Trinity School (Newbury)
Encyclopedia
Trinity School is a co-educational comprehensive
of about 1000 pupils in Newbury
, Berkshire
. The school is relatively new and has been open since 1999 when two existing schools and one new school combined - hence the name Trinity. The Elizabethan Grade 1 listed Shaw House mansion is located in the grounds of the school. Trinity School caters for pupils between the ages of 11 and 18.
The school is a Performing Arts College
and the department houses many facilities including a music/ICT suite, a drama studio, a recording studio, practice rooms and an underground costume store. Students are actively encouraged to take part in performing arts. The schools provides extra lessons for students who are especially able, gifted and talented in drama, music and dance. Trinity has a close relationship with neighbouring company Vodafone
, and the two bodies have formed a mutual working relationship.
In 2009 Paul Dick (Head Teacher of Kennet School, Thatcham) became executive head teacher of both Kennet and Trinity. The associate headteacher is Charlotte Wilson.
, a 16th century mansion, completed in 1581. Shaw House is a distinctive red brick house which has been designated by English Heritage
as a Grade 1 listed building. The house was used by King Charles I
as his headquarters for the Second Battle of Newbury
in 1644. The school incorporates both the old buildings and the new ones.
, unique in West Berkshire, which specialises in aiding pupils with dyslexia and learning difficulties. Many pupils with dyslexia who been helped by ACE unit have gone on to universities across the country.
. Since the school's opening in 1999, the GCSE grades have notably improved.
at Trinity has also seen improvements in grades; in recent years the majority of Trinity's GCSE students, and an increasing number from other schools, have chosen to continue their education at Trinity's sixth form. The school offers a range of A-level courses to suit most interests and abilities. Trinity is one of just a few schools in Berkshire which offers the Performing Arts Double award at A level. Sixth form pupils are required to take responsibility for their future with an office-style dress code and home study in Year 13.
Comprehensive school
A comprehensive school is a state school that does not select its intake on the basis of academic achievement or aptitude. This is in contrast to the selective school system, where admission is restricted on the basis of a selection criteria. The term is commonly used in relation to the United...
of about 1000 pupils in Newbury
Newbury, Berkshire
Newbury is a civil parish and the principal town in the west of the county of Berkshire in England. It is situated on the River Kennet and the Kennet and Avon Canal, and has a town centre containing many 17th century buildings. Newbury is best known for its racecourse and the adjoining former USAF...
, Berkshire
Berkshire
Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
. The school is relatively new and has been open since 1999 when two existing schools and one new school combined - hence the name Trinity. The Elizabethan Grade 1 listed Shaw House mansion is located in the grounds of the school. Trinity School caters for pupils between the ages of 11 and 18.
The school is a Performing 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...
and the department houses many facilities including a music/ICT suite, a drama studio, a recording studio, practice rooms and an underground costume store. Students are actively encouraged to take part in performing arts. The schools provides extra lessons for students who are especially able, gifted and talented in drama, music and dance. Trinity has a close relationship with neighbouring company Vodafone
Vodafone
Vodafone Group Plc is a global telecommunications company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the world's largest mobile telecommunications company measured by revenues and the world's second-largest measured by subscribers , with around 341 million proportionate subscribers as of...
, and the two bodies have formed a mutual working relationship.
In 2009 Paul Dick (Head Teacher of Kennet School, Thatcham) became executive head teacher of both Kennet and Trinity. The associate headteacher is Charlotte Wilson.
The Site
Trinity School of Performing Arts is situated in the grounds of Shaw HouseShaw House, Berkshire
Shaw House is an important example of an early symmetrical H-plan Elizabethan mansion, located at Shaw, on the north-eastern outskirts of Newbury in Berkshire.-History:...
, a 16th century mansion, completed in 1581. Shaw House is a distinctive red brick house which has been designated by English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
as a Grade 1 listed building. The house was used by King Charles I
Charles I of England
Charles I was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. Charles engaged in a struggle for power with the Parliament of England, attempting to obtain royal revenue whilst Parliament sought to curb his Royal prerogative which Charles...
as his headquarters for the Second Battle of Newbury
Second Battle of Newbury
The Second Battle of Newbury was a battle of the English Civil War fought on 27 October, 1644, in Speen, adjoining Newbury in Berkshire. The battle was fought close to the site of the First Battle of Newbury, which took place in late September the previous year.The combined armies of Parliament...
in 1644. The school incorporates both the old buildings and the new ones.
ACE Unit
The school has an ACE unitACE unit
ACE stands for "acute care of elders". ACE units provide acute interdisciplinary care specifically oriented towards the needs of elderly individuals.-Specific ACE Units:*...
, unique in West Berkshire, which specialises in aiding pupils with dyslexia and learning difficulties. Many pupils with dyslexia who been helped by ACE unit have gone on to universities across the country.
GCSE
The school offers GCSE subjects of a varied range, from mathematics to DiDA (Diploma in Digital Applications)DiDA
In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, the Diploma in Digital Applications is an optional information and communication technology course, usually studied by Key Stage 4 or equivalent school students . DiDA was introduced in 2005 as a creation of the Edexcel examination board...
. Since the school's opening in 1999, the GCSE grades have notably improved.
A-Levels
The sixth formSixth form
In the education systems of England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, and of Commonwealth West Indian countries such as Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Belize, Jamaica and Malta, the sixth form is the final two years of secondary education, where students, usually sixteen to eighteen years of age,...
at Trinity has also seen improvements in grades; in recent years the majority of Trinity's GCSE students, and an increasing number from other schools, have chosen to continue their education at Trinity's sixth form. The school offers a range of A-level courses to suit most interests and abilities. Trinity is one of just a few schools in Berkshire which offers the Performing Arts Double award at A level. Sixth form pupils are required to take responsibility for their future with an office-style dress code and home study in Year 13.