The Bewdley School

The Bewdley School is a foundation secondary school and sixth form in Bewdley, serving north-west Worcestershire, England. Its campus is very close to the River Severn and lies on the border of the Wyre Forest national nature reserve. The school is an educational research partner of the University of Worcester and University of Birmingham and is recognised for its focus on international and cultural education, and hosted the 2019 Global Happiness Conference in partnership with the British Council.[3]

The Bewdley School
Address
Stourport Road

Bewdley
,
Worcestershire
,
DY12 1BL

England
Coordinates52.3717°N 2.3056°W / 52.3717; -2.3056
Information
Former namesBewdley County Secondary school; Bewdley High School and The Bewdley School and Sixth form centre
TypeFoundation comprehensive
MottoLearning for life, achievement for all
Established1956, 1972, 2007
Local authorityWorcestershire County Council
SpecialistArts
Department for Education URN135035 Tables
OfstedReports
Chair of governorsDerek Haskins[1]
Head teacherMr David Hadley-Pryce[2]
GenderMixed
Age11 to 19
Enrolment990
HousesRibbesford, Baldwin, Severn
Colour(s)Black, white and blue
Websitewww.bewdley.worcs.sch.uk

History

The school has its origins in The Bewdley Grammar School on Lax Lane, which closed in the 1800s. The former grammar school is now home to a yoga studio and the Bewdley brewery.[4] After the closure of Bewdley Grammar School, Bewdley County Secondary School was built on the opposite side of the river in 1956 with new buildings. It was opened by Sir. Chad Woodward.[5] In 1972, the area adopted a three-tier system, and the school became Bewdley High School.[6] When the area returned to a two-tier system in 2007, the High School was amalgamated with the two local middle schools to form The Bewdley School as a new secondary school, following extensive building work and landscaping, with new facilities for the arts, science, humanities and outdoor learning.[7]

Former Logo of the school

Headteachers

Charles Goodyear 1955-1968[8]

Jack Harris 1968-1987[8]

Margaret Griffiths 1987-2002[8]

David Derbyshire 2002-2007[8]

Julie Reilly 2007-2016 [9]

David Hadley-Pryce 2016–present [10]

Present day
The Bewdley School Entrance

The Bewdley School is made up of six teaching buildings. (A-E) The school was listed as one of the schools to be rebuilt through the Building Schools for the Future project which was scrapped in 2010. However, the school has seen many new buildings and improvements since the scrapping of the scheme. In 2006, a new art and technology college facility was built in celebration of their 50th anniversary, at a cost of £1.8 million. The school's largest building block (E) was constructed by Yorkon in 2007, and cost £2.5 million to build.[11] In 2014, the school was awarded a third building grant to build a new state of the art science building (D), costing £2.8 million.[12]

Bewdley Sixth Form

Bewdley Sixth Form is also part of The Bewdley School, offering GCSE, BTEC and A-Level courses.[13] The sixth form is growing yearly, and in 2018 was the largest Sixth Form in the Wyre Forest District.[14] Bewdley Sixth Form is consistently high performing at A-Level, with students often gaining places at top Russell Group UK universities.[15]

In 2020, Bewdley Sixth Form was extensively rebuilt and modernized, including the development of a lecture theatre, sixth form cafe and study room.[16][17][18]

Partnerships

The school is partnered with the University of Worcester for teacher training and further educational research. The University of Birmingham's School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences works closely with The Bewdley School through their ongoing Encompass project.[19][20] In September 2009, The Bewdley School gained Specialist Art college status via accreditation from Arts Council England. This specialism was later awarded the Arts Mark Gold Award for excellent practice amongst the department.[21]

Results

In 2019, the school achieved 72% of students achieving 5+ GCSE's including English at Maths at grade 4 or above.[22] At Bewdley Sixth Form, 20 of the 21 subjects achieved 100% pass rates at A-Level with 96% of university applicants being successful.[23][24]

The Bewdley School - Arts & Technology

The school was inspected by Ofsted in September 2019 under their new framework, and found the school to be consistently Good.[25] The school has held a 'Good' rating from Ofsted since 2012.[26]

House System

The school has three distinct student houses, each made up of two tutor groups each. The houses were named after historical connections to the town of Bewdley.

  Baldwin - Named after Stanley Baldwin, three times Prime Minister. Stanley Baldwin, as Member of Parliament for Bewdley, is the only British premier to have served under three monarchs (George V, Edward VIII, and George VI).

  Ribbesford - Named after Ribbesford House. The estate dates from the 11th century (Anglo-Saxon Charter). In 1074 the estate was presented to Ralph de Mortimer in recognition of his services to William of Normandy. It remained in the Mortimer family for many centuries.

  Severn - Named after the River Severn. The river is about 220 miles long and is considered to be the longest in the United Kingdom. It rises from the Welsh mountains to the Atlantic Ocean at Bristol and it has historically been a route for trade and central to the growth of Bewdley as a market town over the last 500 years.[27]

Awards

In May 2019, the school won Secondary School of the Year in the county of Worcesterhire, and was a finalist alongside Bishop Perowne Church of England College, St Augustine's High School, Redditch and Bowbrook House School.[28]

Notable alumni

References
  1. "Governors". The Bewdley School. Retrieved 30 July 2018.
  2. "Newsletters & Archive". The Bewdley School. Retrieved 30 July 2018.
  3. "Making friends with students from other cultures". BBC News.
  4. "Bewdley Brewery".
  5. A plaque in the schools main building is in his name.
  6. "Alumni".
  7. "Wyre Forest Schools Review". Worcestershire County Council. Archived from the original on 20 February 2009. Retrieved 5 May 2009.
  8. "The Bewdley School Old Website". Bewdley High School.
  9. https://www.kidderminstershuttle.co.uk/news/910722.we-quit/
  10. https://www.bewdley.worcs.sch.uk/heads-welcome-and-blogs/
  11. https://www.yorkpress.co.uk/business/news/1416407.eco-module/
  12. https://wakemans.com/bewdley-school-new-science-block
  14. "All schools and colleges in Worcestershire - GOV.UK". Find and compare schools in England.
  15. https://www.kidderminstershuttle.co.uk/news/17838768.a-level-results-2019---live-coverage/
  16. https://www.bewdley.worcs.sch.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/BEWDLEY-SIXTH-FORM-PROSPECTUS-2020.pdf
  17. https://www.witleyjones.com/blog/bewdley-school-sixth-form-cafe/
  18. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jOxxVPAd3YM&t=199s
  19. "'ENCOMPASS' project launched as part of sector-changing public engagement programme funded by NERC". www.birmingham.ac.uk.
  20. "Partnerships".
  21. "Bewdley school earns arts education award". 22 June 2010. Retrieved 30 July 2018.
  22. "GCSE results 2019". Kidderminster Shuttle.
  23. School, The Bewdley (22 August 2019). "The Bewdley School students celebrate exceptional GCSE results!".
  24. School, The Bewdley (15 August 2019). "Another great year for A level results at Bewdley Sixth Form!".
  26. [email protected], Ofsted Communications Team (16 October 2019). "Find an inspection report and registered childcare". reports.ofsted.gov.uk.
  27. "House System".
  28. "Bewdley school named secondary school of the year". Kidderminster Shuttle.
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