Kingsmead School, Hednesford
| Kingsmead School | |
|---|---|
| Address | |
 | |
Kings Avenue , , WS12 1DH England | |
| Coordinates | 52°42′08″N 1°59′42″W / 52.7023°N 1.99513°W |
| Information | |
| Type | Academy |
| Established | 1938 |
| Local authority | Staffordshire |
| Department for Education URN | 142313 Tables |
| Ofsted | Reports |
| Headteacher | Maria Mincher |
| Gender | Coeducational |
| Age | 11 to 18 |
| Enrolment | 1'122 |
| Houses | 4 Drakon, Phoenix, Gryphon, Pegasus |
| Colour(s) | orange, green, blue, purple, |
| Website | http://www.kingsmeadschool.net/ |
Kingsmead School is a coeducational secondary school and sixth form. Established in 1938, it is in Hednesford, Staffordshire, England.
History
[edit]Since its establishment in 1938, the school has had several name changes.[1] Originally it was known as Littleworth School. In the early days there were separate boys' and girls' schools. During World War II, the school accommodated children who had been evacuated.[2]
Subsequently, the title changed to Kingsmead Comprehensive School and then to Kingsmead High School. It was renamed Kingsmead Technology College when it became a specialist school in 2002.[3]
The school was one of those selected in 2004 to test out a new Geography GCSE aimed at moving away from learning facts to understanding the big issues.[4] Also in 2004 the then headteacher Julia Almond was appointed as Staffordshire's new deputy education director.[5]
A student and teacher exchange programme were introduced in 1999 with teacher exchange visits with two Zambian schools – Helen Kaunda High School and Mukuba High School in Kitwe. This started a series of partnerships between Zambian and UK schools and there are now over 30 such school partnerships. Students from Kingsmead paid a visit to the Kitwe schools in 2005.[6]
An investigation was held in September 2006 after leaflets promoting a series of 'adult' club nights for 11- to 16-year-olds, at Cannock's Civic Suite, were distributed outside the school.[7]
Academic standards
[edit]Absenteeism, authorised and unauthorised, is below both the local and national average by about a quarter.[8]
In their report following the January 2006 inspection Ofsted rated the school as Satisfactory, point three on a four-point scale.[3] In a special visit, in October 2007, to look at the provision of Religious Education, overall effectiveness for this subject was considered to be Good.[9]
In 2015, OFSTED rated Kingsmead school Good. In 2018, OFSTED rated Kingsmead School Requires improvement.
Sport
[edit]In April 1998, it was announced that a gymnasium would be built at the school to serve the whole of the West Midlands.[10]
In September 2003, the school received £60,000 of lottery cash to improve the surfaces of its playing fields.[11]
Extracurricular activities
[edit]The school performed Macbeth on 3 July 2005 at The Prince of Wales Centre in Cannock as part of the nationwide Shakespeare festival organised by the BBC.[12]
Awards
[edit]The school has obtained Investor in People status.[13]
Notable former pupils
[edit]- Glamour model Jakki Degg was voted the nation's favourite Page 3 model and has also appeared on television shows including Fear Factor and The Weakest Link.
- Chris Overton played the Young Phantom in Joel Schumacher's 2004 The Phantom of the Opera.[14] He subsequently took the part of Noah Claypole in Roman Polanski's 2005 remake of Oliver Twist.[15]
- Liam McAlinden is a footballer for Wrexham A.F.C.
- Hannah Hampton, professional footballer for Aston Villa and the England national football team.
- Lily Walker, professional Hockey player for Great Britain Hockey and winner of Gold Medal in the 2022 Commonwealth Games - Birmingham
References
[edit]- ^ "About Us" Archived 7 February 2006 at the Wayback Machine, Kingsmead Technology College, accessed 13 December 2007
- ^ "Memories of evacuation and Bevin Boy War Service", BBC, 8 December 2005
- ^ a b "Kingsmead Technology College"[permanent dead link], Ofsted, 20 February 2006
- ^ "Geography teachers urged to inspire pupils", Matthew Taylor, The Guardian, 25 November 2004
- ^ "Almond delight", Birmingham Evening Mail, 10 June 2004
- ^ "Zambia/UK student partnerships fostering multi-cultural relations" Archived 12 November 2005 at the Wayback Machine, Gethsemane Mwizabi, Times of Zambia, 2005
- ^ "Explicit flyers given to children", BBC News, 22 September 2006
- ^ "Kingsmead Technology College", BBC News, 11 January 2007
- ^ "Ofsted survey inspection programme – Religious Education"[permanent dead link], Ofsted, 18 October 2007
- ^ "School gets gym for region", Birmingham Evening Mail, 14 April 1998
- ^ "Schools' £5m sports cash award", BBC News, 16 December 2003
- ^ "Pupils' Shakespeare treat", Birmingham Evening Mail, 2 June 2005
- ^ "Home" Archived 9 October 2007 at the Wayback Machine, Kingsmead Technology College, accessed 13 December 2007
- ^ "Chris Overton", IMDb
- ^ "Chris is Aiming for the Stars; Boy wins film role", Lisa McCarthy, Birmingham Evening Mail, 16 July 2004
