West Somerset College (is sometimes abbreviated to WSC and was previously known as West Somerset Community College prior to the college re-brand in September 2013) is a fairly large secondary school in Minehead,

Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lord_ ...

, England. It provides education for pupils aged 13 to 16 (school years 9–11) in the main school and 16 to 18 (school years 12–13) in the

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 ...

(West Somerset uses a three-tier school system). WSC has had

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 ...

status for several years, meaning the college receives additional funding. In June 2011, the school became an

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 ...

. The school has a partnership with a secondary school (Gymnasium) in Bünde,

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. The College was placed into special measures following an October 2014 Ofsted report judging the College to be 'inadequate.' This status was lifted in May 2016 following 'significant improvements.' The College was subsequently placed third best in Somerset for progress in GCSE results in the DFE 2017 league table.

Catchment Area

West Somerset College is the only secondary school serving the district of West Somerset. The 660km2 catchment area includes two thirds of the

Exmoor National Park Exmoor is loosely defined as an area of hilly open moorland in west Somerset and north Devon in South West England. It is named after the River Exe, the source of which is situated in the centre of the area, two miles north-west of Simonsbath. ...

and part of the

Quantock Hills The Quantock Hills west of Bridgwater in Somerset, England, consist of heathland, oak woodlands, ancient parklands and agricultural land. They were England's first Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, designated in 1956. Natural England have desi ...

Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty An Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB; , AHNE) is an area of countryside in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, that has been designated for conservation due to its significant landscape value. Areas are designated in recognition of ...

as well as the coastal towns of Minehead and

Watchet Watchet is a harbour town, civil parish and electoral ward in the county of Somerset, England, with a population in 2011 of 3,785. It is situated west of Bridgwater, north-west of Taunton, and east of Minehead. The town lies at the mouth of ...

. The feeder schools for West Somerset College are: * Minehead Middle School * Danesfield C of E Middle School * Dulverton Middle and Community School

Facilities

The school is housed in a number of buildings of various ages. There are separate buildings for the Sixth Form block, common room for Sixth Form pupils, Skills and Enterprise Centre which was opened in 2008 and a large Farm Unit where pupils are taught agricultural skills. The Skills and Enterprise building allows pupils to study subjects like, Hair and Beauty, Hairdressing, Hospitality, Animal Care, Construction etc. All classrooms have

digital projectors A video projector is an image projector that receives a video signal and projects the corresponding image on a projection screen using a lens system. Video projectors use a very bright ultra-high-performance lamp (a special mercury arc lamp), Xe ...

and some classrooms have

interactive whiteboard An interactive whiteboard (IWB), also known as interactive board or smart board, is a large interactive display board in the form factor of a whiteboard. It can either be a standalone touchscreen computer used independently to perform task ...

s with

laptops A laptop, laptop computer, or notebook computer is a small, portable personal computer (PC) with a screen and alphanumeric keyboard. Laptops typically have a clam shell form factor with the screen mounted on the inside of the upper li ...

and/or PCs available for use by pupils.

References

External links

College website
{{DEFAULTSORT:West Somerset Community College Academies in Somerset Upper schools in Somerset Minehead