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Marlborough School, Woodstock

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The Marlborough School
File:Marllogo.gif
Address
Map
Shipton Road

Woodstock
,
Oxfordshire

England England
Information
TypeState Comprehensive
Religious affiliation(s)Anglican Christian
Established1939
Local authorityOxfordshire County Council
SpecialistBusiness and Enterprise
GenderCo-educational
Age11 to 18
Enrollment1,032
Colour(s)Navy & White    
PublicationMarlborough News
Former pupilsMarlboroughites
Websitehttp://www.marlborough.oxon.sch.uk/


The Marlborough School (not to be confused with Marlborough College, the Wiltshire fee-paying school) is a co-educational Church of England comprehensive school serving the historic Oxfordshire market town of Woodstock and its surrounding villages. The school takes its name from the Duke of Marlborough whose ancestral home, Blenheim Palace, is in Woodstock. The school currently enrolls over a thousand pupils and its head teacher is Mrs. Julie Fenn. The school is approximately six miles from the City of Oxford. The school is known for its innovation and was ranked in 2006 by The Times as both one of the top 500 state secondary schools and one of the top state schools for A level success.

Ex-pupils have created a 600+ strong Marlborough School Survivors' group on Facebook.com.

History

WW2 to the 1970s

Although Geoffrey Chaucer once taught at a school in Woodstock and, in the 16th century, the town had its own Free Grammar School, The Marlborough School was opened in 1939 by the Lord Bishop of Dorchester, suffragan bishop of the Anglican diocese of Oxford. The original school was built as a single building which has become known as the main block, and by the main door is the foundation stone bearing the details of its opening.

After the war pre-fabricated ex-army barracks were erected at the west end of the site. At various times these were used for home-economics teaching and as a sixth form block.

Additional class rooms for music and for science and technology teaching together with a library and canteen were erected in the 1970's. The interior of the main block has been remodelled extensively over the years.

1970s-1990s

The school suffered particularly badly from the underfunding of English state education in the 1980s and 1990s. The entire Foreign Language department and some parts of the English and Science departments were based in temporary porta-cabin classrooms situated on the east of the site. The largest of these, "the battleship" erected in the late 1990s has only recently been replaced.

From the 1970s through to the 1990s, the school had a reputation as a progressive comprehensive, with a focus on teaching how to learn and how to socialise (which it did with varying degrees of success). Former headmaster, Mr. Jerry O'Hagan, could have been said to have been ahead of his time when he favoured CSEs over GCE '0' level exams as he prioritized cumulative and cooperative learning over competition; the two examinations have since been combined to form the modern GCSE.

Unfortunately, the emphasis on CSEs left many school-leavers from this era at a disadvantage and was a contributing factor to the school's GCE underperformance. During this time, O'Hagan and his staff foresaw a future where technology would replace many manual jobs and create increased leisure time, so sports, hobbies and, to an extent, community service were encouraged.

Nonetheless, the school maintained a strong sixth form programme whose pupils have attended some of the country's top universities, including Oxbridge.

Ed McConnell, head-teacher in the 1990s and early 2000s began his tenure by increasing the emphasis on the importance of exams. By the late 1990s, GCSE results became nationally competitive, although the school still suffered from middle-class flight to the Cherwell School in Oxford (also a comprehensive) and to private schools in Oxford.

Starting in the late 1990s, new language, mathematics and sixth form blocks were built to complement the existing science, music, library/cafeteria buildings and sports hall.

21st century

At the start of the 21st century the Marlborough has improved its reputation in A-level examinations. In 2005 and 2006, the school was ranked in The Times "Parent Power Top State Schools" list.

The Marlborough acquired the status of a Business and Enterprise school under New Labour's specialist school programme.

In 2006, plans were unveiled for a new £1m multi-purpose school building with a theatre, cinema and conference venue proposed as future uses. This building, the Marlborough Enterprise Centre, opened in early 2007 and saw a student-led production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat in July of the same year.

Elective System

The school has a popular "elective" afternoon every Wednesday for every pupil. This scheme was launched in the mid 1980's and originally took place every school day afternoon. Students choose, on a termly basis from a list of around 30 activities which vary from 5-a-side football or cookery to the Schools In Action project and coursework assistance for Key stage 4 pupils who require it.

Ormerod Department

A particular feature of the Marlborough is an embedded unit from the Ormerod school which allows children in Oxfordshire with disabilities to be educated in a mainstream secondary school. On 1st September 2007 the two schools merged into one.

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