Paston College
Encyclopedia
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...
in North Walsham
North Walsham
North Walsham is a market town and civil parish in Norfolk, England in the North Norfolk district.-Demographics:The civil parish has an area of and in the 2001 census had a population of 11,998. For the purposes of local government, the parish falls within the district of North...
, Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
, 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...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
Paston Sixth Form College is one of only two sixth-form colleges in Norfolk and 93 nationally. It was created in 1984 from a merger between the Paston School and North Walsham High School for Girls. Sixth form colleges specialise in teaching full time students aged 16-18. Nationally they are the most successful type of sixth form, with excellent results at AS/A-level, and equivalent BTEC Diplomas, and a large percentage of students going on to university.
Paston Sixth Form College enjoys an excellent reputation, with consistently good examination results, and students achieving grades above those that could be predicted from their qualifications on entry. Paston is in the top 10% of schools and colleges nationally at AS and in the top 25% for A level.
Students come to Paston from a wide geographical area of rural, coastal and Broadland Norfolk: from nearby high schools in Acle, Aylsham, Cromer, Martham [Flegg], North Walsham, Sheringham, Stalham and Wroxham [Broadland], and also from North Norwich, Reepham and further afield in Norfolk.
Ofsted
Paston Sixth Form College was inspected by OfstedOfsted
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 ....
in February 2008 and March 2011 and the reports are available on the College website, www.paston.ac.uk . The reports describe a very successful institution with outstanding (grade 1) features. Principal Peter Mayne, said "The reports gave us a massive boost in our work to progress from being a good college to an outstanding one."
Curriculum
The curriculum is wide for a college of its size with over 60 AS/A courses AS and A level and 4 BTEC Extended Diplomas [equivalent to A-level].Performing Arts are a feature of Paston. "Far East Theate", Paston's own student theatre company, have a well-deserved reputation for the high quality of their work, performed in the Paston theatre and on tour.
The college occupies the buildings of its 2 predecessor schools. The two sites are very attractive with buildings dating from the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries, set in extensive lawns right in the heart of the market town of North walsham. Paston has grown by over 1/3 in the last 5 years because of its reputation as a high performing college.
Paston School
The Paston School, a grammar schoolGrammar 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...
was founded in 1606 by Sir William Paston, a libertarian
Libertarianism
Libertarianism, in the strictest sense, is the political philosophy that holds individual liberty as the basic moral principle of society. In the broadest sense, it is any political philosophy which approximates this view...
, local magistrate, landowner and a member of an important local family. The emblem of the school was the griffin
Griffin
The griffin, griffon, or gryphon is a legendary creature with the body of a lion and the head and wings of an eagle...
, which, along with six fleur de lys
Fleur de Lys
Fleur de Lys is a superheroine from Quebec and an ally of Northguard, created in 1984 by Mark Shainblum and Gabriel Morrissette. The name of the character is inspired by the heraldic symbol of the fleur de lys. It is the official emblem of Quebec and a prominent part of the Flag of Quebec...
and the motto De mieux en mieux pour tout ("From good to better everywhere"), featured on the school coat of arms
Coat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
.
North Walsham High School for Girls
The grammar schoolGrammar 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 girls was founded in the early years of the 20th century, becoming a Norfolk county girls grammar school in 1919. The present College's Lawns Site was the site of the school. The founders of the school were the Misses Cooke and the girls were known locally as "Cookies".
Paston School
The school is famous as the school of Admiral Lord Nelson, who attended the school with his brother William 1768-1771. The college still holds a small collection of artifacts relating to Nelson and the Battle of TrafalgarBattle of Trafalgar
The Battle of Trafalgar was a sea battle fought between the British Royal Navy and the combined fleets of the French Navy and Spanish Navy, during the War of the Third Coalition of the Napoleonic Wars ....
. Another famous old boy is Thomas Tenison
Thomas Tenison
Thomas Tenison was an English church leader, Archbishop of Canterbury from 1694 until his death. During his primacy, he crowned two British monarchs.-Life:...
, Archbishop of Canterbury
Archbishop of Canterbury
The Archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and principal leader of the Church of England, the symbolic head of the worldwide Anglican Communion, and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. In his role as head of the Anglican Communion, the archbishop leads the third largest group...
- 1691-1715. Later former pupils include:
- Stephen FryStephen FryStephen John Fry is an English actor, screenwriter, author, playwright, journalist, poet, comedian, television presenter and film director, and a director of Norwich City Football Club. He first came to attention in the 1981 Cambridge Footlights Revue presentation "The Cellar Tapes", which also...
, actorActorAn actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
and writerWriterA writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
who was not so much at the school as near it, inhabiting a small café round the corner for most of his short academic career there, owing to the strange decision not to admit him to the sixth form a year early. - Craig MurrayCraig MurrayCraig John Murray is a British political activist, former ambassador to Uzbekistan and former Rector of the University of Dundee....
, activist and former ambassador - William HosteWilliam HosteCaptain Sir William Hoste, 1st Baronet KCB RN , Royal Navy captain, was the son of Dixon Hoste, rector of Godwick and Tittleshall in Norfolk...
- Allan SmethurstAllan SmethurstAllan Francis Smethurst , aka The Singing Postman was an English postman and singer.Born in Walshaw, Lancashire, the son of Allan and Gladys Mabel , Smethurst was raised in Sheringham, Norfolk. His mother came from the nearby village of Stiffkey...
, The Singing Postman - Clive BakerClive BakerClive Baker is an English former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper for Norwich City, Barnsley and Coventry City in the Football League and for Ipswich Town in the Premier League....
, former goalkeeper with Norwich City, Barnsley F.C.Barnsley F.C.Barnsley Football Club are a professional English football club based in the town of Barnsley, South Yorkshire. Nicknamed the Tykes, they were founded in 1887 under the name Barnsley St. Peter's...
, Coventry City and Ipswich Town. - Robin NashRobin NashRobert Henry Douglas Drane, known professionally as Robin Nash , was a British television producer and executive, who was probably best known as producer of Top of the Pops from 1974 to 1981...
, Head of Variety and then Head of Comedy, BBC.
North Walsham High School for Girls
Among the alumni of the Girls High School are- Baroness Gillian ShephardGillian ShephardGillian Patricia Shephard, Baroness Shephard of Northwold, PC , née Watts, is an English Conservative politician; she was the Member of Parliament for South West Norfolk, and a former Cabinet Minister and is now Chairman of the Association of Conservative Peers.-Early life and career:The daughter...
- politician and former Conservative Secretary of State for Education and Employment - Carole WalkerCarole WalkerCarole Walker is a political news correspondent with the BBC and an occasional relief presenter on its news channel.She attended North Walsham Girls' High School in Norfolk, attached to the all-male Paston College, attended by Admiral Horatio Nelson, Stephen Fry and Craig Murray...
- BBC Political Correspondent