Sheldon school
Encyclopedia
Sheldon School is a large mixed comprehensive school
in Chippenham, Wiltshire
, UK
for children aged 11–18 and is the largest school in Wiltshire
. It is one of three in Chippenham, the others being Abbeyfield
and Hardenhuish
. The school is currently headed by Gerard MacMahon, who joined the school in 2004.
Following the war, there was a large turnover of pupils and staff and a continued increase in pupil numbers, rising to 547 in 1956 (102 of these in the Sixth Form), as the Grammar School served the triangle of Chippenham, Corsham and Melksham. Constant growth of the area saw the major development in 1956 of a new secondary modern school for girls to the south of Hardenhuish Church and, in 1959, a secondary modern school for boys, Chippenham Boys High School.
In 1966, the Girls School integrated with the Grammar School in a semi-comprehensive system to educate children of 14 and over.
In 1975, the three existing schools were merged into two comprehensive schools, under the names Hardenhuish and Sheldon. Hardenhuish was made up of the old Grammar School and Girls School buildings, spanning right across the old Hardenhuish estate and comprising seven blocks.
Chippenham Boys High School was renamed Sheldon School to reflect having become coeducational.
and English
. Its A Level results were even better and in 2007 the school was fifth overall in the whole of Wiltshire. Sheldon's previous Ofsted
inspections resulted in the school being identified as "particularly successful" on three separate occasions. Only seven comprehensive schools in the country had received this accolade, confirming its status as one of the highest achieving schools in the area.
Sheldon had its fourth Ofsted inspection on March 27 2008. The lead inspector was Mr Christopher Russell HMI. The outcome was even more impressive.
The most significant aspect of the report is that Sheldon was judged to be "outstanding" in all 38 inspection categories - an exceptional achievement matched by only six comprehensive schools in 1,500 Ofsted inspections.
The summary begins:
This is an outstanding school. When it was inspected three years ago, it was judged to be very good with many outstanding features. It has improved significantly since then. Parents recognise and appreciate the school’s quality and the very large majority of responses to the inspection questionnaire were very positive. One parent’s comment was typical of many: “We have always found Sheldon to be an excellent school, well led and run by excellent staff who are always well informed about the children they are teaching”.
Gerard MacMahon, said:
Sheldon School became an Academy on 1 April 2011.
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 Chippenham, Wiltshire
Chippenham, Wiltshire
Chippenham is a market town in Wiltshire, England, located east of Bath and west of London. In the 2001 census the population of the town was recorded as 28,065....
, UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
for children aged 11–18 and is the largest school in Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
. It is one of three in Chippenham, the others being Abbeyfield
Abbeyfield School
Abbeyfield School is a secondary mixed comprehensive school in Chippenham, Wiltshire, England, for children aged 11 to 18.There are 953 pupils on its roll. The current headteacher is James Fox who has held the post since 1st September 2010.- History :...
and Hardenhuish
Hardenhuish School
Hardenhuish School is an 11-18 co-educational comprehensive school and sixth form in Chippenham, Wiltshire.-Admissions:The school is sited in the former Hardenhuish Manor and Chippenham Grammar School. The school holds specialist Mathematics and Computing College status. It has newly added a...
. The school is currently headed by Gerard MacMahon, who joined the school in 2004.
Following the war, there was a large turnover of pupils and staff and a continued increase in pupil numbers, rising to 547 in 1956 (102 of these in the Sixth Form), as the Grammar School served the triangle of Chippenham, Corsham and Melksham. Constant growth of the area saw the major development in 1956 of a new secondary modern school for girls to the south of Hardenhuish Church and, in 1959, a secondary modern school for boys, Chippenham Boys High School.
In 1966, the Girls School integrated with the Grammar School in a semi-comprehensive system to educate children of 14 and over.
In 1975, the three existing schools were merged into two comprehensive schools, under the names Hardenhuish and Sheldon. Hardenhuish was made up of the old Grammar School and Girls School buildings, spanning right across the old Hardenhuish estate and comprising seven blocks.
Chippenham Boys High School was renamed Sheldon School to reflect having become coeducational.
Ofsted and academic achievement
The school is consistently amongst the top performing schools, for its type, in the area and in 2006 59% of its pupils achieved an A*-C in five subjects, including MathematicsMathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
and English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
. Its A Level results were even better and in 2007 the school was fifth overall in the whole of Wiltshire. Sheldon's previous 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 ....
inspections resulted in the school being identified as "particularly successful" on three separate occasions. Only seven comprehensive schools in the country had received this accolade, confirming its status as one of the highest achieving schools in the area.
Sheldon had its fourth Ofsted inspection on March 27 2008. The lead inspector was Mr Christopher Russell HMI. The outcome was even more impressive.
The most significant aspect of the report is that Sheldon was judged to be "outstanding" in all 38 inspection categories - an exceptional achievement matched by only six comprehensive schools in 1,500 Ofsted inspections.
The summary begins:
This is an outstanding school. When it was inspected three years ago, it was judged to be very good with many outstanding features. It has improved significantly since then. Parents recognise and appreciate the school’s quality and the very large majority of responses to the inspection questionnaire were very positive. One parent’s comment was typical of many: “We have always found Sheldon to be an excellent school, well led and run by excellent staff who are always well informed about the children they are teaching”.
Gerard MacMahon, said:
“We are very proud of what Sheldon’s staff and pupils have achieved. It is rare for a school to be judged outstanding by Ofsted. To be judged outstanding in all 38 categories is an exceptional achievement
I was pleased that the inspection team picked out Sheldon’s positive ethos and the behaviour, attitudes and relationships of pupils. The outstanding achievements of our children in their exams are easy to measure and praise, but the inspectors were able to identify why the school is so successful
Sheldon is the first Wiltshire school to achieve a perfect report. In fact, Sheldon’s Ofsted record is now better than any other comprehensive school in England. But we must keep our feet on the ground, we know that there are many ways in which we can improve„.
Sheldon School became an Academy on 1 April 2011.
Olympic Day Fun Run
This yearly record-breaking event includes a sporting celebrity starting the race.Notable alumni
- Chris HorsmanChris HorsmanChris Horsman is a former Wales international rugby union player.-Club career:Horsman attended Sheldon school in Chippenham, Wiltshire and represented England at youth international level....
- WelshWalesWales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
international rugby unionRugby unionRugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
prop forward - Jamie CullumJamie CullumJamie Cullum is an English pop and jazz-pop singer-songwriter. Though he is primarily a vocalist/pianist he also accompanies himself on other instruments including guitar and drums. Since April 2010, he has been presenting a weekly jazz show on BBC Radio 2, broadcast on Tuesdays from 19:00.- Early...
and his brother Ben (musicians) both attended the Sixth Form. - Sir Peter Wanless - Director of School Performance and Reform for the Department for Education and Skills
- Gabrielle AplinGabrielle AplinGabrielle Ann Aplin is an English singer-songwriter from Bath, Somerset. Aplin first became recognised on Youtube over 3 years ago when she covered a song by the American rock band Paramore, called My Heart...
- Singer on YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
with over 30,000 subscribers - Yan KlukowskiYan KlukowskiYan Klukowski is an English football player who is currently contracted to Forest Green Rovers.-Youth and College:...
- professional footballer who plays for Forest Green RoversForest Green Rovers F.C.Forest Green Rovers Football Club is an English football club based in Nailsworth, Gloucestershire, currently the longest-serving members of the Conference National. The club is affiliated to the Gloucestershire County FA.-Early years:...
. - Enyo Humphrey-Ackumey