St. Aidan's C of E High School
Encyclopedia
St. Aidan's Church of England High School is a mixed Church of England
School
in Harrogate
, North Yorkshire
, England
. It currently houses over 1800 students of both lower school and sixth form age. The school's Chamber Choir
won the 2006 Songs of Praise
School Choir of the Year Competition. After their next compete in Songs of Praise 2010, they landed second place.
The school was labelled as "outstanding" by an Ofsted
report in October 2006. It is ranked 475th in the country for its GCSE results in 2006 by The Times
.
In 2010, St.Aidans GCSE students got the 4th highest results in the UK.
, the Right Reverend John Moorman, on 18 June 1966, and opened in September of that year to provide Church of England education for Harrogate's fast-growing population. Since then, it has grown in pupil numbers.
More recently, May 2006 saw the opening of a fully re-furbished Learning resources centre, with approximately 15000 resources and 42 computer workstations. The opening was heralded with a "Beatles Night", featuring tribute group the Plastic Beatles.
Further building work included the complete refurbishment of the sixth form cafe area and old chapel. The bottom tennis courts near the music block have been demolished, with classrooms and a new chapel in their place. The barn has also been demolished, being replaced by new tennis courts.
The lecture theatre has been removed to make space for a Dance studio that was made available for students studying Dance in September 2007.
Currently, during the 2010-2011 Academic Year, building work is in progress on an extension to the school's Drama dept. Throughout the Spring / Summer of 2011, there has been an expansion to the History/ Geography block, as well as the repaving and path reconstruction of areas close to Constance Green Hall.
The school recently received specialist Languages College Status, and has followed this up with a series of Languages Days for both students of both primary and secondary level.
The Sixth Form Senate is "elected" by Year 12 students towards the end of each academic year, following election campaigns by would-be senators.
. John Wood, currently head of Year 7 and a long time staff member of the school has been appointed Headteacher from January 2012. Cathy Roberts, when Head of Music at St Aidan's, won "The Teacher of the Year" award.
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
School
School
A school is an institution designed for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is commonly compulsory. In these systems, students progress through a series of schools...
in Harrogate
Harrogate
Harrogate is a spa town in North Yorkshire, England. The town is a tourist destination and its visitor attractions include its spa waters, RHS Harlow Carr gardens, and Betty's Tea Rooms. From the town one can explore the nearby Yorkshire Dales national park. Harrogate originated in the 17th...
, North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire is a non-metropolitan or shire county located in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England, and a ceremonial county primarily in that region but partly in North East England. Created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972 it covers an area of , making it the largest...
, 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...
. It currently houses over 1800 students of both lower school and sixth form age. The school's Chamber Choir
Chamber choir
A chamber choir or group of chamber singers is the choral equivalent of a chamber ensemble, using voices instead of instruments. This prestigious choir will usually consist of 20-40 elite and dedicated singers. Several chamber choir formats exist, ranging from barbershop groups to exclusively...
won the 2006 Songs of Praise
Songs of Praise
Songs of Praise is a BBC Television programme based around traditional Christian hymns. It is a widely watched and long-running religious television programme, one of the few peak-time free-to-air religious programmes in Europe Songs of Praise is a BBC Television programme based around traditional...
School Choir of the Year Competition. After their next compete in Songs of Praise 2010, they landed second place.
The school was labelled as "outstanding" by an 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 ....
report in October 2006. It is ranked 475th in the country for its GCSE results in 2006 by The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
.
In 2010, St.Aidans GCSE students got the 4th highest results in the UK.
History
St. Aidan's had its foundation stone laid by the former Bishop of RiponRipon
Ripon is a cathedral city, market town and successor parish in the Borough of Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England, located at the confluence of two streams of the River Ure in the form of the Laver and Skell. The city is noted for its main feature the Ripon Cathedral which is architecturally...
, the Right Reverend John Moorman, on 18 June 1966, and opened in September of that year to provide Church of England education for Harrogate's fast-growing population. Since then, it has grown in pupil numbers.
Building work
The school has seen vast amounts of building work since its opening. Perhaps most notably was the Constance Green Hall, built adjacent to Bede House, a building converted for the school's use, which was opened in 1997.More recently, May 2006 saw the opening of a fully re-furbished Learning resources centre, with approximately 15000 resources and 42 computer workstations. The opening was heralded with a "Beatles Night", featuring tribute group the Plastic Beatles.
Further building work included the complete refurbishment of the sixth form cafe area and old chapel. The bottom tennis courts near the music block have been demolished, with classrooms and a new chapel in their place. The barn has also been demolished, being replaced by new tennis courts.
The lecture theatre has been removed to make space for a Dance studio that was made available for students studying Dance in September 2007.
Currently, during the 2010-2011 Academic Year, building work is in progress on an extension to the school's Drama dept. Throughout the Spring / Summer of 2011, there has been an expansion to the History/ Geography block, as well as the repaving and path reconstruction of areas close to Constance Green Hall.
Awards
The school was made one of the first Beacon Schools in 1998. It also has Specialist College Science Status and won the International Schools Award from the British Council in 2006.The school recently received specialist Languages College Status, and has followed this up with a series of Languages Days for both students of both primary and secondary level.
Music
There are over 20 ensembles run by staff and students with the senior ensembles winning various national competitions. The Chamber Choir has appeared in the BBC Songs of Praise School Choirs Competition several times, winning in 2006. The Symphonic Band and Swing Band have won their classes at the National Festival of Music for Youth twice each and the Symphonic Band have also gained a Silver Award in the National Concert Band Championships in 2009 held in Cardiff.Sixth form
The school forms part of an associated sixth form with St. John Fisher Catholic High School.The Sixth Form Senate is "elected" by Year 12 students towards the end of each academic year, following election campaigns by would-be senators.
Notable faculty
The current Headteacher, Dennis Richards, was awarded an OBE in 2007 for services to education. He also won the Ted Wragg Award for Lifetime Achievement at the 2007 Teaching AwardsTeaching Awards
The Teaching Awards is an annual teacher awards ceremony in the United Kingdom.- Process :Every year, all schools across the UK are invited to nominate their most outstanding headteachers, teachers, teaching assistants and governors. Anyone can make a nomination. Nominations are then endorsed by...
. John Wood, currently head of Year 7 and a long time staff member of the school has been appointed Headteacher from January 2012. Cathy Roberts, when Head of Music at St Aidan's, won "The Teacher of the Year" award.