Welling School is a mixed 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 ...

located in the

Welling Welling is an area of South East London, England, in the London Borough of Bexley, west of Bexleyheath, southeast of Woolwich and of Charing Cross. Before the creation of Greater London in 1965, it was in the historical county of Kent. E ...

area of the

London Borough of Bexley The London Borough of Bexley () is a London borough in south-east London, forming part of Outer London. It has a population of 248,287. The main settlements are Sidcup, Erith, Bexleyheath, Crayford, Welling and Old Bexley. The London Boro ...

, England.

History

The school was completely redesigned and rebuilt in 2005 and 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 ...

in February 2012. It joined

The Kemnal Academies Trust The Kemnal Academies Trust is a multi-academy trust serving a family of schools mainly in Kent and West Sussex. Academies Secondary * Havant Academy * Kemnal Technology College * Orchards Academy * The Academy, Selsey * King Har ...

Previously Welling was a community school under the direct control of

Bexley London Borough Council Bexley London Borough Council is the local authority for the London Borough of Bexley in the ceremonial county of Greater London, England. It is one of 32 London borough councils in the county. The council comprises 45 councillors. History Th ...

. The school continues to coordinate with Bexley London Borough Council for admissions.

Description

Welling School is a much larger than average-sized 11–19 secondary school. The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic groups and who speak English as an additional language is below the national average. The proportion of pupils who are entitled to free schools meals is above the national average while the proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities, is twice the national average. The school has a significant number of in-year admissions, and 25% of the 2017 Year 11 cohort did not start their secondary education at the school in Year 7. Attainment on entry from primary school is significantly below the national average. This article contains quotations from this source, which is available under th
Open Government Licence v3.0
© Crown copyright

Buildings

The building date from 2005, when the school had a Visual Arts specialism. There is a sports hall and all-weather sports pitch. There are a range of performance spaces and studios, dance studio, and drama studio. The food preparation rooms were renovated in 2020. There are specialist classrooms; Apple Mac computer rooms, recording studio, art gallery, library and a designated 6th Form Centre.

Academics

Virtually all maintained schools and academies follow the

National Curriculum A national curriculum is a common programme of study in schools that is designed to ensure nationwide uniformity of content and standards in education. It is usually legislated by the national government, possibly in consultation with state or other ...

, and are inspected by Ofsted on how well they succeed in delivering a 'broad and balanced curriculum'. The school operates a three-year, Key Stage 3 where all the core National Curriculum subjects are taught. Year 7 and Year 8 study core subjects: English, Maths, Science (Biology, Chemistry & Physics), Geography, History and Modern Foreign Languages. The following foundation subjects are offered: Art , Art History, Computing, Design & Technology, Drama, Ethics & Life Skills PSHE & RE, French, Spanish, Music and PE. For

Key Stage 4 Key Stage 4 (KS4) is the legal term for the two years of school education which incorporate GCSEs, and other examinations, in maintained schools in England normally known as Year 10 and Year 11, when pupils are aged between 14 and 16 by August 31 ...

l, students start their GCSE studies at the beginning of Year 10. They follow a set of core courses: English Language, English Literature, Mathematics, Science and in all study will study a minimum of eight Level 2 qualifications including GCSEs and vocational style courses. Students are guided onto their most appropriate pathway and study four optional courses. Within the combination of subjects available students will have the chance to study for an

English Baccalaureate The English Baccalaureate (EBacc) is a school performance indicator in England linked to the General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) results. It measures students' attainment by calculating an average score from specified subject grades. ...

(EBACC) qualification with its Humanities and MFL requirement, or within a visual arts pathway, or performing arts or sports, where BTECs are available All students must do Core PE and PSRE. There is a collaborative sixth-form where students will study some subjects at

Trinity School, Belvedere Trinity School is a Church of England Secondary Academy located in Belvedere in the London Borough of Bexley. It is a mixed non-selective school located within a selective borough. Introduction Trinity School is the only Church of England sec ...

Welling Visual Arts

The school specialises in the

visual The visual system comprises the sensory organ (the eye) and parts of the central nervous system (the retina containing photoreceptor cells, the optic nerve, the optic tract and the visual cortex) which gives organisms the sense of sight (th ...

arts The arts are a very wide range of human practices of creative expression, storytelling and cultural participation. They encompass multiple diverse and plural modes of thinking, doing and being, in an extremely broad range of media. Both ...

, and has dedicated facilities to support the specialism for the use of pupils and the local community. The provision is known as ''Welling Visual Arts'' and includes ''The m3 Gallery'' which mainly displays pupils work, and ''Berwick Road Gallery'' which displays works by established artists such as

David Hockney David Hockney (born 9 July 1937) is an English painter, draftsman, printmaker, stage designer, and photographer. As an important contributor to the pop art movement of the 1960s, he is considered one of the most influential British artists o ...

Francisco Goya Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes (; ; 30 March 174616 April 1828) was a Spanish romantic painter and printmaker. He is considered the most important Spanish artist of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. His paintings, drawings, and e ...

and

Walker Evans Walker Evans (November 3, 1903 – April 10, 1975) was an American photographer and photojournalist best known for his work for the Farm Security Administration (FSA) documenting the effects of the Great Depression. Much of Evans' work from ...

alTURNERtive Prize

Welling Visual Arts also organises the ''alTURNERtive Prize'', an exhibition which encourages pupils from Welling School to engage with independent practice and is timed to coincide with the

Turner Prize The Turner Prize, named after the English painter J. M. W. Turner, is an annual prize presented to a British visual artist. Between 1991 and 2016, only artists under the age of 50 were eligible (this restriction was removed for the 2017 award) ...

at the

Tate Tate is an institution that houses, in a network of four art galleries, the United Kingdom's national collection of British art, and international modern and contemporary art. It is not a government institution, but its main sponsor is the U ...

. The prize was established in 2002 by Henry Ward, and has been judged by critics such as Michael Archer (who judged the Turner Prize the year Keith Tyson won) and has been presented by Richard Wentworth, Hew Locke and Ryan Gander."Alternative Turner Prize"
BBC. Retrieved 20 July 2013.

References

External links

Welling School official websiteWelling Visual Arts
{{authority control Secondary schools in the London Borough of Bexley Academies in the London Borough of Bexley Specialist arts colleges in England