Arden School
Encyclopedia
Arden School is a co-educational secondary school
located in the village of Knowle
near Solihull
in the West Midlands
, United Kingdom
. It has had specialist language
status since 1996.
In 2006 there was a 'Post 16 Centre' installed, with the first trial year group finishing in Summer 2008. The pilot sixth-form was successful, and gave Arden School its official 11-18 status the following year. The sixth-form admits approximately 120 students each year.
As of October 2010, Arden School became an academy under government plans and was renamed 'Arden'. Due to its academical status it became independent from the local council.
includes a dark green blazer and a green and yellow striped neck tie. The crest features a crown and two oak trees together with the school motto Ad Altiora, or "to the higher".
In the summer, girls do not have to wear a full shirt, so they wear a open necked blouse instead.
in each year, each given a letter taken from the school's name: ARDENSCH.
Each year is split into year halves. Forms A, R, D and E learn French as their first language and travel to Normandy in year 7. Forms N, S, C and H learn German and visit Rhineland.
The year halves remain completely separate throughout the years 7,8 and 9 with the French and German halves having separate classes and sets for all subjects. This is until year 10 when the two halves are mixed for GCSE subjects.
As Arden is a language college, pupils are given the opportunity to learn a second language from: Spanish, Italian, Mandarin Chinese and French/German.
Arden operates a house system
with four houses:
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...
located in the village of Knowle
Knowle
Knowle is a large village a few miles southeast of the town of Solihull, UK. Knowle lies within the historic county boundaries of Warwickshire, and since 1974 it has been part of the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull within the West Midlands...
near Solihull
Solihull
Solihull is a town in the West Midlands of England with a population of 94,753. It is a part of the West Midlands conurbation and is located 9 miles southeast of Birmingham city centre...
in the West Midlands
West Midlands (county)
The West Midlands is a metropolitan county in western central England with a 2009 estimated population of 2,638,700. It came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972, formed from parts of Staffordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire. The...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. It has had specialist language
Language College
Language Colleges were introduced in 1995 as part of the Specialist Schools Programme in the United Kingdom. The system enables secondary schools to specialise in certain fields, in this case, modern foreign languages...
status since 1996.
In 2006 there was a 'Post 16 Centre' installed, with the first trial year group finishing in Summer 2008. The pilot sixth-form was successful, and gave Arden School its official 11-18 status the following year. The sixth-form admits approximately 120 students each year.
As of October 2010, Arden School became an academy under government plans and was renamed 'Arden'. Due to its academical status it became independent from the local council.
Uniform
The Arden school colours are green and yellow/gold. The uniformSchool uniforms in England
School uniforms in England were first introduced on a large scale during the reign of King Henry VIII. The uniforms of the time were referred as "bluecoats", as they consisted of long trench-coat-style jackets dyed blue. Blue was the cheapest available dye and showed humility amongst all children...
includes a dark green blazer and a green and yellow striped neck tie. The crest features a crown and two oak trees together with the school motto Ad Altiora, or "to the higher".
In the summer, girls do not have to wear a full shirt, so they wear a open necked blouse instead.
Forms and Houses
There are eight formsForm (education)
A form is a class or grouping of students in a school. The term is used predominantly in the United Kingdom, although some schools, mostly private, in other countries also use the title...
in each year, each given a letter taken from the school's name: ARDENSCH.
Each year is split into year halves. Forms A, R, D and E learn French as their first language and travel to Normandy in year 7. Forms N, S, C and H learn German and visit Rhineland.
The year halves remain completely separate throughout the years 7,8 and 9 with the French and German halves having separate classes and sets for all subjects. This is until year 10 when the two halves are mixed for GCSE subjects.
As Arden is a language college, pupils are given the opportunity to learn a second language from: Spanish, Italian, Mandarin Chinese and French/German.
Arden operates a house system
House system
The house system is a traditional feature of British schools, and schools in the Commonwealth. Historically, it was associated with established public schools, where a 'house' refers to a boarding house or dormitory of a boarding school...
with four houses:
| House | Named after | Colour | Forms |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aylward | Gladys Aylward Gladys Aylward Gladys May Aylward was the evangelical Christian missionary to China whose story was told in the book The Small Woman by Alan Burgess, published in 1957... |
Blue |
A and N |
| Baird | John Logie Baird John Logie Baird John Logie Baird FRSE was a Scottish engineer and inventor of the world's first practical, publicly demonstrated television system, and also the world's first fully electronic colour television tube... |
Yellow |
R and S |
| Elliot | George Elliot George Elliot George Elliot may refer to: *George Eliot, pen name of Mary Ann Evans , English novelist*George Elliot , British naval officer and Member of Parliament for Roxburghshire 1832–1835... |
Purple |
D and C |
| Fleming | Alexander Fleming Alexander Fleming Sir Alexander Fleming was a Scottish biologist and pharmacologist. He wrote many articles on bacteriology, immunology, and chemotherapy... |
Red |
E and H |
Alumni
- Russell LeetchRussell LeetchRussell Jonathan Leetch is the bass guitarist for Birmingham-based indie rock band Editors. He studied music technology at Staffordshire University where he met his fellow Editors band members. He went to secondary school at Arden School, Knowle.He used to work with bandmate Tom Smith in a call...
, musician - Spizzenergi, musician
- Gary KnightGary KnightGary Knight was born in 1964 in Oakham, England and was raised in the village of Knowle in the West Midlands. He attended Arden School and Solihull Sixth Form College. He left higher education mid way through his first year and started to travel in Europe and the Middle East...
, photographer - Ludwig Beethoven