Balby Carr Community Sports College
Encyclopedia
Balby Carr Community Sports College (formerly Balby Carr Community School), colloquially known as 'Balby Carr', is a secondary school for students aged 11-18 located in the Balby
area of Doncaster
, South Yorkshire
, England
.
granted specialist Sports College
status in September, 2003. Balby Carr was granted Specialist Science status in early 2008. Since receiving official sports college status, the college has been extensively redeveloped and includes several additions to the campus such as all-weather sports pitches, campus-wide WLAN
access points and improved facilities for current students.
In 2004, a City Learning Centre
(CLC) was founded on the Balby Carr campus. Doncaster South CLC was opened to provide students and teachers in the local area with e-learning
and technology-based projects. These have included local history projects, the production of film and television programmes (using the specialized on-campus TV Studio) and nationally award-winning learning content for the teaching of mathematics, science and history. The centre also offers dedicated conference, meeting and training facilities for business and community users.
In February 2010 it was announced that part of the most southerly block of the school needed to be demolished and replaced. In Mayor Winter's White Paper 'Achieving Success' the work to be done on Balby Carr school was given priority and scheduled to take place in 2011. However, following announcements by the Secretary of State for Education Michael Gove
on 5 July 2010, the improvements - due to be made to the school under the Building Schools for the Future programme - were brought to a halt.
inspection in November 2005 judged the school to require a 'Notice to Improve'. A subsequent inspection in January 2007 noted that "the school no longer requires significant improvement. The school is improving: it is now satisfactory in virtually all aspects of its work and provides satisfactory value for money."
By 2009, the last year of which figures have been published, the CVA score for Balby Carr at Key Stage 2 to 4 had risen to 1002.1. The 2009 OFSTED report states that "(Balby Carr) is a satisfactory school that is clearly improving. It is well regarded in the local community and parents think well of it. One parent’s view, shared by the inspectors, is that ‘all staff are very friendly, approachable and professional’. As a result of the good care, guidance and support they receive, students feel safe, secure and proud of their school."
In December 2009 at a meeting of the Doncaster Secondary Schools Chairs/Vice Chairs' Network Group it was announced that the Department for Children Schools and Families had allocated funding to the school to offer one-to-one tuition in English and Maths to pupils.
The school has biometric access control backed up by CCTV cameras.
Balby
Balby is a suburb of Doncaster located to the south-west of the borough in the north of England. It is home to the former secondary school, now sports college Balby Carr...
area of Doncaster
Doncaster
Doncaster is a town in South Yorkshire, England, and the principal settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster. The town is about from Sheffield and is popularly referred to as "Donny"...
, South Yorkshire
South Yorkshire
South Yorkshire is a metropolitan county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It has a population of 1.29 million. It consists of four metropolitan boroughs: Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham, and City of Sheffield...
, 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...
.
History
Initially known as the Balby Carr Community School, The local education authoritiesLocal Education Authority
A local education authority is a local authority in England and Wales that has responsibility for education within its jurisdiction...
granted specialist Sports College
Sports College
Sports Colleges were introduced in 1997 as part of the Specialist Schools Programme in the United Kingdom. The system enables secondary schools to specialise in certain fields, in this case, PE, sports and dance. Schools that successfully apply to the Specialist Schools Trust and become Sports...
status in September, 2003. Balby Carr was granted Specialist Science status in early 2008. Since receiving official sports college status, the college has been extensively redeveloped and includes several additions to the campus such as all-weather sports pitches, campus-wide WLAN
Wireless LAN
A wireless local area network links two or more devices using some wireless distribution method , and usually providing a connection through an access point to the wider internet. This gives users the mobility to move around within a local coverage area and still be connected to the network...
access points and improved facilities for current students.
In 2004, a City Learning Centre
City Learning Centre
A City Learning Centre is a facility in the United Kingdom which provides state-of-the-art ICT-based learning opportunities for the pupils at the host school, for pupils at a network of surrounding schools and for the wider community...
(CLC) was founded on the Balby Carr campus. Doncaster South CLC was opened to provide students and teachers in the local area with e-learning
E-learning
E-learning comprises all forms of electronically supported learning and teaching. The information and communication systems, whether networked learning or not, serve as specific media to implement the learning process...
and technology-based projects. These have included local history projects, the production of film and television programmes (using the specialized on-campus TV Studio) and nationally award-winning learning content for the teaching of mathematics, science and history. The centre also offers dedicated conference, meeting and training facilities for business and community users.
In February 2010 it was announced that part of the most southerly block of the school needed to be demolished and replaced. In Mayor Winter's White Paper 'Achieving Success' the work to be done on Balby Carr school was given priority and scheduled to take place in 2011. However, following announcements by the Secretary of State for Education Michael Gove
Michael Gove
Michael Andrew Gove, MP is a British politician, who currently serves as the Secretary of State for Education and as the Conservative Party Member of Parliament for the Surrey Heath constituency. He is also a published author and former journalist.Born in Edinburgh, Gove was raised in Aberdeen...
on 5 July 2010, the improvements - due to be made to the school under the Building Schools for the Future programme - were brought to a halt.
Educational standards
In 2006, only 19% of students gained 5 or more GCSEs, including Maths and English. By 2009, this number had risen to 25%. an 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 ....
inspection in November 2005 judged the school to require a 'Notice to Improve'. A subsequent inspection in January 2007 noted that "the school no longer requires significant improvement. The school is improving: it is now satisfactory in virtually all aspects of its work and provides satisfactory value for money."
By 2009, the last year of which figures have been published, the CVA score for Balby Carr at Key Stage 2 to 4 had risen to 1002.1. The 2009 OFSTED report states that "(Balby Carr) is a satisfactory school that is clearly improving. It is well regarded in the local community and parents think well of it. One parent’s view, shared by the inspectors, is that ‘all staff are very friendly, approachable and professional’. As a result of the good care, guidance and support they receive, students feel safe, secure and proud of their school."
In December 2009 at a meeting of the Doncaster Secondary Schools Chairs/Vice Chairs' Network Group it was announced that the Department for Children Schools and Families had allocated funding to the school to offer one-to-one tuition in English and Maths to pupils.
Other information
Balby Carr stages many theatrical productions, including a production (February 2007) of the musical The Little Shop of Horrors and Our day Out by Willy Russell. More recently, The Wizard of Oz (September 2008) and Bugsy Malone (February 2010) were performed.The school has biometric access control backed up by CCTV cameras.
External links
- Balby Carr Sports College Website
- Drama and media studies at Balby Carr
- Latest OFSTED inspection report
- http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/oxedu_reports/download/(id)/114331/(as)/106802_336744.pdf