Kings Manor Community College
Encyclopedia
Kings Manor Community College was a secondary school
located in Shoreham-by-Sea
, West Sussex
. A specialist status state school, Kings Manor closed and reopened as an Academy named Shoreham Academy
, with funding from the central government, in September of 2009. The school was known for its poor academic reputation and its pupils of diverse socio-economic make-up.
The school was formed by the merger of King's Manor girls school with Middle Road Secondary Modern boys school.
The school took in students from years seven through eleven and had an adjoined sixth form college
, the student population of which was derived primarily from the main school. The wide catchment area of the school resulted in pupils being taken from diverse social-economic backgrounds.
For ease of administration, each year group was divided into ten bands, assigned the letter K or M and a number from 1-5 (e.g. 9K5 or 10M3). However, beyond this, there was little resemblance to a traditional house system
.
With regards to uniforms, year seven, eight and nine pupils wore dark blue shirts while those in years ten and eleven wore pale blue.
Local newspaper The Argus
commented upon the irony of the school's first pupil to go onto the University of Oxford
in the same year that Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families
Ed Balls
threatened the school with closure. The Education Secretary noted King's Manor as one of 11 schools in the Sussex
area which qualified as "failing schools" because less than 30% of students manage to achieve A-C grades at GCSE. In 2007, 23% of pupils attained five or more GCSEs at Grade C or above including English and Maths, which was roughly half the national average of 46.7%; only 11% of pupils got an A*-C pass in GCSE Science.
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...
located in Shoreham-by-Sea
Shoreham-by-Sea
Shoreham-by-Sea is a small town, port and seaside resort in West Sussex, England. Shoreham-by-Sea railway station is located less than a mile from the town centre and London Gatwick Airport is away...
, West Sussex
West Sussex
West Sussex is a county in the south of England, bordering onto East Sussex , Hampshire and Surrey. The county of Sussex has been divided into East and West since the 12th century, and obtained separate county councils in 1888, but it remained a single ceremonial county until 1974 and the coming...
. A specialist status state school, Kings Manor closed and reopened as an Academy named Shoreham Academy
Shoreham Academy
Shoreham Academy is a mixed gender academy, sponsored by United Learning Trust, in Shoreham-by-Sea, West Sussex which opened in September 2009. The academy replaced Kings Manor Community College, which closed in August 2009. The academy uses a house system; each house is named after a famous...
, with funding from the central government, in September of 2009. The school was known for its poor academic reputation and its pupils of diverse socio-economic make-up.
The school was formed by the merger of King's Manor girls school with Middle Road Secondary Modern boys school.
The school took in students from years seven through eleven and had an adjoined sixth form college
Sixth form college
A sixth form college is an educational institution in England, Wales, Northern Ireland, Belize, Hong Kong or Malta where students aged 16 to 18 typically study for advanced school-level qualifications, such as A-levels, or school-level qualifications such as GCSEs. In Singapore and India, this is...
, the student population of which was derived primarily from the main school. The wide catchment area of the school resulted in pupils being taken from diverse social-economic backgrounds.
For ease of administration, each year group was divided into ten bands, assigned the letter K or M and a number from 1-5 (e.g. 9K5 or 10M3). However, beyond this, there was little resemblance to a traditional 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...
.
With regards to uniforms, year seven, eight and nine pupils wore dark blue shirts while those in years ten and eleven wore pale blue.
Local newspaper The Argus
The Argus (Brighton)
The Argus is a local newspaper based in Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, with editions serving the city of Brighton and Hove and the other parts of both East and West Sussex.-History:...
commented upon the irony of the school's first pupil to go onto the University of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
in the same year that Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families
Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families
The Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families is a Cabinet minister in the United Kingdom. The post was created on 28 June 2007 after the disbanding of the Department for Education and Skills by Gordon Brown. The first Secretary of State was Ed Balls, a former treasury aide to Brown...
Ed Balls
Ed Balls
Edward Michael Balls, known as Ed Balls, is a British Labour politician, who has been a Member of Parliament since 2005, currently for Morley and Outwood, and is the current Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer....
threatened the school with closure. The Education Secretary noted King's Manor as one of 11 schools in the Sussex
Sussex
Sussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
area which qualified as "failing schools" because less than 30% of students manage to achieve A-C grades at GCSE. In 2007, 23% of pupils attained five or more GCSEs at Grade C or above including English and Maths, which was roughly half the national average of 46.7%; only 11% of pupils got an A*-C pass in GCSE Science.