The Duchess's Community High School is a

co-educational 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 A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., b ...

and

sixth form In the education systems of Barbados, England, Jamaica, Northern Ireland, Trinidad and Tobago, Wales, and some other Commonwealth countries, sixth form represents the final two years of secondary education, ages 16 to 18. Pupils typically prepa ...

located in

Alnwick Alnwick ( ) is a market town in Northumberland, England, of which it is the traditional county town. The population at the 2011 Census was 8,116. The town is south of Berwick-upon-Tweed and the Scottish border, inland from the North Sea ...

in the

English county The counties of England are a type of subdivision of England. Counties have been used as administrative areas in England since Anglo-Saxon times. There are three definitions of county in England: the 48 ceremonial counties used for the purpo ...

Northumberland Northumberland ( ) is a ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North East England, on the Anglo-Scottish border, border with Scotland. It is bordered by the North Sea to the east, Tyne and Wear and County Durham to the south, Cumb ...

. It is a community school administered by

Northumberland County Council Northumberland County Council is the Local government in England, local authority for the non-metropolitan county of Northumberland in North East England. Since 2009 it has been a Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority, having also ...

History

In 1809, the Duchess of Northumberland, Julia opened a small private school for twenty girls, in one of her husband's houses in Walkergate, Alnwick. The numbers grew, so with 50 on roll, in 1820 it moved to larger premises on Canongate. In 1888 it move again to its home on Bailiffgate. It was a fee paying private school. In 1903 it was recognised by the

as a County Secondary School. The school continued to expand and then named The Duchess’s Girls’ Grammar School. It moved in 1965 into newly built premises on Howling Lane. In 1979, at the time of secondary reorganisation, the school became both comprehensive and

as it incorporated the Duke’s Boys’ Grammar School, Alnwick Secondary Modern School, Seahouses Secondary Modern School, Glendale County Secondary School and St Mary’s RC Secondary Modern School. The 940 pupil comprehensive needed to occupy both the 1965 Howling Lane building and the former building on Bailiffgate. In 2000 the school was designated 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 598 ...

under the

Specialist schools programme The specialist schools programme (SSP), first launched as the Technology Colleges programme and also known as the specialist schools initiative, specialist schools policy and specialist schools scheme, was a government programme in the United ...

which allowed a widening of the curriculum and significant investment in ICT. Ofsted inspections in 2003, 2007 and 2012 reported positively. Because of the achievements the school was able to apply for a Second Specialism of Music and English College as well as continuing to offer Technology. It became a Full Service Extended School. In September 2016, and in September 2017 widened its age range, admitting pupils from the age of 11.

The Site

Despite being one of the top-performing establishments in the county, by 2011, the buildings were aging. Being a split site was not ideal. In May 2013, the Government announced that a new school would be funded through the £2 billion Priority School Building Programme, and is included in the first phase of the scheme. The leader of the county council, vowed that the authority would make up any shortfall. It opened in 2017. Again the land for the Ńew Build was long-leased on a pepper-corn rent, by the

Percy family The Percy family is an old English noble family. They were among the oldest and most powerful noble families in Northern England for much of the Middle Ages. The noble family is known for its long rivalry with the House of Neville, another fam ...

Dukes of Northumberland Duke of Northumberland is a noble title that has been created three times in English and British history, twice in the Peerage of England and once in the Peerage of Great Britain. The current holder of this title is Ralph Percy, 12th Duke of N ...

, maintaining their two century old connection with the school. The site is valued at over £8 million- with it are a further destined for sports fields and a sports centre for the town.

Academics

The Duchess's Community High School offers

GCSEs The General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) is an academic qualification in a range of subjects taken in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, having been introduced in September 1986 and its first exams taken in 1988. State schools ...

and BTEC qualifications as programmes of study for pupils, while students in the sixth form have the option to study from a range of

A-level The A-level (Advanced Level) is a subject-based qualification conferred as part of the General Certificate of Education, as well as a school leaving qualification offered by the educational bodies in the United Kingdom and the educational ...

s and further BTECs.

Year 7, 8, 9 (Key Stage 3)

Key Stage 3 Key Stage 3 (commonly abbreviated as KS3) is the legal term for the three years of schooling in maintained schools in England and Wales normally known as Year 7, Year 8 and Year 9, when pupils are aged between 11 and 14. In Northern Ireland the ...

, all students study English, Mathematics, Science, IT, Technology, History, Geography, Art, Textiles, Drama, Music, PE, French and/or Spanish, RE and Life Studies.

Years 10 & 11 (Key Stage 4)

, students continue with English, English Literature, Mathematics, Science, Life Studies and PE. There are four options. Students are guided onto different academic routes and will choose an EBacc subject from History, Geography, French and Spanish, then three courses from a list that includes: The GCSE subjects, French, Spanish, Art, Photography, Geography, History, PE, RE, Computer Science, Film Studies, Drama, Music, Or BTEC Level 1 subjects, Business, Health & Social Care, IT, Engineering, Child Development & Care, Public Services, Hair & Beauty, Food Preparation & Nutrition, Materials Technology and Fashion & Textiles. Many students continue into The Duchess’s Community High School Sixth Form.

Extra-curricular activities

*Sports. *Creative Writing Club, Mass Debating & Magistrates Court, Extra Languages, French Puppet Theatre, *Year 10/11 Extra Revision Morning sessions All Subjects, *Textiles, Conservation Club, Key Project Fund, VEX Robotics, LEGO Robotics, Science Club *Celidh Band, Dance, Set design, Capella Choir, Choir, Band Workshops. *Theatricals an annual senior school play and the annual school musical with the performing on stage and in the technical lighting or sound side, stage management or publicity and photography. *Maths Drop ins, Homework Club.

Notable former pupils

Lucy Bronze Lucia Roberta Tough Bronze (born 28 October 1991) is an English professional footballer who plays as a right-back for Women's Super League club Chelsea and the England women's national team. She has previously played for Sunderland, Everto ...

, footballer *Ida Cook (pen name

Mary Burchell Ida Cook (24 August 190422 December 1986) was a British campaigner for Jewish refugees and, as Mary Burchell, a romance novelist. Ida Cook and her sister Louise Cook (1901–1991) rescued Jews from the Nazis during the 1930s. The sisters he ...

) and Louise Cook, British Heroes of the Holocaust * Laura Weightman, middle-distance runner *

Lucy Staniforth Lucy Elizabeth Staniforth-Wilson (née Staniforth; born 2 October 1992) is an English professional Association football, footballer who plays as a midfielder for Women's Super League club Aston Villa W.F.C., Aston Villa and the England women's n ...

, footballer * Cyrus Ramone Pattinson, boxer

References

External links

The Duchess's Community High School official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Duchess's Community High School Secondary schools in Northumberland Community schools in Northumberland Educational institutions established in 1809 1809 establishments in England