Five Islands School
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Five Islands Academy, formerly Five Islands School, is the first federated school in the United Kingdom, providing primary and secondary education for children from 3 to 16 at five sites in the
Isles of Scilly The Isles of Scilly (; kw, Syllan, ', or ) is an archipelago off the southwestern tip of Cornwall, England. One of the islands, St Agnes, is the most southerly point in Britain, being over further south than the most southerly point of the ...
. As of May 2022, the headteacher is Rachel Gibb, and the Chair of the Local Academy Committee is Jeremy Brown.


History

The secondary school and four primary schools were formerly five separate schools. While the smaller schools were praised by inspectors, the two larger schools on St Mary's were judged as inadequate. In response, the government forced a fresh start as a federated school, which opened in April 2002 and subsequently the other off islands bases were also federated. An inspection in June and July 2003 again found the standard of education at the St Mary's sites to be inadequate, and the school was placed in special measures until 2005. Under a succession of heads, the school had become a successful and cohesive federation, judged "outstanding" by the Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted) in 2007. In 2008, the school was given funding of £13 million to build a new 3–16 school complex on a site adjacent to the existing Carn Gwaval primary school. This development took place 2010–11 and opened in time for the 2011–12 school year, which resulted in the secondary school moving permanently away from the Carn Thomas site, as well as the primary pupils at Carn Gwaval also moving into the new neighbouring school complex. The former primary school building was modernised and extended, becoming the island's main indoor sports and fitness centre. The old secondary school, at Carn Thomas, was demolished in the winter of 2016/2017. In the May of 2012, the then incumbent head teacher, Bryce Wilby, was suspended after allegations of financial irregularities, allegations which he strongly denied. The NCTL Panel that hears evidence of Teacher Misconduct said that the evidence from the Council’s auditors following Mr Wilby’s 2012 suspension was “wholly unreliable.” after an Independent Forensic Auditor concluded the evidence was fabricated. In the autumn of 2012,
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 ...
downgraded the schools status to “requires improvement”, citing how leadership and management at the school “requires improvement”. Later, in 2015, the case against Wilby regarding improper conduct was thrown out. His wife stated that they would take legal action against the Council of the Isles of Scilly. Mr Wilby continued to liaise with the DfE and in 2016, the secondary school was placed into special measures, which prompted questions over which academy trust would take it on, due to the schools geographic isolation. Previously a voluntary controlled school administered by the Council of the Isles of Scilly, in January 2019 Five Islands School converted to academy status and was renamed The Five Islands Academy. The school is now sponsored by the Leading Edge Academies Partnership (LEAP). In July 2021, the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall visited the school on a tour of the South West.


Sites

Secondary education (up to
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 ...
) is provided only on the most populous island of St Mary's. There, it was based at the Carn Thomas site, on the eastern edge of Hugh Town, on the road to Porth Mellon, but in 2011 relocated to a new school complex at Carn Gwaval, adjacent to an existing primary base there, between Hugh Town and
Old Town In a city or town, the old town is its historic or original core. Although the city is usually larger in its present form, many cities have redesignated this part of the city to commemorate its origins after thorough renovations. There are ma ...
. Secondary pupils from the other islands are given free board at Mundesley Boarding House during the school week, returning home at the weekends and holidays. The four
primary education Primary education or elementary education is typically the first stage of formal education, coming after preschool/kindergarten and before secondary school. Primary education takes place in ''primary schools'', ''elementary schools'', or first ...
bases are at Carn Gwaval, near Old Town — for St Mary's pupils; on
Tresco Tresco may refer to: * Tresco, Elizabeth Bay, a historic residence in New South Wales, Australia * Tresco, Isles of Scilly, an island off Cornwall, England, United Kingdom * Tresco, Victoria, a town in Victoria, Australia * a nickname referring to ...
, near
Old Grimsby Old Grimsby ( kw, Enysgrymm Goth) is a coastal settlement on the island of Tresco in the Isles of Scilly, England.Ordnance Survey mapping It is located on the east side of the island and there is a quay. At the southern end of the harbour bay is t ...
— for pupils from that island and the neighbouring island of Bryher; on St Martin's; and on St Agnes. The Carn Gwaval base has been combined since 2011 with the sole secondary education base. the main campus had 117 secondary and 111 primary pupils, and the Tresco, St Agnes, and St Martin's bases had 24, 7, and 6 students, respectively.Education
" Council of the Isles of Scilly. 24 July 2003. Retrieved on 8 December 2018.
These enrollment figures are lower than the respective England-wide averages.Education
" Council of the Isles of Scilly. 14 October 2002. Retrieved on 8 December 2018. "Numbers of pupils in each centre are small in comparison to National Averages."


Boarding facilities

The boarding facility at St. Mary's is known as the Mundesley Boarding House, accommodating year 7 onwards during the school week, with students returning home by boat every weekend. The boarding building includes the original house and the extension for boarders. The original house has the dining room, kitchen, and living room on the ground floor and the house parents' flat on the first floor, while the extension has the boys' hostel and the clinic on the ground floor and the girls' hostel on the first floor. The boarding house is funded by the Department of Education, however, parents of the students residing at the house have opted to make voluntary contributions towards the upkeep of the boarding house.


References


External links


Five Islands Academy
* {{authority control Primary schools in the Isles of Scilly Secondary schools in the Isles of Scilly Church of England primary schools in the Diocese of Truro Boarding schools in Cornwall Educational institutions established in 2002 2002 establishments in England Church of England secondary schools in the Diocese of Truro Academies in the Isles of Scilly Council of the Isles of Scilly