Alun School

Alun School
Location
Mold, Flintshire, Wales
Information
School type	Community school
Founded	1967
Founder	David Leadbeater
Authority	Ofsted
Head teacher	Jane Cooper
Grades	Grade 1 - Grade 12
Enrolment	1800
Education system	British Curriculum

Alun School is a secondary school located in the community of Mold, Flintshire, Wales. It is part of the Flintshire LEA. It was formed in 1970 as a result of the merger of the Alun Grammar School and the Daniel Owen Secondary Modern School.

Some of the school's present buildings (Daniel Owen Building) date from 1938, the remainder being opened on the formation of the current comprehensive or built in the years since. In 1989 the roll stood at 1432, and in 1999 it was 1548. In January 2010 there were 1762 students with over 550 students in the Sixth Form and over 120 teachers. The main school is over-subscribed and the Sixth Form is the biggest Sixth Form in Wales and one of the biggest in the UK.

The most recent inspection of the school took place in March 2010 when it received the top grade (Grade 1) in all seven of the inspection categories. It was described as a "very good school with many outstanding features". The school has produced a summary booklet of headline quotes Inspection Booklet, and the full report of the inspection can be read at 2010 Inspection Report.

The school is sometimes known colloquially as Mold Alun, to distinguish it from the nearby Castell Alun secondary school in Hope.

Buildings

The Alun has many distinguishable buildings and areas. These include:

• Lloyd Parry Building containing Biology rooms, Library and the Reception
• Tower Block containing the G Floor (sixth form) L Floor(Computers) M Floor (Languages) and the T Floor (Humanities).
• Daniel Owen Building the Maths and English corridor's and the Daniel Owen Hall
• Central Block containing most of the Music, Art, Science, Drama and workshops, There is also a link between the Alun and Ysgol Maes Garmon .
• The Daniel Owen Gym and Dining block.
• Tennis courts, All-Terrain Pitch, Extensive Playing Fields
• Sports Centre (joint community use) including swimming pool, fitness suite, sports hall, gymnasium etc.
• (Lloyd Parry, tower block, Daniel Owen building, central block and drama are all connected)

Headteachers

Headteachers of Alun School / Alun County Secondary School / Alun Grammar School

• William Lloyd Parry (1880–1922) Founder of the School : A book is available from the school 'The Lloyd Parry Years' go to Alun School History
• Owen Hughes (1922–1941)
• Joseph Jones (1942–1958)
• Gareth Lloyd Jones (1958–1965)
• David Leadbeater (1965–1967)

Headteachers of Daniel Owen Secondary Modern School / Central School

• Harold Shaw (1939–1940)
• Ceriog Williams (1940–1967)

Headteachers of Alun School (became comprehensive in 1967 and moved to present site in November 1973)

• David Leadbeater (1967–1972)
• Ray (Gerry) German (1972–1974) (Dismissed)
• Wynne Williams (Acting Headteacher from Easter 1974 - Summer 1975)
• James Hanson (1975–1991)
• David Williams (1991–1997)
• Paul Mulraney (1997–2008)
• Ashley Jones (2008-2014)
• Jane Cooper (2014-date)

Notable alumni

Notable ex-students include:

• Matt Barbet - ITV Daybreak presenter
• Wade Barrett - wrestler
• Brooke Benjamin (1929-1995), FRS, Sedleian Professor of Natural Philosophy at Oxford
• Jonny Buckland - musician, Coldplay
• Nick Fenton - retired footballer, a former player for Manchester City; now a physiotherapist with Burton Albion
• Emma Jones - journalist
• David Dickinson - tv presenter
• Andy Nicholls - author, after dinner speaker, sports promoter and actor.
• Ken Skates - Labour Party politician, Member of the National Assembly for Wales and Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Infrastructure in the Welsh Government.
• Lee Radford - English rugby league coach
• Dave Snowden - lecturer, consultant, researcher

External links

• School Website