Oxford Community School
Encyclopedia
Oxford Spires Academy is a state funded secondary school
for children aged 11–18 in Glanville Road, East Oxford
, England
formerly known as Oxford Community School and The Oxford School. It is sponsored by the CfBT Education Trust
.
The school has a co-educational student body of 1,110, and has specialist Business and Enterprise College
status. The student body is drawn from across the city, though the majority of pupils are from the Cowley
, Rose Hill
, East Oxford, Donnington
, and Blackbird Leys
areas of the city.
The school has long had a very varied and multicultural student body, reflecting the community in which it is based, and can claim to be the city's most "international" school. The school's work with refugee children and those for whom English is not their first language has been notable.
, taking over Southfield Grammar School's Glanville Road site. The school was a single-sex grammar school
for boys until around 1976, when it became fully comprehensive. A reform of the educational system in the City of Oxford in the 1990s saw the school become coeducational. In 2003 the school changed from a 14-19 Upper School to an 11-19 Secondary School due to the City of Oxford Reorganisation. In 2005 the school gained Business and Enterprise status, providing extra funding for a state of the art conference centre. In 2006, the school recorded its best ever GCSE results. At the beginning of 2008 Oxford Community School became a Foundation School
. The school has achieved Green Flag Eco-School Status. In 2011 the school reopened as Oxford Spires Academy.
(professional footballer with Wycombe Wanderers, Doncaster Rovers, and Chester City
).
Notable alumni of the former City of Oxford High School for Boys include Lawrence of Arabia and Ronnie Barker
.
Notable alumni of the former Southfield Grammar School include actor Patrick Mower
.
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...
for children aged 11–18 in Glanville Road, East Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
, 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...
formerly known as Oxford Community School and The Oxford School. It is sponsored by the CfBT Education Trust
CfBT Education Trust
CfBT Education Trust is a large educational charity in the United Kingdom, based in Reading.-History:It was founded in 1968 by Tony Abrahams as a support service for freelance teachers working abroad...
.
The school has a co-educational student body of 1,110, and has specialist Business and Enterprise College
Business and Enterprise College
Business and Enterprise Colleges were introduced in 2002 as part of the Specialist Schools Programme in the United Kingdom. The system enables secondary schools to specialise in certain fields...
status. The student body is drawn from across the city, though the majority of pupils are from the Cowley
Cowley, Oxford
Cowley in Oxford, England, is a residential and industrial area that forms a small conurbation within greater Oxford. Cowley's neighbours are central Oxford to the northwest, Rose Hill and Blackbird Leys to the south, New Headington to the north and the villages of Horspath and Garsington across...
, Rose Hill
Rose Hill
-People:* Rose Hill , British actress* Rose Hill , British wheelchair athlete-England:* Rose Hill, Derby, inner city suburb in Derby* Rose Hill, Oxfordshire, city council estate near Oxford...
, East Oxford, Donnington
Donnington
Donnington may refer to:*Donnington, Berkshire**Donnington Castle*Donnington, Gloucestershire*Donnington, Herefordshire*Donnington, Oxfordshire**Donnington Bridge*Donnington, Shropshire, in the parish of Wroxeter and Uppington...
, and Blackbird Leys
Blackbird Leys
Blackbird Leys is a civil parish and ward in Oxford, England, and is one of the largest council estates in Europe. According to the 2001 census, the ward had a population of 5,803. Unlike most parts of the City of Oxford, the area has a civil parish. The parish was created in 1990. Its 2001 parish...
areas of the city.
The school has long had a very varied and multicultural student body, reflecting the community in which it is based, and can claim to be the city's most "international" school. The school's work with refugee children and those for whom English is not their first language has been notable.
History
The school was originally established in 1966, following a merger between Southfield Grammar School and the City of Oxford High School for BoysCity of Oxford High School for Boys
The City of Oxford High School for Boys was founded in 1881 by Thomas Hill Green to provide Oxford boys with an education which would enable them to prepare for University.-History:...
, taking over Southfield Grammar School's Glanville Road site. The school was a single-sex grammar school
Grammar school
A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and some other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching classical languages but more recently an academically-oriented secondary school.The original purpose of mediaeval...
for boys until around 1976, when it became fully comprehensive. A reform of the educational system in the City of Oxford in the 1990s saw the school become coeducational. In 2003 the school changed from a 14-19 Upper School to an 11-19 Secondary School due to the City of Oxford Reorganisation. In 2005 the school gained Business and Enterprise status, providing extra funding for a state of the art conference centre. In 2006, the school recorded its best ever GCSE results. At the beginning of 2008 Oxford Community School became a Foundation School
Foundation school
In England and Wales, a foundation school is a state-funded school in which the governing body has greater freedom in the running of the school than in community schools....
. The school has achieved Green Flag Eco-School Status. In 2011 the school reopened as Oxford Spires Academy.
Notable alumni
Notable former pupils include Gary Parker (professional footballer with Nottingham Forest and Leicester City), and Jermaine McSporranJermaine McSporran
Jermaine McSporran is a semi-professional footballer who currently plays for Oxford City in the Southern League Division One South and West, after having been released by Chester City and Banbury United in the summer of 2006.He was signed by Chester City from Doncaster Rovers Jermaine McSporran...
(professional footballer with Wycombe Wanderers, Doncaster Rovers, and Chester City
Chester City F.C.
Chester City Football Club was an English football team from Chester. The club was founded as Chester F.C., and joined the Football League in 1931, spending most of their time in the lower divisions. They changed their name to Chester City in 1983. Chester won their first league title in 2004, the...
).
Notable alumni of the former City of Oxford High School for Boys include Lawrence of Arabia and Ronnie Barker
Ronnie Barker
Ronald William George "Ronnie" Barker, OBE was a British actor, comedian, writer, critic, broadcaster and businessman...
.
Notable alumni of the former Southfield Grammar School include actor Patrick Mower
Patrick Mower
Patrick Mower , whose original name was Patrick Archibald Shaw, is an English actor well known for his many television and occasional film roles, often as a detective or secret agent.-Life:...
.