Cotswold School

The Cotswold School is an 11 to 18 academy school located in Bourton-on-the-Water, Gloucestershire, Great Britain. The school achieved academy status in September 2010. The principal from 2012 is Mr Will Morgan. In 2016, the schools roll in sits at 1320 (with approximately 250 of those students in The Academy’s sixth form).

In 2012 the Secretary of State for Education recognised, in a formal letter to the school, the consistent improvement in GCSE results. In November 2015 ''The Sunday Times'' ranked The Cotswold School 12th in the Top 20 Comprehensive Schools in England and Wales for both A Level and GCSE, subsequently naming it their ‘Comprehensive School of the Year 2015/16’. In August 2016, 36% of examinations at A-Level were awarded A* or A and 88% were awarded grades at A*-C. The Cotswold Sixth Form was ranked 1st amongst comprehensives in Gloucestershire and 19th in the country in published league tables (Daily Telegraph, Aug 2016). Meanwhile, 92% of students achieved 5 or more A*-C grades at GCSE and 52% of students achieved the EBacc.

History

The Cotswold School opened in 1988 following the amalgamation of Bourton Vale Secondary Modern (in Bourton on the Water) and Westwood's Grammar School (Northleach). The first head teacher was Mr Sanders and first chair of governors was Mavis, Viscountess Dunrossil. The roll was just over 400 students and 35 staff. The school emblem, comprising tree, dry stone wall and river was devised in 1988 by Gareth Harris (then 10 years old) and fellow pupils at Chedworth Primary School who entered the competition to design a new school crest for the new "The Cotswold School".

Former head teachers were Mr Sanders (September 1988 – August 1995) and Mrs Holland (September 1995 – December 2011).

Under the leadership of Mrs Holland (1995–2011) the school doubled in size to 1,226 students in 2011 (603 students in 1995).

Today

The school roll in September 2016 stands at 1320 students and 180 staff and the last 25 years have seen an extensive programme of building, particularly during Mrs Holland's headship, with the construction of The Cotswold Leisure Centre, a humanities block/atrium, language block, sixth form centre, astro turf pitch, tennis courts, sports hall, a new English block, science laboratories, a music centre and design rooms. In 2012, a 10-classroom mathematics block opened, followed by a new 4-classroom geography block in 2014. By the close of 2017, two new classrooms and a new sixth form study suite and common room are scheduled to be completed.

The school gained specialisms for languages (2002) and science (2006) as part of the now defunct specialist schools programme.

The extension to the sixth form and science blocks was officially opened by Nigel Twiston-Davies in April 2009. The new £1.5 million sports hall, with changing rooms and a community room alongside, first opened in November 2009; it was officially opened by the former England cricket captain Mike Gatting in July 2010.

The mathematics block was officially opened by Geoffrey Clifton-Brown MP and Mavis, Viscountess Dunrossil as part of the school's 25th anniversary celebrations during the academic year 2013/2014.

During the building of the extensions, it was discovered that the school is situated on a Roman cemetery which was found to also contain Iron Age graves.

Ofsted reports and accolades

In March 2015, Ofsted judged The Cotswold School 'Outstanding' across all categories. This was the fourth consecutive 'Outstanding' inspection carried out at the school.

* An ‘Outstanding’ 11–18 School, Ofsted 2002, 2006, 2009 & 2015.
* Outstanding Academy September 2010.
* Good Schools Guide 2015.
* The Sunday Times' Comprehensive School of the Year 2015/16.
* National Teaching School, designated by the National College of Teaching and Leadership 2016.

Alumni

Westwood's Grammar School

* Harriet Green OBE, chief executive from 2012 to 2014 of Thomas Cook Group
* Wilf Paish MBE, athletics coach

The Cotswold School

*Alice Powell, racing driver
*Sam Twiston-Davies

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Cotswold School
Secondary schools in Gloucestershire
Educational institutions established in 1988
1988 establishments in England
Cotswold District
Academies in Gloucestershire