Thomas Telford School
Encyclopedia
Thomas Telford School is a City Technology College
in Telford
, Shropshire
, England
. Often referred to as 'TTS', it achieved the highest GCSE pass rate of any comprehensive school
in England in 2008 and 2009.
. The college's catchment area includes Telford
, Wolverhampton
and the villages and suburbs in between. The reason for this is that one of the school's leading sponsors, 'Tarmac' wanted to give something back to the Wolverhampton community in which the company is based. However Wolverhampton's Labour council did not wish to have such a school in Wolverhampton, so it was built in Telford instead, but still inviting Wolverhampton students. One of the school's initial main aims was to help relieve the under-performing schools in the urban areas of Wolverhampton. Thomas Telford School is unique in the sense that it generates most of its funds itself through the sale of its online curriculum content which is sold through its subsidiary company TTSOnline Limited (Thomas Telford School Online Limited).
in all classrooms, learning bases and study rooms. In addition to this the school has an advanced internal network operating mainly using Novell and Windows Advanced Server 2003 products. The school also provides an extranet, which is run using Novell Virtual Office, allowing students and staff to access their files and e-mail from home. Thomas Telford School also hosts its online curriculum in-house, with a web server and Real Streaming Media Server housed in the computer services department of the school. The school also has a mirror of its online curriculum at a high-speed London data centre.
The school has at least 1 computer in every classroom as well as around one hundred in each of the school's 4 ILC's (Independent Learning Centres). The school also has a state-of-the-art CAD/CAM suite; which provides access to an array of various Roland CAM CNC milling and machining equipment and a large bedded CO2. The CAD/CAM suite also consists of an HP A1 Pantone printer, HP A3 colour laser printer and HP A3 inkject laser printer as well as the schools network of other laser printers. The CAD/CAM suite also houses around fifty computers for students to produce work on the various CAD packages the school has which includes the latest version of AutoDesk Inventor.
It is noteworthy that Wikipedia has been blocked in the school since June 2008 despite the protests of staff and pupils. The teaching union ATL has described this as unreasonable, but teaching unions are not recognised by CTCs under their terms of reference. When trying to access the website it states Wikipedia as a security risk.
It is believed, now that, as of the start of the academic year in 2011, ICT will not become compulsory to Sixth Formers, and can be replaced by another subject option or extra Independent Learning time, this decision was most likely made due to the lack of successful results in A Level ICT in recent years, and students expressing dissatisfaction at taking the subject.
The school is also well known for its sporting prowess, with regular success in many sports at all levels, including county, regional and national levels. In the 2009-10 academic year the school won two national football finals and were finalists and semi finalists in a further 3. Also the Syncronised Swimming Team is currently national champions.
The school is unique for a number of reasons: It has not one, but several deputy heads; in place of daily assemblies, are televised, daily 'broadcasts' to the rest of the school in each classroom; there are electronic whiteboards in every classroom and lessons are 1½ or three hours long. One of the senior deputy heads, Dara Carroll, released a choir song album in his younger years.
In its short lifetime, barely a decade old, the school has made several notable achievements. Its current Headmaster, Sir Kevin Satchwell, was knighted in 2001 for services to education and the community, and from 1998 to the present day, TTS has been named 'the most successful Comprehensive school in the UK', after 100% of its pupils gained 5 or more A*-C GCSE's, being the first and only comprehensive school ever to do so in 1998.
A rigorous method of applicant selection takes place, including an entrance test to allow all abilities to be reflected and equally proportioned in the school.
Headmaster Sir Kevin Satchwell commented that the school no longer uses the traditional yardstick of five or more GCSE passes at grades A* to C since all students achieved at least 12 GCSE passes at grades A* to C.
The school is the best performing comprehensive school in England
The school's facilities include Swimming Pool, Theatre, State of the Art Fitness Centre, Astroturf, Football pitches and will be receiving even more sport facilities as part of the Building Schools for the Future campaign.
The school has helped set up two other schools. These are in Walsall
and Sandwell; both are now fully built and operational. These are headed by former Deputy Headteachers at Thomas Telford School.
City Technology College
In England, a City Technology College is a state-funded all-ability secondary school that charges no fees but is independent of local authority control, being overseen directly by the Department for Education....
in Telford
Telford
Telford is a large new town in the borough of Telford and Wrekin and ceremonial county of Shropshire, England, approximately east of Shrewsbury, and west of Birmingham...
, Shropshire
Shropshire
Shropshire is a county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. It borders Wales to the west...
, 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...
. Often referred to as 'TTS', it achieved the highest GCSE pass rate of any 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 England in 2008 and 2009.
Background
Founded in 1991, the school was deemed a pioneering 'experiment' in specialist CTCsCity Technology College
In England, a City Technology College is a state-funded all-ability secondary school that charges no fees but is independent of local authority control, being overseen directly by the Department for Education....
. The college's catchment area includes Telford
Telford
Telford is a large new town in the borough of Telford and Wrekin and ceremonial county of Shropshire, England, approximately east of Shrewsbury, and west of Birmingham...
, Wolverhampton
Wolverhampton
Wolverhampton is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands, England. For Eurostat purposes Walsall and Wolverhampton is a NUTS 3 region and is one of five boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "West Midlands" NUTS 2 region...
and the villages and suburbs in between. The reason for this is that one of the school's leading sponsors, 'Tarmac' wanted to give something back to the Wolverhampton community in which the company is based. However Wolverhampton's Labour council did not wish to have such a school in Wolverhampton, so it was built in Telford instead, but still inviting Wolverhampton students. One of the school's initial main aims was to help relieve the under-performing schools in the urban areas of Wolverhampton. Thomas Telford School is unique in the sense that it generates most of its funds itself through the sale of its online curriculum content which is sold through its subsidiary company TTSOnline Limited (Thomas Telford School Online Limited).
Online curriculum
The school produces and sells what it calls an "online curriculum". This consists of interactive learning materials, online tasks and even podcasts which all relate to various subject areas. The school's subsidiary company TTSOnline Ltd. then sells access to the content to other schools for a fixed price. Schools have the option to purchase access to one specific course (for example DiDA), or purchase the entire online curriculum. In addition to the online learning resources that the school provides, the school also provides training days; during these days the teaching staff from other schools can attend seminars at the school and learn the methods in which the school teaches the courses which it provides on its online curriculum and how to maximise the effectiveness of using it in a classroom environment. This combined training for and selling of the online curriculum is known as Project 40.Information technology
The school has long been at the forefront of using IT for education, the school makes use of electronic whiteboards provided by Smart TechnologiesSMART Technologies
Smart Technologies is a publicly traded company headquartered in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Founded in 1987, Smart Technologies is best known as the developer of the Smart Board interactive whiteboard...
in all classrooms, learning bases and study rooms. In addition to this the school has an advanced internal network operating mainly using Novell and Windows Advanced Server 2003 products. The school also provides an extranet, which is run using Novell Virtual Office, allowing students and staff to access their files and e-mail from home. Thomas Telford School also hosts its online curriculum in-house, with a web server and Real Streaming Media Server housed in the computer services department of the school. The school also has a mirror of its online curriculum at a high-speed London data centre.
The school has at least 1 computer in every classroom as well as around one hundred in each of the school's 4 ILC's (Independent Learning Centres). The school also has a state-of-the-art CAD/CAM suite; which provides access to an array of various Roland CAM CNC milling and machining equipment and a large bedded CO2. The CAD/CAM suite also consists of an HP A1 Pantone printer, HP A3 colour laser printer and HP A3 inkject laser printer as well as the schools network of other laser printers. The CAD/CAM suite also houses around fifty computers for students to produce work on the various CAD packages the school has which includes the latest version of AutoDesk Inventor.
It is noteworthy that Wikipedia has been blocked in the school since June 2008 despite the protests of staff and pupils. The teaching union ATL has described this as unreasonable, but teaching unions are not recognised by CTCs under their terms of reference. When trying to access the website it states Wikipedia as a security risk.
It is believed, now that, as of the start of the academic year in 2011, ICT will not become compulsory to Sixth Formers, and can be replaced by another subject option or extra Independent Learning time, this decision was most likely made due to the lack of successful results in A Level ICT in recent years, and students expressing dissatisfaction at taking the subject.
Achievements and school life
The school caters for students from the age of 11 through to 18. This is in a system of national year groups from Year 7 to 6.2 (year 13). The school also has a unique and successful system of after school curricular activities called Session 3 which are highly encouraged, and which it claims is pivotal to its success over the past years. GCSE and A level results have also improved year on year and now results are consistently around 100% pass rates. Most students leave Thomas Telford with 12 or more pass GCSES of which most are A or A* grades. In the 2008-09 Academic Year, one student left with 15 A or A* GCSES.The school is also well known for its sporting prowess, with regular success in many sports at all levels, including county, regional and national levels. In the 2009-10 academic year the school won two national football finals and were finalists and semi finalists in a further 3. Also the Syncronised Swimming Team is currently national champions.
The school is unique for a number of reasons: It has not one, but several deputy heads; in place of daily assemblies, are televised, daily 'broadcasts' to the rest of the school in each classroom; there are electronic whiteboards in every classroom and lessons are 1½ or three hours long. One of the senior deputy heads, Dara Carroll, released a choir song album in his younger years.
In its short lifetime, barely a decade old, the school has made several notable achievements. Its current Headmaster, Sir Kevin Satchwell, was knighted in 2001 for services to education and the community, and from 1998 to the present day, TTS has been named 'the most successful Comprehensive school in the UK', after 100% of its pupils gained 5 or more A*-C GCSE's, being the first and only comprehensive school ever to do so in 1998.
A rigorous method of applicant selection takes place, including an entrance test to allow all abilities to be reflected and equally proportioned in the school.
Ranking & Facilities
In 2005 Thomas Telford school produced the best results of any school comprehensive or otherwise at 16. Thomas Telford students scored an average of 760.3 points per student, more than 100 points better than its nearest rival.Headmaster Sir Kevin Satchwell commented that the school no longer uses the traditional yardstick of five or more GCSE passes at grades A* to C since all students achieved at least 12 GCSE passes at grades A* to C.
The school is the best performing comprehensive school in England
The school's facilities include Swimming Pool, Theatre, State of the Art Fitness Centre, Astroturf, Football pitches and will be receiving even more sport facilities as part of the Building Schools for the Future campaign.
Expansion
In 2004, Thomas Telford federated with local under-performing school, Madeley Academy, placing one of its deputies in charge. This has seen exam results improve and other schemes like this across the UK. The academy is now graded Outstanding by Ofsted and is achieving great Ofsted Results and has a new building.The school has helped set up two other schools. These are in Walsall
Walsall Academy
Walsall Academy is a Comprehensive Academy secondary school in Bloxwich, West Midlands, England. It opened in September 2003 with 470 students on the roll, and after four years that figure had increased to 1,150 - making it one of the most populated secondary schools in the Walsall borough.The...
and Sandwell; both are now fully built and operational. These are headed by former Deputy Headteachers at Thomas Telford School.
Notable alumni
A handful of the school's alumni have gone on to achieve fame, nearly all of them sportsmen:- Ricky Balshaw - Silver medallist in Equestrian Dressage in Beijing Paralympics 20082008 Summer ParalympicsThe 2008 Summer Paralympic Games, the thirteenth Paralympics, took place in Beijing, China from September 6 to September 17, 2008. As with the 2008 Summer Olympics, equestrian events were held in Hong Kong and sailing events in Qingdao....
- Sophie BouldSophie BouldSophie Bould is a British theatre and TV actress. Sophie is originally from Shropshire where she attended St Dominic's High School for Girls in Brewood, but is now based in London....
- Understudy for 'Maria' in London's West End Production of 'The Sound of MusicThe Sound of MusicThe Sound of Music is a musical by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II and a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. It is based on the memoir of Maria von Trapp, The Story of the Trapp Family Singers... - Lee CollinsLee Collins (footballer born 1988)Lee Harvey Collins is an English footballer who plays for League Two side Port Vale. He is a defender who can play as either a centre-back or as a full-back....
(footballer) - Former Wolverhampton Wanderers defender, now plays for Port ValePort Vale F.C.Port Vale Football Club is an English football club currently playing in Football League Two. They are based in Burslem, Staffordshire — one of six towns that make up the city of Stoke-on-Trent. The club's traditional rivals in the city are Stoke City, and games between the two clubs are known as... - Elliott BennettElliott BennettElliott Bennett is an English footballer, currently signed to Norwich City who are an English team promoted to the Premier League at the end of the 2010/11 season...
(footballer) - Former Wolverhampton Wanderers midfielder currently at BrightonBrighton & Hove Albion F.C.Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club are an English association football club based in the coastal city of Brighton & Hove, East Sussex. They currently play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system.... - Kyle Bennett (footballer) - Wolverhampton Wanderers Youth team player.
- Rob Edwards (footballer) - Former Wolverhampton Wanderers, current BlackpoolBlackpool F.C.Blackpool Football Club are an English football club founded in 1887 from the Lancashire seaside town of Blackpool. They are competing in the 2011–12 season of the The Championship, the second tier of professional football in England, having been relegated from the Premier League at the end of the...
and WalesWales national football teamThe Wales national football team represents Wales in international football. It is controlled by the Football Association of Wales , the governing body for football in Wales, and the third oldest national football association in the world. The team have only qualified for a major international...
full-back - Danny GuthrieDanny GuthrieDanny Sean Guthrie is an English footballer who plays for Premier League club Newcastle United, as a midfielder.His displays in Liverpool's Academy side earned him a call-up to the England schoolboy side...
(footballer) - Newcastle UnitedNewcastle United F.C.Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End, and has played at its current home ground, St James' Park, since the merger...
Midfielder - Sam MorsySam MorsySamy Sayed "Sam" Morsy is an English footballer who plays for League Two side Port Vale as a midfielder....
(footballer) - Port ValePort Vale F.C.Port Vale Football Club is an English football club currently playing in Football League Two. They are based in Burslem, Staffordshire — one of six towns that make up the city of Stoke-on-Trent. The club's traditional rivals in the city are Stoke City, and games between the two clubs are known as...
youth team midfielder - Carl Patrick Morris: UK Tour Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Currentyl Bobo and Understudy for Rusty in Andrew Lloyd Webbers "Starlight Express" in Bochum, Germany.