Saffron Walden County High School (SWCHS) is a coeducational

academy school An academy school in England is a state-funded school which is directly funded by the Department for Education and independent of local authority control. The terms of the arrangements are set out in individual Academy Funding Agreements. Most ...

for ages 11–18 in Saffron Walden, Essex, England. The school is also an accredited training school, and was formerly a specialist Technology College. The current executive headteacher is Caroline Derbyshire (following the departure of John Hartley) and the associate headteacher is Polly Lankester. The 2018

Sunday Times ''The Sunday Times'' is a British newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News UK, whi ...

School Guide ranked the school as the best non-selective state school in

East Anglia East Anglia is an area in the East of England, often defined as including the counties of Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire. The name derives from the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of the East Angles, a people whose name originated in Anglia, in ...

Facilities

Halls

In November 2013, the school opened a new "world-class" concert hall dubbed Saffron Hall. The £10m auditorium was funded by the Yellow Car Charitable Trust and replaced the previous main school hall. Saffron Hall won the Project of the Year award at the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors East of England Awards 2014. Saffron Hall interior

The only cinema in Saffron Walden has operated within the school since 2006. It is a not-for-profit cinema run by volunteer projectionists using both digital projectors and 35mm film. Both Saffron Screen and Saffron Hall are open to the public outside of school hours and used by the school otherwise.

Sport

SWCHS has developed a growing sporting pedigree, particularly in Rugby Union. SWCHS have developed many skilled athletes for example Gabriel Ramiah, known for competing in Mr Olympia

Notable alumni

Ben Maher Benjamin Richard Maher MBE (born 30 January 1983, in Enfield) is a British show jumper. He represented Britain at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, 2009 European Championships in Windsor, 2012 London Olympics, 2016 Rio Olympics and the 2020 Tokyo Oly ...

, show jumper * Iain Dale, Broadcaster

References

External links

Saffron Walden County High SchoolOFSTED entrySaffron HallSaffron Walden Cinema (Saffron Screen)
* * {{authority control Academies in Essex Training schools in England Secondary schools in Essex