Vandyke Upper School
Encyclopedia
Vandyke Upper School and Community College is an Upper School
and Sixth Form
college
in Leighton Buzzard
, Bedfordshire
, England
. There are currently 1,287 students attending compulsory education at Vandyke, with a further 261 students making up the 6th form.
During the Ofsted
inspection that took place between the 13th and 14th of December 2006, Vandyke Upper School achieved a Grade 2 (Good) rating.
In September 2005, Vandyke Upper School achieved Sports College
status.
Vandyke Upper was granted £113,940 from the British Government's Big Lottery Fund
in July 2006. The funding is to provide out of hours sporting activities to promote healthy living and open up new opportunities in sport for young people.
In July 2007, the school was awarded the Government Charter Mark
for excellence in customer service. Vandyke Upper School met 63 exacting standards of customer service to qualify for the award.
The Government's Key performance indicator, a program that logs school's GCSE and Key Stage Two exam performances, has placed Vandyke's results in the top 25% of schools across the country. According to the log, 61 percent of Vandyke students attained A* to C grades in their GCSE's in 2007.
. Twelve more computers went to an NGO, the Link Development Community, also of Uganda, who work to improve education within the country.Annually, since 2005, Vandyke has held fund raising events for the charity, Smile Malawi. Smile Malawi is a charity aimed at improving educatory standards for children in Malawi
. In 2008 Vandyke Upper School raised over £2000 for Smile Malawi.
from a community school to a foundation school which will acquire a charitable trust to be
called the Vandyke Education Trust.. This is a new type of school that, while still being part of
the local authority, has the opportunity to be supported by a Charitable Trust set up to help
continue their drive for improved standards for the students in school and the work with the
wider community. To provide continuity and stability for the Trust, the Governors of Vandyke
Upper School proposed to formalise, through a Trust, their partnerships with:
The partnership will devote itself to:
range of high quality learning opportunities for the benefit of our students and the local
community; and
innovation and shared learning with a focus upon quality.
The Governing Body will gain new powers and responsibilities. It will become the employer of
staff, although existing pay and conditions arrangements will be unchanged as the school will
remain in the maintained sector and be subject to national pay and conditions agreements.
The Governing Body will also become responsible for student admissions, but will work
jointly with the Local Authority to administer the provision of student places within the
requirements of the National Schools Admissions Code. The Trust will hold the land and
capital assets for the school and the Governing body will have (as now) day to day
responsibility for managing these assets.
The full consultation documents, Booklet One “Changing to Foundation School Status andAcquiring a Charitable Trust” and Booklet Two “Questions and Answers” together explain in more detail these proposals and outline the functions of the partners who will add capacity to the proposed Trust. Stakeholders have the opportunity to comment on these proposals during the consultation period which runs from Monday 14th June 2010 to Friday 16th July 2010, 3 pm (5 weeks).
At an extraordinary meeting of the Governing Body will be held on Tuesday 20th July.
Governors will consider feedback from the consultation and then decide whether to proceed
and to publish statutory proposals on changing category and acquiring a charitable trust or to
remain a community school. Details of the consultation process and how to respond are
included in Booklet One “Changing to Foundation School Status and Acquiring a Charitable Trust”.
Vandyke Upper School and Community college has facilities such as a flood lit artificial turf pitch and theatre. In 2006 and 2007, construction and refurbishment work occurred resulting in the creation of a new library, new administration blocks, new reception area, sports facilities including a dance studio and changing rooms. Over Summer 2007, work was carried out to refurbish the English block, as well as new buildings being developed within the music department.
Currently work is being undertaken in the Humanities department and the Arts Department to refurbish the Arts Room to make a dark room for the new photography course and the old dining room. The old dining room has been made into a extra PE/Dance Area plus a place for students to eat and relax during Lunch and break times.
Upper school
Upper Schools tend to be schools within secondary education. Outside England, the term normally refers to a section of a larger school. There is some variation in the use of the term in England.-State Maintained Schools:...
and Sixth Form
Sixth form
In the education systems of England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, and of Commonwealth West Indian countries such as Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Belize, Jamaica and Malta, the sixth form is the final two years of secondary education, where students, usually sixteen to eighteen years of age,...
college
College
A college is an educational institution or a constituent part of an educational institution. Usage varies in English-speaking nations...
in Leighton Buzzard
Leighton Buzzard
-Lower schools:*Beaudesert Lower School - Apennine Way*Clipstone Brook Lower School - Brooklands Drive*Greenleas Lower School - Derwent Road*Dovery Down Lower School - Heath Road*Heathwood Lower School - Heath Road*Leedon Lower School - Highfield Road...
, Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire is a ceremonial county of historic origin in England that forms part of the East of England region.It borders Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Northamptonshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the west and Hertfordshire to the south-east....
, 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...
. There are currently 1,287 students attending compulsory education at Vandyke, with a further 261 students making up the 6th form.
History
The school was opened in 1976 as a comprehensive school for 13-18 year olds.During the 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 that took place between the 13th and 14th of December 2006, Vandyke Upper School achieved a Grade 2 (Good) rating.
Achievements
For several years, Vandyke Upper School has been a participant of the Rock Challenge, a dance and drama event promoting healthy lifestyles amongst school pupils.In September 2005, Vandyke Upper School achieved 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.
Vandyke Upper was granted £113,940 from the British Government's Big Lottery Fund
Big Lottery Fund
The Big Lottery Fund is a grant-making non-departmental public body in the United Kingdom created by the Government to administer the funding of "good causes" following the creation of the National Lottery. It has an annual expenditure of £630 million...
in July 2006. The funding is to provide out of hours sporting activities to promote healthy living and open up new opportunities in sport for young people.
In July 2007, the school was awarded the Government Charter Mark
Charter Mark
The Customer Service Excellence, is an accreditation for organisations and an independent validation of achievement.-History:...
for excellence in customer service. Vandyke Upper School met 63 exacting standards of customer service to qualify for the award.
The Government's Key performance indicator, a program that logs school's GCSE and Key Stage Two exam performances, has placed Vandyke's results in the top 25% of schools across the country. According to the log, 61 percent of Vandyke students attained A* to C grades in their GCSE's in 2007.
Charity
Vandyke Upper School donated forty-eight computers to Kabalega Secondary School, in UgandaUganda
Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...
. Twelve more computers went to an NGO, the Link Development Community, also of Uganda, who work to improve education within the country.Annually, since 2005, Vandyke has held fund raising events for the charity, Smile Malawi. Smile Malawi is a charity aimed at improving educatory standards for children in Malawi
Malawi
The Republic of Malawi is a landlocked country in southeast Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland. It is bordered by Zambia to the northwest, Tanzania to the northeast, and Mozambique on the east, south and west. The country is separated from Tanzania and Mozambique by Lake Malawi. Its size...
. In 2008 Vandyke Upper School raised over £2000 for Smile Malawi.
Vandyke Education Trust
The Governing Body of Vandyke Upper School is proposing a change of school categoryfrom a community school to a foundation school which will acquire a charitable trust to be
called the Vandyke Education Trust.. This is a new type of school that, while still being part of
the local authority, has the opportunity to be supported by a Charitable Trust set up to help
continue their drive for improved standards for the students in school and the work with the
wider community. To provide continuity and stability for the Trust, the Governors of Vandyke
Upper School proposed to formalise, through a Trust, their partnerships with:
- The University of Bedfordshire
- Central Bedfordshire College of FE
- MK Dons Sport and Education Trust
- BEAerospace
- VT Education
- Central Bedfordshire Council
The partnership will devote itself to:
- achieving excellence through co-operation and the sharing of expertise to create a wide
range of high quality learning opportunities for the benefit of our students and the local
community; and
- enhancing the leadership and management of our organisations through collaboration,
innovation and shared learning with a focus upon quality.
The Governing Body will gain new powers and responsibilities. It will become the employer of
staff, although existing pay and conditions arrangements will be unchanged as the school will
remain in the maintained sector and be subject to national pay and conditions agreements.
The Governing Body will also become responsible for student admissions, but will work
jointly with the Local Authority to administer the provision of student places within the
requirements of the National Schools Admissions Code. The Trust will hold the land and
capital assets for the school and the Governing body will have (as now) day to day
responsibility for managing these assets.
The full consultation documents, Booklet One “Changing to Foundation School Status andAcquiring a Charitable Trust” and Booklet Two “Questions and Answers” together explain in more detail these proposals and outline the functions of the partners who will add capacity to the proposed Trust. Stakeholders have the opportunity to comment on these proposals during the consultation period which runs from Monday 14th June 2010 to Friday 16th July 2010, 3 pm (5 weeks).
At an extraordinary meeting of the Governing Body will be held on Tuesday 20th July.
Governors will consider feedback from the consultation and then decide whether to proceed
and to publish statutory proposals on changing category and acquiring a charitable trust or to
remain a community school. Details of the consultation process and how to respond are
included in Booklet One “Changing to Foundation School Status and Acquiring a Charitable Trust”.
School Site
The main site of the school is divided into two main buildings. The buildings are divided into blocks which house different departmental sections of the school:| Main Building | Secondary Building |
|---|---|
| Administrative Block | English Department |
| Sixth Form Admin. and facilities | Science Department |
| Media Department | Year 11 Common Room (formerly 10 and 11 Cafeteria) |
| TV Studio | Humanities and CPRE Department |
| Cafeteria | History Department |
| Theatre and Drama Studio | Foreign Languages Department |
| Music Department | ICT 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... and Business Department |
| Dance Studio | FT Food technology Food technology, is a branch of food science which deals with the actual production processes to make foods.-Early history of food technology:... department |
| Specialist Sports Department | Design and Art Technology Department |
| Fitness Building (Gym) | Maths Village |
Vandyke Upper School and Community college has facilities such as a flood lit artificial turf pitch and theatre. In 2006 and 2007, construction and refurbishment work occurred resulting in the creation of a new library, new administration blocks, new reception area, sports facilities including a dance studio and changing rooms. Over Summer 2007, work was carried out to refurbish the English block, as well as new buildings being developed within the music department.
Currently work is being undertaken in the Humanities department and the Arts Department to refurbish the Arts Room to make a dark room for the new photography course and the old dining room. The old dining room has been made into a extra PE/Dance Area plus a place for students to eat and relax during Lunch and break times.