-Life and career:...
and The Agamemnon
Agamemnon
In Greek mythology, Agamemnon was the son of King Atreus and Queen Aerope of Mycenae, the brother of Menelaus, the husband of Clytemnestra, and the father of Electra and Orestes. Mythical legends make him the king of Mycenae or Argos, thought to be different names for the same area...
were produced; an all female cast of Macbeth
Macbeth
The Tragedy of Macbeth is a play by William Shakespeare about a regicide and its aftermath. It is Shakespeare's shortest tragedy and is believed to have been written sometime between 1603 and 1607...
, which along with The Merchant of Venice
The Merchant of Venice
The Merchant of Venice is a tragic comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1596 and 1598. Though classified as a comedy in the First Folio and sharing certain aspects with Shakespeare's other romantic comedies, the play is perhaps most remembered for its dramatic...
, were entered into the BBC Schools Shakespeare Festival. The lower school (KS3) has also performed two plays: Tom Sawyer and Ernie's Incredible Illucinations.
For the 2007/08 academic year, a whole school production of Grease
Grease (musical)
Grease is a 1971 musical by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey. The musical is named for the 1950s United States working-class youth subculture known as the greasers. The musical, set in 1959 at fictional Rydell High School , follows ten working-class teenagers as they navigate the complexities of love,...
the musical took place. Other productions included a 'multi-cultural' Dracula
Dracula
Dracula is an 1897 novel by Irish author Bram Stoker.Famous for introducing the character of the vampire Count Dracula, the novel tells the story of Dracula's attempt to relocate from Transylvania to England, and the battle between Dracula and a small group of men and women led by Professor...
, which had received much attention in the West Midlands press prior to the actual play, an upper-school production of Dinner
Dinner
Dinner is usually the name of the main meal of the day. Depending upon culture, dinner may be the second, third or fourth meal of the day. Originally, though, it referred to the first meal of the day, eaten around noon, and is still occasionally used for a noontime meal, if it is a large or main...
and Much Ado About Nothing
Much Ado About Nothing
Much Ado About Nothing is a comedy written by William Shakespeare about two pairs of lovers, Benedick and Beatrice, and Claudio and Hero....
for the Shakespeare Youth Festival.
For the 2008/09 academic year, the Sixth Form (and subsequently, only,) production was The Count of Monte Cristo
The Count of Monte Cristo
The Count of Monte Cristo is an adventure novel by Alexandre Dumas. It is often considered to be, along with The Three Musketeers, Dumas's most popular work. He completed the work in 1844...
. This was the school's first student written and directed play, and was done by then-Upper Sixth former Stuart Hardy.
During 2009/10 there was a dramatic rise in the amount of drama being introduced into the school. There was the Fairytale High productions which took place during Autumn Term, with an Asian Arts drama production too. Then a commendable following performances included The Crucible
The Crucible
The Crucible is a 1952 play by the American playwright Arthur Miller. It is a dramatization of the Salem witch trials that took place in the Province of Massachusetts Bay during 1692 and 1693. Miller wrote the play as an allegory of McCarthyism, when the US government blacklisted accused communists...
which was nominated for a commendation in the Columba trophy (with a KEFW student winning an award at the ceremony). Moreover into Spring Term, there was a tremendous Jesus Christ Superstar Musical production which blew away the vast audience watching with powerful and blissful singing from all actors. A KS3 performance displaying the Fairy Tale: Beauty and the Beast
Beauty and the Beast
Beauty and the Beast is a traditional fairy tale. The first published version of the fairy tale was a rendition by Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve, published in La jeune américaine, et les contes marins in 1740...
was also staged by Sixth Form Students. Finally, an Open Air Shakespeare production in the Summer was presented to end the year with A Midsummer Night's Dream
A Midsummer Night's Dream
A Midsummer Night's Dream is a play that was written by William Shakespeare. It is believed to have been written between 1590 and 1596. It portrays the events surrounding the marriage of the Duke of Athens, Theseus, and the Queen of the Amazons, Hippolyta...
on the school quadrangle.
Foundation Drama Competition
The FDC has been running for two years now, with the other schools of the King Edward VI Foundation competing. In 2006 it was won by King Edward VI Five Ways, as was the Stage Craft award, the best KS3 actress award, and the best KS3 overall award.
Chess
Five Ways takes part in the Birmingham & District Junior Chess League. It has competed with much success in recent years, and in 2006/2007 finished second in each division it entered, as well as winning the First Form and Lightning Tournaments. A number of Five Ways players have ECFEnglish Chess Federation
The English Chess Federation is the governing chess organisation in England and is affiliated to FIDE. The ECF was formed in 2004 and was effectively a re-constitution of the extant governing body, the British Chess Federation , an organisation founded in 1904...
grades, due to participating in outside competitions. The school regularly participates in the UK Chess Challenge
UK Chess Challenge
The UK Chess Challenge is an annual four-stage chess competition for school-age children from the United Kingdom. Michael Basman is credited with creating the original challenge back in 1996 and is still closely connected with the competition...
, and in 2007, two of their players reached the final stage of the competition.
Music
The school offers extracurricular music in the form of concerts and Carol evenings. The orchestra is split into many sections, including regular rehearsals of two full Orchestras, a Wind Band, Baroque Strings, and two Choirs. There are also smaller ensembles such as Brass Group, Cello Group and Flute Choir. Newman CollegeNewman University College
Newman University College is a university college offering academic degrees and teacher training in Birmingham, England.Known as Newman College of Higher Education until January 2008, it has the highest employment of graduates rate of UK universities and is in the top 25% of UK universities for...
is also used for some performances.
House system
The system operates by allocating each student into one of four houses upon their entry into the school. Throughout the academic year, each student is then expected to attain as many house points as possible, so increasing their house's chance of winning the end of year House Championship.History
The House System was originally introduced by Mr Barker. He appointed four House Masters and these would forever hold the names of the houses (Roses, Rants, Bates, McPherson). However, in 1973, the system was scrapped, due to dwindling interest in the system by the then headteacher. In 1990 the school reinstated the system, but this time, the new houses were named after the first four Headmasters of the school, MacCarthy (yellow), Barker (red), Dobinson (blue) and Roach (green).Attaining points
Traditionally, the vast majority of house points were attained by being awarded house merit points, for good contributions in class, impressive performances on homework, and other minor achievements. Until recently, the only other way to score house points was on sports day.However, the recent revival in the house system has brought with it a wide variety of both sporting and non-sporting events, throughout the whole year, which involve the participation of every age group in the school. Varied in nature, these include house Cross-Country, Sudoku and Cookery. House points are awarded to the house with the highest number of merit points in each year, with 2nd, 3rd and 4th place houses getting fewer points.
Recent revival and house events day
This new pro-house initiative was unofficially launched in the Summer term 2006, by a house events day for years 7 and 8. Almost entirely organised and executed by prefects in the then Lower Sixth, the event was unanimously heralded an all round success, and is a yearly feature.The most popular event in the new House System, is the tug-o-war. It is quite custom for the whole sports hall to be filled with passionate spectators, cheering on those involved. The event concludes with a staff house tug-o-war, as well as a Student-Staff match to round off the event.
Results
Current totals are announced weekly, during Friday morning assemblies.Yearly totals are announced in the final assembly of the year. The 2009-2010 academic year standings were:
- Barker
- Roach
- Dobinson
- MacCarthy
A table of the winners:
- Barker - 5 times (with Barker winning 'four years in a row', a new record, from 2007–2010)
- Roach - 5 times
- Dobinson - 3 times
- MacCarthy - 3 times
The current results see Barker as the top scorers on the leaderboard, followed by Roach.
School Council
The Council comprises an elected representative from every form in the school: just short of 50. For the 2006/07 school year, a new constitution was publicly launched, and was unanimously ratified by the Council on its inaugural meeting. The Constitution was designed to improve the speed of decisions, and increase the power of individual school representatives.The School Council aims to bring about the changes in the school that its pupils wish to see. Some notable achievements include:
- Clocks in each classroom
- Benches on the playground
- Basketball Hoops on the playground
- Water fountains
- Toilet refurbishment, and the appointment of a full time cleaner
- Football facilities
- Plasma TVs in the canteen and Sixth form common room
- Changes to food pricing
- Construction of new changing rooms
The 2006/7 school year saw the Council make a conscious effort to be more known throughout the school, through a variety of methods including sponsoring showings of various films, posters around the school, and running charity events such as the Five Ways interpretation of World AIDS Day
World AIDS Day
World AIDS Day, observed December 1 every year, is dedicated to raising awareness of the AIDS pandemic caused by the spread of HIV infection. Government and health officials observe the day, often with speeches or forums on the AIDS topics. Since 1995, the President of the United States has made an...
.
The Sixth Form Council was a precursor to the School Council and achieved notoriety when in 2003 it reported the school to the Health and Safety Executive
Health and Safety Executive
The Health and Safety Executive is a non-departmental public body in the United Kingdom. It is the body responsible for the encouragement, regulation and enforcement of workplace health, safety and welfare, and for research into occupational risks in England and Wales and Scotland...
over fire safety failings. The HSE sided with the students and mandated the school to improve the alarm system and replace fire doors.
Facilities
The school has extensive grounds and facilities. Situated on a large 30 acreAcre
The acre is a unit of area in a number of different systems, including the imperial and U.S. customary systems. The most commonly used acres today are the international acre and, in the United States, the survey acre. The most common use of the acre is to measure tracts of land.The acre is related...
site, there are many outdoor sports pitches for a variety of sports including (amongst others) Rugby
Rugby football
Rugby football is a style of football named after Rugby School in the United Kingdom. It is seen most prominently in two current sports, rugby league and rugby union.-History:...
, Cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
, Hockey
Hockey
Hockey is a family of sports in which two teams play against each other by trying to maneuver a ball or a puck into the opponent's goal using a hockey stick.-Etymology:...
, Rounders
Rounders
Rounders is a game played between two teams of either gender. The game originated in England where it was played in Tudor times. Rounders is a striking and fielding team game that involves hitting a small, hard, leather-cased ball with a round wooden, plastic or metal bat. The players score by...
, football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
, Athletics
Athletics (track and field)
Athletics is an exclusive collection of sporting events that involve competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking. The most common types of athletics competitions are track and field, road running, cross country running, and race walking...
and Netball
Netball
Netball is a ball sport played between two teams of seven players. Its development, derived from early versions of basketball, began in England in the 1890s. By 1960 international playing rules had been standardised for the game, and the International Federation of Netball and Women's Basketball ...
. Almost all indoor sports are catered for, including Swimming
Swimming (sport)
Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native...
and the Tyn-Y-Waen Climbing Wall – which was opened by climber Ben Moon
Ben Moon
Ben Moon is a rock climber from England. During the late 1980s and early 1990s, Ben Moon, along with his climbing partner Jerry Moffatt drove forward the level of sport climbing in the UK especially, but also throughout the world. He was the first person to climb a route at the grade of 8c+,...
in June 2005. The school has buildings, known as "blocks" for subject groups, and a separate humanities building (which currently also houses the Sixth form centre). There are a number of dedicated computer rooms, a staffed library, a Connexions
Connexions
Connexions is a global repository of educational content provided by Rice University. The entire collection is available free of charge, and students and learners alike can explore all the content they desire....
career room, and most classrooms are now equipped with Interactive whiteboards and a new fitness centre.
A recent acquisition by the school has been a mobile fieldwork unit for use by the Humanities Departments.
Also a new fitness suite has been installed with lots of apparatus from treadmills to weights.
School song
Several decades ago, Five Ways acquired its own traditional school song. It had fallen out of use, but it was modernised and reinstated as an important, albeit infrequently seen, part of the school. Whilst the traditional version used to be sung, this is not the version now sung. The modern version has several words substituted for more appropriate alternatives: for example "boys" is no longer a part of the song in view of the school's now co-educational status, also making it politically correct. It is sung on Speech Day, and at the end of term assemblies.Staff vs. 1st team cricket match
After the exams in July, there is a Staff v 1st Team cricket match. The staff are christened the "Staff Cavaliers". The match is a timed one-day cricket match, with no specific number of overs allotted per team. This allows all three results possible. The staff are bolstered by the presence of an ex-first class player. By arrangement, the Staff always bat first.Bus Service
The school has a specialised school bus, The Green BusThe Green Bus
The Green Bus is the brand name for The Green Transport Company Limited, a school bus company operating in the Birmingham area of England.-History:...
. There are 8 routes, numbered FW1 through FW8. They are used by about 85% of the school. The public buses 22,18 and 002 are also highly used buses. They are run by National Express West Midlands
National Express West Midlands
National Express West Midlands , formerly known as Travel West Midlands , is the trade name of West Midlands Travel Ltd , a company which operates bus services from depots in the cities of Birmingham, and Wolverhampton, as well as the boroughs of Dudley, Sandwell, Solihull and Walsall in the West...
.
International links
| School | City |
|---|---|
 Babati Day Secondary School |
Babati Babati Babati is a small city and district of the Manyara Region of Tanzania. The administrative capital of the district 'Babati Town' is located also administrative capital of the newly formed Manyara Region, 172 km south of Arusha. The District is the capital of Manyara Region... |
 The English SchoolEnglish School attached to Guangdong University of Foreign Studies The English School is a boarding school founded in 1993 in the Baiyun District of Guangzhou in South Central China. It has 5300 students and 730 teaching members of staff across 60 elementary school classes and 76 middle school classes.... |
Guangzhou Guangzhou Guangzhou , known historically as Canton or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of the Guangdong province in the People's Republic of China. Located in southern China on the Pearl River, about north-northwest of Hong Kong, Guangzhou is a key national transportation hub and trading port... |
 King Edward Public School |
Mahilpur Mahilpur Mahilpur is a town and a Nagar Panchayat in Hoshiarpur district in the Indian state Punjab. It is situated on Hoshiarpur Chandigarh Road from Hoshiarpur. It is famous for the game of football in the region.-Demographics:... |
 Christchurch Boys' High SchoolChristchurch Boys' High School Christchurch Boys' High School is a single sex state secondary school in Christchurch, New Zealand. It is situated on a 12 hectare site between the suburbs of Riccarton and Fendalton, 4 kilometres to the west of central Christchurch. The school also provides boarding facilities for 130 boys, in a... |
Christchurch Christchurch Christchurch is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the country's second-largest urban area after Auckland. It lies one third of the way down the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula which itself, since 2006, lies within the formal limits of... |
 Afri-Twin Link |
Cape Town Cape Town Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality... |
 St Just School |
Lyon Lyon Lyon , is a city in east-central France in the Rhône-Alpes region, situated between Paris and Marseille. Lyon is located at from Paris, from Marseille, from Geneva, from Turin, and from Barcelona. The residents of the city are called Lyonnais.... |
 EDGEEdge - Aviation :* Leading edge, a line connecting the forward-most points of a wing's profile* Trailing edge, the rear edge of the wing* Zivko Edge 540, an aerobatic aircraft- Mathematics, science and technology :... partnership link with group of schools in Chicago |
Chicago Chicago Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles... |
 Brekkuskoli School |
Akureyri Akureyri Akureyri is a town in northern Iceland. It is Iceland's second largest urban area and fourth largest municipality .... |
The school has enjoyed its many international links worldwide, which have brought a wide range of opportunities, development, exchanges and experiences - social, charitable, curricular and developmental – to its pupils and staff.
These Links enabled Five Ways to win the DfES Full School Award, celebrating Internationalism and it was described as "a major honour for excellence in this field."
The Babati link group
The Babati Link GroupBabati Link Group
The Babati Link Group is an educational link between King Edward VI Five Ways School and Babati Day Secondary School, Babati, Manyara, Tanzania...
formed from within the school in 2003 exists to promote friendship and share educational resources with their Tanzania
Tanzania
The United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state...
n friends at Babati Day School in the rurally remote town of Babati
Babati
Babati is a small city and district of the Manyara Region of Tanzania. The administrative capital of the district 'Babati Town' is located also administrative capital of the newly formed Manyara Region, 172 km south of Arusha. The District is the capital of Manyara Region...
, Manyara.
Mr Wilson initiated this link after visiting Babati in 2002. The school has now raised several thousand pounds altogether to support Babati Day, all pupils taking part in fund raising. A trust fund has been set up and the money has been used for classroom renovation projects, air fares for Babati teachers to visit Britain, the cost of supporting an e-mail link between the schools, and so on.
A party of 45 students and teachers visited Babati in 2003, and carried out a classroom renovation. The Headmaster and a teacher colleague visited Birmingham in 2003-4, learning about teaching, management and leadership, as a result of which the school has developed a school improvement strategy.
One of the schools' World Challenge
World Challenge
World Challenge is British worldwide expeditionary branch of Thomson Holidays with businesses in the UK, Asia Pacific, The United States and the Middle East, founded in 1987...
parties passed through Babati and helped build its first sports facility, a basketball court.
A second group of students and teachers travelled to Babati in July 2005. This group carried out renovations and also focused on teaching English as a foreign language. All students involved on the trip took Swahili lessons to facilitate this. Staff involved developed curriculum projects in English, Science, R.E. and Modern languages as a result of the visit.
The most recent activity in this school link, came in Summer 2006 when a small group of students from the VI Form travelled to Babati to see the construction of a brand new ICT facility for Babati Day. Pupils from KEFW were actively involved in both the delivery of an ICT infrastructure, and the inaugural ICT lessons at the school, Supported by the Babati Link Group, a roadmap for future development of this facility has been put in place.
The English School
Five Ways was approached by Pate's Grammar SchoolPate's Grammar School
Pate's Grammar School is a voluntary aided, selective grammar school in the Hesters Way area of Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England catering for pupils aged 11 to 18. It was granted Language College status in 2001, is a Beacon school, and in February 2006 was one of the first in the country to be...
in 2005. They have an established link with the English School
English School attached to Guangdong University of Foreign Studies
The English School is a boarding school founded in 1993 in the Baiyun District of Guangzhou in South Central China. It has 5300 students and 730 teaching members of staff across 60 elementary school classes and 76 middle school classes....
in Guangzhou
Guangzhou
Guangzhou , known historically as Canton or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of the Guangdong province in the People's Republic of China. Located in southern China on the Pearl River, about north-northwest of Hong Kong, Guangzhou is a key national transportation hub and trading port...
, but struggle to accommodate the numbers of students from the partner school that wish to visit Britain. Therefore Five Ways agreed to assist. Six students spent time in Birmingham in July 2005 and a party of six sixth formers and Deputy Head Mrs Long visited China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
in October 2005.
King Edward Public School
Following an approach by the Chairman of King Edward School, who is the father of an ex-pupil, The Headmaster, David Wheeldon, and Deputy Head, Richard Fox, made a preliminary visit to MahilpurMahilpur
Mahilpur is a town and a Nagar Panchayat in Hoshiarpur district in the Indian state Punjab. It is situated on Hoshiarpur Chandigarh Road from Hoshiarpur. It is famous for the game of football in the region.-Demographics:...
in February 2004. Since then a group of students from India visited Birmingham in July 2004, and spent time in classes with Year 7 students. A group of sixth formers and two members of staff returned to India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
in February 2005. They carried out various teaching and learning activities. The next stage is to embed the link with India into the curriculum. We also welcome another party from India in November 2005, this time including teachers who will study teaching and learning in British schools, as well as six Year 8 students.
Christchurch Boys' School
Links are being forged at the moment with Christchurch Boys' High School in the South island of New Zealand.United States' Links
The EDGE partnership is a thriving network of schools in south west Birmingham, working together on all aspects of education. A link has been established between this group and a similar network in Chicago. Currently, Five Ways' main partner school at the moment is Walter Payton College Preparatory High School which is a Math, Science and World Language High School. This is a CPD link aimed mainly at senior management at the moment. An exchange is currently taking place. The intention is to broaden this link to encompass teachers at all levels.The school is also in the process of establishing a video conference link with Walter Payton High School in Chicago.
St Just School
A new link has been established by the French department with St Just School in Lyon.The partnership school is a mixed comprehensive and very highly regarded school right in the centre of Lyon
Lyon
Lyon , is a city in east-central France in the Rhône-Alpes region, situated between Paris and Marseille. Lyon is located at from Paris, from Marseille, from Geneva, from Turin, and from Barcelona. The residents of the city are called Lyonnais....
. This is an ideal exchange/link as Lyon is the twin town of Birmingham, while KEFW and Lycée St Just offer very similar characteristics.
Afri-Twin Link
The link involves a number of British schools in a triangular relationship, each with two South African schools; one private school and one township school. After some initial problems the link is now becoming established under Mr Webster's guidance.The intention is that once initial contacts have been established, students will begin to communicate at a more advanced level, sharing ideas on study projects and using their contacts to inform work in various subjects. As well as this, it is planned to establish a video conference link.
Teachers will have the opportunity to share ideas on teaching and learning, and teacher visits between the schools for CPD purposes are envisaged soon.
It is hoped also to arrange a sports tour to South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, taking in the two partner schools.
Brekkuskoli School
The link with Brekkuskoli was established in October 2006 when Mr Isgrove, Mr Bird and Mr Dear visited AkureyriAkureyri
Akureyri is a town in northern Iceland. It is Iceland's second largest urban area and fourth largest municipality ....
whilst on the Circum Iceland trip during half term. They met with a number of staff, including the Headmaster, to discuss future plans and had a tour of the school which is relatively new in that it is the result of an amalgamation of two of the oldest schools in the town.
Future plans include Video Conferencing and Teacher/Student visits.
Old Edwardians
Notable alumni include:- Richard Adams (Traidcraft)Richard Adams (Traidcraft)Richard Adams, OBE is the British founder of the UK fair trade organisations Tearcraft and Traidcraft and of a number of social enterprises which promote ethical business.Adams attended King Edward VI Five Ways school in Birmingham...
- Fair Trade pioneer - Kate AshfieldKate AshfieldKate Ashfield is a British actress, best known for her award-winning roles as Jody in the Anglo-German film Late Night Shopping, as Sadie MacGregor in the British film This Little Life and as Liz in the 2004 film Shaun of the Dead.-Biography:Ashfield was born in Oldham, Lancashire, England...
- Actress - Prof Michael Beesley CBE, Professor of Economics at the London Business SchoolLondon Business SchoolLondon Business School is an international business school and a constituent college of the federal University of London, located in central London, beside Regent's Park...
from 1965–90 and Chairman of the Institute of Public Sector Management from 1983-7 - Peter Bennett, 1st Baron Bennett of EdgbastonPeter Bennett, 1st Baron Bennett of EdgbastonPeter Frederick Blaker Bennett, 1st Baron Bennett of Edgbaston OBE, JP , known as Sir Peter Bennett between 1941 and 1953, was a British businessman and Conservative Party politician.-Background and education:...
OBE, Conservative MP for Birmingham Edgbaston from 1940–53 and President of the British Productivity Council from 1955-7 - Peter Bird, architect
- Simon Brew - Editor of Micro MartMicro MartMicro Mart is a weekly computer magazine published in the United Kingdom by Dennis Publishing Ltd. It is currently the only national, weekly, computer-trading magazine in the UK and enjoys weekly sales of 13,712 copies...
magazine - Tom ButlerThomas Frederick ButlerThomas Frederick "Tom" Butler was the ninth Anglican Bishop of Southwark. He was enthroned in Southwark Cathedral on 12 September 1998...
- Bishop of Southwark - Prof Sir David CannadineDavid CannadineSir David Nicholas Cannadine, FBA is a British historian, known for a number of books, including The Decline and Fall of the British Aristocracy and Ornamentalism. He is also notable as a commentator and broadcaster on British public life, especially the monarchy. He serves as the generaleditor...
- Historian - Michael ChecklandMichael ChecklandSir Michael Checkland was Director-General of the BBC from 1987 to 1992, having been appointed after the forced resignation of Alasdair Milne.- Early life :...
- Former Director General of the BBC - John CopleyJohn CopleyJohn Michael Harold Copley is a British theatre and opera producer.He was born in Birmingham, West Midlands, son of Ernest Harold Copley and Lilian Forbes, and attended King Edward VI Five Ways. After a brief career as an actor, he became stage manager at Sadler's Wells in 1953 and resident...
, opera director - Noel Costain OBE, civil engineer, responsible for the building of the BMEWSBallistic Missile Early Warning SystemThe United States Air Force Ballistic Missile Early Warning System was the first operational ballistic missile detection radar. The original system was built in 1959 and could provide long-range warning of a ballistic missile attack over the polar region of the Northern Hemisphere. They also...
at RAF FylingdalesRAF FylingdalesRAF Fylingdales is a Royal Air Force station on Snod Hill in the North York Moors, England. Its motto is "Vigilamus" . It is a radar base and part of the United States-controlled Ballistic Missile Early Warning System...
, and President of the Institute of Nuclear Engineers (now the Nuclear InstituteNuclear InstituteThe Nuclear Institute is the professional body representing nuclear professionals in the UK.It is a charity independent of the industry that promotes knowledge of nuclear energy amongst its members and the public and offers a route to professional qualification for those working in the sector,...
) from 1972-6 - Sir Guy Dain, Chairman of the BMABritish Medical AssociationThe British Medical Association is the professional association and registered trade union for doctors in the United Kingdom. The association does not regulate or certify doctors, a responsibility which lies with the General Medical Council. The association’s headquarters are located in BMA House,...
from 1942-8 - Keith FieldingKeith FieldingKeith John Fielding is an English former dual-code international rugby union and professional rugby league footballer of the 1960s, '70s and '80s who at representative level has played rugby union for England, and at club level for Moseley Rugby Football Club, playing at Wing, i.e...
- International Rugby Union and Rugby League Player - Geoffrey Filkin, Baron Filkin CBE, Chief Executive of Reading Borough Council from 1988–91 and former husband of Elizabeth FilkinElizabeth FilkinElizabeth Filkin is a British civil servant. She was the United Kingdom's Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards between February 1999 and 2002...
- Prof Keith Haley, Professor of Operational Research at the University of BirminghamUniversity of BirminghamThe University of Birmingham is a British Redbrick university located in the city of Birmingham, England. It received its royal charter in 1900 as a successor to Birmingham Medical School and Mason Science College . Birmingham was the first Redbrick university to gain a charter and thus...
from 1968–99 and President of the International Federation of Operational Research SocietiesInternational Federation of Operational Research SocietiesThe International Federation of Operational Research Societies is an umbrella organization for national operations research societies of over 45 countries from four geographical regions: Asia Pacific, Europe, North America, and South America...
from 1983-6 - Charles Hare - TennisTennisTennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
player - Represented Great BritainGreat Britain Davis Cup teamThe Great Britain Davis Cup team represents the United Kingdom in Davis Cup tennis competition and is controlled by the Lawn Tennis Association. The United Kingdom played in the very first International Lawn Tennis Challenge...
in the 1937 Davis Cup - Steve Harper - automotive designer
- Prof Roger Hood CBE, Professor of Criminology at the University of OxfordUniversity of OxfordThe University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
from 1996–2003 and President of the British Society of CriminologyBritish Society of CriminologyBritish Society of Criminology is an international organization aims to further the interests and knowledge of both academic and professional people who engaged in any aspect of teaching, research or public education about crime, criminal behaviour and criminal justice systems in the United Kingdom...
from 1986-9 - Prof Reginald Hopkins, Professor of Brewing and Applied Biochemistry at the University of BirminghamUniversity of BirminghamThe University of Birmingham is a British Redbrick university located in the city of Birmingham, England. It received its royal charter in 1900 as a successor to Birmingham Medical School and Mason Science College . Birmingham was the first Redbrick university to gain a charter and thus...
from 1931–56 - Ishmael Jilani - Entrepreneur of the Decade Award winner
- John Kenneally V.C.John Patrick KenneallyJohn Patrick Kenneally VC was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.-Early life:John Patrick Kenneally was born as Leslie Jackson at 104 Alexandra Road,...
(born Leslie Robinson) - Prof Michael LaughtonMichael LaughtonProfessor Michael Arthur Laughton is Emeritus Professor of Electrical Engineering at Queen Mary, University of London, and currently Visiting Professor at the Department of Environmental Science and Technology at Imperial College....
, Professor of Electrical Engineering at Queen Mary, University of LondonQueen Mary, University of LondonQueen Mary, University of London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and a constituent college of the federal University of London...
from 1977–2000 - Malcolm Levi, Group Chief Executive of Home Group since 1998
- Simon White - Manager of Bloc Party and Phoenix
- Prof Raymond LyttletonRaymond LyttletonRaymond Arthur Lyttleton FRS was a British mathematician and theoretical astronomer.He was born in the Oldbury, Worcestershire area and educated at King Edward VI Five Ways school in Birmingham, going from there to Clare College, Cambridge to read mathematics, graduating in 1933...
, Professor of Theoretical Astronomy at the University of CambridgeUniversity of CambridgeThe University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
from 1969–78 - Mazher MahmoodMazher MahmoodMazher Mahmood is an undercover reporter with The Sunday Times newspaper. He previously spent 20 years working for the defunct British tabloid newspaper News of the World. He has been dubbed as "Britain’s most notorious undercover reporter."...
- The "Fake Sheikh" Journalist - Richard Evans - Mandolinist and Folk Singer
- David MaloneyDavid MaloneyDavid John Lee Maloney was a British television director and producer. He was born in Alvechurch, Worcestershire, was educated at King Edward VI Five Ways and served in the Royal Air Force before becoming an actor in the theatre...
- Former BBC television director and producer - Ben McCarthy - BBC Journalist
- Dan Fox - England international hockey player and first class cricketer
- Simon MorganSimon MorganSimon Morgan was a footballer most famously playing for Fulham and Leicester. He also represented England at Under 21 level....
- Former Leicester City F.C.Leicester City F.C.Leicester City Football Club , also known as The Foxes, is an English professional football club based at the King Power Stadium in Leicester...
and Fulham F.C.Fulham F.C.Fulham Football Club is a professional English Premier League club based in southwest London Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. Founded in 1879, they play in the Premier League, their 11th current season...
footballer - Mark Newman - BBC WMBBC WMBBC WM is the BBC Local Radio service for the West Midlands, South Staffordshire, north Worcestershire and north Warwickshire, operated by BBC Birmingham. Launched on 9 November 1970 as BBC Radio Birmingham, it broadcasts from central Birmingham on 95.6 FM, DAB and on the internet...
Producer - David Parsons - England Cricket Coach
- Tom ParsonsTom Parsons (athlete)Thomas Martin Parsons is a British athlete competing in high jump.Parsons has yet to make a major international breakthrough but he has competed at a high level finishing 20th in the 2003 European Juniors, 17th in the 2005 European U23 championships, 10th in the 2005 World University Games, 11th...
- International Sportsman - Paul ReadyPaul ReadyPaul Ready is a British character actor. He is known principally for his work on stage, but he also appeared in television, radio and films. He received a commendation at the 2004 Ian Charleson Awards....
- actor - Prof William Rose, Professor of German Language and Literature at the University of LondonUniversity of London-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...
from 1949–61 - Alex Smith - Won "The Wolfram 2,3 Turing MachineTuring machineA Turing machine is a theoretical device that manipulates symbols on a strip of tape according to a table of rules. Despite its simplicity, a Turing machine can be adapted to simulate the logic of any computer algorithm, and is particularly useful in explaining the functions of a CPU inside a...
Research Prize" - Prof Peter Sommer, Professor at the LSE and expert on digital forensicsComputer forensicsComputer forensics is a branch of digital forensic science pertaining to legal evidence found in computers and digital storage media...
- Frederick Stratton OBE, Professor of Astrophysics at the University of Cambridge from 1928–47, and President of the Royal Astronomical SocietyRoyal Astronomical SocietyThe Royal Astronomical Society is a learned society that began as the Astronomical Society of London in 1820 to support astronomical research . It became the Royal Astronomical Society in 1831 on receiving its Royal Charter from William IV...
from 1933-5 - Jeremy WilliamsJeremy Williams (Actor)Jeremy David Williams is a British film, radio, television and theatre actor.-Life and career:Williams was born in Birmingham, England and educated at King Edward VI Five Ways school...
- Actor - Adam Wishart - Award winning documentary maker and writer
- Ben Wright - BBC Political Correspondent
- Oscar DeutschOscar DeutschOscar Deutsch was the founder of the Odeon Cinemas chain in the United Kingdom.-Life and career:Deutsch was born in Balsall Heath, Birmingham, England, the son of Leopold Deutsch, a successful Hungarian Jewish scrap metal merchant. After attending King Edward VI Five Ways, he opened his first...
- Founder of OdeonOdeonOdea, Odeon, or Odeum may refer to:* Odeon , ancient Greek and Roman buildings built for singing exercises, musical shows and poetry competitions-Modern era:* Cineplex Odeon, North America...
cinemas - Robert Gibbs - Guitarist of dance-punk band Suddenly, Phantoms!
- Andrew DeWhalley - Singer of dance-punk band Suddenly, Phantoms!
- Joe LycettJoe LycettJoe Lycett is a British comedian. He is has appeared on Chris Addison's Show and Tell on E4, 8 out of 10 cats on Channel 4 and as the announcer on Saturday BBC One show Epic Win....
- Comedian