Worle Community School is a community school

Community school

The term "community school" refers to types of publicly funded school in England, Wales, the Republic of Ireland, the United States, Australia, Canada and New Zealand to a school that serves as both an educational institution and a centre of community life. A community school is both a place and a...

 and specialist Arts College

Arts College

Arts Colleges were introduced in 1997 as part of the now defunct Specialist Schools Programme in the United Kingdom. The system enabled secondary schools to specialise in certain fields, in this case, the performing, visual and/or media arts...

 in Worle

Worle

Worle is a village in North Somerset that is now totally absorbed by the seaside town of Weston-super-Mare. Despite this, Worle pre-dates Weston and was mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086. In the book, it is said that Worle was owned by Walter of Douai, and consisted of and valued at 6.5...

, a suburb of Weston-super-Mare

Weston-super-Mare

Weston-super-Mare is a seaside resort, town and civil parish in the unitary authority of North Somerset, which is within the ceremonial county of Somerset, England. It is located on the Bristol Channel coast, south west of Bristol, spanning the coast between the bounding high ground of Worlebury...

 in North Somerset

North Somerset

North Somerset is a unitary authority in England. Its area covers part of the ceremonial county of Somerset but it is administered independently of the non-metropolitan county. Its administrative headquarters is in the town hall in Weston-super-Mare....

, England. There are currently 1,490 students aged 11 to 16 in the school.

History

Worle Community School was founded in 1940 located at Spring Hill, near Worle High Street which is now the present site of St Martin's C of E Junior School. In 1971, it moved to Redwing Drive where its present location is. It became the first school in the county of Somerset to be purposely built as a Comprehensive School and also became one of the first schools in the former Avon county as an Investor in People. In recent times, the school has achieved Arts College status and Specialist school status. In 2002, the school was renamed to Worle Community School in relation to its service to the community of the village of Worle.

In recent years, the school has invested in many new facilities, building a new sixth form centre linked with Weston College

Weston College

Weston College is a further education college situated in Weston-super-Mare, England. The college has 7,500 students who are taught at facilities in Weston-super-Mare and Nailsea...

. In September 2007, the school opened a new restaurant within the school grounds, serving students with healthy choices. The school also has a drama studio and dance studio fitted with lighting and professional flooring. There is also a recording studio in the school called Redwing Studios and many students use it for GCSE composition recordings.

The school's Rugby and Football team have a local rivalry with Priory Community School

Priory Community School

Priory Community School, often shortened to PCSA, is a school in Worle, a suburb of Weston-super-Mare in North Somerset, England.The school is an Academy for pupils aged 11 to 16.-Admissions:There are 1,210 students on roll....

, which is usually a highly competitive game when the two sides meet.

Exam results

In August 2008, 46% of students achieved at least five GCSE

General Certificate of Secondary Education

The General Certificate of Secondary Education is an academic qualification awarded in a specified subject, generally taken in a number of subjects by students aged 14–16 in secondary education in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and is equivalent to a Level 2 and Level 1 in Key Skills...

's at grade A* to C. This surpasses all other schools in Weston-super-Mare

Weston-super-Mare

Weston-super-Mare is a seaside resort, town and civil parish in the unitary authority of North Somerset, which is within the ceremonial county of Somerset, England. It is located on the Bristol Channel coast, south west of Bristol, spanning the coast between the bounding high ground of Worlebury...

 on GCSE results. In 2010, 44% of the school's students achieved five GCSE passes at grade A* to C including mathematics and English, behind nearby Priory Community School

Priory Community School

Priory Community School, often shortened to PCSA, is a school in Worle, a suburb of Weston-super-Mare in North Somerset, England.The school is an Academy for pupils aged 11 to 16.-Admissions:There are 1,210 students on roll....

 and lower than the North Somerset

North Somerset

North Somerset is a unitary authority in England. Its area covers part of the ceremonial county of Somerset but it is administered independently of the non-metropolitan county. Its administrative headquarters is in the town hall in Weston-super-Mare....

 average of 56.1%.

Notable alumni

• Jill Dando
  Jill Dando
  Jill Wendy Dando was an English journalist, television presenter and newsreader who worked for the BBC for 14 years. She was murdered by gunshot outside her home in Fulham, West London; her killer has never been identified....
  
  , journalist and broadcaster was a student at the school until 1978.