Quarrendon School

Infobox UK school
name = Quarrendon School


size = 200px
latitude = 51.8268
longitude = -0.8228
dms =
motto = Specialising in Diversity
motto_pl =
established = 1957
approx =
closed =
c_approx =
type = Community Secondary modern
religion =
president =
head_label = Headteacher
head = Mr Jonathan Johnson
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r_head =
chair_label =
chair =
founder =
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specialist =
street = Weedon Road
city = Aylesbury
county = Buckinghamshire
country = England flagicon|England
postcode = HP19 9PG
LEA = Buckinghamshire
ofsted = 110492
staff =
enrollment = 800
gender = Mixed
lower_age = 11
upper_age = 18
houses =
colours = Green and Black color box|Greencolor box|Black
publication =
free_label_1 =
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website = http://www.quarrendon.bucks.sch.uk
website_name = www.quarrendon.bucks.sch.uk

Quarrendon School, formerly Quarrendon County Secondary School and later Quarrendon Upper School, is a mixed, non-selective secondary school in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire. It is a community school, which takes children from the age of 11 through to the age of 18. The school has approximately 800 pupils. [cite web
title=Schools Directory
publisher=Buckinghamshire County Council
url=http://apps.buckscc.gov.uk/eforms/schools/schoolDetails.aspx?DFEE=4048
accessdate=2006-08-03]

The school was officially opened by the Duke of Edinburgh. [The Bucks Herald (2001) "Memory Lane Aylesbury: The Post-War Years". Derby: Breedon Books] on 13th June 1958. [cite web
title=Golden Anniversary Celebrations Commence
publisher=Quarrendon School
url=http://www.quarrendon.bucks.sch.uk/
accessdate=2008-06-20] The school is currently (2008-2009) celebrating its 50th anniversary.

The school was placed on special measures, for the second time in five years, in September 2004. This was followed with regular inspections by Ofsted, which included interviews with pupils during lessons to determine their attitude towards the school and the teaching standards. The school came out of special measures in November 2006, after making satisfactory progress due to the improvements, which the school had implemented. [cite web
title=Monitoring Visits
publisher=Ofsted
url=http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/reports/index.cfm?fuseaction=summary&id=110492
accessdate=2007-09-27] The school is now planning to apply to DCSF to become a specialist Science and Technology College. [cite news
title=Improving school lays out five-year vision
publisher=Aylesbury Today (The Bucks Herald)
date=21 March 2007
url=http://www.aylesburytoday.co.uk/viewarticle.aspx?articleid=2135639&sectionid=789
accessdate=2007-03-26]

A sixth form will be opened in September 2008.

The school's catchment area comprises parts of north Aylesbury, including Quarrendon, Elmhurst and Watermead, as well as the villages of Hardwick, Weedon, Whitchurch, Oving and Pitchcott. It also includes both the Berryfields and Weedon Hill developments. [cite web
title=Quarrendon School Catchment Area Map
publisher=Buckinghamshire County Council
url=http://www.buckscc.gov.uk/bcc/get//assets/docs/ed_catch_map_quarrendon.pdf
accessdate=2006-12-14|format=PDF]

Academy

Buckinghamshire County Council originally planned to close the school in 2009, and to move to a new site, built as part of the Berryfields Major Development Area (MDA), with housing replacing the school on the current site. However, in 2006 there was some doubt as to whether this would happen due to funding issues. [cite news
title=Infrastructure, Infrastructure, Infrastructure...
publisher=Aylesbury Today (The Bucks Herald)
date=12 July 2006
url=http://www2.aylesburytoday.co.uk/growthagenda/growthinfrastructure.htm
accessdate=2007-03-26]

In 2007 it was proposed that Quarrendon would become Buckinghamshire's first Academy, jointly funded and controlled by the Local Authority and the Church of England. [cite news
title=Quarrendon school could become an academy
publisher=Aylesbury Today (The Bucks Herald)
date=5 December 2007
url=http://www.bucksherald.co.uk/news/Quarrendon-school-could-become-an.3557761.jp
accessdate=2007-12-10] [cite news
title=School could be science academy
publisher=BBC News
date=9 December 2007
url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/beds/bucks/herts/7135300.stm
accessdate=2007-12-10]

Under the proposal, Quarrendon would become a Church Academy with the Anglican Diocese of Oxford as the primary sponsor and Buckinghamshire County Council as a co-sponsor. It also proposed that Brunel University, will become a partner. [cite web
title=The Proposed Buckinghamshire Academy
publisher=Buckinghamshire County Council
url=http://www.buckscc.gov.uk/bcc/content/index.jsp?contentid=-1501526141
accessdate=2008-06-20]

Pupils and staff at the school will automatically transfer to the new Academy, with the exception of Mr Johnson, the headteacher, who will have to reapply for the position. [cite news
title=Concern about head's job over school change
publisher=Aylesbury Today (The Bucks Herald)
date=17 December 2007
url=http://www.bucksherald.co.uk/news/Concern-about-head39s-job-over.3596699.jp
accessdate=2007-12-10] It was officially announced to parents of children at Quarrendon School, on the 27th June 2008, that Mr Johnson has been offered, and has accepted the job as the the principal of the academy.fact|date=July 2008

If the plan is accepted Quarrendon will become an academy in 2009 and will move to its new site in 2011.

Site

The school site is made up of a series of blocks.

* Science block, built in 1971, with Humanities on the first floor and the school Library
* English block, opened in 1975, also contains the Sports Hall, Dance/Performing Arts studios and SEN study centre
* Administration block with Gymnasium, Assembly Hall and Canteen
* Tower block for modern foreign languages, Mathematics , Business Studies and ICT
* Technology block
* Music block

Image

The school adopted a new logo of a jigsaw representative of the mixed races that are attending the school, and the fact the school fits together as a jigsaw does. Pupils were given their own piece of jigsaw to be placed on the assembly hall wall, each jigsaw puzzle will fit together with the names of each students on each. The project was completed in early 2007. [cite news
title=Quarrendon's jigsaw is completed
publisher=Aylesbury Today (The Bucks Herald)
date=4 March 2008
url=http://www.bucksherald.co.uk/business/Quarrendon39s-jigsaw-is-completed.3840531.jp
accessdate=2008-06-20]

The school adopted a new uniform from September 2007 which introduced black blazers and ties with the new school logo.

Links with other schools and colleges

Quarrendon has close links with Mandeville Upper School in Aylesbury as part of the Aylesbury School Sports Partnership [cite web
title=Aylesbury Partnership
publisher=Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes School Sports Partnership
url=http://www.bucks-pe.net/Aylesbury/
accessdate=2007-04-23] . Quarrendon is also a member of the Aylesbury Vale Leading Edge Partnership [cite web
title=The Standards Site: Leading Edge Partnership programme
publisher=Department for Children, Schools and Families
url=http://www.standards.dfes.gov.uk/leadingedge/
accessdate=2008-01-28] which includes The Grange School and Waddesdon Church of England School.

The school also has close links with Aylesbury College, and sends students there weekly .

Quarrendon also maintains links with its feeder primary schools and hosts an annual primary schools sports day.

Notable alumni

*Emmerson Boyce, footballer [cite news
title=Boyce done good!
publisher=BBC Beds, Herts and Bucks
url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/threecounties/juniorfootball/features/emmerson_boyce.shtml
accessdate=2007-08-13]

References

External links

* [http://www.quarrendon.bucks.sch.uk/ School website]
* [http://quarrendonparents.iphorum.com/ Forum for parents]
* [http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/reports/110/110492.pdf Ofsted Reports]
* [http://www.dfes.gov.uk/cgi-bin/performancetables/dfe1x1_05.pl?School=8254048&Mode=Z DfES Performance Tables]