Woodlands Academy, Coventry
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| Established | 1954 |
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| Type | Academy |
| Headteacher | Mr Neil Charlton |
| Specialism | Sports College |
| Location | Broad Lane Coventry West Midlands CV5 7FF England |
| Local authority | Coventry City Council |
| DfE URN | 137165 |
| Ofsted | Reports |
| Students | 1,011 (approx.) |
| Gender | Boys only |
| Ages | 11–18 |
| Houses | 6 |
| Website | Official website |
Coordinates: 52°24′46″N 1°35′29″W / 52.41279°N 1.59125°W
Woodlands Academy (formerly The Woodlands School and Sports College) is a boys secondary school with academy status situated in west Coventry in the West Midlands, England. The school was purpose-built in 1954 as one of the first comprehensive schools in the country, by the collaboration of two local educational establishments, Templars School and Coventry Technical College. It opened on the morning of 21 September 1954.[1] Historic links to these two can be seen in The Woodlands School coat of arms. Pupils are aged between 11 to 18. It has remained a boys school; girls go to the nearby Tile Hill Wood School. In 2003, the school was awarded specialist status as a Sports College.[1]
In the main building there is a copy of the Guernica painting, which illustrates a stylised view of the 1937 Bombing of Guernica in Basque Spain by German and Italian bombers in the Spanish Civil War, in which the artist Pablo Picasso clearly expressed his abhorrence to the military suppression of the Spanish people.[2]
In 2003, Woodlands School adopted a new system where all the pupils take their SATs and GCSEs a year early compared to most other secondary schools in England. The percentage of pupils gaining five grade A*-C GCSEs rose from 36% in 2007 to 61.7% in 2008. This has led to them now being ranked the fifth most successful comprehensive in the city.[3]
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[edit] Houses
The school makes use of the house system and every pupil being registered into one of them. They have assemblies and eat lunch in the house rooms, along with all of the other year groups in the house.[4] Initially a total of eight houses were established with another two following in 1956. They were named after famous citizens of Coventry. The school now has six houses. Out of the original ten houses, five of the houses were closed in the 1980s, and Thompson and West are additions named after two former head teachers of the school.[1]
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Original ten houses
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Current six houses
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[edit] Sixth form
The schools shares its sixth form facilities with Tile Hill Wood Girls School, forming West Coventry Sixth Form.[5]
[edit] Former pupils
- Tony Clarke (born 1941, died 2010), one of music’s pioneering producers of the late sixties and seventies and known as ‘the sixth Moody Blue’ Perhaps his most famous creation was "Nights in White Satin".
- David Moorcroft (born 1953), athlete .
- Neil Back (born 1969), rugby union player who has played for the English national team.
- Danny Grewcock (born 1972), rugby union player who has played for the English national team.
- Tom Wood (born 1986), rugby union player, currently playing for Northampton Saints and the English national team.
[edit] References
- ^ a b c "The History of The Woodlands School ~ 1954-2004". The Woodlands School. http://www.thewoodlandsschool.org/si_history.html. Retrieved 2009-12-28.[dead link]
- ^ Colm Tóibín (2006-04-29). "The Art of War". The Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,,1764206,00.html. Retrieved 2007-10-02.
- ^ Lucy Lynch (2009-03-12). "Woodlands' exam improvements 'staggering' say Ofsted inspectors". Coventry Telegraph. http://cv5.coventrytelegraph.net/2009/03/by-lucy-lynch-exam-results.html. Retrieved 2009-12-28.
- ^ "Introduction". The Woodlands School. http://thewoodlandsschool.org/si_introduction.html. Retrieved 2009-12-28.[dead link]
- ^ [1]
[edit] External links
- Map sources for Woodlands Academy, Coventry
- School Website
- Website Archives
