Hounsdown School
Encyclopedia
Hounsdown School is a secondary school
in Totton, near Southampton
, Hampshire
, England. The headteacher is Ms Turvey. Classes are held in recently renovated 1960s buildings and new specialist blocks built since 2000. The school has 1,215 pupils, spanning ages 11 to 16. In 2005 and 2008 Hounsdown received a judgment of "outstanding" from Ofsted
, the latter inspection receiving "outstanding" in all categories. It has been operating a house system
since September 2008 and has also begun work on its leadership courses.
status in 2005, and the school changed its official title to 'Hounsdown School - A Science College'. With the new title came a new logo, new uniform and a £500,000 government grant to be spent on science
equipment. However, rather than spending all the money on science equipment, part was spent to buy a new sports hall.
were abandoned nationally, pupils studied the Key Stage 3
syllabus
until the SATs
. In 2005, instead of taking SATs
in year nine, the decision was taken that students would take them in year 8 to give students an extra year of GCSE help. They then pick a cycle of three subjects at the end of year 8 (e.g. drama, music, history) and a language to carry on into year nine. Students then try out these subjects and pick their final GCSE options at the end of year nine, which they could drop at any time during year 10. Many schools in Scotland and Wales use a more traditional system, which, in year nine, has pupils consolidating their learning from primary school and KS3. GCSE courses start for all subjects in year 10, with the examinations held during the summer term of year 11. Pupils can then enter employment, or continue their education at 6th Form College.
Colleges which most students go onto from Hounsdown are Totton, and Brockenhurst.
at Key Stage 3.
The library keeps audio tapes, CDs, and computers, the latter of which include word-processing programs. Photocopying and document-production is also available at the library.
The Resources Centre is involved with the Hampshire Book Award, and pupils regularly review new books for the school's library service.
, a sports hall, tennis courts, two rugby pitches, two football pitches, a gym, a dance studio and a cricket pitch. The sports hall and the swimming pool are available for reserved community purposes outside of school hours and during holidays.
Organic Garden Project
The Organic Garden Project is project funded by the Young Roots Lottery fund. The project is a pupil-led, fully functional organic garden behind the drama and sports hall it was opened by Chris Packham in 2009.
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...
in Totton, near Southampton
Southampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
, Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
, England. The headteacher is Ms Turvey. Classes are held in recently renovated 1960s buildings and new specialist blocks built since 2000. The school has 1,215 pupils, spanning ages 11 to 16. In 2005 and 2008 Hounsdown received a judgment of "outstanding" from 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 ....
, the latter inspection receiving "outstanding" in all categories. It has been operating 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...
since September 2008 and has also begun work on its leadership courses.
Science College Status
Hounsdown gained Science CollegeScience College
Science Colleges were introduced in 2002 as part of the now defunct Specialist Schools Programme in the United Kingdom. The system enabled secondary schools to specialise in certain fields, in this case, science and mathematics...
status in 2005, and the school changed its official title to 'Hounsdown School - A Science College'. With the new title came a new logo, new uniform and a £500,000 government grant to be spent on science
Science
Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
equipment. However, rather than spending all the money on science equipment, part was spent to buy a new sports hall.
School structure
Pupils begin at the school in year seven, most having attended one of the three feeder primary schools: Abbotswood Junior School (majority), Bartley Junior School or Foxhills Junior School. Until KS3 SATsSATS
SATS may refer to:*South African Theological Seminary*Singapore Airport Terminal Services*Small Aircraft Transportation System*Stansted Airport Transit System*The National Curriculum assessment in the UK at ages 11 and 14....
were abandoned nationally, pupils studied the Key Stage 3
Key Stage 3
Key Stage 3 is the legal term for the three years of schooling in maintained schools in England and Wales normally known as Year 7, Year 8 and Year 9, when pupils are aged between 11 and 14...
syllabus
Syllabus
A syllabus , is an outline and summary of topics to be covered in an education or training course. It is descriptive...
until the SATs
National Curriculum assessment
National Curriculum assessments are a series of educational assessments, colloquially known as Sats or SATs, used to assess the attainment of children attending maintained schools in England...
. In 2005, instead of taking SATs
SATS
SATS may refer to:*South African Theological Seminary*Singapore Airport Terminal Services*Small Aircraft Transportation System*Stansted Airport Transit System*The National Curriculum assessment in the UK at ages 11 and 14....
in year nine, the decision was taken that students would take them in year 8 to give students an extra year of GCSE help. They then pick a cycle of three subjects at the end of year 8 (e.g. drama, music, history) and a language to carry on into year nine. Students then try out these subjects and pick their final GCSE options at the end of year nine, which they could drop at any time during year 10. Many schools in Scotland and Wales use a more traditional system, which, in year nine, has pupils consolidating their learning from primary school and KS3. GCSE courses start for all subjects in year 10, with the examinations held during the summer term of year 11. Pupils can then enter employment, or continue their education at 6th Form College.
Colleges which most students go onto from Hounsdown are Totton, and Brockenhurst.
Key Stage Three
All pupils in years seven and eight study a range of subjects in the National CurriculumNational Curriculum
The National Curriculum was introduced into England, Wales and Northern Ireland as a nationwide curriculum for primary and secondary state schools following the Education Reform Act 1988. Notwithstanding its name, it does not apply to independent schools, which may set their own curricula, but it...
at Key Stage 3.
Key Stage Four
Unlike most schools, pupils at Hounsdown start studying for their GCSE in year nine, rather than year 10. The pupils choose their GCSE options at the start of year nine, but they can be changed at the start of year 10 at the pupil's behest.Resource Centre
The Resources Centre provides a wide range of materials for pupils to use for their coursework in different subjects.The library keeps audio tapes, CDs, and computers, the latter of which include word-processing programs. Photocopying and document-production is also available at the library.
The Resources Centre is involved with the Hampshire Book Award, and pupils regularly review new books for the school's library service.
Sports facilities
Hounsdown School has a swimming poolSwimming pool
A swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, or simply a pool, is a container filled with water intended for swimming or water-based recreation. There are many standard sizes; the largest is the Olympic-size swimming pool...
, a sports hall, tennis courts, two rugby pitches, two football pitches, a gym, a dance studio and a cricket pitch. The sports hall and the swimming pool are available for reserved community purposes outside of school hours and during holidays.
Hounsdown Eco-School status
Hounsdown has an eco-school system that consists of 72 representatives (2 from each tutor group). There is an eco-school club that runs every Monday at lunchtime, which is led by the science department's community links class teacher and is run mainly by the lead team that consists of pupils from all years that have shown a high interest in Eco schools. The school has won the bronze and silver awards and achieved the green flag which was raised on 22 October 2009.Organic Garden Project
The Organic Garden Project is project funded by the Young Roots Lottery fund. The project is a pupil-led, fully functional organic garden behind the drama and sports hall it was opened by Chris Packham in 2009.
