Wilsthorpe Community School

Wilsthorpe Community School[1] is a secondary comprehensive school, in Long Eaton, Derbyshire. It was rated 'Good' at its last OFSTED inspection (November 2016).

Wilsthorpe Community School, A Business and Enterprise College
Location
Long Eaton
,
Derbyshire

England
Coordinates52.903°N 1.291°W / 52.903; -1.291
Information
TypeCommunity Comprehensive
Motto"be the best you can be"
Local authorityDerbyshire
HeadteacherMr Jonathan Crofts
Gendermixed
Age11 to 18
Enrolment1000
Infant SchoolParklands
Junior SchoolHarrington
Sixth form100
Websitewww.wilsthorpe.derbyshire.sch.uk

History

It opened in 1954 as the Wilsthorpe Secondary Modern School. Neighbouring the school was the Parklands County Secondary Modern School, which became an infants school. During the Eighties it was known as Wilsthorpe Community School and still retains the 'community school' status.

The school gained Business and Enterprise specialist school status in 2005.

Harrington School – one of the three schools on the one site

The secondary school shares its site with Parklands Infants School and Harrington Junior School, enabling children to stay on the same site from their first year of school all the way to the Sixth Form of approximately 140 students. Also on the same site are Brackenfield Special School and English Martyrs RC Junior School.

Following its gaining Business and Enterprise status, the school used its capital grant to fund a separate building which was named The Enterprise Centre. In 2009 this was extensively refitted as a state-of-the-art teaching facility for 'catering'.

In July 2017, work began on the building of an entire new school building, behind the existing school buildings. The current Sports Hall will remain (with a gymnasium in the new building) as will the Enterprise Centre and the current Sixth Form building, which will be repurposed. It is hoped that the new building will be available for staff and students to move into in September 2018. After that, the existing school buildings will be demolished and the area landscaped.

The school now has proven strength in all academic areas, according to OFSTED. In addition it is strong in Sports and Drama, both of which are well catered for in the new building. In recent years Wilsthorpe has developed a strength in the production of stage shows which have included Little Shop of Horrors, Singin' in the Rain, Fame!, Hairspray, Grease, The Sound of Music and, in 2017, Les Misérables. The show currently in rehearsal for February 2018 is West Side Story. There are also secondary productions including A Midsummer Night's Dream (2016) which was also performed at the RSC's Other Place in Stratford-on-Avon.

Film

The school was involved in the filming of Shane Meadows' film This Is England in 2005.[2] The school is the location for the opening/fight sequence in the film.

Leadership and facilities

The headteacher, appointed in 2008, is Jonathan Crofts, a former teacher at the school, who was Deputy Headteacher at Chellaston School prior to the appointment.

The school has a floodlit astro-turf pitch, named the Bainbridge Astro in memory of a former Head of Sport and Recreation, John Bainbridge.

The Enterprise Centre was opened by Peregrine Cavendish, 12th Duke of Devonshire, in May 2008.

Academic performance

The school's academic performance has been rapidly improving over recent years, and students at both GCSE and A Level now perform consistently at or above national norms and averages. For the latest set of results, consult the school's website.

Notable former staff and pupils
  • Sir Brian Smedley, Judge, taught here briefly in 1957[3]
  • Allan Baker, Wilsthorpe's head was awarded a CBE in the 1977 Queen's Birthday honours for "services to education".
  • Ian Dunn, stage, film and TV actor
  • Lucy Kite, TV presenter
  • Billy Morton, PR practitioner and former bassist for Sixpence None The Richer
  • Mark Draper, former professional footballer (Aston Villa, Southampton, England U-21)
  • Lewis McGugan, professional footballer (currently with Sheffield Wednesday)
  • Dan Wheeldon, cricketer
  • Wayne Bennington, former professional cyclist
  • Ben Dale, former world and European champion in ITF tae kwon do at youth level
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References
  1. Wilsthorpe site. Retrieved 17 November 2009
  2. BBC News report 12 September 2005
  3. Sir Brian Smedley Obituary The Times, 10 May 2007. Retrieved 14 August 2007
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