The Castle School Taunton
Encyclopedia
The Castle School is a co-educational
comprehensive school
in Taunton
, Somerset
, United Kingdom. It has 1,200 pupils aged 11 to 16, and has had specialist
Sports College
status since 2003. It has recently been granted a second specialism in Vocational Education
. During the schools latest Ofsted
inspection, it received an "outstanding" rating in 26 out of 27 criteria. In July 2011, the school became an Academy
with state-of-the-art equipment as well as a sports hall. All of these facilities are used by students participating in P.E. and extra curricular activities and the local community also participate in activities and clubs run by the sports centre.
In addition to the sporting facilities at the school there are also IT
facilities available exclusively to students. There are five stand alone IT rooms as well as computers being situated in the Craft Design and Technology department, Art department and in other assorted classrooms. The library has undergone major refurbishment, and is now an integrated learning centre, with forty computers, two smart boards and a seminar room. These facilities offer students advanced help in their work, especially in History which is very IT involved, with most lessons using IT to bring learning to life. On a much smaller scale the school also offers a Video Editing Suite, used by Drama students to edit and refine their work. It is also used by students to help the school in many other ways such as producing video work for the schools leavers prom
, and in the creation of promotional videos.
There are also the specially built music rooms complimenting and supporting the musical talent of Castle students. These music rooms help students studying music from year 7 to year 11 and also support musical bands set up by groups of students. The main hall also facilitates musical concerts, enabling students who participate in extra curricular music to express and show their talent.
The main hall has played host to a large number of student bands, including Stoneflow, Crimson Love, The Shindigs (now disbanded), The Swelling, Blue Roots and many other one-off performances for the annual Christmas
Variety Show, such as Some People
who closed the 2006 show with a rendition of The Who
's anthem "Pinball Wizard
". A memorable performance from the 2006 Variety Show is the Drum Kit
duet/battle that came second overall. Another notable performance came from a four piece group who played in several shows and won the Variety Show Trophy in 2004 with 'Bathwater
'. The school hosts many student related concerts, mainly for charity.
It has been traditional for the school over the years to put on a main production which is either a musical or a play. Recent productions have included The Wizard of Oz
(2007), Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
(2006), Bugsy Malone
(2005) and The Caucasian Chalk Circle
(2004). The productions have also combined dancing supported by the dance department. Once again the main productions gain a lot of support from teachers, students and parents as well as the local community and continue to grow and improve each year. 2008's production was West Side Story,
2009'sOliver Twist
, and 2010's "Anything Goes
".
Coeducation
Mixed-sex education, also known as coeducation or co-education, is the integrated education of male and female persons in the same institution. It is the opposite of single-sex education...
comprehensive school
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 Taunton
Taunton
Taunton is the county town of Somerset, England. The town, including its suburbs, had an estimated population of 61,400 in 2001. It is the largest town in the shire county of Somerset....
, Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
, United Kingdom. It has 1,200 pupils aged 11 to 16, and has had specialist
Specialist school
The specialist schools programme was a UK government initiative which encouraged secondary schools in England to specialise in certain areas of the curriculum to boost achievement. The Specialist Schools and Academies Trust was responsible for the delivery of the programme...
Sports College
Sports College
Sports Colleges were introduced in 1997 as part of the Specialist Schools Programme in the United Kingdom. The system enables secondary schools to specialise in certain fields, in this case, PE, sports and dance. Schools that successfully apply to the Specialist Schools Trust and become Sports...
status since 2003. It has recently been granted a second specialism in Vocational Education
Vocational education
Vocational education or vocational education and training is an education that prepares trainees for jobs that are based on manual or practical activities, traditionally non-academic, and totally related to a specific trade, occupation, or vocation...
. During the schools latest 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 ....
inspection, it received an "outstanding" rating in 26 out of 27 criteria. In July 2011, the school became an Academy
Facilities
The school has many facilities which are used extensively by students and the local community on a regular basis. There are many sporting facilities for example such as the new Athletics Track and G3 synthetic turf pitch which is one of the only all weather pitches in the UK. In addition there is a fully equipped gymGym
The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, that mean a locality for both physical and intellectual education of young men...
with state-of-the-art equipment as well as a sports hall. All of these facilities are used by students participating in P.E. and extra curricular activities and the local community also participate in activities and clubs run by the sports centre.
In addition to the sporting facilities at the school there are also IT
Information technology
Information technology is the acquisition, processing, storage and dissemination of vocal, pictorial, textual and numerical information by a microelectronics-based combination of computing and telecommunications...
facilities available exclusively to students. There are five stand alone IT rooms as well as computers being situated in the Craft Design and Technology department, Art department and in other assorted classrooms. The library has undergone major refurbishment, and is now an integrated learning centre, with forty computers, two smart boards and a seminar room. These facilities offer students advanced help in their work, especially in History which is very IT involved, with most lessons using IT to bring learning to life. On a much smaller scale the school also offers a Video Editing Suite, used by Drama students to edit and refine their work. It is also used by students to help the school in many other ways such as producing video work for the schools leavers prom
Prom
In the United States and Canada, a prom, short for promenade, is a formal dance, or gathering of high school students. It is typically held near the end of the senior year. It figures greatly in popular culture and is a major event among high school students...
, and in the creation of promotional videos.
There are also the specially built music rooms complimenting and supporting the musical talent of Castle students. These music rooms help students studying music from year 7 to year 11 and also support musical bands set up by groups of students. The main hall also facilitates musical concerts, enabling students who participate in extra curricular music to express and show their talent.
The main hall has played host to a large number of student bands, including Stoneflow, Crimson Love, The Shindigs (now disbanded), The Swelling, Blue Roots and many other one-off performances for the annual Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
Variety Show, such as Some People
Some People
Some People is a 1962 film directed by Clive Donner. It stars Kenneth More and Ray Brooks.-Cast:* Kenneth More as Mr. Smith* Ray Brooks as Johnnie* Anneke Wills as Anne* David Andrews as Bill* Angela Douglas as Terry* David Hemmings as Bert...
who closed the 2006 show with a rendition of The Who
The Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey , Pete Townshend , John Entwistle and Keith Moon . They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction...
's anthem "Pinball Wizard
Pinball Wizard
"Pinball Wizard" is a song written by Pete Townshend and performed by the English rock band The Who, and featured on their 1969 rock opera album Tommy. The original recording was released as a single in 1969 and reached No. 4 in the UK charts and No. 19 on the U.S...
". A memorable performance from the 2006 Variety Show is the Drum Kit
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
duet/battle that came second overall. Another notable performance came from a four piece group who played in several shows and won the Variety Show Trophy in 2004 with 'Bathwater
Bathwater
"Bathwater" is a ska punk song written by Tom Dumont, Tony Kanal, and Gwen Stefani for No Doubt's fourth studio album Return of Saturn . It was released as the album's fourth and final single on November 14, 2000.-Background and writing:...
'. The school hosts many student related concerts, mainly for charity.
Site
The original parts of the building include the tower block, and the ground floor building connected to it, which covers the canteen, main hall and science blocks. The newer buildings include the Qdos 6th Form Building, which opened in 2010, the Sealy Building, Sports hall and Sports centre and the Jubilee building which opened in 2003. This has enabled departments to grow and offer more to its students by way of facilities and improved teaching rooms.Drama and dance
The school is very well supported in both these areas, both by students and teachers. The Drama department for example is supported by a technical crew made up solely of six students and a staff member, who set-up and operate all the sound and lighting for shows, as well as lend technical support in many other areas. There are numerous productions which take place throughout the year including the House Drama and House Dance as well as the Variety Show.It has been traditional for the school over the years to put on a main production which is either a musical or a play. Recent productions have included The Wizard of Oz
The Wizard of Oz (adaptations)
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is a 1900 novel by L. Frank Baum, which has been adapted into several different works, the most famous being the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz, starring Judy Garland...
(2007), Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a late 14th-century Middle English alliterative romance outlining an adventure of Sir Gawain, a knight of King Arthur's Round Table. In the poem, Sir Gawain accepts a challenge from a mysterious warrior who is completely green, from his clothes and hair to his...
(2006), Bugsy Malone
Bugsy Malone
Bugsy Malone is a 1976 musical film, very loosely based on events in New York City in the Prohibition era, specifically the exploits of gangsters like Al Capone and Bugs Moran, as dramatized in cinema...
(2005) and The Caucasian Chalk Circle
The Caucasian Chalk Circle
The Caucasian Chalk Circle is a play by the German modernist playwright Bertolt Brecht. An example of Brecht's epic theatre, the play is a parable about a peasant girl who rescues a baby and becomes a better mother than its natural parents....
(2004). The productions have also combined dancing supported by the dance department. Once again the main productions gain a lot of support from teachers, students and parents as well as the local community and continue to grow and improve each year. 2008's production was West Side Story,
2009'sOliver Twist
Oliver Twist
Oliver Twist; or, The Parish Boy's Progress is the second novel by English author Charles Dickens, published by Richard Bentley in 1838. The story is about an orphan Oliver Twist, who endures a miserable existence in a workhouse and then is placed with an undertaker. He escapes and travels to...
, and 2010's "Anything Goes
Anything Goes
Anything Goes is a musical with music and lyrics by Cole Porter. The original book was a collaborative effort by Guy Bolton and P.G. Wodehouse, heavily revised by the team of Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. The story concerns madcap antics aboard an ocean liner bound from New York to London...
".