John O'Gaunt 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 ...

secondary school in

Hungerford Hungerford is a historic market town and civil parish in Berkshire, England, west of Newbury, east of Marlborough, northeast of Salisbury and 60 miles (97 km) west of London. The Kennet and Avon Canal passes through the town alongside t ...

Berkshire Berkshire ( ; in the 17th century sometimes spelt phonetically as Barkeshire; abbreviated Berks.) is a historic county in South East England. One of the home counties, Berkshire was recognised by Queen Elizabeth II as the Royal County of Be ...

, England for students aged 11 to 16. It was Berkshire's first community school.

History

Opened in January 1963, the school is a fusion of

1960s decor 1960s décor refers to a distinct style of interior decoration that became prominent in the 1960s and early 1970s. Green, (such as pea green and drab), yellow, pink, and orange (such as peach and saffron) hues were popular for wallpaper, carpets, c ...

and 1990s pre-fabricated buildings. The school gained

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 5 ...

status in 2003, and was renamed John O'Gaunt Community Technology College before converting 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 ...

status and becoming John O'Gaunt School in 2012. It is run by the Excalibur Academies Trust, a multi-academy trust which includes several local primary schools and

St John's Marlborough St John's Marlborough (formerly St John's School and Community College) is a mixed secondary school with academy status in Marlborough, Wiltshire, England, for students aged 11 to 18. the school has 1,635 students. The school opened in 1975 ...

Hungerford massacre

On 19 August 1987, the school gained notoriety as the site of the denouement of the

Hungerford massacre The Hungerford massacre was a spree shooting in Hungerford, England, United Kingdom, on 19 August 1987, when 27-year-old Michael Ryan shot dead sixteen people, including an unarmed police officer and his own mother, before shooting himself. The ...

. Michael Robert Ryan made the then-empty school the site of his final stand and suicide, having killed 16 people and injured 15 others.

Sixth Form

In the first half of 2014, the school suspended their upcoming

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 ...

intake for September 2014 due to dwindling student numbers, and intended to suspend the 2015 intake and beyond. For changes to intakes of 3 or more years,

West Berkshire Council West Berkshire Council is the local authority of West Berkshire in Berkshire, England. It is a unitary authority, having the powers of a non-metropolitan county and district council combined. West Berkshire is divided into 30 wards, electing 52 ...

were required to hold a statutory consultation, which resulted in the Sixth Form being closed from August 2016 onwards. West Berkshire Council have indicated that should demand increase for a sixth form at the school in the future, that consideration would be given to reopening the sixth form.

Extracurricular activities

John O'Gaunt offers mainly sports and arts events. Students who apply for a course at Newbury College are taken by bus.

Former headteachers

* Sarah Brinkley (2012–2015) * Neil Spurdell (2009–2012) * Lin Bartlett (1998–2008) * Marcia Twelftree (1993–1997) * Jeff Dawkins (1990–1993) * Monica Darroch (1990) * David Lee (1986–1989) * Keith McClellan (1985–1986) * David Lee (1975–1985) * Norman Fox (1975) * Rex Chesney (1963–1974)

Notable former pupils

* Adam Brown, actor, comedian and pantomime performer *

Charlie Austin Charles Austin (born 5 July 1989) is an English professional footballer who plays as a striker. Released from his contract by Reading as a youth, Austin played non-league football up to May 2009, when he was signed by Swindon Town after a pro ...

, footballer for

Queens Park Rangers Queens Park Rangers Football Club, commonly abbreviated to QPR, is a professional football club based in Shepherd's Bush, West London, England, which compete in the . After a nomadic early existence, they have played home matches at Loftus ...

* Michael Robert Ryan, perpetrator of the

, who also killed himself at the same school

References

External links

* {{authority control Secondary schools in West Berkshire District Educational institutions established in 1963 1963 establishments in England Academies in West Berkshire District Hungerford