Allestree Woodlands School (formerly Woodlands School) is a

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 ...

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 ...

secondary school 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 ...

Derby Derby ( ) is a city and unitary authority area in Derbyshire, England. It lies on the banks of the River Derwent in the south of Derbyshire, which is in the East Midlands Region. It was traditionally the county town of Derbyshire. Derby g ...

, England.

Admissions

The academy currently has around 1,350 students on roll. The school enrols an average of 220 students each year.

History

The academy was opened as Woodlands Secondary Modern School in 1956. It became a comprehensive in 1975, and was awarded

specialist status Specialist schools in the United Kingdom (sometimes branded as specialist colleges in England and Northern Ireland) are schools with an emphasis or focus in a specific specialised subject area, which is called a specialism, or alternatively in t ...

as 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 September 2004.Parker, Michelle
"Ofsted Inspection Report: Woodlands Community School", 2006
It converted to an academy in 2012. The academy had buildings constructed under the CLASP system, however these were demolished throughout 2016 as part of the academy's renovation. In 2013, the academy was approved under the Priority School Building Programme, along with seven other Derby City schools. The new buildings were designed by Maber with a budget of £13.9 million. Construction of the new site was managed by Bowmer & Kirkland. Demolition of parts of the old academy buildings began in late 2014, and construction of the new buildings beginning soon after.

Houses

The academy has four houses, named after different common woodland trees. Each house represented by a colour. * Cedar (yellow) * Maple (red) * Oak (green) * Rowan (blue) The academy is managed differently to other schools with houses carrying much more than ceremonial roles. Secondary Students are required to wear a school tie with corresponding house colours and are assigned a Head of House who has extra disciplinary control over students.

Academic performance

The academy usually obtains average or higher than average Secondary results. However, it has a lower than average Progress 8 score of -0.35. In a 2018 Ofsted inspection, the school was rated as Requires Improvement, the third rating in the Ofsted four-point system.

Notable alumni

* Chris Beardsley - Former footballer *

Nigel Clough Nigel Howard Clough (born 19 March 1966) is an English professional football manager and former player who is currently the manager of Mansfield Town. Playing predominantly as a forward, but later in his career used as a midfielder, Clough was ...

- Former footballer, former managers of Derby County Football club and Burton Albion Football club *

Jamie East Jamie Alexander East (born 27 March 1974) is an English television presenter, broadcaster, journalist and singer-songwriter. Career He was the lead singer of the band The Beekeepers, who signed to Beggars Banquet in the late 1990s. They reform ...

- TV presenter, broadcaster, journalist and singer-songwriter *

Bob Laxton Robert Laxton (born 7 September 1944) is a British Labour Party politician who was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Derby North from 1997 until standing down at the 2010 general election. Early life and education Laxton attended the Woodlan ...

- former local MP for Derby North. * Jyoti Mishra - Musician * LostAlone - Steven Battelle and Mark Gibson (founders of the band) met while attending the school.

Citations

External links

Official website
Secondary schools in Derby Academies in Derby Educational institutions established in 1956 1956 establishments in England {{Derbyshire-school-stub