Bluecoat Aspley Academy is a
Church of England
The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britain ...
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) ...
and
sixth form
In the education systems of England, Northern Ireland, Wales, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago and some other Commonwealth countries, sixth form represents the final two years of secondary education, ages 16 to 18. Pupils typically prepare for A-l ...
located in the
Aspley area of
Nottingham
Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located north-west of London, south-east ...
, England, dating back to 1706. In 2007, the school had 1550 students aged six to eighteen, including 250
Sixth form
In the education systems of England, Northern Ireland, Wales, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago and some other Commonwealth countries, sixth form represents the final two years of secondary education, ages 16 to 18. Pupils typically prepare for A-l ...
students. Prior to receiving Academy status in January 2012, the school was titled The Nottingham Bluecoat School and Technology College.
History
The school was founded in 1706 as the first
charity school
Charity schools, sometimes called blue coat schools, or simply the Blue School, were significant in the history of education in England. They were built and maintained in various parishes by the voluntary contributions of the inhabitants to ...
in Nottingham, under the guidance of the then
rector
Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to:
Style or title
*Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations
*Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...
of
St. Peter's Church, Timothy Fenton. Classes were taught in the
porch
A porch (from Old French ''porche'', from Latin ''porticus'' "colonnade", from ''porta'' "passage") is a room or gallery located in front of an entrance of a building. A porch is placed in front of the facade of a building it commands, and form ...
of
St. Mary's Church in the
Lace Market
The Lace Market is a historic quarter-mile square area of Nottingham, England. It was the centre of the world's lace industry during the British Empire and is now a protected heritage area. It was an area of salesrooms and warehouses for storin ...
area of Nottingham. On 1 May 1707, the school moved to St. Mary's Gate.
In 1723, land that was given by William Thorpe on
High Pavement
High Pavement is a street in Nottingham in Nottinghamshire, England. It is one of the earliest streets in the city, and most of its buildings are listed.
History
It runs from the east end of St Mary's Churchyard to Weekday Cross. Around 1681 a ...
in
Weekday Cross
Weekday Cross, in the Lace Market area of Nottingham, was the main market area in Nottingham. As the location of the town hall, Nottingham Guild Hall and main market, it was the centre of the town, before the market moved to the Old Market Squar ...
was used and the school migrated there, remaining there for over a century.
In 1855, the school moved to a purpose-built building on Mansfield Road in Nottingham. The building is now the International Community Centre. A statue of a child in a latter-day Bluecoat uniform remains on the outside of the building. A road behind this site of the school is called Bluecoat Close.
In the period between the two World Wars, the school became a
Grammar School
A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching Latin, but more recently an academically oriented secondary school ...
. During the 1960s fund-raising was undertaken to acquire new property and to construct a purpose-built new school to allow for expansion including on-site sports fields. In 1967, the school relocated to the current premises on Aspley Lane in Aspley, two miles to the east of Nottingham. This allowed the school to increase the intake from one class to two classes (from 30 students to 60) resulting in the number of the pupils increasing to around 350 over a period of about five years. At the same time, the school assumed
voluntary aided school
A voluntary aided school (VA school) is a state-funded school in England and Wales in which a foundation or trust (usually a religious organisation), contributes to building costs and has a substantial influence in the running of the school. In mo ...
status.
By 1978, the number of students had grown to 900 with the new status as a comprehensive school catering for eleven- to eighteen-year-olds. Two decades later, a further status change took place with the school being awarded Technology College status by the
Department for Education and Skills enabling the school to receive additional funding for development Science, Mathematics and Information Technology education.
In 2003, Bluecoat was "twinned" with, and then later took over the site of
Margaret Glen-Bott School
Bluecoat Wollaton Academy is an 11–16 mixed, Church of England, secondary school with academy status in Wollaton, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England. It is part of the Archway Learning Trust and is located in the Diocese of Southwell and N ...
in the nearby
Wollaton
Wollaton is a suburb and former parish in the western part of Nottingham, England. Wollaton has two Wards in the City of Nottingham (''Wollaton East and Lenton Abbey'' and ''Wollaton West'') with a total population as at the 2011 census of 24,69 ...
area. The site was renamed as The Nottingham Bluecoat School and Technology College: ''Wollaton Park Campus'' with the main Bluecoat site becoming the ''Aspley Lane Campus''. The two sites began to operate as a single school and share some administration resources including a single headteacher and principal for the two sites.
The Aspley Lane Campus gained a new building in 2006, as part of an extensive redevelopment project. The total cost of construction was £20 million, including £3 million being raised and contributed from the school's Tercentenary Appeal. The new building, also known as the ''Alfred Harrison'' Building, contains specialised drama, music and art studios. The building also included a new chapel area and a prayer room in the centre. Surrounded by these were new classrooms, dedicated to IT, music, social sciences, modern foreign languages and design technology. After construction was completed and owing to unexpected costs, the school was approximately £2.5 million in debt. This shortfall was intended to be resolved with a loan from Nottingham City Council. The Alfred Harrison site also accommodates extensive
special needs
In clinical diagnostic and functional development, special needs (or additional needs) refers to individuals who require assistance for disabilities that may be medical, mental, or psychological. Guidelines for clinical diagnosis are given in ...
resources, including an entire department dedicated to special needs students. This department is called ''Learning Support''.
On 4 February 2008, Mr Max R Kay resigned from his position as the school's long-standing headteacher and principal,
following a fifteen-month-long suspension and investigation relating to a financial probe regarding publicly funded building projects;
and the confirmed presence of
Legionnaires' disease
Legionnaires' disease is a form of atypical pneumonia caused by any species of ''Legionella'' bacteria, quite often '' Legionella pneumophila''. Signs and symptoms include cough, shortness of breath, high fever, muscle pains, and headaches. Naus ...
.
In 2009, it was announced that the Wollaton Park Campus was to be closed, and that there would only be one school - on the Aspley site. Initially, all incoming students were to go to the Wollaton site, and then would move, along with the rest of the campus, to the unified campus. Owing to a lack of funds, the plans were scrapped and work went underway to improve the Wollaton site instead. The students of academic year 2010–11, who all went to the Wollaton site, were effectively split in half. One half of the students were to stay at Wollaton, and the other half was to go to the Aspley site.
On 1 January 2012, The Nottingham Bluecoat School received Academy status, and so it became Bluecoat Academy.
In September 2013, expansion projects totalling approximately £14 million started on the Wollaton Park Campus. The expansion has since completed. The Aspley Campus was also due for expansion, but this was not undertaken owing to a lack of funds.
In 2014, what was formerly known has
Hadden Park High School
Bluecoat Beechdale Academy (formerly Hadden Park High School, and prior to 2001 Glaisdale Comprehensive) is an 11–16 mixed secondary school with academy status in Bilborough, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England. It is part of the Archway Le ...
was refurbished and sponsored by the ''Bluecoat Academies Trust'' to become
Bluecoat Beechdale Academy
Bluecoat Beechdale Academy (formerly Hadden Park High School, and prior to 2001 Glaisdale Comprehensive) is an 11–16 mixed secondary school with academy status in Bilborough, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England. It is part of the Archway Le ...
. The newly formed Academy received Academy status on 1 April 2014. It was revisited by Ofsted in March 2017 and was designated as 'Good'.
In November 2014, following prolonged growth in student numbers, a £1.4 million two-storey extension was begun to the existing Sixth Form building at Aspley Lane Campus. Completed in August 2015, the extension provided new facilities including a new lecture theatre, canteen and kitchen, as well as additional classrooms and self-study areas, enabling bringing student numbers to rise over 500.
In October 2017 the Wollaton Park Campus formally demerged from Bluecoat Academy and was renamed
Bluecoat Wollaton Academy
Bluecoat Wollaton Academy is an 11–16 mixed, Church of England, secondary school with academy status in Wollaton, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England. It is part of the Archway Learning Trust and is located in the Diocese of Southwell and N ...
. The Aspley Campus of the school was renamed Bluecoat Aspley Academy.
In February 2018, building work commenced at Bluecoat Aspley Academy with the construction of a "new Science block" due for completion in January 2019. Once tis is completed, an additional new building for Maths and English will be constructed.
In May 2018, the most recent Ofsted report described the school as "good."
In 2019, a new Science block opened.
In 2020, just before the national lockdown, a new Maths & Languages block open. It has a new cafeteria, activity studio and brand new classrooms.
Further information
Bluecoat Aspley Academy has space for fourteen tennis courts, two hard play areas, two full size pitches and one athletics track. There is a full-size sports hall, fitness suite, activity studio and dance studio available for use by students in PE lessons and after school activities. If required, there is also access to Melbourne Park for additional pitches and field space. There are nine computer rooms in the main school block, with some more in the Sixth Form block. There is a library, science labs, Food Preparation room and a Drama Studio with professional lighting, all of which is accessible to students.
Curriculum
The school follows the
National Curriculum A national curriculum is a common programme of study in schools that is designed to ensure nationwide uniformity of content and standards in education. It is usually legislated by the national government, possibly in consultation with Federated stat ...
. In years 7 and 8, all students follow a core curriculum that covers the national Curriculum. In years 9, 10 and 11 students may choose some of the subjects they study; including modern foreign languages, humanities and technology subject choices, BTECs and Diplomas. Mathematics, English, sciences, Religious Education and core physical educations remain compulsory for the rest of the students' school life, whereas PSHE only remains compulsory for the first year of the students' GCSE life (Year 9).
The Sixth Form offers a wide variety of subjects at
National Qualifications Framework
A national qualifications framework is a formal system describing qualifications. 47 countries participating in the Bologna Process are committed to producing a national qualifications framework. Other countries not part of this process also hav ...
(NQF) levels 1–3, as well as a range of established AS/A2 level courses. A wider range of vocational courses was introduced in September 2006 including BTEC qualifications. Also taught is the
DiDA
In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, the Diploma in Digital Applications (DiDA) is an optional information and communication technology (ICT) course, usually studied by Key Stage 4 or equivalent school students (aged 14-16). DiDA was introduc ...
(Diploma in Digital Applications) qualification in Information and Communication Technology (ICT).
Other academic options may include GCSE resits in Math and English.
The school participates in foreign exchanges with China, France, Italy (
Cittadella
Cittadella ( vec, Sitadeła) is a medieval walled city in the province of Padua, northern Italy, founded in the 13th century as a military outpost of Padua. The surrounding wall has been restored and is in circumference with a diameter of around ...
) and Germany. As well as the exchanges, the post-16 faculty is expanding links into South Africa and China, having successfully linked up with
Christ's Hope International in Namibia in 2005/6.
Houses
Students in the school are split up into seven different houses. Generally, each student will remain with the same house throughout his or her stay at the school: however, given a viable reason, the school can reconsider allocation of a student to a different house (which has occurred). This may also happen if a student is distracted or misbehaves in his or her house. Each house has its own coloured tie:
*Braithwaite - Blue
*Fenton - Green
*Inglis - Purple (''since 1996'')
*Mellors - Yellow
*Rippon - White
*Thorpe - Red
*Alfred Harrison - Orange (''since 2013'')
Every morning, the form group meets to take the register and inform the students of notices. In the form times, they complete activities such as believe time, PSHE, and critical thinkers. The houses also come into play during sports day towards the end of the year, and in inter-house competitions.
In 1993, the school expanded from a five house system to a six house system; this extra class of students was named "BC" (attached to Braithwaite), and as of the 1994 intake "MN" (attached to Mellors). The new "Inglis" house was established in 1996 combining the temporarily assigned houses with the new intake.
In 2013, a seventh house was introduced, named Harrison. Little is known about this new house, except that it is named after a benefactor of the school.
Each student also has a form group. The 'form group' of a student is simply a group of students who are in the same house and same year as each other. The form group also has a 'form tutor', who overlooks this form group. Sometimes, the form group will take part in 'Believe time', a time dedicated to activities, with at the end a short prayer.
Each year, every form group will decide on a charity, and on one Wednesday each term, will attempt to raise money for these charities with fund raisers.
In September 2010 and 2012, only one campus took in new students. In 2010, this was Wollaton Park, and in 2012, this was Aspley Lane. The school created two form groups for each house in this situation, to prevent the form groups from being too large. They were named after the house of which thy were part, followed by either 1 or 2. (for example, Braithwaite would consist of two form groups, Braithwaite 1 and Braithwaite 2.)
In years 7 & 8, the majority of lessons are taken with the mixed-ability groups. During the first two years, they spend the majority of the time in the same classes about the same students. The next year, most lessons including Maths, English, Science and RS are .
Extra curricular activities
There are clubs and societies that run during lunch times and after the school day. The school participates in
The Duke of Edinburgh's Award
The Duke of Edinburgh's Award (commonly abbreviated DofE) is a youth awards programme founded in the United Kingdom in 1956 by Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, that has since expanded to 144 nations. The awards recognise adolescents and young ...
scheme, from Bronze to Gold.
''Owing to COVID-19, most extra curricular activities have been cancelled, to prevent mixing of social bubbles.''
The Wollaton Park Campus building was formerly the home to Cornerstone Church,
a large independent
evangelical
Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide Interdenominationalism, interdenominational movement within Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that affirms the centrality of being "bor ...
church, who had their offices within the school and met at the school each Sunday.
Once the BSF redevelopment began Cornerstone relocated to a new, purpose-built church on the site of the old MFI building on castle boulevard.
In 2011, the girl band
Parade
A parade is a procession of people, usually organized along a street, often in costume, and often accompanied by marching bands, float (parade), floats, or sometimes large balloons. Parades are held for a wide range of reasons, but are usually ce ...
visited the school and performed for a selection of special students. In 2012,
Lucien Laviscount
Lucien Leon Laviscount (; born 9 June 1992) is a British actor. He first came to prominence in 2007 after appearing in teen drama ''Grange Hill''. He later appeared in several television series, including ITV's ''Coronation Street'' (2009) and B ...
visited the Wollaton site. In 2015,
Jermain Jackman
Jermain Jackman (born 10 January 1995) is a British singer and political activist who won the third series of the BBC television singing competition ''The Voice UK'' in 2014. His debut album, ''Jermain Jackman'', was released on 23 March 2015 ...
visited and performed at the Aspley site to promote the
National Citizen Service
The National Citizen Service (NCS) is a voluntary personal and social development programmer for 15–17 year olds in England and Northern Ireland, funded largely by money from the UK Government. It was formally announced in 2010 by Prime Minister ...
, or NCS, programme. To see the performance, all Wollaton and Beechdale students were escorted to the Aspley site for the afternoon.
The school day
For many years the school operated on a ''two-week'' timetable to balance mre effectively the time spent on minority subjects. In September 2007, the school system switched to a single-week timetable format and reformatted the timing and length of the school day. The system of six fifty-minute lessons per day has been replaced by five one-hour lessons—a system previously used up until the mid-1990s but now with an extra lesson allocated after normal school time. In 2015, the school day was changed again with the regular day finishing at 15:00 instead of 15:15 and lunch now finishing at 13:00. Also, Thursday enrichment now starts at 14:00 with a fourth lesson before enrichment. Years 8, 9, 10 and 11 now leave at 14:00 on Thursdays.
*08:25 - Morning Registration
*08:40 - "Act of Worship" - assembly/service/notices or 'Believe' Time
*09:00 - Period 1
*10:00 - Period 2
*11:00 - Morning Break (15 minutes Long)
*11:20 - Period 3
*12:20 - Lunch Break (40 minutes Long)
*13:00 - Period 4
*14:00 - Period 5
*15:00 - End of Regular School Day
*15:05 - Period 6 ''(allocated for
AS/A2 courses and
Key Stage 4
Key Stage 4 (KS4) is the legal term for the two years of school education which incorporate GCSEs, and other examinations, in maintained schools in England normally known as Year 10 and Year 11, when pupils are aged between 14 and 16 by August 31. ...
Triple Science''
*16:00 - End of School Day
Food and drink are provided by the school at lunch time. Hot & Cold Food is offered with desserts on certain days.
On Thursdays, there is a slight difference in the timetable, as shown below:
*08:25 - Morning Registration
*08:40 - "Act of Worship" - assembly/service/notices or 'Believe' Time
*09:00 - Period 1
*10:00 - Period 2
*11:00 - Morning Break (15 minutes Long)
*11:20 - Period 3
*12:20 - Lunch Break (40 minutes Long)
*13:00 - Period 4
*14:00 - Enrichment Activities for Year 7
*14:00 - Year 8, 9, 10 & 11's leave
*15:00 - Some Enrichment activities finish, Period 6
*16:00 - All Enrichment activities finish, end of school day
''Owing to COVID-19, the school day is different in relation to social bubbles.''
GCSE results
In the academic year 2010–2011, 86% of students at the Nottingham Bluecoat School (both campuses) received A*-C GCSE results. This is the highest set of GCSE results the school has ever achieved, and means that only 14% of students got D-F.
Compulsory GCSE subjects are English, Maths, Science, and Religious Studies. Students also have to study PE and PSHE as a subject but not as a GCSE. Some people have to do ICT and one of the 4 technologies, but others do not.
Uniform
The uniform for boys includes charcoal grey trousers, blue shirt, navy blue blazer and a tie matching the student's house colours. Girls' wear includes a navy skirt with or without black or navy unpatterned tights. Girls may also wear navy trousers. All students are expected to wear the uniform smartly at all times with ties and top buttons done up and shirts tucked in. Aspley students previously only 1 stripe on their tie whereas Wollaton students had 2 stripes. However, in 2010 the ties were changed so that each campus had 1 stripe.
Sixth Form Students at the attached sixth form college have a much more relaxed dress code. They are allowed to wear what they wish as long as it is "smart casual" and "in keeping with a professional and educational environment and the Christian values of the school". A Pupil may still have to wear uniform at times.
Awards
Awards the school has received include:
*Schools Achievement Award in 2002 and 2003
*The
Sportsmark
Sportsmark is Sport England's accreditation scheme for secondary schools. The scheme recognises a school's out of hours sports provision. Award
*The Career Mark Award (page does not exist for this yet)
*
Investors in People
Investors in People is a standard for people management, offering accreditation to organisations that adhere to the Investors in People Standard. From 1991 to January 2017, Investors in People was owned by the UK government. As of 1 February 20 ...
Award
*Young People playing and performing at local, regional and national levels
*
Artsmark
Artsmark is the creative quality standard for schools and education settings, awarded by Arts Council England
Arts Council England is an arm's length non-departmental public body of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. It is ...
Award
*Lord Mayors Award for Enterprise
*Healthy Schools Status
*International School Award 2007/2008
Notable former pupils
*
Bilal Shafayat
Bilal Mustapha Shafayat (born 10 July 1984) is an English former first-class cricketer. He played as a middle-order batsman, bowler and wicket-keeper. Shafayat was a former captain of the England under-19 side.
He was educated at the Nottingh ...
, cricketer
*
Krishnan Ganesh, Indian chemist
Nottingham Bluecoat C of E Grammar School
*
Steven Betts,
Archdeacon of Norfolk
The Archdeacon of Norfolk is a senior ecclesiastical officer in the Church of England Diocese of Norwich, who exercises supervision of clergy and responsibility for church buildings within the geographical area of their archdeaconry.
The current a ...
since 2012
*
Jane Denton
Jane Denton, , (born 30 June 1953) is a United Kingdom nurse and midwife notable for her contributions to fertility nursing and genetics. She was made a Fellow of the Royal College of Nursing in 2006.
Early life
She attended the Nottingham Bluecoa ...
CBE
FRCN, Director since 1999 of the Multiple Births Foundation, who helped to found the
Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority
The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) is an executive non-departmental public body of the Department of Health and Social Care in the United Kingdom. It is a statutory body that regulates and inspects all clinics in the United ...
*
Mark Flanagan (musician)
Mark Flanagan (born in Liverpool) is a blues guitarist who plays with Jools Holland's band, The Rhythm and Blues Orchestra. He also fronts the trio "Flanagan", which currently includes himself, Adam Double and George Double. He is also frontin ...
*
John Hose John Horsley Hose CBE (born 21 March 1928) is a former British trade union leader.
Hose grew up in Nottingham, and attended the Nottingham Bluecoat School. In 1943, he became an architect's assistant, then from 1946 to 1948 undertook National Serv ...
CBE, President from 1978-82 of the
National Union of Agricultural and Allied Workers
The National Union of Agricultural and Allied Workers (NUAW) was a trade union in the United Kingdom which existed between 1906 and 1982. It represented farmworkers.
History
The union was established as the Eastern Counties Agricultural Labou ...
*
Air Commodore Andy Sudlow MBE, Station Commander from 2004-06 of
RAF Linton-on-Ouse
RAF Linton-on-Ouse was a Royal Air Force (RAF) station at Linton-on-Ouse in North Yorkshire, England, north-west of York. It had satellite stations at RAF Topcliffe and Dishforth Airfield (British Army).
The station opened in 1937. With the ...
See also
*
Bluecoat school
A bluecoat school is a type of charity school in England, the first of which was founded in the 16th century. Most of them have closed; some remain open as schools, often on different sites, and some of the original buildings have been adapted ...
*
Bluecoat Beechdale Academy
Bluecoat Beechdale Academy (formerly Hadden Park High School, and prior to 2001 Glaisdale Comprehensive) is an 11–16 mixed secondary school with academy status in Bilborough, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England. It is part of the Archway Le ...
*
Bluecoat Wollaton Academy
Bluecoat Wollaton Academy is an 11–16 mixed, Church of England, secondary school with academy status in Wollaton, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England. It is part of the Archway Learning Trust and is located in the Diocese of Southwell and N ...
References
External links
Bluecoat Aspley Academy official website
{{authority control
1706 establishments in England
Educational institutions established in 1706
Academies in Nottingham
Bluecoat schools
Secondary schools in Nottingham
Church of England secondary schools in the Diocese of Southwell and Nottingham