Desborough School
Encyclopedia
Desborough School is a comprehensive school
on Shoppenhangers Road, Maidenhead
, Berkshire
, England
. Until 2009 it was solely an all boys school; however, the Sixth form
has since become co-educational. It was founded as Maidenhead County Grammar school in 1894 under its first Headmaster Mr A. E. Brooks. In the 1970s due to reform in the Royal Borough that stated all schools must convert to comprehensive status, it changed its name to Desborough school after Lord Desborough, a prominent Maideonian. Its current Headmaster is Mr. Andrew Linnell.
During the 1990s Desborough School became a grant-maintained school
providing it with increased funding and a greater degree of autonomy. The passing of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998
abolished grant-maintained schools and Desborough reverted to LEA
control.
In 2003, the school won Language College
status. Additional languages are offered as extra curricular subjects. Japanese is now taught on Tuesdays after school.
A major renovation of the historic main school building was completed in 2006. This upgrade saw a new library and staff room, more classrooms and the removal of the school reception to the old music house. A new music department has been built in the place of the old temporary buildings.
The latest Ofsted
inspection rated the school as "outstanding".
Constable
Dickens
Elgar
On their arrival at Desborough, every new boy is placed into a house where they can compete in various areas such as sporting events or other extra curricular activities. At the end of every major term an end of term assembly is held where the houses' points are collated from competing in various areas such as chess, rugby, hockey, and so on and then the house with the highest amount of points is awarded with a trophy for the period of the next term. The colour of each house is displayed on the students tie with a series of stripes and on their house polo shirts as the primary colour.
Recently Toby Anstis
visited the school to take part in the BBC school report.
who took over in 2005 from David Eyre who moved to Brighton Hill Community College
at Basingstoke. The mentioned names are just two of the contemporary Headmasters of Desborough. With its history of over 100 years it has seen many Headmasters with varying characteristics, styles, and quirks. The original Headmaster of Desborough School was A. E. Brooks, the namesake of the Brooks building which houses the Modern Foreign Language College and the Geography department.
education, Wayne Stewart, as well as two Heads of Year, Helen Duncombe and Julia Barry. The sixth form facilities include a private section of the library, accompanied by a large selection of specialist books, three private computer suites and a quiet study room. There is a strong community spirit between the sixth form, consolidated by the Head Boy and his four Deputies who partake in community service, in and out of school and try to liase between the sixth form, the staff and the rest of the school.
The school has joined the consortium program along with Altwood, Cox Green
and Newlands School
and Furze Platt senior school
in 2003. The consortium allows sixth form students to take a subject which is not offered at their school and study it at another school. Subjects such as geology and politics are among the subjects that Desborough offers to the other schools. Transport is provided between schools.
Desborough sixth form now offers full time places to female students, thus making it a mixed sixth form. The idea was introduced after many females from the consortium said that it would be a great place to learn.
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...
on Shoppenhangers Road, Maidenhead
Maidenhead
Maidenhead is a town and unparished area within the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, in Berkshire, England. It lies on the River Thames and is situated west of Charing Cross in London.-History:...
, Berkshire
Berkshire
Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
, 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...
. Until 2009 it was solely an all boys school; however, the Sixth form
Sixth 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,...
has since become co-educational. It was founded as Maidenhead County Grammar school in 1894 under its first Headmaster Mr A. E. Brooks. In the 1970s due to reform in the Royal Borough that stated all schools must convert to comprehensive status, it changed its name to Desborough school after Lord Desborough, a prominent Maideonian. Its current Headmaster is Mr. Andrew Linnell.
History
The school was founded as Maidenhead County Boys School in 1894. In September 1973 it converted to comprehensive schooling. The school is the subject of a book, 100 and not out, written by David Evans, a history and RE teacher, to celebrate the centenary of Desborough School.During the 1990s Desborough School became a grant-maintained school
Grant-maintained school
Grant-maintained schools were state schools in England and Wales between 1988 and 1998 that had opted out of local government control, being funded directly by a grant from central government...
providing it with increased funding and a greater degree of autonomy. The passing of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998
School Standards and Framework Act 1998
The School Standards and Framework Act 1998 was the major education legislation passed by the incoming Labour government of Tony Blair.This Act:* imposed a limit of 30 on infant class sizes....
abolished grant-maintained schools and Desborough reverted to LEA
Local Education Authority
A local education authority is a local authority in England and Wales that has responsibility for education within its jurisdiction...
control.
In 2003, the school won Language College
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. Additional languages are offered as extra curricular subjects. Japanese is now taught on Tuesdays after school.
A major renovation of the historic main school building was completed in 2006. This upgrade saw a new library and staff room, more classrooms and the removal of the school reception to the old music house. A new music department has been built in the place of the old temporary buildings.
The latest Ofsted
Ofsted
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 rated the school as "outstanding".
School houses
There are four school houses in Desborough which relate to important figures in British history, each with its own colour: BrunelIsambard Kingdom Brunel
Isambard Kingdom Brunel, FRS , was a British civil engineer who built bridges and dockyards including the construction of the first major British railway, the Great Western Railway; a series of steamships, including the first propeller-driven transatlantic steamship; and numerous important bridges...
Constable
John Constable
John Constable was an English Romantic painter. Born in Suffolk, he is known principally for his landscape paintings of Dedham Vale, the area surrounding his home—now known as "Constable Country"—which he invested with an intensity of affection...
Dickens
Charles Dickens
Charles John Huffam Dickens was an English novelist, generally considered the greatest of the Victorian period. Dickens enjoyed a wider popularity and fame than had any previous author during his lifetime, and he remains popular, having been responsible for some of English literature's most iconic...
Elgar
Edward Elgar
Sir Edward William Elgar, 1st Baronet OM, GCVO was an English composer, many of whose works have entered the British and international classical concert repertoire. Among his best-known compositions are orchestral works including the Enigma Variations, the Pomp and Circumstance Marches, concertos...
On their arrival at Desborough, every new boy is placed into a house where they can compete in various areas such as sporting events or other extra curricular activities. At the end of every major term an end of term assembly is held where the houses' points are collated from competing in various areas such as chess, rugby, hockey, and so on and then the house with the highest amount of points is awarded with a trophy for the period of the next term. The colour of each house is displayed on the students tie with a series of stripes and on their house polo shirts as the primary colour.
Alumni
Notable alumni include:- Nick HornbyNick HornbyNick Hornby is an English novelist, essayist and screenwriter. He is best known for the novels High Fidelity, About a Boy, and for the football memoir Fever Pitch. His work frequently touches upon music, sport, and the aimless and obsessive natures of his protagonists.-Life and career:Hornby was...
, best selling author whose novels have been adapted into film (About a BoyAbout a BoyAbout a Boy is a 1998 novel by British writer Nick Hornby. It was adapted into a film of the same name in 2002.-Plot summary:The novel is about Will Freeman, a 36-year-old bachelor, and Marcus, an introverted, bullied 12-year-old who lives alone with his suicidal mother, Fiona...
, High FidelityHigh fidelityHigh fidelity—or hi-fi—reproduction is a term used by home stereo listeners and home audio enthusiasts to refer to high-quality reproduction of sound or images, to distinguish it from the poorer quality sound produced by inexpensive audio equipment...
) - Countdown director Derek HallworthDerek HallworthDerek J. Hallworth is a British television director. Regular credits include Countdown & Mastermind. Recently, he joined the crew of Wordplay, also as Director.- References :...
- John O'FarrellJohn O'FarrellJohn O'Farrell is a British author, broadcaster and comedy scriptwriter.-Early life:O’Farrell grew up in Maidenhead, Berkshire the youngest of three children, attending Courthouse Primary School and then Desborough Comprehensive...
, author - Mark RichardsonMark Richardson (athlete)Mark Ashton Richardson is a British former athlete who competed mainly in the 400 metres.He competed for Great Britain in the 1996 Summer Olympics held in Atlanta, United States in the 4 x 400 metre relay where he won the silver medal with his team mates Iwan Thomas, Jamie Baulch and Roger Black...
, GB 400 m runner - Guy FletcherGuy FletcherGuy Wilson Fletcher is an English multi-instrumentalist, best known for his position as the keyboardist in the British rock band Dire Straits from 1984 until the group's dissolution, and his involvement in nearly every part of Mark Knopfler's solo work to date.-Biography:Fletcher was born into a...
, Dire StraitsDire StraitsDire Straits were a British rock band active from 1977 to 1995, composed of Mark Knopfler , his younger brother David Knopfler , John Illsley , and Pick Withers .Dire Straits' sound drew from a variety of musical influences, including jazz, folk, blues, and came closest...
keyboard player - Charles HartCharles Hart (lyricist)Charles Hart is a British lyricist, songwriter and musician. He is best known for re-writing the lyrics to, and contributing to the book of Andrew Lloyd Webber's stage musical The Phantom of the Opera. He also co-wrote the lyrics to Lloyd Webber's 1989 musical Aspects of Love...
, lyricist (Aspects of LoveAspects of LoveAspects of Love is a musical/chamber opera with a book and music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Don Black and Charles Hart. It is famous for the song "Love Changes Everything."...
, The Phantom of the OperaThe Phantom of the Opera (1986 musical)The Phantom of the Opera is a musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber, based on the French novel Le Fantôme de l'Opéra by Gaston Leroux.The music was composed by Lloyd Webber, and most lyrics were written by Charles Hart, with additional lyrics by Richard Stilgoe. Alan Jay Lerner was an early collaborator,...
, Love Never DiesLove Never DiesLove Never Dies may refer to:*Love Never Dies , an American silent drama directed by King Vidor*Love Never Dies , an Argentine romantic drama directed and written by Luis César Amadori...
) - Peter JonesPeter Jones (entrepreneur)Peter Jones, CBE is a British entrepreneur and businessman with interests in mobile phones, television, media, leisure, and property. He became a television celebrity through his appearances on the BBC Two show Dragons' Den and on his American television show American Inventor...
, multi-millionaire entrepreneur who returned to the school in September 2008 - Toby AnstisToby AnstisToby Anstis is a radio presenter on Global Radio's Heart Network of stations. He presents his morning show weekdays from 10.00am - 1.00pm across the Heart branded network....
, radio DJ for London's Heart FM - John B, Drum and bassDrum and bassDrum and bass is a type of electronic music which emerged in the late 1980s. The genre is characterized by fast breakbeats , with heavy bass and sub-bass lines...
DJ and graduate of molecular biology - A former pupil, Dicky Patounas, became one of the youngest ever Red ArrowsRed ArrowsThe Red Arrows, officially known as the Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team, is the aerobatics display team of the Royal Air Force based at RAF Scampton, but due to move to RAF Waddington in 2011...
in 1997 at the age of 27. - Stuart ManningStuart ManningStuart Bernard Manning is an English actor and model.He is best known for the role of Russ Owen in the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, which he played from 2004 until 2009....
, actor best known for playing the role of Russ Owen in the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks
Recently Toby Anstis
Toby Anstis
Toby Anstis is a radio presenter on Global Radio's Heart Network of stations. He presents his morning show weekdays from 10.00am - 1.00pm across the Heart branded network....
visited the school to take part in the BBC school report.
Headmasters
The current headmaster is Andrew Linnell, the former head of Reading SchoolReading School
Reading School is a state-funded, selective academy school for boys in the English town of Reading. It is notable for tracing its history back to the school of Reading Abbey, making it one of the oldest schools in England. There are no tuition fees for day pupils, and boarders only pay for food and...
who took over in 2005 from David Eyre who moved to Brighton Hill Community College
Brighton Hill Community College
Brighton Hill Community College is located in Brighton Hill, Basingstoke in the county of Hampshire in the south of England. The Headteacher is Mr Charlie Currie, and the school has specialist status as a Sports College and Language College.Brighton Hill has run exchange trips with Marienschule, a...
at Basingstoke. The mentioned names are just two of the contemporary Headmasters of Desborough. With its history of over 100 years it has seen many Headmasters with varying characteristics, styles, and quirks. The original Headmaster of Desborough School was A. E. Brooks, the namesake of the Brooks building which houses the Modern Foreign Language College and the Geography department.
Senior management
The school is managed by a group known as the senior management team which is made up of the four Deputy and Assistant Headteachers who all have their key areas of expertise. Each of them takes on their own role such as discipline, curriculum, the language college and student welfare. However, should problems arise in the school such as class disruption, fights or any other form of anti-social behaviour the nearest possible member of the team will be called upon to put an end to it.Sixth form
Desborough school's sixth form is led by the head of key stage 5Key Stage 5
Key Stage 5 is an unofficial label used to describe the two years of post-compulsory education for students aged 16-18, or at sixth form, in the United Kingdom, to align with previous Key Stages as labelled for the National Curriculum....
education, Wayne Stewart, as well as two Heads of Year, Helen Duncombe and Julia Barry. The sixth form facilities include a private section of the library, accompanied by a large selection of specialist books, three private computer suites and a quiet study room. There is a strong community spirit between the sixth form, consolidated by the Head Boy and his four Deputies who partake in community service, in and out of school and try to liase between the sixth form, the staff and the rest of the school.
The school has joined the consortium program along with Altwood, Cox Green
Cox Green, Berkshire
Cox Green is a civil parish in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead in Berkshire, England. The parish is bounded by the A4 road to the north, the A404 motorway to the northeast, the M4 motorway to the southeast and a rural boundary with White Waltham parish to the west...
and Newlands School
Newlands Girls' School
Newlands Girls' School is a girls' comprehensive school in Maidenhead, Berkshire, UK.-History:It was founded as Maidenhead High School in 1905 by its first Headmistress Miss Burns, moved to The Castle Hill Centre in 1907 and by 1958 had moved to Farm Road, where it still stands today...
and Furze Platt senior school
Furze Platt senior school
Furze Platt Senior School is a mixed comprehensive school in Maidenhead.Furze Platt is a specialist mathematics and computing school. The school draws pupils from across Maidenhead, Berkshire and Buckinghamshire and constantly achieves high examination results.-Sixth Form:The school's Sixth Form is...
in 2003. The consortium allows sixth form students to take a subject which is not offered at their school and study it at another school. Subjects such as geology and politics are among the subjects that Desborough offers to the other schools. Transport is provided between schools.
Desborough sixth form now offers full time places to female students, thus making it a mixed sixth form. The idea was introduced after many females from the consortium said that it would be a great place to learn.