Westfield School (Sheffield)
Encyclopedia
Westfield Sports College, is a non-denominational secondary school
in Sheffield
, South Yorkshire
, England
. The school is a specialist
Sports College
. It serves an area on the south east edge of Sheffield where many people now work in service industries and where levels of prosperity range from above to below average.
County Secondary School which opened in 1930 in Halfway, which was then located in Derbyshire
. It became Eckington Grammar School in early 1940s.
and the existing Eckington Grammar School, which became the Lower School. Frank Rollinson, who had been appointed headmaster of the Grammar School in 1953, oversaw its conversion into a comprehensive school.
In 1967 Sheffield
extended its administrative boundaries to include Mosborough. After peaking at just under 2000 in 1977, Westfield's roll declined in the 1980s and the Lower School at Halfway was demolished in 1989.
project. Kier Managed Services Ltd were awarded the 25-year contract for the facilities management of the school, as part of the PFI project. The new school, situated on Eckington Road behind the Waterthorpe Supertram Stop in Sothall, is roughly two miles from its predecessor. On 1 May 2007, the new school campus was officially opened by Rt Hon Gordon Brown
MP, who, at the time, was Chancellor of the Exchequer. After releasing a net of balloons to mark the opening of the school, he spoke to students and answered questions about how he got into politics and whether or not he will be raising the pension scheme.
The new school building was designed around the 'W' shaped symbol of the school logo and consists of 6 wings across two levels for English, Mathematics, Humanities and Modern Foreign Languages.The school has dedicated accommodation for special educational needs and also includes an Integrated Resource Unit for students with moderate learning difficulties. The building also incorporates four fully fitted ICT rooms and the Science wing has 9 laboratories and a prep room. The Art and Technology departments include facilities for art, textiles, food, graphics and design technology. Performing arts have 2 music rooms fully equip with 12 keyboards and computers in each as well as a sound proof studio box and 2 performance rooms. The sports facilities include a 25m swimming pool, large sports hall, fitness suite, activity centre, all weather floodlit pitches and hard games courts. These are available to the public outside school hours. These sports facilities are used by the school daily, earning the school the status of sports college. Despite the new name 'Westfield Sports College,' the school has many other facilities to offer its students, including a residential centre, Greta Cottage, at Cliburn
in the Lake District
, which is used by groups for both curriculum extension work and for adventurous outdoor activity.
On Monday 12 March 2007, a fire, which took more than 45 firefighters to put out, destroyed the woodwork block (H Block) of the Westfield Crescent campus. This campus has now been completely demolished.
. The room is open to students in the lunch-break for revising, researching and homework. It is divided into four main sections which allows four classes to use the room at a single time.
set up by the Youth Sports Trust and the British Council
. In February 2008, two senior teachers from Malawi visited Westfield Sports College and an action plan was drawn up to share experiences between the two Sports Colleges in Mzuzu
, Malawi and Westfield Sports College.
Young Leader work, geography lessons, citizenship and global issues are to be shared through a sporting link. As the action plan rolls out, students at Westfield Sports College will correspond with Malawian students, share lessons via DVD and websites and compete in physical fitness competitions with the young leaders in Malawi. The link is to culminate at the 2012 Olympics. Photographs from the visit are being used in geography lessons. Two Westfield teachers paid a visit to Malawi in November to find out more about the colleges in Malawi. Pupils at Westfield School took part in the Xoolon Games day as part of their partnership with the Mzuzu Government School in Malawi. Pupils and staff plan to create a virtual competition between the schools using the Xoolon platform.
When 48 schools from across the Yorkshire
region competed in the Real Challenge event, held as part of National Enterprise Week (2007) in Leeds, Westfield School, won the prestigious title of regional champion for Yorkshire.
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...
in Sheffield
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
, South Yorkshire
South Yorkshire
South Yorkshire is a metropolitan county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It has a population of 1.29 million. It consists of four metropolitan boroughs: Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham, and City of Sheffield...
, 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 is a specialist
Specialist school
The specialist schools programme was a UK government initiative which encouraged secondary schools in England to specialise in certain areas of the curriculum to boost achievement. The Specialist Schools and Academies Trust was responsible for the delivery of the programme...
Sports College
Sports College
Sports Colleges were introduced in 1997 as part of the Specialist Schools Programme in the United Kingdom. The system enables secondary schools to specialise in certain fields, in this case, PE, sports and dance. Schools that successfully apply to the Specialist Schools Trust and become Sports...
. It serves an area on the south east edge of Sheffield where many people now work in service industries and where levels of prosperity range from above to below average.
Eckington Grammar School
Westfield Sports College is the successor to EckingtonEckington, Derbyshire
Eckington is a town in North East Derbyshire, 7 miles north of Chesterfield and 8.5 miles south of Sheffield on the border with South Yorkshire.Eckington has a population of 11,152....
County Secondary School which opened in 1930 in Halfway, which was then located in Derbyshire
Derbyshire
Derbyshire is a county in the East Midlands of England. A substantial portion of the Peak District National Park lies within Derbyshire. The northern part of Derbyshire overlaps with the Pennines, a famous chain of hills and mountains. The county contains within its boundary of approx...
. It became Eckington Grammar School in early 1940s.
Comprehensive school
Westfield Comprehensive School came into existence in 1957 as the first comprehensive school in Derbyshire. There were two sites, a new site on Westfield Crescent (53.33°N 1.36°W) in MosboroughMosborough
Mosborough ward — which includes the districts of Halfway, Mosborough village, Waterthorpe, and Westfield — is one of the 28 electoral wards in City of Sheffield, England. It is located in the eastern part of the city, on the border with Rotherham, and covers an area of 8.9 km2....
and the existing Eckington Grammar School, which became the Lower School. Frank Rollinson, who had been appointed headmaster of the Grammar School in 1953, oversaw its conversion into a comprehensive school.
In 1967 Sheffield
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
extended its administrative boundaries to include Mosborough. After peaking at just under 2000 in 1977, Westfield's roll declined in the 1980s and the Lower School at Halfway was demolished in 1989.
Today
Westfield School campus, on Westfield Crescent in Mosborough, was closed in December 2006 and the new modern building opened its doors in January 2007. Westfield Secondary School is one of four schools under the Sheffield Schools PFI3Private Finance Initiative
The private finance initiative is a way of creating "public–private partnerships" by funding public infrastructure projects with private capital...
project. Kier Managed Services Ltd were awarded the 25-year contract for the facilities management of the school, as part of the PFI project. The new school, situated on Eckington Road behind the Waterthorpe Supertram Stop in Sothall, is roughly two miles from its predecessor. On 1 May 2007, the new school campus was officially opened by Rt Hon Gordon Brown
Gordon Brown
James Gordon Brown is a British Labour Party politician who was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 until 2010. He previously served as Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Labour Government from 1997 to 2007...
MP, who, at the time, was Chancellor of the Exchequer. After releasing a net of balloons to mark the opening of the school, he spoke to students and answered questions about how he got into politics and whether or not he will be raising the pension scheme.
The new school building was designed around the 'W' shaped symbol of the school logo and consists of 6 wings across two levels for English, Mathematics, Humanities and Modern Foreign Languages.The school has dedicated accommodation for special educational needs and also includes an Integrated Resource Unit for students with moderate learning difficulties. The building also incorporates four fully fitted ICT rooms and the Science wing has 9 laboratories and a prep room. The Art and Technology departments include facilities for art, textiles, food, graphics and design technology. Performing arts have 2 music rooms fully equip with 12 keyboards and computers in each as well as a sound proof studio box and 2 performance rooms. The sports facilities include a 25m swimming pool, large sports hall, fitness suite, activity centre, all weather floodlit pitches and hard games courts. These are available to the public outside school hours. These sports facilities are used by the school daily, earning the school the status of sports college. Despite the new name 'Westfield Sports College,' the school has many other facilities to offer its students, including a residential centre, Greta Cottage, at Cliburn
Cliburn
Cliburn is a village and civil parish in the Eden District of Cumbria, England. The civil parish includes the hamlet of Town Head. In 2001 the population was 204.-History:...
in the Lake District
Lake District
The Lake District, also commonly known as The Lakes or Lakeland, is a mountainous region in North West England. A popular holiday destination, it is famous not only for its lakes and its mountains but also for its associations with the early 19th century poetry and writings of William Wordsworth...
, which is used by groups for both curriculum extension work and for adventurous outdoor activity.
On Monday 12 March 2007, a fire, which took more than 45 firefighters to put out, destroyed the woodwork block (H Block) of the Westfield Crescent campus. This campus has now been completely demolished.
Mega ICT Suite
Westfield sports college created an IT centre in 2008 consisting of 100 PCs, which replaced the existing school library. The new addition, known as the Mega ICT Suite, was officially opened in 2008 by Clinton WoodsClinton Woods
Clinton Woods , is a retired professional boxer from Sheffield, England. He is the former IBF, European, British, & Commonwealth light heavyweight champion....
. The room is open to students in the lunch-break for revising, researching and homework. It is divided into four main sections which allows four classes to use the room at a single time.
Medallist system
The school has a new revolutionary way to register students known as the medallist system. Each student and member of staff has an identification card. To register, each student passes the card over a reader on the wall of each class room. This action is called 'swiping in'. The cards are also used to pay for meals at the restaurant. Students and staff choose what they would like and 'swipe in' to a card reader. Then the vendor can charge them for the item they have bought. The cards have a medal on them, the medal colour tells which medal status they are. Only students have a medal status which begins at gold medal and goes down to a trainee depending on how many behaviour points a member of staff puts on each student's personal record. Only gold and silver medallists are allowed in certain places, such as the Mega ICT Suite and a special lunch queue.Links with Malawi
Westfield Sports College had a link with MalawiMalawi
The Republic of Malawi is a landlocked country in southeast Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland. It is bordered by Zambia to the northwest, Tanzania to the northeast, and Mozambique on the east, south and west. The country is separated from Tanzania and Mozambique by Lake Malawi. Its size...
set up by the Youth Sports Trust and the British Council
British Council
The British Council is a United Kingdom-based organisation specialising in international educational and cultural opportunities. It is registered as a charity both in England and Wales, and in Scotland...
. In February 2008, two senior teachers from Malawi visited Westfield Sports College and an action plan was drawn up to share experiences between the two Sports Colleges in Mzuzu
Mzuzu
Mzuzu is the capital of Malawi's Northern Region and is the third largest city, by population, in Malawi. The City has 128,432 residents plus 20,000 commuters with about 1.7 million people living around the outskirts of the city...
, Malawi and Westfield Sports College.
Young Leader work, geography lessons, citizenship and global issues are to be shared through a sporting link. As the action plan rolls out, students at Westfield Sports College will correspond with Malawian students, share lessons via DVD and websites and compete in physical fitness competitions with the young leaders in Malawi. The link is to culminate at the 2012 Olympics. Photographs from the visit are being used in geography lessons. Two Westfield teachers paid a visit to Malawi in November to find out more about the colleges in Malawi. Pupils at Westfield School took part in the Xoolon Games day as part of their partnership with the Mzuzu Government School in Malawi. Pupils and staff plan to create a virtual competition between the schools using the Xoolon platform.
Academic performance
At a 2009 Local Authority meeting it was identified that Westfield Sports College is the 3rd in the city for highest attendance. Like most secondary schools in Sheffield, it does not have a sixth form.When 48 schools from across the Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
region competed in the Real Challenge event, held as part of National Enterprise Week (2007) in Leeds, Westfield School, won the prestigious title of regional champion for Yorkshire.
Eckington Grammar School
- Air Vice-MarshalAir Vice-MarshalAir vice-marshal is a two-star air-officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force. The rank is also used by the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence and it is sometimes used as the English translation of an equivalent rank in...
Eric Plumtree CBOrder of the BathThe Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
OBEOrder of the British EmpireThe Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
DFCDistinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom)The Distinguished Flying Cross is a military decoration awarded to personnel of the United Kingdom's Royal Air Force and other services, and formerly to officers of other Commonwealth countries, for "an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying in active operations against...
became Station Commander RAF LeucharsRAF LeucharsRAF Leuchars is the most northerly air defence station in the United Kingdom. It is located in Leuchars, Fife, on the east coast of Scotland, near to the university town of St Andrews.-Operations:...
1959-61