coeducational
Mixed-sex education, also known as mixed-gender education, co-education, or coeducation (abbreviated to co-ed or coed), is a system of education where males and females are educated together. Whereas single-sex education was more common up to t ...
secondary
Secondary may refer to: Science and nature
* Secondary emission, of particles
** Secondary electrons, electrons generated as ionization products
* The secondary winding, or the electrical or electronic circuit connected to the secondary winding i ...
comprehensive school
A comprehensive school typically describes a secondary school for pupils aged approximately 11–18, that does not select its intake on the basis of academic achievement or aptitude, in contrast to a selective school system where admission is res ...
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 ...
Wellingborough
Wellingborough ( ) is a large market and commuter town in the unitary authority area of North Northamptonshire in the ceremonial county of Northamptonshire, England, 65 miles from London and from Northampton on the north side of the River Nen ...
,
Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire (; abbreviated Northants.) is a county in the East Midlands of England. In 2015, it had a population of 723,000. The county is administered by
two unitary authorities: North Northamptonshire and West Northamptonshire. It is ...
,
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
.
History
The school's origins lie in Wellingborough County High School for girls (1907) and Wellingborough Grammar School for boys (1930). The Wellingborough County High School was founded in 1907, and moved into the Broadway site in 1911, and the grammar school site was finished in 1930, on Doddington Road. The two schools merged in 1975, under the then headmaster, Mr Wrenn, to form Wrenn School.
Facilities
Wrenn School is a split-site school, with the three parts of its grounds being a short walk apart. The first site of the school is situated on the A5193 (former
A509
The A509 is a short A-class road (around long) for north–south journeys in south central England, forming the route from Kettering in Northamptonshire to the A5 in Milton Keynes, via M1 J14.
From north to south, the road begins at Wi ...
) in the south of the town, just west of the hospital, on London Road and Broadway The other two sites are situated on Doddington Road a few minutes from the London Road site. The Doddington Road site, formerly the boys' grammar school, houses years 9-11 along with the Art and Design Technology buildings, and the Roseacre Playing Fields site, for Physical Education, is situated directly opposite the main Doddington Road building. The London Road site, which was the site of the former girls' high school, is attended by years 7-8 and the school's Sixth Form. The oldest buildings are those of the former grammar school, and the most modern additions are the all-weather pitch (AstroTurf) and pavilion, constructed in 2004 and the music block, constructed in 2006.
Inspection judgements and academisation
* 1993: the school became a Grant Maintained School
* 2004: the school became a Specialist Science College
* 2009: the school's Sixth Form was rated Outstanding by OFSTED
* 2013: the school became an Academy, as part of 'The Education Fellowship Trust' .
* 2015: judgement of Requires Improvement.
* 2016: judgement of Inadequate.
* 2017: the Department for Education issued a Termination Notice to the Education Fellowship Trust in January 2017, stating that the Regional Schools Commissioner was considering terminating the academy's funding agreement. This was then confirmed in March 2017.
* 2018: judgement of Good.Ofsted report 2018 Retrieved 4 June 2018.
* 2018: the school was transferred to the 'Creative Education Trust'.
Academic performance
In 2018, the school's
Progress 8
Progress 8 (), was a Soviet uncrewed Progress cargo spacecraft which was launched in 1980 to resupply the Salyut 6 space station. Spacecraft
Progress 8 was a Progress 7K-TG spacecraft. The eighth of forty three to be launched, it had the seria ...
score at
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 ...
was average, and its Attainment 8 score below average.
Wellingborough Music & Arts Centre
The Northamptonshire County Council-run “Music and Arts Centre” takes place every Saturday morning in the Wrenn School, at the London Road site, and the festival band has achieved national recognition in the finals of the national festival of music for youth.
Notable people
Wrenn School
* Ashleigh Butler, Entertainer and Britain's Got Talent 2012 winner along with Pudsey the Dog
Wellingborough Grammar School
*
Gerry Bermingham
Gerald Edward Bermingham (born 20 August 1940) is a British politician and barrister, and was Labour Member of Parliament for St Helens South from 1983 until 2001.
He was born 20 August 1940 in Dublin, Ireland, and educated at Cotton College, ...
Canadian Opera Company
The Canadian Opera Company (COC) is an opera company in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is the largest opera company in Canada and one of the largest producers of opera in North America. The COC performs in its own opera house, the Four Seasons Cent ...
*
Michael Cox (novelist)
Michael Andrew Cox (1948-2009) was an English writer and editor.
* Sir
David Frost
Sir David Paradine Frost (7 April 1939 – 31 August 2013) was a British television host, journalist, comedian and writer. He rose to prominence during the satire boom in the United Kingdom when he was chosen to host the satirical programme ' ...
Bruce Liddington
Sir Bruce Liddington (1949 – 28 July 2020) was the schools commissioner in 2006 under Tony Blair's Government. He came from a poor area of Wellingborough and did his degree in English at Queen Mary College, and a PGCE in Cambridge. He sta ...
Terence Streeton
Sir Terence George Streeton (12 January 1930 – 5 September 2017) was a British diplomat and the former high commissioner to Bangladesh.
References
1930 births
2017 deaths
British diplomats
People from Earls Barton
People educated at ...
David Thacker
David Thacker (born 21 December 1950) is an English theatre director. He is married to the actress Margot Leicester.
Education
Thacker studied at the University of York.
Theatre
Thacker was the artistic director at the Octagon Theatre Bolton unti ...
, theatre director
*
Don White (footballer)
Donald Frederick White (born 16 January 1926 in Earls Barton, England, died 21 April 2007) was an English rugby union footballer and coach. He was England's first national coach from 1969 until 1971, finishing with a record of three wins and a dr ...
, rugby player and English national coach from 1969–71
Former teachers
*
Jeff Butterfield
Jeffrey Butterfield (9 August 1929, Heckmondwike, Yorkshire – 30 April 2004, Wicken, Northamptonshire) was an England, British and Irish Lions, Yorkshire, Cleckheaton RUFC, Northampton and Barbarians Rugby player and businessman.
Education ...
- England and Northampton rugby player
* Bob Taylor - England rugby playerTall, T. and Tall, G. (2006). ''Memories of Wellingborough Grammar School 1930 - 1975'' Clock Tower Publications page 125