Dene Magna School is a
secondary school in
Mitcheldean
Mitcheldean is a market town in the Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire, England.
History
Mitcheldean was a thriving community for many centuries due to the town's proximity to iron ore deposits. During the 19th century, the town grew due to revenu ...
,
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire ( abbreviated Glos) is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn and the entire Forest of Dean.
The county town is the city of Gl ...
, England. The school takes both girls and boys, and has 1005 pupils aged between 11 and 18, including a
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 ...
.
In 2005, the school was included on
Ofsted's "Honours List" of 234 high-achieving schools, and received further positive Ofsted reports in 2008 and 2012.
The headteacher is Stephen Brady, who replaced Robert Broadbridge in December 2009.
School history
The school was established in 1930 as Abenhall County Secondary School.
It became a
secondary modern school
A secondary modern school is a type of secondary school that existed throughout England, Wales and Northern Ireland from 1944 until the 1970s under the Tripartite System. Schools of this type continue in Northern Ireland, where they are usuall ...
following the
Education Act 1944, and was then known as Abenhall Secondary Modern School.
It later became Abenhall Comprehensive School, and was renamed Dene Magna Comprehensive School in 1985.
The school became a
Technology College
In the United Kingdom, a Technology College is a specialist school that specialises in design and technology, mathematics and science. Beginning in 1994, they were the first specialist schools that were not CTC colleges. In 2008, there were ...
in 1999.
In 2011 the school adopted
academy
An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosop ...
status, allowing governors and school management to take control of financial oversight of the school.
The school's sixth form was established in 2019 and is based at
Gloucestershire College
Gloucestershire College (GC or Gloscol) is a college of further and higher education in the county of Gloucestershire, United Kingdom.
It offers a range of education and training programmes, which include:
* Apprenticeships and higher apprent ...
.
Another school,
John Kyrle High School
John Kyrle High School is a secondary school with academy status situated in Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire, England. It is named after the philanthropist John Kyrle (1637–1724), known as "The Man of Ross".
History
The school site was opened ...
in Herefordshire, had requested
judicial review
Judicial review is a process under which executive, legislative and administrative actions are subject to review by the judiciary. A court with authority for judicial review may invalidate laws, acts and governmental actions that are incomp ...
of the decision which the Regional School Commissioner had made about the new sixth form, but lost the case and was ordered to pay £55,000 to Dene Magna School.
School performance
The school has a history of working to improve teaching.
In 1993 it set up the Gloucestershire Initial Teacher Education Partnership with
.
In 2002 the school was reported as "held in extremely high regard" and as a "leading edge school".
. In 2005 the school was noted to have observation rooms where teachers could be observed.
In 2006 it had a "reflective practitioner programme" which contributed to a "powerful learning environment".
In 2008 and again in 2012 the school was judged Outstanding by Ofsted; as of 2022 the 2012 inspection is the most recent.
This is despite a catchment area described as "not ... an advantaged area".
Health and environmental campaigns
In 2000, the school was awarded a certificate by the
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoniz ...
for its contribution to environmental education, when a seven-month campaign to reduce the school's waste resulted in a 59% reduction in the volume of rubbish produced. The staff intended to change the menus for the food offered by the school to make the students' diets healthier, responding to the area's status as being the area with the highest incidence of heart disease in the country.
The school was quoted as a case study in the
White paper
A white paper is a report or guide that informs readers concisely about a complex issue and presents the issuing body's philosophy on the matter. It is meant to help readers understand an issue, solve a problem, or make a decision. A white pape ...
on public health.
School links
The school has links with other schools in Kenya, Spain, Qatar and Japan.
It achieved the International School Award in 1999.
Notable former pupils
*
Natasha Hunt
Natasha (russian: Наташа) is a name of Slavic origin. The Slavic name is the diminutive form of Natalia.
Notable people
* Natasha, the subject of ''Natasha's Story'', a 1994 nonfiction book
* Natasha Aguilar (1970–2016), Costa Rican sw ...
, rugby union player
References
{{authority control
Secondary schools in Gloucestershire
Academies in Gloucestershire
Educational institutions established in 1930
1930 establishments in England