Whitley Bay High School

Infobox UK school
name = Whitley Bay High School


size =
latitude = 55.04809
longitude = -1.46593
dms = dms
motto =
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established = 1935
approx =
closed =
c_approx =
type = Comprehensive School
religion =
president =
head_label = Headteacher
head = Mr A Chedburn
r_head_label =
r_head =
chair_label =
chair =
founder =
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specialist = Science College, Humanities College
specialist_pl = true
street = Deneholm
city = Whitley Bay
county = Tyne and Wear
country = England
postcode = NE25 9AS
LEA = North Tyneside
ofsted = 108638
staff = approx. 180
enrollment = approx. 1600
gender = Coeducational
lower_age = 13
upper_age = 18
houses =
colours = Blue and White
publication = The Wave
free_label_1 =
free_1 =
free_label_2 =
free_2 =
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website = http://www.whitleybayhighschool.org/
website_name =

Whitley Bay High School is a comprehensive state school in Whitley Bay, North Tyneside, England. It is a mixed school with around 1600 pupils, 500 of these being in the school's Sixth Form. In 2006 the school was awarded Specialist College Status in Science & Humanities. The school has successful sports teams and extensive sporting facilities. They have also been successful in "Mock Trial" competitions with the sixth form team winning the national bar finals and the year nine team reaching the national finals.

Exams

The school has consistently performed above average during exam season. The exams that Whitley Bay High School currently cover are GCSEs and A/AS levels. At A level the school has outperformed the local independent grammar school in a number of subjects. [http://www.whitleybayhighschool.org/Prospectus/gcse_sum.htm]

History

The school was originally built as a grammar school in the 1960s, and was originally known as Whitley Bay Grammar School. The original buildings on site were A Block, B Block and C Block. In 1974, it became a high school.

Buildings

It has four main buildings:

* A-Block: English, Modern Foreign Languages (French and German), Sciences (Biology, Chemistry, Physics); the school gym, canteen, main hall and various offices
* B-Block: Geography, Mathematics,ICT, Philosophy, Religious Studies; an additional sports hall (known as B-Block Hall)
* C-Block: Childcare, Design and Technology, Media Studies, Food Technology, Healthcare, Sciences (Biology, Chemistry, Physics), Textiles
* D-Block (built 2003): Art, Drama, Music, Sciences (Biology, Chemistry, Physics); the School Library, a music recording studio and a drama studio

There are also several other outlying blocks around the main four. These are H Block, which accommodates History, L Block for Business Studies, Economics and ICT/Computing, and P Block for Psychology and PE. As well as this there is a block which contains the Physical Education offices, changing rooms, and main sports hall, the rooms in this block having become "SP1".

In mid-2006 a major renovation of C-Block and the science laboratories on its first floor was completed. The new building work included two observation classrooms (one a laboratory and the other a normal classroom), with one way mirrors allowing people in a small room in between the two observation classrooms to sit and observe lessons without being seen.

Also, at around the same time, another major renovation took place, this time for the 6th form facilities. The very small common room was emptied out, and extended into a new 2-storey block by its side. This new block provides 6th form students with a 24 unit ICT facility, predominantly for their use, as well as a new 6th form canteen. The ground floor of this block provides further ICT facilities, which includes two fully equipped ICT suites. It is referred to as the ACL Block.

The school also offers use of their facilities and are available to rent. Facilities to rent include their 3 multi-purpose outdoor courts, their school Gym, their IT rooms and general classrooms. More can be found on the school website.

Student TV Station

Whitley Bay High School also offers students the opportunity to become involved in its student television station, Bay TV, conceived in 2006, through a student-teacher partnership. All programmes are broadcast through its own website. The mainstay of the station's broadcasts are 'Jam Today,' a popular music show, and 'It's Baytime!' a news & current affairs programme. The station recently received favorable critical appreciation from the likes of BBC News readers Huw Edwards and Sophie Raworth, and Channel 4's Alex Thomson.Fact|date=August 2008 In addition, an article about Bay TV appeared in the north-east's Evening Chronicle.Fact|date=August 2008

The student TV station is helping to promote special needs awareness, and will base future issues around this theme.

Uniform

*White School Polo shirt
*Navy School Sweatshirt
*Black School Trousers
*Black Trainers or Shoes

Famous students (past and present)

*Karl Andrew Mennear - Conservative candidate for Finchley at the 2005 election.
*Joyce Quin - Baroness Quin of Gateshead, former MP for Gateshead East, also former prisons minister and deputy agriculture minister.
*Peter Ramage - current Queens Park Rangers defender.
*Lucy Ratcliffe - model.
*Ben Smith - current Doncaster Rovers goalkeeper.
*Richard Aitken - 8th in the 1st series of Pop Idol.

Roy Adams - Pro skateboarder, Scientist, Local Hardcore, Level 70 Night Elf Hunter.

Famous teachers (past and present)

Roy Adams, hes a teacher too - Pro skateboarder, Scientist, Local Hardcore, Level 70 Night Elf Hunter.

*Alan Campbell - MP for Tynemouth, used to teach History at the school, and married a former pupil.
*Steven Tupling - former Middlesbrough and Hartlepool United player, currently teaches PE at the school.
*Michael Shanks - Taught Latin, Greek and Ancient History 1983-1988.
*Roger Uttley - Former English rugby union player. Taught PE in the 1970s.

External links

* [http://www.whitleybayhighschool.org/ Whitley Bay High School Official Website]
* [http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/portal/site/Internet/menuitem.7c7b38b14d870c7bb1890a01637046a0/?event=getReport&urn=108638&inspectionNumber=288144&providerCategoryID=8192&fileName=\\school\\108\\s5_108638_20061213.xml Recent Ofsted report of the school (November 2006)]