St Mary Redcliffe and Temple School
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| Motto | A Christian Community Committed To Excellence |
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| Established | 1571 |
| Type | Secondary Voluntary aided |
| Religion | Church of England |
| Headteacher | Elisabeth Gilpin |
| Location | Somerset Square Bristol BS1 6RT England Coordinates: 51°26′47″N 2°35′17″W / 51.4464°N 2.5880°W |
| DfE number | 801/4603 |
| DfE URN | 109327 Tables |
| Ofsted | Reports |
| Capacity | 1,361[citation needed] |
| Students | 1,509 as of January 2012[update][1] |
| Gender | Mixed |
| Ages | 11–18 |
| Website | smrt.bristol.sch.uk |
St Mary Redcliffe and Temple School (informally referred to as 'St Mary Redcliffe', 'Redcliffe' or 'SMRT') is a Church of England voluntary aided school situated in the district of Redcliffe, Bristol, England. It provides education for approximately 1,500 students aged 11 to 18. The headteacher is Elisabeth Gilpin and the Director of Sixth Form is Richard Wheeler.
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History[edit]
On receiving an Elizabethan Royal Charter in 1571, St Mary Redcliffe School began in a building outside the south porch of St Mary Redcliffe Church (near the present-day war memorial), before moving to the Lady Chapel inside the church. Formerly termed a 'Free Grammar School',[2] The old school occupied a site on east side of Redcliffe Hill in a mixture of individual buildings of varying age. It was a boys only school until it merged with Temple Colston (Girls) School (founded 1709) in 1966 when a new school was built to replace the aging old schools, creating the co-educational 'St Mary Redcliffe and Temple school', which moved to its present site next to Somerset Square the following year.
The school's two mottos are "Steadfast in Faith" (historic) and "A Christian Community Committed To Excellence" (modern). Both reflect the partnership with St Mary Redcliffe Church, and also the official faith of the school. The earlier Redcliffe (boys) School used the motto "Prayer, Practice, Perseverance and Punctuality", known as the 4 P's.
In 1997, to celebrate the 500th anniversary of John Cabot's discovery of mainland America, SMRT students were invited to follow the progress of a replica of Cabot's ship, which the BBC filmed as it recreated the voyage of the Matthew from the area in which it was built.
In 2008, the school was awarded funding for a substantial rebuild of its main site, under the government's Building schools for the future programme.[3] The construction company Skanska began work on 1 May 2009[4] and the new school was formally opened to students on 5 November 2010.[5] Over the course of the 18 months much of the existing site was demolished, with new facilities being built to house science, mathematics, English, design technology, music, art photography and physical education.[5]
Teaching and learning[edit]
SMRT has over 1,500 students, including approximately 450 in the Sixth Form (Years 12-13).[6]
GCSE and 'A' level examination results are generally above the national average.[7] As well as achieving 'Specialist Humanities College' status,[8] SMRT became a Beacon School in 2000,[9] and has also been part of the 'Excellence in Cities' scheme, incorporating 'Gifted & Talented' programmes.[citation needed]
Academic achievement[edit]
The table below shows the percentage of students achieving the government's target of 5 A*-C including English and Mathematics.[10]
| 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 76% | 70% | 77% | 68% |
Sixth Form[edit]
Until 2005 SMRT's sixth-form shared the main premises with the rest of the school. The Redcliffe Sixth Form Centre, first opened in 2004, and is based in separate facilities on Redcliffe Hill. However, some sixth-form lessons still take place in the main school.
School life[edit]
Houses[edit]
SMRT has five houses. On entry to SMRT in Year 7, students join James House (for a number of years located at Boot Lane, in nearby Bedminster), which is comprised solely of first year students; from year 8 they are placed in one of the main four houses: Canynges (yellow), Cartwright (blue), Colston (red) and Francombe (green). The house names refer to notable civic dignitaries, ecclesiastical benefactors and local educational pioneers.
School uniform[edit]
The school requires school uniform for all pupils except those in the sixth form. The uniform is a black blazer, white shirt, black shoes, trousers and socks, and school tie (which displays the SMRT logo); girls are entitled to wear skirts or trousers.[11]
Facilities[edit]
Academic subjects are taught either in the Main school Building or the Temple Colston Building (opened 1987). SMRT's on-site sports facilities include an indoor swimming pool, gym and basketball courts; and outdoor astroturf 'arena' and hard-courts. The Old Redcliffians fields in Brislington are regularly being used for football and rugby.
Traditional Events[edit]
Annual events include House Eucharists, beginning and end of year services, an Ascension Day Eucharist, the Redcliffe Community Summer Fete, a Christmas carol service, and the annual Colston Day service; in which all students (invited to attend) are given the traditional Colston bun.
Admissions[edit]
As the only Church of England secondary school in the Diocese of Bristol,[12] SMRT differs from most comprehensive state schools, in that entry is not restricted by catchment area; the school serves both the city and the outlying communities of Greater Bristol, for which there are no alternative Church of England schools. It selects students on a range of criteria including Church attendance, distance the student lives from school and if they have siblings who already attend the school. However, the school's administration also includes a small number of places for which no church link is required, which are intended for either those who are members of non-Christian religions, or who live within 500 metres of the school.[13]
Within the student body, 10% of students have a language other than English as their first language, and 8% are eligible for free school meals.[14]
Notable alumni[edit]
- Paul Potts, singer [15]
- Beth Rowley, Singer-Songwriter [16]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ "Government enrollment records". Retrieved 6 February 2013.
- ^ Library History Database: http://www.r-alston.co.uk/school.htm
- ^ "£100 million to transform Bristol schools". Bristol Post. This is Bristol. Retrieved 24 August 2012.
- ^ Evening Post. "Bristol secondary schools start being modernised". The Bristol Post. Northcliffe Media Limited. Retrieved 24 August 2012.
- ^ a b Evening Post. "New building highlights school's bright future". Bristol Post. Northcliffe Media Limited. Retrieved 24 August 2012.
- ^ "Vacancies". Retrieved 2 May 2011.
- ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/bsp/hi/education/06/school_tables/secondary_schools/html/801_4603.stm School average compared with LEA and National averages from the BBC
- ^ "Ofsted inspection report - specialist humanities". Retrieved 7 February 2013.
- ^ "Schools net - beacon status". Retrieved 7 February 2013.
- ^ http://www.education.gov.uk/cgi-bin/schools/performance/school.pl?urn=109327 St Mary Redcliffe and Temple School
- ^ "Uniform reference". Retrieved 6 February 2013.
- ^ "Bristol educational partnership". Retrieved 7 February 2013.
- ^ "School Admission policy". Retrieved 7 February 2013.
- ^ "School Performance data". Retrieved 7 February 2013.
- ^ "Opera star Paul Potts backs new concert arena for Bristol".
- ^ "Beth Rowley Colston Hall 10/10". 23 July 2012. Retrieved 7 December 2012.
External links[edit]
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