West Hatch High School

Infobox UK school
name = West Hatch High School


size =
latitude = 51.612480
longitude = 0.062933
dms = dms
motto = The Best That I Can Be - Manu et Mente (By Hand and By Mind)
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established = 1957
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closed =
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type = Comprehensive
religion =
president =
head_label = Headteacher
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specialist = Business and Enterprise, and Humanities College
street = High Road
city = Chigwell
county = Essex
country = England
postcode = IG7 5BT
LEA = Essex
ofsted = 115321
staff = 80 full time
enrollment = 1258
gender = Coeducational
lower_age = 11
upper_age = 18
houses =
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website = http://www.westhatch.essex.sch.uk/
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West Hatch High School is a secondary school located in Southern Essex. The area now occupied by West Hatch was previously the western gate (or hatch as it would have been known) into Epping Forest; it is from these routes that the school proudly derives its name. The day school educates 1300 students from the local catchment area and nearly 200 sixth form pupils from North east London and west Essex. Built in 1957 on Chigwell High Road the grounds have been renovated on numerous occasions developing the many acre site into 7 main teaching buildings.

Facilities

West Hatch has been under major renovations of late with recent additions including a Music Suite (2002), Maths Dining & Drama Block (1999), Ruby Theatre (2000 built by students attaining Gold The Duke of Edinburgh Award Status), Sixth Form Centre (2000) and Business and Enterprise Block (2003) which enables a range of community courses to be run. A new English block was started in 2007 and finished in 2008. The school currently consists of seven main teaching buildings including science, technology and the 4-storey classroom block.

Rugby

The West Hatch senior 1st XV consists mainly of gym monkeys, steroid junkies and Woodford R.F.C colts. The most notable of these is current Essex u18 David Holby, brother of Woodford Colts coach Patrick James. Unfortunatley for the West Hatch faithful the team's main rival Davenant Foundation School are far superior to them in terms of physicality, skill and passion, thus for the last 6 years West Hatch have been consistently beaten soundly by Davenant, often by a walkover score of 50 points or more. This predicament is not helped by the fact that many of the West Hatch team seem overly concerned with the social aspect of the game, even to the point of 'lighting up' during half time of some matches.

Controversies

As recentley as the 2008/2009 season the West Hatch team have been victim of many major misunderstandings and controversies. To date in 2 matches against Davenant Foundation School West Hatch's points have been scored exclusivley by Davenant players playing against their own team, namely Tyler Lawrence and Peter Jackson. As well as this West Hatch were mistakenly belived to have beaten a good team for once in the form of Cooper's Coburn school in the first round of the Daily Mail schools cup. This shock 'result' was met with much glee from the Davenant 1st Team who were convinced that a second round grudge match had been set up between the two sides. However this mistake was soon rectified and it is clear that Cooper's School in fact won the game by a walkover score line and will meet Davenant in the second round as was first suspected.

OFSTED Inspections

* In 2001 the OFSTED inspection stated "West Hatch School is a good school which has improved significantly since the last inspection. Good teaching enables students to do well: GCSE results overall are well above average." [ [http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/reports/pdf/?inspectionNumber=223757&providerCategoryID=8192&fileName=\school\115\s10_115321_20010301.pdf Inspection Report] , OFSTED, Inspection number: 223757, published March 1, 2001]

* In 2006 West Hatch was given grade 1 or 2 in every category, where 1 is "outstanding". [ [http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/reports/pdf/?inspectionNumber=279572&providerCategoryID=8192&fileName=\school\115\pip_115321_20060329.pdf Inspection Report] , OFSTED, Inspection number: 279572, published March 23, 2006.]

Notable Alumni

* Vicki Nathan (aka Vicki Michelle) - actress, e.g. 'Allo 'Allo!
* Sally Gunnell - 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games 400m hurdles Gold Medallist
* Kate Silverton - BBC newscaster
* Mark Wallinger - British artist

References

External links

* [http://www.westhatch.essex.sch.uk/ West Hatch High Schools official website]