Wales High School
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| Motto | Humble et Loyal |
|---|---|
| Established | 1970 |
| Headteacher | Mr. J. Day (Retiring - Summer 2012) |
| Chair of Governors | Mr J Beeston |
| Specialism | Business and Enterprise (Operational) |
| Location | Storth Lane Kiveton Park Rotherham South Yorkshire S26 5QQ England |
| Local authority | Rotherham |
| DfE URN | 106961 |
| Ofsted | Reports |
| Students | 1,600, 350 of whom in 6th form (2011) |
| Gender | Co-educational |
| Ages | 11–18 |
| Houses | Busli, Mortain, Rollo and Warenne |
| Colours | Blue, Gold and Silver |
| Parents' Association | 'Friends of Wales High School' |
| Adopted Charity | Barnardo's |
| Website | www.waleshigh.com |
Coordinates: 53°20′37″N 1°16′25″W / 53.343519°N 1.273749°W
Wales High School is an academy for 11–18 year olds, located in Kiveton, near Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England. Opened in 1970, the school provides education for its many connecting villages. Kiveton Park, Harthill, Todwick, Wales, Thurcroft and South Anston are the major villages which rely on Wales High School to educate their children. Despite being located in the Metropolitan Borough of Rotherham, the school is sometimes erroneously classed as being in Sheffield, yet it also has a Worksop telephone code. There is often confusion around the fact that the school is not in the country of Wales, nor is it in the small neighbouring village of Wales, South Yorkshire, which is less than a mile away. It is in fact situated in Kiveton Park. It specialises in Business and Enterprise. In 2006, the school underwent their Ofsted inspection, in which they achieved the title of "Outstanding", relating to the whole school. To improve the school even more so, Ofsted suggested that the school made sure all of the teaching was up to "Outstanding" standards. The sixth form was the weak section of the inspection, Ofsted suggested that they improve this by raising the achievements of the sixth form. Following outstanding ofsted reports the school is now an academy.[citation needed]
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[edit] Traditions
Wales High is seen as a school with traditional values, with procedures which take place each year. The following are important aspects of the school:
- Every four years the school holds a sponsored walk to try and raise money for the school.
- Full School Assembly: affectionately known as the 'Full School Squash' by students and staff alike. The assembly takes place four times a year with yearly opening and closing assemblies, where the bell is rung to mark the beginning and ending of a school year, as well as an Easter assembly in April and a Christmas assembly. Every member of the school is expected at these formal assemblies, in which important news is delivered, certificates and awards are presented, and special guests are invited. Musical items are often delivered throughout the course of these assemblies.
- The Plough: a model plough held in a glass case, representing Year 7 diligence. Each term, the tutor with the highest diligence score are presented with the plough.
- Houses and the Dragon: Busli (Blue), Mortain (Black), Rollo (White) and Warenne (Yellow). Busli after Roger de Busli, Warenne after William de Warenne, Mortain after another of William the Conqueror's Knights, and Rollo was his family name. Each student is assigned a house upon entering the school, which is an important part of the school's community. Students are provided with sports kit with their specific house colours, which is to be worn in P.E. lessons and house sporting events. Numerous house events are competed in, such as football, rugby, tennis, cross country and netball, as well as other non-sporting activities such as chess, drama and art. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the Dragon, a golden dragon statue in a glass case. The dragon is then engraved with the year and the winning house respectively.
- The Sixth Form Rugby Match: Each year, the sixth form compete for The Headmasters Trophy. Year 12 play Year 13 annually in a match that is watched by all the school on a Wednesday afternoon during the 2nd term. The 2008 match took place on 19 March, and was won by the Year 13s. The scoreline was 13-0 to the upper sixth, but was not an accurate reflection of how tight a game it was.
[edit] Famous pupils
- James Toseland - The World Superbike Champion, winning the title in both 2004 and 2007.[citation needed]
- Daz Ward-1995 Embassy World Pool Champion(8ball)
- Ryan Sampson - In the BBC TV programme After You've Gone as "Alex". Sampson also does theatre and has been involved in other TV work, such as Doctor Who, playing the child genius Luke Rattigan in "The Sontaran Stratagem" and "The Poison Sky" in 2008.
- Darren Bennett - Features on BBC's Strictly Come Dancing who partnered with Lynda Bellingham in the latest series.
- Rebecca Taylor - Member of the folk-pop band Slow Club
[edit] Recent refurbishment
The school has undergone recent renovation work, costing millions of pounds[citation needed]. The 13 science department laboratories underwent a total revamp in around 2003. Around this time, the tower block received a new white-stone facade that covers the previous grey stone walls.
In 2006, the Food Studies department rooms FS1 and FS2 were re-fitted with new appliances and units, bringing the kitchens up-to-date.
Facilities for disabled students are continuously improving, with wheelchair access now provided to almost every part of the school, including the P.E. department, where an elevator is installed to take passengers up to higher ground, where before it was impossible to do so.
The Sixth Form area has just undergone serious changes, making more space for an extended common room and renovating the study room across from the library to include personal, partitioned workspaces.
On 3 July 2010 work began on a mural of recently deceased popstar Michael Jackson in the Sixth Form common room as a tribute to his life and music.[citation needed]
