South Luton High School
Encyclopedia
Barnfield South Academy (formerly South Luton High School) is an academy for pupils aged between 11 and 16, located on Cutenhoe Road in the south of Luton
, Bedfordshire
, England
. The school enjoys a rich and varied history having originally being constructed as Stockwood High School with individual girls and boys campuses, before merging with Rotheram High School to form South Luton High. Students are multi-ethnic, with about 25% still learning the English language.
South Luton High School closed its doors in August 2007 and re-opened as Barnfield South Academy on September 1st 2007. The Academy enjoys a federation with its sister institution, Barnfield West Academy
and their sponsor, Barnfield College - a $56m transformation is finished.
es with male pupils attending the upper Southern site and girls at the North end. Records show 1006 pupils in attendance at both campuses. The school admitted students from nearby schools in Hitchin Road and Old Bedford Roads and cost £500,000 to construct. During 1980, extensions were carried out to the schools main buildings. Several years later, the respective schools merged to became a single entity. Evidence of its earlier structure exists in the form of dual assembly halls, toilets and foyer entrances.
and Farley Hill
were constructed. In 1988 Rotheram High School, a school situated approximately a mile away on Farley Hill was closed due to administrative costs and falling attendance numbers. Despite initial protests from parents situated near the Rotheram site, the majority of pupils from Rotheram High School moved to Stockwood High School, which as a result of the merger
was renamed South Luton High School.
South Luton High enjoyed increased government
funding
and attendance during its early years and its pupils earned a reputation
for excelling in Physical Education
via its football team
and infamous cross country
route. Pupils also excelled in music with several prominent music students appearing in local news media
for their participation in local arts
and concert
showcases.
on 7 April 1976 with a constitution
adopted to "...advance the education of the pupils at Stockwood High School by providing and assisting the provision of facilities for education at the school (not normally provided by the Local Education Authority)." Acting under 'Registration Number 271253', the association and its correspondent
'T Tosman', worked to foster extended relationships between staff, parents and associates of the school. The Charity, experiencing dwindling support after the formation of South Luton high ceased to exist on 8 October 1992.
via promotions
to secure students from beyond the original local catchment area
. Teacher
s with a specialised arts focus or background were specifically targeted. In October 2003 the school applied for the Arts Mark, the first step towards applying for Specialist Arts College status. The school also established links with the local business
community
and registered with the Chamber of Commerce
in 2004.
The school made headline
s in 2004 when headmistress Sherry Gladwin imposed strict behavioural policies on students. During a visit by Luton Lord Mayor
Michael Dollin, a group of students staged a protest
against conditions they considered draconian
- such as only being allowed to use the lavatory via a pass
. The students were disciplined and a spokesperson for Luton Borough Council said "There was a very small group spoiling things for the rest of the school but, following a minor disturbance on Monday, they have now been severely dealt with, and their parents notified."
In 2004 the school was again lambasted for falling educational achievements within GCSE. The government inspectors rated the school as being inadequate this was mainly due to the teaching methods employed and the high staff absences. Two weeks prior to the inspectors' arival, the headmistress Sherry Gladwin resigned.
A similar £30 million Barnfield West Academy building has opened in Leagrave Road, Lewsey Farm. From September both Academies will also house Barnfield's brand new sixth from provision.
Value Added Pupils Improvement
GCSE Level Performance
Luton
Luton is a large town and unitary authority of Bedfordshire, England, 30 miles north of London. Luton and its near neighbours, Dunstable and Houghton Regis, form the Luton/Dunstable Urban Area with a population of about 250,000....
, Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire is a ceremonial county of historic origin in England that forms part of the East of England region.It borders Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Northamptonshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the west and Hertfordshire to the south-east....
, 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...
. The school enjoys a rich and varied history having originally being constructed as Stockwood High School with individual girls and boys campuses, before merging with Rotheram High School to form South Luton High. Students are multi-ethnic, with about 25% still learning the English language.
South Luton High School closed its doors in August 2007 and re-opened as Barnfield South Academy on September 1st 2007. The Academy enjoys a federation with its sister institution, Barnfield West Academy
Barnfield West Academy
Barnfield West Academy is an academy for pupils aged between 11 and 18, located in the west of Luton, in Bedfordshire, England.It has been given the title 'Outstanding' from Ofsted....
and their sponsor, Barnfield College - a $56m transformation is finished.
The origins
On 27 October 1965 Stockwood High School for Girls was created with 500 girls registered as pupils in attendance. On the 7 September 1967 Stockwood High School housed two adjoining campusCampus
A campus is traditionally the land on which a college or university and related institutional buildings are situated. Usually a campus includes libraries, lecture halls, residence halls and park-like settings...
es with male pupils attending the upper Southern site and girls at the North end. Records show 1006 pupils in attendance at both campuses. The school admitted students from nearby schools in Hitchin Road and Old Bedford Roads and cost £500,000 to construct. During 1980, extensions were carried out to the schools main buildings. Several years later, the respective schools merged to became a single entity. Evidence of its earlier structure exists in the form of dual assembly halls, toilets and foyer entrances.
Stockwood High becomes South Luton High
Through the 1970s the population of the school increased as Luton underwent major economic development - the Arndale Centre was opened in 1972 and public housing projects such as StopsleyStopsley
Stopsley is a ward in the north-east of Luton. Originally a hill-top village settlement, most of the urbanised part of the civil parish of Stopsley became part of Luton when the boundaries were extended in 1933, with the rural areas going to Hyde and Streatley.After the Second World War, there was...
and Farley Hill
Farley Hill, Bedfordshire
Farley Hill is a post-war housing estate in south Luton, Bedfordshire, England .In the late 12th century a 'hospital' was built on the Stockwood Estate in Farley Hill...
were constructed. In 1988 Rotheram High School, a school situated approximately a mile away on Farley Hill was closed due to administrative costs and falling attendance numbers. Despite initial protests from parents situated near the Rotheram site, the majority of pupils from Rotheram High School moved to Stockwood High School, which as a result of the merger
Mergers and acquisitions
Mergers and acquisitions refers to the aspect of corporate strategy, corporate finance and management dealing with the buying, selling, dividing and combining of different companies and similar entities that can help an enterprise grow rapidly in its sector or location of origin, or a new field or...
was renamed South Luton High School.
South Luton High enjoyed increased government
Government
Government refers to the legislators, administrators, and arbitrators in the administrative bureaucracy who control a state at a given time, and to the system of government by which they are organized...
funding
Funding
Funding is the act of providing resources, usually in form of money , or other values such as effort or time , for a project, a person, a business or any other private or public institutions...
and attendance during its early years and its pupils earned a reputation
Reputation
Reputation of a social entity is an opinion about that entity, typically a result of social evaluation on a set of criteria...
for excelling in Physical Education
Physical education
Physical education or gymnastics is a course taken during primary and secondary education that encourages psychomotor learning in a play or movement exploration setting....
via its football team
Football team
A football team is the collective name given to a group of players selected together in the various team sports known as football.Such teams could be selected to play in an against an opposing team, to represent a football club, group, state or nation, an All-star team or even selected as a...
and infamous cross country
Cross country running
Cross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road...
route. Pupils also excelled in music with several prominent music students appearing in local news media
News media
The news media are those elements of the mass media that focus on delivering news to the general public or a target public.These include print media , broadcast news , and more recently the Internet .-Etymology:A medium is a carrier of something...
for their participation in local arts
ARts
aRts, which stands for analog Real time synthesizer, is an audio framework that is no longer under development. It is best known for previously being used in KDE to simulate an analog synthesizer....
and concert
Concert
A concert is a live performance before an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, a choir, or a musical band...
showcases.
Stockwood Parent/Teacher Association
The Stockwood Parent/Teacher Association was registered as a CharityCharitable organization
A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization . It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization (NPO). It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A...
on 7 April 1976 with a constitution
Constitution
A constitution is a set of fundamental principles or established precedents according to which a state or other organization is governed. These rules together make up, i.e. constitute, what the entity is...
adopted to "...advance the education of the pupils at Stockwood High School by providing and assisting the provision of facilities for education at the school (not normally provided by the Local Education Authority)." Acting under 'Registration Number 271253', the association and its correspondent
Correspondent
A correspondent or on-the-scene reporter is a journalist or commentator, or more general speaking, an agent who contributes reports to a newspaper, or radio or television news, or another type of company, from a remote, often distant, location. A foreign correspondent is stationed in a foreign...
'T Tosman', worked to foster extended relationships between staff, parents and associates of the school. The Charity, experiencing dwindling support after the formation of South Luton high ceased to exist on 8 October 1992.
South Luton the Specialist Arts College
From approximately 2000 and beyond, South Luton High School became associated with the ArtsARts
aRts, which stands for analog Real time synthesizer, is an audio framework that is no longer under development. It is best known for previously being used in KDE to simulate an analog synthesizer....
via promotions
Promotion (marketing)
Promotion is one of the four elements of marketing mix . It is the communication link between sellers and buyers for the purpose of influencing, informing, or persuading a potential buyer's purchasing decision....
to secure students from beyond the original local catchment area
Catchment area (human geography)
In human geography, a catchment area is the area and population from which a city or individual service attracts visitors or customers. For example, a school catchment area is the geographic area from which students are eligible to attend a local school...
. Teacher
Teacher
A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...
s with a specialised arts focus or background were specifically targeted. In October 2003 the school applied for the Arts Mark, the first step towards applying for Specialist Arts College status. The school also established links with the local business
Business
A business is an organization engaged in the trade of goods, services, or both to consumers. Businesses are predominant in capitalist economies, where most of them are privately owned and administered to earn profit to increase the wealth of their owners. Businesses may also be not-for-profit...
community
Community
The term community has two distinct meanings:*a group of interacting people, possibly living in close proximity, and often refers to a group that shares some common values, and is attributed with social cohesion within a shared geographical location, generally in social units larger than a household...
and registered with the Chamber of Commerce
Chamber of commerce
A chamber of commerce is a form of business network, e.g., a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to advocate on behalf of the business community...
in 2004.
The school made headline
Headline
The headline is the text at the top of a newspaper article, indicating the nature of the article below it.It is sometimes termed a news hed, a deliberate misspelling that dates from production flow during hot type days, to notify the composing room that a written note from an editor concerned a...
s in 2004 when headmistress Sherry Gladwin imposed strict behavioural policies on students. During a visit by Luton Lord Mayor
Lord Mayor
The Lord Mayor is the title of the Mayor of a major city, with special recognition.-Commonwealth of Nations:* In Australia it is a political position. Australian cities with Lord Mayors: Adelaide, Brisbane, Darwin, Hobart, Melbourne, Newcastle, Parramatta, Perth, Sydney, and Wollongong...
Michael Dollin, a group of students staged a protest
Protest
A protest is an expression of objection, by words or by actions, to particular events, policies or situations. Protests can take many different forms, from individual statements to mass demonstrations...
against conditions they considered draconian
Draconian
Draconian is an adjective meaning great severity, that derives from Draco, an Athenian law scribe under whom small offences had heavy punishments .Draconian may also refer to:* Draconian , a Death/doom metal band from Sweden...
- such as only being allowed to use the lavatory via a pass
Hall pass
A hall pass is a pass or token used in American and Canadian public schools to show that a student has been authorized to be out of his/her classroom while lessons are in progress. They are commonly issued to students if they need to visit the Toilet, if they have been asked to run an errand for a...
. The students were disciplined and a spokesperson for Luton Borough Council said "There was a very small group spoiling things for the rest of the school but, following a minor disturbance on Monday, they have now been severely dealt with, and their parents notified."
In 2004 the school was again lambasted for falling educational achievements within GCSE. The government inspectors rated the school as being inadequate this was mainly due to the teaching methods employed and the high staff absences. Two weeks prior to the inspectors' arival, the headmistress Sherry Gladwin resigned.
Closure
Barnfield South Academy finally closed it doors at its Cutenhoe Road site in March 2011. It has been replaced by the new Barnfield South Acedamy, costing £30m, ironically situated on the old playing field of the former site of Rotherham High School. Rotherham was demolished and made way for the building work to begin on the new Academy. The new academy site will feature state-of-the-art learning spaces, including specially designed performing arts spaces, including a 300 seat theatre. It will support Barnfield South's specialist status in Performing Arts, ICT and Business and Enterprise and include the addition of Sixth Form provision.A similar £30 million Barnfield West Academy building has opened in Leagrave Road, Lewsey Farm. From September both Academies will also house Barnfield's brand new sixth from provision.
School statistics
Absence Rate- 7.4% authorised (7% locally and 6.7% nationally)
- 2.6% authorised (0.8% locally and 1.3% nationally) http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/bsp/hi/education/05/school_tables/secondary_schools/html/821_4125.stm
Value Added Pupils Improvement
- The school scored 922.2 against a Local Education Authority score of 985.7 http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/bsp/hi/education/05/school_tables/secondary_schools/html/821_4125.stm
GCSE Level Performance
- 173 eligible
- 32.3% were noted for having special education requirements
- 20% attained Key Stage 4 http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/bsp/hi/education/05/school_tables/secondary_schools/html/821_4125.stm
Alumni
- Lee RossLee Ross (actor)Lee Ross is an English professional actor best known for his role as Dodger in Dodger, Bonzo and the Rest. He has also starred in, Press Gang, Secrets & Lies, The Catherine Tate Show and most recently as Owen Turner in the BBC soap opera EastEnders.-Career:His first acting role was as Fat Sam in...
, an actor who played Owen TurnerOwen TurnerOwen Turner is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Lee Ross. He originally appeared in the show in 2006, and then returned in 2009. His character left in 2009 after being murdered by Lucas Johnson.-Storylines:...
in UKUnited KingdomThe 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...
soap operaSoap operaA soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
EastEndersEastEndersEastEnders is a British television soap opera, first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 19 February 1985 and continuing to today. EastEnders storylines examine the domestic and professional lives of the people who live and work in the fictional London Borough of Walford in the East End...
attended Stockwood High School. http://www.lutononline.co.uk/ViewArticle2.aspx?SectionID=2278&ArticleID=1784950