Thurston Community College 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 t ...
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
Thurston,
Suffolk, England. As of 2018, it has 1,733 students aged 11–18 drawn from the local village and surrounding rural communities.
History
Thn Community College was founded in 1973, and was originally known as Thurston Upper School.
Transition to two-tier education structure
In September 2014, the school underwent a large transition in order to become a secondary school and follow the two-tier education structure. Because of this, the Thurston Sixth Form Centre was relocated to
Beyton, on the site of the former
Beyton Middle School, and is now known as Thurston Sixth: Beyton Campus. This also meant that the most junior year group was lowered from Year 9 to Year 7. The old Sixth Form Centre, now a humanities department, was opened in 2002 by
Rt Hon David Puttnam.
The college today
The school's facilities include a community library, a large sixth form centre (based in
Beyton) and an
Air Training Corps
The Air Training Corps (ATC) is a British volunteer-military youth organisation. They are sponsored by the Ministry of Defence and the Royal Air Force. The majority of staff are volunteers, and some are paid for full-time work – including C ...
building. It has a total staff of around 170. In its most recent
Ofsted inspection report in 2018, the school was rated Good. The school has been rated Good every inspection except for in 2010 when the school was rated outstanding.
Houses
Until 2020, the school was divided into five houses, named after famous British people with Suffolk connections. The school has changed these houses into year group blocks.
*
Gainsborough Gainsborough or Gainsboro may refer to:
Places
* Gainsborough, Ipswich, Suffolk, England
** Gainsborough Ward, Ipswich
* Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, a town in England
** Gainsborough (UK Parliament constituency)
* Gainsborough, New South Wales, ...
*
Rendell
*
Anderson
Anderson or Andersson may refer to:
Companies
* Anderson (Carriage), a company that manufactured automobiles from 1907 to 1910
* Anderson Electric, an early 20th-century electric car
* Anderson Greenwood, an industrial manufacturer
* Anderson ...
*
Penrose
*
Wolsey
Thomas Wolsey ( – 29 November 1530) was an English statesman and Catholic bishop. When Henry VIII became King of England in 1509, Wolsey became the king's almoner. Wolsey's affairs prospered and by 1514 he had become the controlling figure ...
Principals
?–2005 Chris Bowler
2005–2021 Helen Wilson
2021–present Nicki Mattin (formerly head teacher of
Spires Academy, Canterbury)
Notable former pupils
*
Kate Smurthwaite
Kate Smurthwaite is a British comedian and political activist. She has appeared on British television and radio as a pundit, offering opinion and comment on subjects ranging from politics to religion.
She performs stand-up around the UK and ove ...
, comedian
*
Kate Quilton
Katie Marie Quilton (born 30 November 1983 in Nuneaton, Warwickshire) is an English television presenter and journalist. She is best known for presenting a number of Channel 4 television series, including '' Food Unwrapped'' since 2012.
Career ...
, television presenter and journalist
* Prof. Daniel Wakelin, Jeremy Griffiths Professor of Medieval English Palaeography since 2011 at
St Hilda's College, OxfordDaniel Wakelin
/ref>
* Prof. Adrian Simpson, Principal of St Mary's College and founding Principal of Josephine Butler College at Durham University
* Gary Stevens, footballer for Tottenham Hotspur FC
* James Scowcroft, footballer for Ipswich Town FC
* Jo Jennings, represented Great Britain and England at high jump
References
External sources
Thurston Community College websiteThurston Community College description on The Good Schools Guide
Community schools in Suffolk
Secondary schools in Suffolk
{{Suffolk-school-stub