Avon Valley Academy is a mixed

secondary school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' secondary education, lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) ...

in Durrington, Wiltshire, England. Earlier in its history it has been known as Durrington Senior School, Durrington Secondary Modern School, Durrington Comprehensive School, Upper Avon School and then Avon Valley College.

History

The school was established in 1922 on a site in Bulford Road, and in 1944 it became a secondary modern school in line with government policy. As the school grew in the 1950s a new building was constructed at the end of Recreation Road, at the north-eastern corner of the village, at a cost of £118,732. The new building opened on 7 September 1959, and the old site became Durrington Junior School. In the 1970s extensive additions were made to the school buildings, and in 1974 it became a

comprehensive school A comprehensive school typically describes a secondary school for pupils aged approximately 11–18, that does not select its intake on the basis of academic achievement or aptitude, in contrast to a selective school system where admission is res ...

. Throughout its early history the school had limited academic success and went through a period of decline in the 1990s, culminating in it being placed in "special measures" in 2000. These measures were lifted earlier than expected in 2002, and the school showed considerable sustained improvement in subsequent

Ofsted The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted) is a Non-ministerial government department, non-ministerial department of Government of the United Kingdom, His Majesty's government, reporting to Parliament of the U ...

reports. The school changed its status to a

foundation school In England and Wales, a foundation school is a state-funded school in which the governing body has greater freedom in the running of the school than in community schools. Foundation schools were set up under the School Standards and Framework A ...

in January 2009, and in September 2010 its status changed to a trust school. Since 2016 it has been an academy, part of Salisbury Plain Academies, a multi-academy trust. In 2010 the school scored its highest overall

GCSE The General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) is an academic qualification in a particular subject, taken in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. State schools in Scotland use the Scottish Qualifications Certificate instead. Private sc ...

results to date, with 43% achieving five or more GCSEs including Maths and English at grades A*-C or equivalent. This was exceeded in 2011 when 53% per cent of students achieved grades A*-C in five GCSEs or equivalent qualifications, including Maths and English. In Ofsted reports in January 2011 and March 2014 the college was rated as " 2 – Good". The school previously operated a sixth form, but this provision was closed in July 2021 due to low student numbers. The school was then renamed Avon Valley Academy.

Facilities

Facilities at Avon Valley Academy include a tented sports hall, a dance studio, a café, and a gym which is open to the public outside school hours.

Adult education Adult education, distinct from child education, is a practice in which adults engage in systematic and sustained self-educating activities in order to gain new forms of knowledge, skills, attitudes, or values. Merriam, Sharan B. & Brockett, Ralp ...

classes take place during the day and in the evening.

Notable former pupils

Claire Sturgess Claire Annette Sturgess (born 15 September 1966) is an English DJ and voiceover artist. Early life She was born in Salisbury in Wiltshire, where she grew up. She attended Avon Valley College in Durrington, Wiltshire. Career BBC Radio 1 She w ...

, radio presenter on

Absolute Radio Absolute Radio is a British National radio station owned and operated by Bauer as part of the Absolute Radio Network. It broadcasts nationally across the UK via Digital audio broadcasting and on 1215 kHz MW. History 1993–1997: Virg ...

, and former

Radio 1 Radio 1 or Radio One most commonly refers to: *BBC Radio 1, a music radio station from the BBC ** BBC Radio 1Xtra, a digital radio station broadcasting black music *CBC Radio One, a talk radio station operated by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporatio ...

presenter

References

External links

* {{authority control Secondary schools in Wiltshire Educational institutions established in 1922 1922 establishments in England Academies in Wiltshire