Tewkesbury School

Tewkesbury School is a secondary school in the English town of Tewkesbury in Gloucestershire. Since 2012 the Head Teacher has been Gary Watson. On 1 January 2012, Tewkesbury School became an academy.

Tewkesbury School
Address
Ashchurch Road

Tewkesbury
,
Gloucestershire
,
GL20 8DF

England
Coordinates51°59′46″N 2°07′56″W
Information
TypeAcademy
MottoExpecting and achieving success
Establishedc. 1972
Department for Education URN137752 Tables
OfstedReports
Chair of GovernorsSteve Hawkins
Head TeacherGary Watson
GenderCoeducational
Age11 to 18
Enrolment1400
HousesBronte; Brunel; Elgar; Hodgkin; Keller; Priestley;
Websitehttp://www.tewkesburyschool.org

History

The school was the product of the decision taken in 1969 to make Tewkesbury switch to comprehensive secondary education.

Formerly Tewkesbury had had four secondary schools:

  • the Grammar School for Boys, located at Southwick Park to the south of the town[1] (later offices of the Severn-Trent Water Authority's Lower Severn Division, after that Equinox Maintenance Limited and now Cambian Southwick Park School - a residential school for autistic pupils)[2]
  • the Grammar School for Girls, known as the "High School", in Church Street (later the Abbey School, now private premises under development)
  • the Secondary Modern School for Boys in Chance Street (now the C of E Primary School) and
  • Elmbury Secondary Modern School for Girls, a modern premises on the Ashchurch Road, opened in 1960.[3]

It was the latter whose buildings were chosen to form the nucleus of a new Tewkesbury Comprehensive School, with all of the town's secondary education being concentrated on the one site, and the former schools closing.

After a major building programme, enlarging the old Elmbury School to several times its original size, the new comprehensive, known as Tewkesbury School, was opened on 5 September 1972 with about 1,200 pupils on its books, and John C. Faull as its first Head Teacher.

A couple of months later, on Thursday 16 November 1972, the official opening took place, performed by Professor Dorothy Hodgkin (1910–1994), Chancellor of the University of Bristol from 1970 till 1988, winner of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1964 and the Copley Medal from the Royal Society in 1976.[4]

Present day

The school has gained both Sportsmark and Artsmark awards, whilst also qualifying as an Investor in People.

The School canteen has seen many different changes over the years, currently Aramark.[5]

From 2013-2016 the school was listed as "Requires Improvement" after several Ofsted inspections.[6] The most re[7] cent inspection in 2016 saw the school improve to a "Good" rating, but was noted as having "uninspiring teaching" and "the level of persistent absence is too high".

A sled used as part of the famous Antarctic expedition to the South Pole by Captain Robert Falcon Scott and his team, formerly on display in the former Boys' Grammar School's dining hall, is housed in the Humanities building at Tewkesbury School due to the school's links with Dr. Edward Adrian Wilson. The sled had been donated to the Grammar School by Sir Raymond Priestley who was born in Tewkesbury and who participated in the Antarctic Expeditions of Shackleton and Scott.[8]

In July 2011 John Reilly resigned from headteacher to be replaced by Martin McLeman as interim headteacher. In July 2011 it was announced that Gary Watson, formerly Headteacher at Maidenhill School, Stroud, would take over the position from January 2012.

Notable former pupils

References
  1. "History of the School". The Old Theocsbrians Society. Archived from the original on 5 September 2018. Retrieved 23 August 2020.
  2. Jenkins, Robin (23 April 2018). "School to close just five years after taking first pupils and following £9million investment". Gloucestershire Live. Archived from the original on 23 August 2020. Retrieved 23 August 2020.
  3. "The borough of Tewkesbury: Schools Pages 165-167 A History of the County of Gloucester: Volume 8". British History Online. Victoria County History. Archived from the original on 21 July 2020. Retrieved 23 August 2020.
  4. "Hodgkin". Tewkesbury School. Archived from the original on 21 April 2018. Retrieved 23 August 2020.
  5. "School Catering". Tewkesbury School. Archived from the original on 3 April 2018. Retrieved 23 August 2020.
  6. "Tewkesbury School Activity, reports and ratings". Ofsted. Archived from the original on 23 August 2020. Retrieved 23 August 2020.
  7. "Tewkesbury School 2016 Inspection". Ofsted. Archived from the original on 20 July 2020. Retrieved 23 August 2020.
  8. "Tewkesbury Town Guide". Tewkesbury Town Council. p. 34. Archived from the original on 11 June 2012. Retrieved 23 August 2020.
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