The King Alfred School, Highbridge
Encyclopedia
The King Alfred School is a coeducational comprehensive school
located in Highbridge
, Somerset
, England. The school is a specialist
Sports College
. In 2007, the school celebrated its 50th anniversary.
The school has a Sixth Form Centre for students studying AS and A2 levels.
The school is associated with the King Alfred Sport Centre which is next to the school site. There is some evidence of Roman remains under the school playing field.
report in September 2007 rated the school as satisfactory with some good points. An earlier Ofsted report from March 2002 rated the school as very poor overall, but noted a significant improvement in academic results, financial management and pupil numbers compared with the previous time the school was inspected in 1996.
In 2009, 43% of pupils achieved five or more GCSE passes at grade A* to C including Mathematics and English, compared with 46.8% in the rest of Somerset and 46.3% nationally. This was an improvement of the school's performance in 2004–2006 when it achieved 29%, 36% and 33% pass rates respectively. In 2008 however, GCSE passes dropped by 2% compared with 2007.
The school's contextual value added
score of 984.5 was the fourth lowest in the county.
in South Wales after getting into difficulty while taking part in activities for their The Duke of Edinburgh's Award
.
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...
located in Highbridge
Highbridge, Somerset
Highbridge is a small market town situated on the edge of the Somerset Levels near the mouth of the River Brue. It is in the County of Somerset, and is approximately north west of Taunton, the county town of Somerset. Highbridge is in the District of Sedgemoor, being situated approximately north...
, 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...
, England. The school is a 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...
. In 2007, the school celebrated its 50th anniversary.
The school has a Sixth Form Centre for students studying AS and A2 levels.
The school is associated with the King Alfred Sport Centre which is next to the school site. There is some evidence of Roman remains under the school playing field.
Academic performance
An OfstedOfsted
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 September 2007 rated the school as satisfactory with some good points. An earlier Ofsted report from March 2002 rated the school as very poor overall, but noted a significant improvement in academic results, financial management and pupil numbers compared with the previous time the school was inspected in 1996.
In 2009, 43% of pupils achieved five or more GCSE passes at grade A* to C including Mathematics and English, compared with 46.8% in the rest of Somerset and 46.3% nationally. This was an improvement of the school's performance in 2004–2006 when it achieved 29%, 36% and 33% pass rates respectively. In 2008 however, GCSE passes dropped by 2% compared with 2007.
The school's contextual value added
Contextual value added
Contextual value added is a statistic used by the government of the United Kingdom to assess the performance of schools.The statistic is intended to show the progress children have made whilst attending a particular school...
score of 984.5 was the fourth lowest in the county.
Incidents
In October 2005, nine pupils from the school were rescued by helicopter from the Black MountainsBlack Mountains, Wales
The Black Mountains are a group of hills spread across parts of Powys and Monmouthshire in southeast Wales, and extending across the national border into Herefordshire, England. They are the easternmost of the four ranges of hills that comprise the Brecon Beacons National Park, and are frequently...
in South Wales after getting into difficulty while taking part in activities for their The Duke of Edinburgh's Award
The Duke of Edinburgh's Award
The Duke of Edinburgh's Award , is a programme of activities that can be undertaken by anyone aged 14 to 24, regardless of personal ability....
.