Cowes Enterprise College, previously known as Cowes High School, is a coeducational secondary school 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 ...

with academy status located on the outskirts of Cowes at Crossfield Avenue on the

Isle of Wight The Isle of Wight ( ) is a Counties of England, county in the English Channel, off the coast of Hampshire, from which it is separated by the Solent. It is the List of islands of England#Largest islands, largest and List of islands of England#Mo ...

, England.

History

As Cowes High School, the school was designated a Business and Enterprise College. As part of the reorganisation of the education system on the Isle of Wight, Cowes Pathfinder Partnership was successful in their bid against Academies Enterprise Trust take over the school. In 2011, the school opened with the age range extended to years 7 through 13. It is now one of five secondary providers on the Isle of Wight. As part of the reorganisation, a bid for £30.5 million was won from the Department for Education and Skills to rebuild the school with a carbon-neutral building, with an aim of being completed by 2012. In December 2008, it was announced that redevelopment of the school had been delayed, caused by procurement rules following court rulings elsewhere, by up to a year with an opening of summer 2012 as the latest opening date,. The 2014 pass rates for the school were 58% for five or more GCSE A* to C passes including English and Maths, significantly higher than the average for the

and 97% pass rate with 67% of students gaining at least 3 A Level passes. In September 2012, the college was due to move across into a new £32 million building, however, due to a sustained period of wet weather the opening was delayed until November 2012. At the beginning of December 2012, parents received a letter stating that occupation of the new building now would not take place until September 2013. Prior to the new opening of the school, headteacher David Snashall stated he would be standing down, with Dave Goodhead taking over. Jonathan Russell was appointed principal for the new Cowes Enterprise College. Cowes Enterprise College appointed Rebecca Pearce (current vice principal of The City Academy Bristol) as the new principal for January 2014 and converted to academy status in September 2014 joining the

Ormiston Academies Trust Ormiston Trust is a charitable trust based in London, England. It is a grant-making trust that chiefly assists schools and organisations supporting children and young people. The trust was established in the memory of Fiona Ormiston Murray who d ...

. "Personal circumstances" forced Pearce's departure in November 2014 and former Ofsted inspector John Peckham was appointed to "take the school to the next stage"

Notable former pupils

* Si Genaro, British musician and featured contestant on

The Voice UK ''The Voice UK'' is a British singing competition television series. Created by John de Mol, it premiered on BBC One during the spring television cycle on 24 March 2012. Based on the original '' The Voice of Holland'', and part of ''The Voice ...

. * Mark King, lead singer and bass player with

Level 42 Level 42 is an English jazz-funk band formed on the Isle of Wight in 1979. They had a number of UK and worldwide hits during the 1980s and 1990s. Their highest-charting single in the UK was " Lessons in Love", which reached number three on th ...

, attended Cowes High School. *

Mornington Lockett Mornington Edward Lockett (born 19 November 1961) is an English jazz saxophonist. Career Lockett began playing clarinet at the age of 14 while he was a student at Cowes High School, before switching to tenor saxophone. He studied at Dartington ...

, jazz saxophonist * Kay Marriott, High Sheriff of the Isle of Wight *

Cliff Michelmore Arthur Clifford Michelmore (11 December 1919 – 16 March 2016) was an English television presenter and producer. He is best known for the BBC television programme '' Tonight'', which he presented from 1957 to 1965. He also hosted the BBC's t ...

, British television presenter and producer. *

Helen Roy Helen Elizabeth Roy, (born 6 November 1969) is a British ecologist, entomologist, and academic, specialising in aphids and non-native species. Since 2007, she has been a principal scientist and ecologist at the NERC's Centre for Ecology & H ...

, British ecologist, entomologist, and academic

References

External links

*
Ofsted reports
{{authority control Secondary schools on the Isle of Wight Academies on the Isle of Wight Ormiston Academies Cowes Specialist business and enterprise colleges