Abbeyfield School
Encyclopedia
Abbeyfield School is a secondary
mixed comprehensive school
in Chippenham
, Wiltshire
, England
, for children aged 11 to 18.
There are 953 pupils on its roll.
The current headteacher is James Fox who has held the post since 1st September 2010.
and the large estates of Pewsham
and Cepen Park. In 1998, while the land was being cleared, two unexploded bombs were found on the site and the British Army
carried out a controlled explosion
. However, other delays occurred due to the nature of the Private Finance Initiative
and building did not start until 2000.
The new school was opened in 2001 by The Duke of Edinburgh. In 2008, a new building was built to accommodate the 6th Form students. This development includes ICT facilities and a new canteen and staffroom.
in Stanley Lane, near the Pewsham
estate, off London Road.
and Sheldon school
s as well as from surrounding towns such as Melksham Oak
and Corsham
's The Corsham School
, as well as an increasing number of admissions from nearby Calne
.
. The first of these, in 2002, described the school as "a very effective school, it has the capacity to improve
even further". The 2006 inspection described the school as "An effective school which provides a good quality of education for its students who enjoy their learning and achieve well." In 2009 the Ofsted report was not as positive being only 'Satisfactory'
. It is traditional every year for Year 12 and 13 students to travel to the Gambia to visit the school, help with lessons and spend time with local people. jole rider, an education organisation and registered charity, worked with Abbeyfield to supply refurbished, donated second-hand bicycles and classroom equipment to the school, to help young Gambians gain an education as many live far from the school and need transport in order to get there.
Secondary school
Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age, takes place...
mixed comprehensive school
Comprehensive school
A comprehensive school is a state school that does not select its intake on the basis of academic achievement or aptitude. This is in contrast to the selective school system, where admission is restricted on the basis of a selection criteria. The term is commonly used in relation to the United...
in Chippenham
Chippenham
Chippenham may be:* Chippenham, Wiltshire* Chippenham * Chippenham, Cambridgeshire-See also:* Virginia State Route 150, also known as Chippenham Parkway, USA* Cippenham, Berkshire, UK...
, Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, for children aged 11 to 18.
There are 953 pupils on its roll.
The current headteacher is James Fox who has held the post since 1st September 2010.
History
The school was built to serve the needs of the expanding population of ChippenhamChippenham
Chippenham may be:* Chippenham, Wiltshire* Chippenham * Chippenham, Cambridgeshire-See also:* Virginia State Route 150, also known as Chippenham Parkway, USA* Cippenham, Berkshire, UK...
and the large estates of Pewsham
Pewsham
Pewsham is a small village of approximately 100 residents located on the A4 national route between Chippenham and Calne in Wiltshire, southwestern England....
and Cepen Park. In 1998, while the land was being cleared, two unexploded bombs were found on the site and the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
carried out a controlled explosion
Controlled explosion
A controlled explosion is a method for detonating or disabling a suspected explosive device.Methods which are used to set off a controlled explosion include emptying out the area and moving the package into a confined space such as a telephone booth.Another classic method of controlled explosion...
. However, other delays occurred due to the nature of the Private Finance Initiative
Private Finance Initiative
The private finance initiative is a way of creating "public–private partnerships" by funding public infrastructure projects with private capital...
and building did not start until 2000.
The new school was opened in 2001 by The Duke of Edinburgh. In 2008, a new building was built to accommodate the 6th Form students. This development includes ICT facilities and a new canteen and staffroom.
Location
The school is located on the east side of ChippenhamChippenham
Chippenham may be:* Chippenham, Wiltshire* Chippenham * Chippenham, Cambridgeshire-See also:* Virginia State Route 150, also known as Chippenham Parkway, USA* Cippenham, Berkshire, UK...
in Stanley Lane, near the Pewsham
Pewsham
Pewsham is a small village of approximately 100 residents located on the A4 national route between Chippenham and Calne in Wiltshire, southwestern England....
estate, off London Road.
Admissions
Every year the school admits around 180 children (six tutor groups of 30 students) from local primary schools. These children come from the Chippenham area which is also served by HardenhuishHardenhuish School
Hardenhuish School is an 11-18 co-educational comprehensive school and sixth form in Chippenham, Wiltshire.-Admissions:The school is sited in the former Hardenhuish Manor and Chippenham Grammar School. The school holds specialist Mathematics and Computing College status. It has newly added a...
and Sheldon school
Sheldon school
Sheldon School is a large mixed comprehensive school in Chippenham, Wiltshire, UK for children aged 11–18 and is the largest school in Wiltshire. It is one of three in Chippenham, the others being Abbeyfield and Hardenhuish...
s as well as from surrounding towns such as Melksham Oak
Melksham Oak Community School
Melksham Oak Community School is a state secondary comprehensive school in Melksham, Wiltshire, UK.It was created under the Building Schools for the Future programme, opening on the 12th July 2010 to replace The George Ward Technology College....
and Corsham
Corsham
Corsham is a historic market town and civil parish in north west Wiltshire, England. It is at the south western extreme of the Cotswolds, just off the A4 which was formerly the main turnpike road from London to Bristol, between Bath and Chippenham ....
's The Corsham School
The Corsham School
The Corsham School is an Arts College and large secondary school & academy in Corsham, Wiltshire, England. It has 1387 students enrolled, with over 200 in the sixth form facility.-Background:...
, as well as an increasing number of admissions from nearby Calne
Calne
Calne is a town in Wiltshire, southwestern England. It is situated at the northwestern extremity of the North Wessex Downs hill range, a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty....
.
Ofsted
Since its first inspection in 2002 the school has been inspected several times by OfstedOfsted
The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills is the non-ministerial government department of Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Schools In England ....
. The first of these, in 2002, described the school as "a very effective school, it has the capacity to improve
even further". The 2006 inspection described the school as "An effective school which provides a good quality of education for its students who enjoy their learning and achieve well." In 2009 the Ofsted report was not as positive being only 'Satisfactory'
Link with the Gambia
Since 2006, Abbeyfield School has been twinned with Maahad School in The GambiaThe Gambia
The Republic of The Gambia, commonly referred to as The Gambia, or Gambia , is a country in West Africa. Gambia is the smallest country on mainland Africa, surrounded by Senegal except for a short coastline on the Atlantic Ocean in the west....
. It is traditional every year for Year 12 and 13 students to travel to the Gambia to visit the school, help with lessons and spend time with local people. jole rider, an education organisation and registered charity, worked with Abbeyfield to supply refurbished, donated second-hand bicycles and classroom equipment to the school, to help young Gambians gain an education as many live far from the school and need transport in order to get there.