Thorns Community College
Encyclopedia
Thorns Community College is a secondary school
located in Brierley Hill
, West Midlands
, England
.
and Quarry Bank
. The school is a specialist Arts College
. Like most schools in Dudley LEA
, it has no sixth form.
The school was opened in September 1977 to replace Quarry Bank Boys School and Quarry Bank Girls School, two schools which had existed on Coppice Lane since the early 1930s. The new school was situated on Stockwell Avenue and now has more than 1,300 pupils aged 11–16 on the roll. In 2002 it became a performing arts college.
The first buildings at the present site were opened in the early 1970s as an annexe to the Quarry Bank school for older pupils. By 1975, almost 20 mobile classrooms had been erected at the new site in Stockwell Avenue as it now accommodated the majority of the school's pupils. A second building was added in 1977 as the Coppice Lane buildings were closed and the school was now located on the same site with a new name.
The buildings on Coppice Lane were demolished soon afterwards and redeveloped for housing.
Two more classroom blocks were added during the 1980s and the most recent building was opened in 1991, by which time the school had 1,200 pupils following the first intake of 11 year-olds in September 1990 - the starting age for pupils in the local area had increased to 12 in 1972.
It is named after Thorns Road (A4036). Other schools to form the school are the Quarry Bank Senior Girls and Quarry Bank Senior Boys when in Staffordshire
on Coppice Lane which became the Quarry Bank Secondary Modern School, and another was the Mill Street Technical College. The site on Coppice Lane closed in 1977.
In September 2008, it became a trust school, part of The Stourbridge Educational Trust (TSET), along with other Stourbridge secondary schools, [Pedmore Technology College], [Redhill School, Stourbridge] and [Ridgewood High School, West Midlands].
On the College site over the past year, Thorns Community Learning Village has been developed , comprising Thorns Primary School, Thorns Community College and a school for students with special needs, which will replace the facilities currently provided by Old Park School.
Thorns community college is a performing arts college. It won the ARTS mark gold twice, and has a dance studio, a drama theatre, a drama club and dance club. It has won awards for its performances in dance, drama and music. Also every year it holds a dance festival.
The college does extra evening classes for adults including art, dance, cooking, and football. These courses usually last for about eight weeks.
On the Thorns Community College Website you can Login with a password and username and check your child's daily report, see what lessons they've got that day, see any behaviour events that child has got. You can also see what's in the school's diary.
GCSE results attained by pupils leaving the school are consistently around the national average.
Famous alumni include the footballer Trevor Smith
.
The English, ICT and Vocational Education block at the school was declared unsafe in September 2010 and the cost of making it safe was estimated at £600,000. 11 mobile classrooms will be put into place to replace these buildings until they are remedied or rebuilt.
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...
located in Brierley Hill
Brierley Hill
Brierley Hill is a town and electoral ward of the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley, West Midlands, England. It is one of the larger Black Country towns with a population of 9,631 and is heavily industrialised, best known for glass and steel manufacturing, although the industry has declined...
, West Midlands
West Midlands (county)
The West Midlands is a metropolitan county in western central England with a 2009 estimated population of 2,638,700. It came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972, formed from parts of Staffordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire. The...
, 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...
.
Background
It serves the southern half of Brierley Hill around Withymoor VillageWithymoor Village
Withymoor Village is a residential area of Brierley Hill, West Midlands, England.It is situated more than a mile south of the town centre, near to the "Nine Locks" as known locally...
and Quarry Bank
Quarry Bank
Quarry Bank is a village in the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley, West Midlands, England, which exists within the Brierley Hill DY5 postal district.Locally, the name is often pronounced, "Quarry Bonk"...
. The school is a specialist Arts College
Arts College
Arts Colleges were introduced in 1997 as part of the now defunct Specialist Schools Programme in the United Kingdom. The system enabled secondary schools to specialise in certain fields, in this case, the performing, visual and/or media arts...
. Like most schools in Dudley LEA
Local Education Authority
A local education authority is a local authority in England and Wales that has responsibility for education within its jurisdiction...
, it has no sixth form.
The school was opened in September 1977 to replace Quarry Bank Boys School and Quarry Bank Girls School, two schools which had existed on Coppice Lane since the early 1930s. The new school was situated on Stockwell Avenue and now has more than 1,300 pupils aged 11–16 on the roll. In 2002 it became a performing arts college.
The first buildings at the present site were opened in the early 1970s as an annexe to the Quarry Bank school for older pupils. By 1975, almost 20 mobile classrooms had been erected at the new site in Stockwell Avenue as it now accommodated the majority of the school's pupils. A second building was added in 1977 as the Coppice Lane buildings were closed and the school was now located on the same site with a new name.
The buildings on Coppice Lane were demolished soon afterwards and redeveloped for housing.
Two more classroom blocks were added during the 1980s and the most recent building was opened in 1991, by which time the school had 1,200 pupils following the first intake of 11 year-olds in September 1990 - the starting age for pupils in the local area had increased to 12 in 1972.
It is named after Thorns Road (A4036). Other schools to form the school are the Quarry Bank Senior Girls and Quarry Bank Senior Boys when in Staffordshire
Staffordshire
Staffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...
on Coppice Lane which became the Quarry Bank Secondary Modern School, and another was the Mill Street Technical College. The site on Coppice Lane closed in 1977.
In September 2008, it became a trust school, part of The Stourbridge Educational Trust (TSET), along with other Stourbridge secondary schools, [Pedmore Technology College], [Redhill School, Stourbridge] and [Ridgewood High School, West Midlands].
On the College site over the past year, Thorns Community Learning Village has been developed , comprising Thorns Primary School, Thorns Community College and a school for students with special needs, which will replace the facilities currently provided by Old Park School.
Thorns community college is a performing arts college. It won the ARTS mark gold twice, and has a dance studio, a drama theatre, a drama club and dance club. It has won awards for its performances in dance, drama and music. Also every year it holds a dance festival.
The college does extra evening classes for adults including art, dance, cooking, and football. These courses usually last for about eight weeks.
On the Thorns Community College Website you can Login with a password and username and check your child's daily report, see what lessons they've got that day, see any behaviour events that child has got. You can also see what's in the school's diary.
GCSE results attained by pupils leaving the school are consistently around the national average.
Famous alumni include the footballer Trevor Smith
Trevor Smith (footballer)
Trevor Smith was an English footballer, who played as a centre half for Birmingham City and the England national football team.- Biography :...
.
The English, ICT and Vocational Education block at the school was declared unsafe in September 2010 and the cost of making it safe was estimated at £600,000. 11 mobile classrooms will be put into place to replace these buildings until they are remedied or rebuilt.