Devizes School

Devizes School is a mixed comprehensive school in Devizes, Wiltshire, England, for young people aged 11 to 18. The school is near the centre of the town, next to the Leisure Centre, between the A342 and A360. Since September 2012, the school has been an academy. The school is the only secondary school in the town of Devizes and it also serves many surrounding villages. Built around the Georgian Southbroom House, the school now comprises additional teaching blocks of a more modern style, set within its own sports fields. Ofsted has graded the school Good in each of the past four visits, the latest in 2015.

Devizes School
Southbroom House, Devizes School
Address
The Green

Devizes
,
Wiltshire
,
SN10 3AG

England
Coordinates51°21′02″N 1°59′15″W
Information
TypeAcademy
Established1969
Department for Education URN138630 Tables
OfstedReports
Chair of GovernorsMatt Bywater
HeadMr Phil Bevan
GenderCoeducational
Age11 to 18
Enrolment1,181
Websitewww.devizesschool.co.uk

Admissions

The school has been awarded specialist Sports College and ICT College status. School enrolment in 2012 was 1,181 students.[1]

Traditions

Devizes School has a house system comprising four houses, which each student in Year 7–13 belongs to: Gandhi, King, Mandela and Teresa.

Each house is named after a historical figure who worked towards understanding using peaceful methods. The names of the houses were selected by a vote. Each house has its own house colour: Gandhi is green, King is blue, Teresa is red and Mandela is yellow.

History

The school was formed in 1969 by the merging of two schools to form a comprehensive school.[2] These were the co-educational Devizes Grammar School, built on Bath Road in 1906,[3] and the Southbroom Secondary School (at first a Wiltshire County Council senior school, later a secondary modern) which was established in 1925[4] around Southbroom House, a Grade II* listed mansion built in 1773.[5]

The new school used the Southbroom site; the Grammar School's lower school was taken over by St. Peter's School[6] (which left the site in 2012)[7] while the upper school, Braeside, became a residential education centre.[8] The Southbroom buildings were enlarged and by January 1973 there were 1,373 pupils on the school roll. Further new buildings were erected and in 2002 there were 1,065 pupils with a sixth form of around 150.[2]

In 1980, two Chipperfield's Circus lions found their way onto the grounds of Devizes.[9]

On 8 August 1990, the Queen attended the school to open the swimming pool at the adjacent Devizes Leisure Centre, when the headmaster was Colin Isted.

Shelley Rudman, the Olympic skeleton silver medallist, worked at the school as a classroom manager.

In February 2005, a 52-year-old builder, David Evans, was taunted by some teenage boys at the school. He confronted two of them, pushing two of them. Next day the boys reported him to their headmaster, Malcolm Irons, who reported him to the police. Next day Mr Evans hanged himself.[10][11]

In May 2013, the sixth form moved into their new, enlarged Sixth Form Centre. Mr Phil Bevan was appointed head teacher in April 2016 and the school became a member of The White Horse Federation, a multi-academy trust, in February 2017.

Plans were put forward in December 2019 to sell 5.7 acres of the school's playing fields, to be used for housing.[12] Private Eye reported that the school had a large deficit and a repairs backlog when it joined the federation.[13]

Academic performance

Results in 2018:

At A-level, 65.7% of the grades were A*–C and 25.9% were grades A*–B.

At GCSE level, 54.2% of students achieved 9-4 grades in English and Mathematics.

Alumni

Devizes Grammar School
gollark: What features are to occur?
gollark: Oh no, heavdrones are becoming MORE inevitable?
gollark: Yes, people don't think "wow, I will get SO MUCH WATER at such a reasonable cost with this bottled product", they think "hmm, I thirst for dihydrogen monoxide, I suppose I will have to overpay for this cylinder of it since it is nearby and convenient".
gollark: Corporate procurement departments frequently overpay for simple things somehow.
gollark: Yep!

References
  1. "School Profile". Directgov. Archived from the original on 24 October 2012. Retrieved 13 December 2012.
  2. "Devizes School". Wiltshire Community History. Wiltshire Council. Retrieved 29 September 2018.
  3. "Devizes Grammar School". Wiltshire Community History. Wiltshire Council. Retrieved 29 September 2018.
  4. "Southbroom Secondary School". Wiltshire Community History. Wiltshire Council. Retrieved 29 September 2018.
  5. Historic England. "Southbroom House (1252378)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 29 September 2018.
  6. "St. Peter's Church of England Aided School". Wiltshire Community History. Wiltshire Council. Retrieved 29 September 2018.
  7. Moore, Joanne (26 May 2015). "Homes plan for Devizes school site agreed". The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald. Retrieved 29 September 2018.
  8. "Braeside Education & Conference Centre". Wiltshire Council: Right Choice. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
  9. Lewis Cowen (29 April 2010). "School reunion will remember lion terror".
  10. David Evans
  11. Tony Parsons
  12. Moore, Joanne (5 December 2019). "Devizes School wants to sell-off land to pay for facelift". The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
  13. Private Eye, 21 December 2019, p40
  14. Sandra Howard
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