Alban Church of England Academy
Encyclopedia
Alban Church of England Academy (formerly Alban Church of England Middle School) is an academy located in Great Barford
, Bedfordshire
.
Pupils first began attending Alban Middle School in the September 1976 after Bedfordshire County Council
decided to implement the three-tier education
system of lower, middle and upper schools across the county (as recommended in the 1967 Plowden Report
). The school was officially opened in June 1977 by the then Bishop of St Albans
, the Right Reverend Robert Runcie
. The school was the first purpose built voluntary aided
middle school
opened in Bedfordshire by the Church of England
Diocese of St Albans. The name of the school was subsequently changed by the school governors to Alban Church of England Middle School to reflect this link.
On 1st April 2011, the school re-opened as Alban Church of England Academy, becoming independent of local authority control. The Diocese of St Albans is the sponsor of the academy.
Great Barford
Great Barford is a village and civil parish in Bedfordshire, England, a few miles north-east of Bedford. It lies on the River Great Ouse at . It is twinned with Wöllstein, Germany...
, Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire is a ceremonial county of historic origin in England that forms part of the East of England region.It borders Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Northamptonshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the west and Hertfordshire to the south-east....
.
Pupils first began attending Alban Middle School in the September 1976 after Bedfordshire County Council
Bedfordshire County Council
Bedfordshire County Council was the county council of the non-metropolitan county of Bedfordshire in England. It was established in 1889 and was abolished on 1 April 2009. The county council was based in Bedford. It was replaced with three unitary authorities: Bedford Borough Council, Central...
decided to implement the three-tier education
Three-tier education
Three-tier education refers to those structures of schooling, which exist in some parts of England, where pupils are taught in three distinct school types. A similar experiment was also trialled in Scotland....
system of lower, middle and upper schools across the county (as recommended in the 1967 Plowden Report
Plowden Report
The Plowden Report is the unofficial name for the 1967 report of the Central Advisory Council For Education into Primary education in England. The report, entitled Children and their Primary Schools reviewed Primary education in a wholesale fashion. The collation of the report took around 3 years...
). The school was officially opened in June 1977 by the then Bishop of St Albans
Bishop of St Albans
The Bishop of St Albans is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of St Albans in the Province of Canterbury. The bishop is supported in his work by two suffragan bishops, the Bishop of Hertford and the Bishop of Bedford, and three archdeacons....
, the Right Reverend Robert Runcie
Robert Runcie
Robert Alexander Kennedy Runcie, Baron Runcie, PC, MC was Archbishop of Canterbury from 1980 to 1991.-Early life:...
. The school was the first purpose built voluntary aided
Voluntary aided school
A voluntary aided school is a state-funded school in England and Wales in which a foundation or trust owns the school buildings, contributes to building costs and has a substantial influence in the running of the school...
middle school
Middle school
Middle School and Junior High School are levels of schooling between elementary and high schools. Most school systems use one term or the other, not both. The terms are not interchangeable...
opened in Bedfordshire by the Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
Diocese of St Albans. The name of the school was subsequently changed by the school governors to Alban Church of England Middle School to reflect this link.
On 1st April 2011, the school re-opened as Alban Church of England Academy, becoming independent of local authority control. The Diocese of St Albans is the sponsor of the academy.