Kingsbrook College

Infobox UK school
name = Kingsbrook School
"A Specialist Business and Enterprise College"


size =
latitude = 52.0496
longitude = -0.8816
dms =
motto = "Working Together, Fulfilling Potential"
motto_pl =
established = 1958
approx =
closed =
c_approx =
type = Community Comprehensive
religion = Non-denominational
president =
head_label = Headteacher
head = Mr Neil Cox (interim head until further notice)
r_head_label =
r_head =
chair_label =
chair =
founder =
founder_pl =
specialist = Business and Enterprise College
specialist_pl =
street = Stratford Road
Deanshanger
city = Milton Keynes
county = Buckinghamshire
country = England flagicon|England
postcode = MK19 6HN
LEA = Northamptonshire
ofsted = 122060
staff = approximately 85
enrollment = 975
gender = Mixed
lower_age = 11
upper_age = 18
houses = Bannister, Peters, Redgrave
colours = Burgundy and Black
publication =
free_label_1 =
free_1 =
free_label_2 =
free_2 =
free_label_3 =
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website = http://www.kingsbrook.northants.sch.uk/
website_name = www.kingsbrook.northants.sch.uk

Kingsbrook Specialist Business and Enterprise College (or Kingsbrook College) is a comprehensive secondary school, located in the rural village of Deanshanger, in south Northamptonshire.

The school's catchment area includes Alderton, Cosgrove, Deanshanger, Furtho, Grafton Regis, Old Stratford, Passenham, Paulerspury, Potterspury, Pury End, Puxley, Wicken and Yardley Gobion. [cite web
title=Schools Directory
publisher=Northamptonshire County Council
date=2008-02-26
url=http://www.northamptonshire.gov.uk/Learning/Institutions/schools/kingsbrook.htm
accessdate=2008-07-04]

Kingsbrook College was also given specialist status in 2006, following a grant from the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust (SSAT).

In March 2008 an Ofsted inspection judged the school to be "inadequate" and gave it notice to improve. However, the same inspection gave the sixth form a "good" overall grade. [cite web
title=Inspection Report
publisher=Ofsted
date=2008-05-14
url=http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/reports/pdf/?inspectionNumber=314206&providerCategoryID=8192&fileName=\school\122\s5_122060_20080514.pdf
accessdate=2008-07-03]

In 2007 the school were runners-up in SSATs Student Voice competition [cite web
title=Student voice 2007 winners announced
publisher=Specialist Schools and Academies Trust
date=2007
url=http://www.schoolsnetwork.org.uk/Article.aspa?PageId=236979&NodeId=199
accessdate=2008-07-03] , and in March 2008, Kingsbrook held its first Student Voice Conference, and the first of the type held in the county. Schools from the local area such as Campion, Guilsborough and Roade College, as well as those outside the area (i.e. Henley), attended the event and listened into the ways in which the idea of Student Voice can be and has been developed within the school.

The headteacher, Mr Andrew Howlett, recently departed on August 29th 2008, due to poor GCSE results, and so that the school could make a new start, through the form of a new headteacher, that could ultimately bring "new energy to the post". A new interim headteacher Mr Neil Cox has currently been instated until further notice regarding senior leadership within in the school.

Kingsbrook College is a member of the Luffield Group, which is a group of state and independent schools in North Bucks and South Northants. [cite web
title=Luffield Group Home
url=http://www.luffieldgroup.org/index.html
accessdate=2008-07-09]

Site

The school covers approximately convert|4|km2|sqmi|lk=on|abbr=off, and was the site of a Roman villa from the 1st century AD to the middle of the 4th century. [cite web
title=National Monuments Record - Monument No. 342874 , Investigation History
publisher=English Heritage
url=http://pastscape.english-heritage.org.uk/hob.aspx?hob_id=342874
accessdate=2008-07-09]

It has a wide range of facilities and resources that can be accessed by the whole school.

A Block- The ground floor of A Block includes the sports hall, a full sized gymnasium, a canteen area, as well as the P.E. changing rooms and two Drama studios. The rooms on the first floor are all English and Media classrooms.

B Block- The whole block is a dedicated ICT block, consisting of three ICT suites.

C Block- The block is the main area for Art and Technology, which consists of rooms for Food Technology, Textiles, Graphics, Art and Design and Resistant Materials.

D Block- This is the block primarily for Music lessons, and for the practising of privately taught instrumental and vocal teaching.

E Block- The E block is the second largest in the school, and incorporates the History, Science, P.E and R.E. departments, as well as a 'Resources Centre/ Library'.

F Block- The F block consists of six Maths classrooms.

G Block- The smallest block in the school- a block of two Geography classrooms

H Block- The H block consists of classrooms, for the teaching of Business Studies, Geography, Modern Foreign Languages and ASDAN lessons.

S Block- The sixth form block is the most recent addition to the school's buildings and has a full size study area, a staff room and 2 rooms for Psychology and Sociology lessons.

Sports Facilities- As well as the gymnasium and sports hall, Kingsbrook College has a TigerTurf 'All Weather Pitch', which received a FIFA Recommended 1 Star rating [cite web
title=Kingsbrook College
publisher=FIFA
url=http://www.fifa.com/mm/document/afdeveloping/pitchequip/kingsbrook_school_11158.pdf
accessdate=2008-07-09] , a full size playing field for rugby and football, as well as a 400m running track.

Student leadership team

The student leadership team, which comprises members of the sixth form, has taken an active role in Kingsbrook, working alongside staff, making key decisions and helping the with the running of the school, as well as representing students through the Student Voice system.

Previous head boys and girls have worked with the senior members of staff, establishing and building on student groups such as Philosophy For Children(P4C), Behaviour Councils and the Student Union (a group that facilitates resources and discusses key problems and ways of tackling them, within the school).

In 2006, the Head Boy and Head Girl were Thomas Middlehurst and Helen Haynes respectively.

In 2007, the Head Boy and Head Girl were Myles Braithwaite and Sarah Fulcher respectively.

In 2007, Myles and Sarah helped organise and participated in several conferences and unions both in Kingsbrook and in representation of.

In July 2008, the Head Boy and Head Girl system was upgraded, and replaced with the concept of having three Chief Executives and three Executives, each whom have specific areas to work with and develop within the school.

Plans for 2008, include holding the third senior Kingsbrook Student Voice Conference, an international link and exchange with countries overseas in America or Canada, and voluntary work in African countries, representing the school.
The specialist college also hopes to have strong and well-represented student groups such as SALP, Fighting Talk and the Anti Bullying Team.

Headteachers

"'As present- Interim Headteacher

* Mr Neil Cox

As present- 3 Deputy Headteachers

* Mrs Cecilia James

* Mrs Nancy Raynsford

* Mr James Birkett

As present- 1 Assistant Headteacher

* Mr Bill Roques

Previous Headteachers

*2001-2008 - Mr Andrew Howlett
*1991-2001 - Mr P. Burrell
*1980-1991 - Mr D. Hawley
*1969-1980 - Mr G. Roberts
*1957-1969 - Mr J. Brown

Uniform

School policy requires all students from Year 7 to Year 11, to wear the compulsory uniform of a burgundy red Kingsbrook-logo sweatshirt, a white Kingsbrook logo polo shirt, and black trousers or for girls, a black skirt not above the knee. Black shoes must be worn, and trainers are not permitted.

Sixth form

As well as the compulsory years from Year 7, to Year 11, Kingsbrook also have a separate yet interlinking Sixth Form. In the past, the Sixth Form has been allocated its own block, as well as having other lessons in other areas of the school.

The Head of the Sixth Form and KS5 Co-ordinator, since September 2007, is Mr Andrew Rogers, whose job is to oversee the link between the staff and the sixth form, as well as the rest of the school. Personal views suggest he has been a prominent, consistent and friendly figure, both as a person and in the context of running of the sixth form.

Previous Heads of Sixth form include:
*2005-07: Miss Emma Tipple
*2000-05: Mr Willie Bennie
*1998-99: Mrs Celia James

Faculties

There are four faculties to assist learning in the different subjects. The four faculties are Discovery, Communication, Society and Enterprise, each of which has a selection of subjects that is monitored and governed by a particular member of staff (Head of Faculty).

The idea of this is that certain subjects such as Psychology and P.E, within the same faculty, tie into each other and will allow subjects to aid other teachers and original Heads of Departments.

Communication Faculty [http://www.kingsbrook.northants.sch.uk/fac-communication.htm]

Discovery Faculty [http://www.kingsbrook.northants.sch.uk/fac-discovery.htm]

Enterprise Faculty [http://www.kingsbrook.northants.sch.uk/fac-enterprise.htm]

Society Faculty [http://www.kingsbrook.northants.sch.uk/fac-society.htm]

Notable alumni

Notable former students include the following:

*Clare Nasir (1983-1988) - Clare is now a meterologist and GMTV presenter who at Kingsbrook, obtained A-Level's in Mathematics, Geography and History.
*Max Rafferty (1995-2000) - Max was a former bass guitarist of the famous band The Kooks, and attended Kingsbrook up to Y11.Fact|date=July 2008

References