Thurston Community College
Encyclopedia
Thurston Community College is an upper school
in Thurston, Suffolk
in the United Kingdom
. It is also the largest school in west Suffolk. It has the second largest Sixth form on its premises and many facilities such as different sports areas and equipment which can be used by the public; it also holds a community library and an Air Training Corps
building; the school has a great interest in charity and caring for the environment, and prides itself with the statement that they are raising achievements. It has a staff total of around 170.
It has been rewarded with considerable recognition of its success, such as appearing in a newspaper for its work caring for the environment. A display cabinet called 'The Gallery' can now be seen from the main corridor featuring many special art works from the students of the college. An eco-committee has recently been set up by students to help make their school greener and more environmentally friendly and has plans to create a wind turbine
to increase energy efficiency.
The houses are named after famous British people
such as
Gainsborough being named after Thomas Gainsborough
a famous painter from the 17th century.
At the college's opening as Thurston Upper School in 1973 the houses were named after the local 'hundred's of Blackbourne, Cosford, Thingoe and Thedwastre. They were more commonly referred to by their house colours: Yellow (Blackbourne); Blue (Cosford); Green (Thingoe); and Red (Thedwastre). In 1987 the number of houses was reduced from four to three. Thedwastre house disappeared when the Head of House retired. The change from a vertical tutor group system to a horizontal one ushered in the creation of six houses. These were named after rivers in the county. Recently the house system has been re-organised with a return to the four house system. The names of the houses have been associated with the areas they represent. The maths area (previously Blackbourne) is named Penrose after the mathematician. The English area (previously Thingoe) has been named after Rendall, the authoress. The art area (previously Thedwastre) has been named after Gainsborough the artist. The Science area (previously Cosford) has been named after Garrett-Anderson the scientist.
Upper school
Upper Schools tend to be schools within secondary education. Outside England, the term normally refers to a section of a larger school. There is some variation in the use of the term in England.-State Maintained Schools:...
in Thurston, Suffolk
Thurston, Suffolk
Thurston is a village in Suffolk situated about four miles east of Bury St Edmunds. As of mid-2005, Thurston's estimated population was 3,260. It is recorded in the Domesday book as Thurstuna and Torstuna.-Services:...
in the 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...
. It is also the largest school in west Suffolk. It has the second largest Sixth form on its premises and many facilities such as different sports areas and equipment which can be used by the public; it also holds a community library and an Air Training Corps
Air Training Corps
The Air Training Corps , commonly known as the Air Cadets, is a cadet organisation based in the United Kingdom. It is a voluntary youth group which is part of the Air Cadet Organisation and the Royal Air Force . It is supported by the Ministry of Defence, with a regular RAF Officer, currently Air...
building; the school has a great interest in charity and caring for the environment, and prides itself with the statement that they are raising achievements. It has a staff total of around 170.
It has been rewarded with considerable recognition of its success, such as appearing in a newspaper for its work caring for the environment. A display cabinet called 'The Gallery' can now be seen from the main corridor featuring many special art works from the students of the college. An eco-committee has recently been set up by students to help make their school greener and more environmentally friendly and has plans to create a wind turbine
Wind turbine
A wind turbine is a device that converts kinetic energy from the wind into mechanical energy. If the mechanical energy is used to produce electricity, the device may be called a wind generator or wind charger. If the mechanical energy is used to drive machinery, such as for grinding grain or...
to increase energy efficiency.
The houses are named after famous British people
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
such as
Gainsborough being named after Thomas Gainsborough
Thomas Gainsborough
Thomas Gainsborough was an English portrait and landscape painter.-Suffolk:Thomas Gainsborough was born in Sudbury, Suffolk. He was the youngest son of John Gainsborough, a weaver and maker of woolen goods. At the age of thirteen he impressed his father with his penciling skills so that he let...
a famous painter from the 17th century.
At the college's opening as Thurston Upper School in 1973 the houses were named after the local 'hundred's of Blackbourne, Cosford, Thingoe and Thedwastre. They were more commonly referred to by their house colours: Yellow (Blackbourne); Blue (Cosford); Green (Thingoe); and Red (Thedwastre). In 1987 the number of houses was reduced from four to three. Thedwastre house disappeared when the Head of House retired. The change from a vertical tutor group system to a horizontal one ushered in the creation of six houses. These were named after rivers in the county. Recently the house system has been re-organised with a return to the four house system. The names of the houses have been associated with the areas they represent. The maths area (previously Blackbourne) is named Penrose after the mathematician. The English area (previously Thingoe) has been named after Rendall, the authoress. The art area (previously Thedwastre) has been named after Gainsborough the artist. The Science area (previously Cosford) has been named after Garrett-Anderson the scientist.