King Edward VI School, Morpeth is a voluntary controlled 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...

 located in Morpeth

Morpeth, Northumberland

Morpeth is the county town of Northumberland, England. It is situated on the River Wansbeck which flows east through the town. The town is from the A1, which bypasses it. Since 1981, it has been the administrative centre of the County of Northumberland. In the 2001 census the town had a population...

, Northumberland

Northumberland

Northumberland is the northernmost ceremonial county and a unitary district in North East England. For Eurostat purposes Northumberland is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "Northumberland and Tyne and Wear" NUTS 2 region...

, 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...

.

History

The refoundation of the school is frequently associated with William Turner (c. 1508–1568), nonconformist divine, known as the "Father of English Botany", who was a native of Morpeth, and is believed both to have attended the grammar school before going to Cambridge and later to have been its headmaster.

Morpeth Grammar School was involved in the lawsuit of longest duration in English legal history. The case, concerning the recovery of lands granted to the school by Edward VI and later leased to the Thornton family, began in 1710, was reopened in 1833, advanced in 1847, and determined in 1870, concerning the recovery of lands granted to the school by Edward VI later leased to the Thornton family.

The school lost its status as a grammar school in the educational reforms of the 1970s and became a comprehensive under its present name. As part of this, the school had a new building built which still stands today.

Present day

King Edward VI School was awarded Beacon School

Beacon School

Beacon School was a government designation awarded to outstanding primary and secondary schools in England and Wales from 1998 to August 2005. The Beacon Schools programme identified schools that were examples of good practice and funded those schools to enable them to build partnerships with each...

status in 2003, and Leading Edge status, in 2004.

Management

Current head teacher is Simon Taylor who took over from Jane Mann in 2006. Deputy heads are Mrs D Reeman and Mr N Simpson

Ofsted

At the last Ofsted report, in 2008 the school was awarded outstanding, and particularly commended was its student voice department for the inclusion of students in extra curricular activities and decision making within the school.

Senior students

At the forefront of the school's student council is its head boy and girl. Its senior students are elected on an annual basis.

Results

In 2009 Year 11 students achieved excellent GCSE results, the best in Northumberland. 87% of students achieved 5 or more passes at Grades A*-C, with 75% gaining 5 or more including English and Maths, which was the highest percentage in Northumberland. 97% achieved 5+ A*-G grades, and 100% gained 1+ A*-G grade. Over 250 students from Year 11 have now moved into the 6th Form at King Edwards.
In the same year, A Level students at the King Edward VI School produced excellent results. There was an increase in the percentage of A/B grades to 54%, an improvement of 4% over the previous year. The overall A-E pass rate increased to 99%. The average points score per student came out at 840, which was the highest of any school in Northumberland.

Academy Status

On July 14, 2011 it was announced that the King Edward VI School would begin the process to becoming an academy. A consultation process with staff, students, and parents is expected.

Awards

The school is proud of its academic achievements, but the school has also had great success and commendation for its awards away from the curriculum.

Environment awards

The school is currently seeking to gain 'eco-friendly schools status' and as part of this, it has much accreditation for its student-led environmental groups. In 2008, a gardening group was presented with the BT Seen and Heard award by Dame Ellen Macarthur at the Houses of Parliament. Later that year, the school was awarded the North East environmental school award at the Chronicle environment awards, and on 2 November Student Voice assistants from the school are travelling to London for the final of the WOW (Wipe out Waste) awards.

School arms

The school arms are: Argent masoned gules, a tower triple-turreted within a bordure of the second charged with eight martlets of the first.

Sources

• The King Edward VI School website
• DES website: The King Edward VI School, Morpeth
• Schoolsfinder Direct (UK Government) website: school profile 2006
• BBC: Secondary schools league tables: The King Edward VI School, Morpeth
• Morpeth Chantry Conservation Management Plan (includes historical detail on the buildings and the school)
• Morpeth Bagpipe Museum: Chantry building