John Port School
Encyclopedia
John Port Specialist Technology, Mathematics and Computing College is a very large academy
in the village of Etwall
, Derbyshire
, England
.
John Port is a mixed school, with the student age range between 11 and 16, and with the John Port 6th Form taking students from the ages of 16 to 18. However, even with the large size of the school a very real sense of community is maintained through each year being split into 12 forms. A child on entry to the school joins a form into which they stay until they leave in Year 11. Each form generally has the same personal tutor that is there for and follows their form through their years at JP. Each year also has a Head of Year and Deputies, to whom authority of the year is given to.
There are approximately 140 full time and temporary members of the teaching staff.
, the famous racing car driver. The hall had been used during the Second World War by the Army, first as a petrol depot and later as an equipment supply centre and been left in a somewhat dilapidated state. After its demolition a secondary modern
, Etwall Secondary School, and a secondary grammar school, John Port Grammar School, were built on the site. In 1965, they were amalgamated to form the John Port School that occupies the site today.
The name of the Port family, who lived at the hall, has been associated with Etwall since the 15th century. The family’s most famous son, Sir John Port
, was the founder of the nearby Repton School
and committed to the furthering of education for young men in the village. It therefore seemed entirely appropriate that the new school was named after him.
The site is also home to the Etwall Leisure Centre, with public access from Hilton Road. This new centre was officially opened on 17 July 2009, although it didn't open to the public till 5 August 2009. The new facilities include a six-lane 25 m swimming pool, squash courts, fitness suite and large sports hall. The old centre closed to the public after the early morning swimming on 24 June. The old centre shut earlier than planned because the main circulation pump fatally failed the previous night. It was decided not to replace the pump because of the large cost. The pool was then dewatered and is now controlled by the school who are using it as a store. The long-term future of the old building is still undecided.
Teaching facilities are spread across the site, with each faculty having a separate building. The buildings (apart from Flamsteed, which is named after a famous local scientist John Flamsteed
) are each named after settlements and features in Derbyshire and the Peak District (Ilam being in Staffordshire
but with links to the Port family), named from A to I alphabetically, in chronological order of when they were first built. This system gives order to classroom numbering and also a 'short name for each block, i.e., 'A12' is the twelfth classroom in 'A' block (Ashbourne). The original school started with 'A' and 'B' blocks, and has expanded from there. The faculties and corresponding blocks are as follows:
The school Resources Centre is situated centrally on the site, occupying most of the ground floor of 'B' block. It has a full computer suite and a library stocked with 14,000 books on all subjects taught at the school, and aimed at 11–18-year-old readers. It is staffed by a professionally qualified Chartered Librarian, Mrs Durkan, to ensure that it is always well maintained and stocked to the needs of the student base.
There were originally two canteen dining halls on the site, one each in 'A' and 'C' blocks, until 'C' was closed and therefore 'A' is the only catering hall at the present time. It serves hot lunches and also caters for morning break. In February–March 2010 'Asbourne Stage' canteen, which served sandwiches, drinks and snacks at both lunch and break, closed down and the same food was sold at the main 'A' block canteen. 'Asbourne Stage' replaced the old 'Lite Bite' which closed June–July 2008. In April/May 2010, Lite Bite reopened selling cold food, with Ashbourne Hall only selling hot food.
Both boys and girls PE have been transferred to the new sports and leisure centre. The future of the previous gymnasiums ('A' Hall) and ('C' Hall) facilities has not been disclosed past 2010, although 'C' gym has been transferred into an examination centre.
The central location of 'E' block also houses the student welfare offices, which includes a local Connexions office on site. Student support was moved to 'E' block, from being spread over the site, on this newest block's completion in September 2006.
More rooms have been added to the ground floor of the Sixth Form ('G') block during building work in 2007.
Re-cladding of Chatsworth Building was completed in Summer 2010, part of a two-phase project to convert 'C' gym into an examination centre, and replace the previous concrete exteriors.
The old swimming pool is also set to be refurbished and converted into a 'Flexible Learning Centre' which will provide classrooms for many BTEC courses, amongst others.
, and standards at both GCE
AS
and A level
are above average according to Ofsted
. The school is twinned with the Gymnasium Melle, and there are annual joint exchanges with their windband, with a bi-annual concert being held at John Port School.. The friendship of the schools arose out of the twinning arranged by the mayor of Osnabruck.
, covering 31 parishes of South Derbyshire
.
Ash
| Barton Blount
| Bearwardcote
| Boylestone
| Burnaston
| Church Broughton
| Dalbury Lees
| Egginton
| Etwall
| Findern
| Foremark
| Foston
| Hatton
| Hilton
| Hoon
| Marston on Dove
| Mickleover
| Newton Solney
| Osleston
| Radbourne | Repton
| Rolleston on Dove
| Scropton
| Stenson
| Stretton
| Sutton on the Hill
| Thurvaston
| Trusley
| Twyford | Tutbury
| Willington
And includes the following primary schools
Academy
An academy is an institution of higher learning, research, or honorary membership.The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 385 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the goddess of wisdom and skill, north of Athens, Greece. In the western world academia is the...
in the village of Etwall
Etwall
Etwall is a civil parish and village in Derbyshire, England. It is located southwest from Derby on the A50.-Geography:Etwall is squeezed between the A516, which bypassed the village in February 1992, and the A50. The A516 draws a lot of heavy traffic heading for the M1 north.The village has its...
, Derbyshire
Derbyshire
Derbyshire is a county in the East Midlands of England. A substantial portion of the Peak District National Park lies within Derbyshire. The northern part of Derbyshire overlaps with the Pennines, a famous chain of hills and mountains. The county contains within its boundary of approx...
, 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...
.
Admissions
With the current number of students around the 2100 mark it puts John Port as the largest secondary school in Derbyshire, and one of the largest nationally . The Head teacher is Mrs Wendy Sharp.John Port is a mixed school, with the student age range between 11 and 16, and with the John Port 6th Form taking students from the ages of 16 to 18. However, even with the large size of the school a very real sense of community is maintained through each year being split into 12 forms. A child on entry to the school joins a form into which they stay until they leave in Year 11. Each form generally has the same personal tutor that is there for and follows their form through their years at JP. Each year also has a Head of Year and Deputies, to whom authority of the year is given to.
There are approximately 140 full time and temporary members of the teaching staff.
History
The school is on the site of a demolished country manor, Etwall Hall, Etwall, situated just outside Hilton, traditionally of the Port family who were the wealthy landowners/farmers of the parish . In 1952, the Derbyshire County Council bought Etwall Hall from Reg ParnellReg Parnell
Reginald Harold Haslam Parnell was a racing driver and team manager from England. He participated in seven Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, achieving one podium, and scoring a total of 9 championship points.-Driving career:Before World War II Parnell was a very successful racing...
, the famous racing car driver. The hall had been used during the Second World War by the Army, first as a petrol depot and later as an equipment supply centre and been left in a somewhat dilapidated state. After its demolition a secondary modern
Secondary modern school
A secondary modern school is a type of secondary school that existed in most of the United Kingdom from 1944 until the early 1970s, under the Tripartite System, and was designed for the majority of pupils - those who do not achieve scores in the top 25% of the eleven plus examination...
, Etwall Secondary School, and a secondary grammar school, John Port Grammar School, were built on the site. In 1965, they were amalgamated to form the John Port School that occupies the site today.
The name of the Port family, who lived at the hall, has been associated with Etwall since the 15th century. The family’s most famous son, Sir John Port
John Port (the younger)
Sir John Port 'the Younger' was an English Knight of the Bath and Justice of the Common Pleas. He founded Repton School, an almshouse at Etwall and also has a secondary school named after him.-Biography:...
, was the founder of the nearby Repton School
Repton School
Repton School, founded in 1557, is a co-educational English independent school for both day and boarding pupils, in the British public school tradition, located in the village of Repton, in Derbyshire, in the Midlands area of England...
and committed to the furthering of education for young men in the village. It therefore seemed entirely appropriate that the new school was named after him.
School site
The large attractive site has an open feel, being a 'green' campus with plenty of well maintained open spaces between the individual teaching facilities. The centre of the site is focussed around the lake, one of the original fishing lakes that were in the grounds of the Etwall Hall.The site is also home to the Etwall Leisure Centre, with public access from Hilton Road. This new centre was officially opened on 17 July 2009, although it didn't open to the public till 5 August 2009. The new facilities include a six-lane 25 m swimming pool, squash courts, fitness suite and large sports hall. The old centre closed to the public after the early morning swimming on 24 June. The old centre shut earlier than planned because the main circulation pump fatally failed the previous night. It was decided not to replace the pump because of the large cost. The pool was then dewatered and is now controlled by the school who are using it as a store. The long-term future of the old building is still undecided.
Teaching facilities are spread across the site, with each faculty having a separate building. The buildings (apart from Flamsteed, which is named after a famous local scientist John Flamsteed
John Flamsteed
Sir John Flamsteed FRS was an English astronomer and the first Astronomer Royal. He catalogued over 3000 stars.- Life :Flamsteed was born in Denby, Derbyshire, England, the only son of Stephen Flamsteed...
) are each named after settlements and features in Derbyshire and the Peak District (Ilam being in Staffordshire
Staffordshire
Staffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...
but with links to the Port family), named from A to I alphabetically, in chronological order of when they were first built. This system gives order to classroom numbering and also a 'short name for each block, i.e., 'A12' is the twelfth classroom in 'A' block (Ashbourne). The original school started with 'A' and 'B' blocks, and has expanded from there. The faculties and corresponding blocks are as follows:
- AshbourneAshbourne, DerbyshireAshbourne is a small market town in the Derbyshire Dales, England. It has a population of 10,302.The town advertises itself as 'The Gateway to Dovedale'.- Local customs :...
- Mathematics - BakewellBakewellBakewell is a small market town in the Derbyshire Dales district of Derbyshire, England, deriving its name from 'Beadeca's Well'. It is the only town included in the Peak District National Park, and is well known for the local confection Bakewell Pudding...
- Modern Foreign Languages, ICT - ChatsworthChatsworth HouseChatsworth House is a stately home in North Derbyshire, England, northeast of Bakewell and west of Chesterfield . It is the seat of the Duke of Devonshire, and has been home to his family, the Cavendish family, since Bess of Hardwick settled at Chatsworth in 1549.Standing on the east bank of the...
- English, Economics, Politics, Sociology, Psychology, Business studies - DerwentDerwent, DerbyshireDerwent is a village 'drowned' under the Ladybower Reservoir in Derbyshire, England. The village of Ashopton, Derwent Woodlands church and Derwent Hall were also 'drowned' in the construction of the reservoir. There is no formal memorial to any of the villages...
- Design Technology, Food Technology, Child studies - EdaleEdaleEdale is a small Derbyshire village and Civil parish in the Peak District, in the Midlands of England. The Parish of Edale,area ,is in the Borough of High Peak....
- Humanities (Geography, History, Philosophy Religion and Ethics) and Student Support - Flamsteed - Sciences (Biology, Chemistry, Physics)
- GlossopGlossopGlossop is a market town within the Borough of High Peak in Derbyshire, England. It lies on the Glossop Brook, a tributary of the River Etherow, about east of the city of Manchester, west of the city of Sheffield. Glossop is situated near Derbyshire's county borders with Cheshire, Greater...
- 6th Form Centre of higher education - HathersageHathersageHathersage is a village in the Derbyshire Peak District, in England. It lies on the north bank of the River Derwent, approximately 10 miles west of Sheffield...
- Expressive arts (Art, Drama, Music, Dance, Textiles, Theatre studies) - IlamIlam, StaffordshireIlam is a village in the Staffordshire Peak District, lying on the River Manifold. This article describes some of the main features of the village and surroundings.- Ilam village :...
- temporary building, various subjects
The school Resources Centre is situated centrally on the site, occupying most of the ground floor of 'B' block. It has a full computer suite and a library stocked with 14,000 books on all subjects taught at the school, and aimed at 11–18-year-old readers. It is staffed by a professionally qualified Chartered Librarian, Mrs Durkan, to ensure that it is always well maintained and stocked to the needs of the student base.
There were originally two canteen dining halls on the site, one each in 'A' and 'C' blocks, until 'C' was closed and therefore 'A' is the only catering hall at the present time. It serves hot lunches and also caters for morning break. In February–March 2010 'Asbourne Stage' canteen, which served sandwiches, drinks and snacks at both lunch and break, closed down and the same food was sold at the main 'A' block canteen. 'Asbourne Stage' replaced the old 'Lite Bite' which closed June–July 2008. In April/May 2010, Lite Bite reopened selling cold food, with Ashbourne Hall only selling hot food.
Both boys and girls PE have been transferred to the new sports and leisure centre. The future of the previous gymnasiums ('A' Hall) and ('C' Hall) facilities has not been disclosed past 2010, although 'C' gym has been transferred into an examination centre.
The central location of 'E' block also houses the student welfare offices, which includes a local Connexions office on site. Student support was moved to 'E' block, from being spread over the site, on this newest block's completion in September 2006.
More rooms have been added to the ground floor of the Sixth Form ('G') block during building work in 2007.
Re-cladding of Chatsworth Building was completed in Summer 2010, part of a two-phase project to convert 'C' gym into an examination centre, and replace the previous concrete exteriors.
The old swimming pool is also set to be refurbished and converted into a 'Flexible Learning Centre' which will provide classrooms for many BTEC courses, amongst others.
Academic performance
The school gets well-above-average results at GCSEGeneral Certificate of Secondary Education
The General Certificate of Secondary Education is an academic qualification awarded in a specified subject, generally taken in a number of subjects by students aged 14–16 in secondary education in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and is equivalent to a Level 2 and Level 1 in Key Skills...
, and standards at both GCE
General Certificate of Education
The General Certificate of Education or GCE is an academic qualification that examination boards in the United Kingdom and a few of the Commonwealth countries, notably Sri Lanka, confer to students. The GCE traditionally comprised two levels: the Ordinary Level and the Advanced Level...
AS
GCE Advanced Level
The Advanced Level General Certificate of Education, commonly referred to as an A-level, is a qualification offered by education institutions in England, Northern Ireland, Wales, Cameroon, and the Cayman Islands...
and A level
GCE Advanced Level
The Advanced Level General Certificate of Education, commonly referred to as an A-level, is a qualification offered by education institutions in England, Northern Ireland, Wales, Cameroon, and the Cayman Islands...
are above average according to 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 school is twinned with the Gymnasium Melle, and there are annual joint exchanges with their windband, with a bi-annual concert being held at John Port School.. The friendship of the schools arose out of the twinning arranged by the mayor of Osnabruck.
Notable students
- David HarrisonDavid Harrison (RAF officer)Air Commodore David Harrison, BSc RAF, is a retired RAF Officer and former Commandant of the Air Cadet Organisation .- Early life :Air Cdre Harrison was educated at John Port School just outside Derby and went on to complete a BSc degree in Geography at Liverpool University.- Military career :He...
- RAF officer - Elizabeth Meek CBE (1962-9) - Civil servant
- Prof David Sanders (1962-9),, University of EssexUniversity of EssexThe University of Essex is a British campus university whose original and largest campus is near the town of Colchester, England. Established in 1963 and receiving its Royal Charter in 1965...
, 1993-
John Port Grammar School
- Sir Howard NewbyHoward NewbySir Howard Joseph Newby CBE is the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Liverpool.-Early life:He grew up in Derbyshire, going to school in Etwall, before attending Atlantic College as a scholarship student.-Career:...
(1959–66) - Sociologist and former head of the Economic and Social Research Council - Mark SharmanMark SharmanMark Brian Sharman is a British broadcasting administrator.-Career:Sharman first worked as a journalist with the Derby Evening Telegraph and Birmingham Evening Mail before entering television journalism with ITV in 1976, where he edited coverage of Football World Cups and the Olympic Games...
(1961-8), Head of News and Sport at ITVITVITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
.
Catchment area
The size of the school means that it has a very large catchment areaCatchment area (human geography)
In human geography, a catchment area is the area and population from which a city or individual service attracts visitors or customers. For example, a school catchment area is the geographic area from which students are eligible to attend a local school...
, covering 31 parishes of South Derbyshire
South Derbyshire
South Derbyshire is a local government district in Derbyshire, England. It contains a third of the National Forest, and the council offices are in Swadlincote....
.
Ash
Ash, Derbyshire
Ash is a small civil parish in the South Derbyshire district of Derbyshire, with a population of 98 . The parish includes scattered hamlets and Ashe Hall. Today Ashe hall is the Tara Buddhist Centre.-History:...
| Barton Blount
Barton Blount
Barton Blount is a village and civil parish in the South Derbyshire district of Derbyshire, England, situated between Derby and Uttoxeter. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 74....
| Bearwardcote
Bearwardcote
Bearwardcote is a hamlet and civil parish in the South Derbyshire district of Derbyshire, England. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 26. The hamlet is located 3 miles from Mickleover, 3 miles from Willington and four miles south west of Derby....
| Boylestone
Boylestone
Boylestone is a village and civil parish in the Derbyshire Dales district of Derbyshire, England. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 165. The village is situated about eight miles east of Uttoxeter....
| Burnaston
Burnaston
Burnaston is a village located in Derbyshire, just south of the city of Derby.The village is famous for its huge Toyota car plant - one of several British car plants built by Japanese carmakers as part of cost-saving measures to avoid such expenses as import duties and shipping costs...
| Church Broughton
Church Broughton
Church Broughton is a village and civil parish located in Derbyshire, just ten miles to the west of Derby. There is a church , a Methodist chapel and Church Broughton Primary School. Pupils from the school would then move on to John Port School in Etwall....
| Dalbury Lees
Dalbury Lees
Dalbury Lees is a parish in south Derbyshire. It is about six miles from both Burton-on-Trent and Derby and just under four miles from Egginton. The parish contains the villages of Dalbury and Lees which are just under apart from one another...
| Egginton
Egginton
Egginton is a village in the local government district of South Derbyshire, England. It is located just off Ryknild Street, otherwise known as the A38, between Derby and Stretton, Burton upon Trent. It is historically a farming community...
| Etwall
Etwall
Etwall is a civil parish and village in Derbyshire, England. It is located southwest from Derby on the A50.-Geography:Etwall is squeezed between the A516, which bypassed the village in February 1992, and the A50. The A516 draws a lot of heavy traffic heading for the M1 north.The village has its...
| Findern
Findern
Findern is a village in south Derbyshire. Although a railway runs through it, there is no station, the nearest stations are Willington, Pear Tree and Derby...
| Foremark
Foremark
Foremark is a small manor and hamlet with a ruling Lord's country house - Foremarke Hall - in southern Derbyshire, England.-Location:...
| Foston
Foston, Derbyshire
Foston is a hamlet in the Foston and Scropton civil parish of South Derbyshire, Derbyshire, England, about west of Derby. The Domesday Book of 1086 lists it as Farulveston.-Foston Hall:...
| Hatton
Hatton, Derbyshire
Hatton is a village in South Derbyshire, England. It is located 6 km north of Burton upon Trent, 20 km west of Derby and 40 km east of Stoke-on-Trent.-Geography:...
| Hilton
Hilton, Derbyshire
Hilton is a village not far from Derby.-History:Hilton was mentioned in the Domesday Book in 1086 as belonging to Henry de Ferrers and being worth ten shillings...
| Hoon
Hoon
Hoon is a derogatory term used in Australia and New Zealand, to refer to a anyone who engages in loutish, antisocial behaviour. In particular, it is used to refer to one who drives a car or boat in a manner which is anti-social by the standards of contemporary society, that is, fast, noisily and/or...
| Marston on Dove
Marston on Dove
Marston on Dove is nine miles south west of Derby and two miles south west of Tutbury in South Derbyshire. The Church of St Mary at Marston has the oldest bell in Derbyshire, which was cast in Leicester in 1366 and inscribed with the words `Hail Mary` by John de Stafford....
| Mickleover
Mickleover
Mickleover is a suburb located two miles west of the city centre and is the most westerly suburb of the City of Derby in the United Kingdom.-History:...
| Newton Solney
Newton Solney
Newton Solney is a small village in South Derbyshire, England, located about two miles from the East Staffordshire border, near to Burton upon Trent...
| Osleston
Osleston
Osleston is a hamlet which together with Thurvaston makes up the parish of Osleston and Thurvaston. It is north west of Derby.In 1848, Osleston, , was a place, in the parish of Sutton-on-the-Hill It was recorded as having , of which 842 are in Orleston hamlet, and 746 in that of Thurvaston; in...
| Radbourne | Repton
Repton
Repton is a village and civil parish on the edge of the River Trent floodplain in South Derbyshire, about north of Swadlincote. Repton is close to the county boundary with neighbouring Staffordshire and about northeast of Burton upon Trent.-History:...
| Rolleston on Dove
Rolleston on Dove
Rolleston on Dove, also known simply as Rolleston, is a village in Staffordshire, England near Burton upon Trent. It is probably best known for its one-time resident Sir Oswald Mosley, the founder of the British Union of Fascists. His coat of arms are still displayed in the local working men's club...
| Scropton
Scropton
Foston and Scropton is a civil parish in the Dove valley in South Derbyshire. It includes the village of Scropton and hamlet of Foston.The Domesday book records that in 1086 Henry de Ferrers held a manor here....
| Stenson
Stenson, Derby
Stenson is a hamlet south of Derby on the Trent and Mersey Canal.Between Stenson and Derby itself lies the busy A50 dual-carriageway and Stenson Fields, a large housing estate built between the early 1970s and late 1990s...
| Stretton
Stretton, Derbyshire
Stretton is a small village and civil parish in Derbyshire, England. It is located near the towns of Clay Cross and three and a half miles from Alfreton on the A61. The nearest waterways are the River Amber and Smithy Brook...
| Sutton on the Hill
Sutton on the Hill
Sutton-on-the-Hill is a parish in south Derbyshire eight miles west of Derby. The village is widely spread out and contains both a church and a chapel. It was described as "a parish, with two townships and a hamlet" in the 1870s. Now it has no shop, post office and has limited public transport...
| Thurvaston
Thurvaston
Thurvaston is a small village in South Derbyshire. In 1970 the population was put at 200. This represents a general fall since 1871 when the population was just below 400.-History:...
| Trusley
Trusley
Trusley is a parish and small village in South Derbyshire.The manor was given to Henry de Ferrers together with many villages in Derbyshire for his contribution to the Norman Conquest. More recently the hall and manor house have been the homes of the Coke family...
| Twyford | Tutbury
Tutbury
Tutbury is a large village and civil parish of about 3,000 residents in the English county of Staffordshire.It is surrounded by the agricultural countryside of both Staffordshire and Derbyshire. The site has been inhabited for over 3000 years, with Iron Age defensive ditches encircling the main...
| Willington
Willington, Derbyshire
Willington is a village and civil parish in South Derbyshire, England. The 2001 Census recorded a parish population of 2,604.-Geography:Willington is on the River Trent about southwest of Derby...
And includes the following primary schools
- Church Broughton Primary School
- Egginton Primary School
- Etwall Primary School
- Heathfields Primary School
- Findern Primary School
- Hilton Primary School
- Longford Primary School
- Long Lane Primary School
- Mickleover Primary School
- Ravensdale Primary School
- Repton Primary School
- Silverhill Primary School
- Sudbury Primary School
- St Clare Special Needs School
- Willington Primary School