Coundon Court School
Encyclopedia
Coundon Court School is a comprehensive school
in Coundon
, Coventry
, England
. The current head teacher
is Mrs Deborah Morrison, OBE. The school has been awarded specialist status as a Technology College
.
students. The school is very successful and oversubscribed and is located in the northwestern suburbs of Coventry, adjacent to the open countryside of the Coundon Wedge.
Coundon Court is one of many schools that involves its students with the executive and legislature in the form of a consultative body in order to represesent students internally.
Designed by Charles Gray-Hill, Coundon Court was built on land that was formerly part of Coundon Farm, purchased for £5,433.18s.6d. The "Victorian Gothic" building forms an important part of our school. It now is referred to as "The Old House". Most of the fine woodwork installed on construction of Coundon Court remains and the building retains much of its original style.
Included in the construction project were houses for some of the workers that were required to live either on the site or nearby. That by the main entrance to the school still exists, largely in its original form, and is now a home to one of the school caretakers and his family.
Following George Singer's death in 1909 the house passed through several private hands, before being sold to the local council by its then owner, George Finn, in 1953. The lodge and the grounds were later also sold to the council, giving the school the mar
George Singer on Steps of Coundon Court
vellous sports ptiches and gardens that we have today.
Coundon Court High School was opened in 1953, becoming a girls comprehensive school in 1956. It quickly gained a reputation for high standards that remains to this day. Over time, as the number of students at the school steadily rose, the original buildings proved to be too small and the school was extended by North and then South Block. In 2007 brand new Performing Arts and Sixth Form Centre were completed.
report, Coundon Court were invited to become a Beacon School
. This means that Coundon has gained funding over three years to build links with partner primary and secondary schools.
Coundon Court also has Training School
status. This means that they are working in partnership with the University of Warwick
to develop and improve practice in teacher training.
In 1997, Coundon Court became the first school in Coventry to be awarded Investors in People
status. In 2007, the school was reassessed and was reawarded the standard again. The school also gained an Investors in Careers Award which showed that they are committed to working closely with parents, children and the Careers Service to develop an effective careers programme.
The provision for Physical Education and the level of participation in extra curricular sport has been acknowledged with the award of the English Sportsmark
Gold Award. They are one of only a handful of schools in the country to receive this award on two consecutive occasions.
The curriculum provision has also gained recognition. In 2007, they were successful in gaining the Schools Curriculum Award which demonstrated their commitment to community education and links with business and industry.
The 1994 OFSTED
report commented that they were "a caring community" within which "the feeling of welcome and care is in evidence everywhere". A second OFSTED report in 1998 highlighted their progress in standards of achievement "which are significantly better than the average achieved nationally". In 2007, A level students gained an average of 20.6 points in their exams. The overall pass rate was 95% with 76% of students achieving grades A to C. At GCSE, 69% of the pupils achieved five or more A* to C Grades.
The school has a community football team - Coundon Court F.C. founded in 2002, Coventry's only FA charter standard development club.
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 Coundon
Coundon, Coventry
Coundon is a predominantly residential suburb in northwest Coventry, West Midlands, England.Along with neighbouring Keresley, it was originally a village in the Warwickshire countryside, but by the 1930s had been incorporated into the city of Coventry, when mass housebuilding took place to...
, Coventry
Coventry
Coventry is a city and metropolitan borough in the county of West Midlands in England. Coventry is the 9th largest city in England and the 11th largest in the United Kingdom. It is also the second largest city in the English Midlands, after Birmingham, with a population of 300,848, although...
, 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...
. The current head teacher
Head teacher
A head teacher or school principal is the most senior teacher, leader and manager of a school....
is Mrs Deborah Morrison, OBE. The school has been awarded specialist status as a Technology College
Technology College
Technology College is a term used in the United Kingdom for a secondary specialist school that focuses on design and technology, mathematics and science. These were the first type of specialist schools, beginning in 1994. In 2008 there were 598 Technology Colleges in England, of which 12 also...
.
Overview
Coundon is a mixed non-selective comprehensive community college with 1,753 pupils, including 329 sixth formSixth form
In the education systems of England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, and of Commonwealth West Indian countries such as Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Belize, Jamaica and Malta, the sixth form is the final two years of secondary education, where students, usually sixteen to eighteen years of age,...
students. The school is very successful and oversubscribed and is located in the northwestern suburbs of Coventry, adjacent to the open countryside of the Coundon Wedge.
Coundon Court is one of many schools that involves its students with the executive and legislature in the form of a consultative body in order to represesent students internally.
History
This school is based around the house "Coundon Court" which was built in 1891 by the local industrialist, George Singer (1847–1909). His fortune was based on the production firstly of bicycles and subsequently of motor cars.Designed by Charles Gray-Hill, Coundon Court was built on land that was formerly part of Coundon Farm, purchased for £5,433.18s.6d. The "Victorian Gothic" building forms an important part of our school. It now is referred to as "The Old House". Most of the fine woodwork installed on construction of Coundon Court remains and the building retains much of its original style.
Included in the construction project were houses for some of the workers that were required to live either on the site or nearby. That by the main entrance to the school still exists, largely in its original form, and is now a home to one of the school caretakers and his family.
Following George Singer's death in 1909 the house passed through several private hands, before being sold to the local council by its then owner, George Finn, in 1953. The lodge and the grounds were later also sold to the council, giving the school the mar
George Singer on Steps of Coundon Court
vellous sports ptiches and gardens that we have today.
Coundon Court High School was opened in 1953, becoming a girls comprehensive school in 1956. It quickly gained a reputation for high standards that remains to this day. Over time, as the number of students at the school steadily rose, the original buildings proved to be too small and the school was extended by North and then South Block. In 2007 brand new Performing Arts and Sixth Form Centre were completed.
Recent achievements
Coundon Court has Technology College status which means they receive an extra grant over three years. New Information Technology resources have been introduced to all areas of the curriculum with special emphasis on Mathematics, Science and Technology. Following an outstanding OFSTEDOffice for Standards in Education
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 ....
report, Coundon Court were invited to become a Beacon School
Beacon School
Beacon School was a government designation awarded to outstanding primary and secondary schools in England and Wales from 1998 to August 2005. The Beacon Schools programme identified schools that were examples of good practice and funded those schools to enable them to build partnerships with each...
. This means that Coundon has gained funding over three years to build links with partner primary and secondary schools.
Coundon Court also has Training School
Training school
For a juvenile correctional facility, see youth detention center-----A training school is an official designation, awarded by the Department for Children, Schools and Families, to schools in England that provide exceptional facilities for in-service and work experience training of teachers...
status. This means that they are working in partnership with the University of Warwick
University of Warwick
The University of Warwick is a public research university located in Coventry, United Kingdom...
to develop and improve practice in teacher training.
In 1997, Coundon Court became the first school in Coventry to be awarded Investors in People
Investors in People
Launched in 1991 Investors in People is a business improvement tool administered by UK Commission for Employment and Skills and supported by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills ....
status. In 2007, the school was reassessed and was reawarded the standard again. The school also gained an Investors in Careers Award which showed that they are committed to working closely with parents, children and the Careers Service to develop an effective careers programme.
The provision for Physical Education and the level of participation in extra curricular sport has been acknowledged with the award of the English Sportsmark
Sportsmark
Sportsmark is Sport England's accreditation scheme for secondary schools. The scheme recognises a school's out of hours sports provision.Sportsmark awards are given to secondary schools for provision for sport and physical education. They are currently being reviewed along with Activemark awards...
Gold Award. They are one of only a handful of schools in the country to receive this award on two consecutive occasions.
The curriculum provision has also gained recognition. In 2007, they were successful in gaining the Schools Curriculum Award which demonstrated their commitment to community education and links with business and industry.
The 1994 OFSTED
Office for Standards in Education
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 ....
report commented that they were "a caring community" within which "the feeling of welcome and care is in evidence everywhere". A second OFSTED report in 1998 highlighted their progress in standards of achievement "which are significantly better than the average achieved nationally". In 2007, A level students gained an average of 20.6 points in their exams. The overall pass rate was 95% with 76% of students achieving grades A to C. At GCSE, 69% of the pupils achieved five or more A* to C Grades.
The school has a community football team - Coundon Court F.C. founded in 2002, Coventry's only FA charter standard development club.
Alumni
- Liam DoyleLiam DoyleLiam Doyle is a retired Irish sportsperson. He played hurling with his local club Bodyke and with the Clare senior inter-county team in the 1990s and 2000s. Doyle served as trainer of Sixmilebridge Hurling club in 2007 and 2008.- Reflist :...
(born 1990), Actor - Nitin GanatraNitin GanatraNitin Ganatra is a Kenyan born British actor. He is known internationally as Prince Pondicherry in the Tim Burton film Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. He also appears in the Gurinder Chada film Bride and Prejudice as Kholi Saab and The Mistress of Spices as Haroun...
(born 1967), EastEnders actor - Jim HamiltonJim Hamilton (rugby player)James Leigh Hamilton is a Scottish rugby union footballer who plays for Gloucester and .Born in Swindon, England, the son of a soldier also called James who was a sergeant in the Queen's Own Highlanders. He was educated at Coundon Court School in Coventry, and played for Barkers Butts R.F.C...
(born 1982), Scottish rugby union footballer - Mo MowlamMo MowlamMarjorie "Mo" Mowlam was a British Labour Party politician. She was the Member of Parliament for Redcar from 1987 to 2001 and served in the Cabinet as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Minister for the Cabinet Office and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.Mowlam's time as Northern...
(1949–2005), British politician