Ifield Community College

Infobox UK school
name = Ifield Community College


size =
latitude = 51.1172
longitude = 0.2096
dms =
motto =
motto_pl =
established = 1966
approx =
closed =
c_approx =
type =
religion =
president =
head_label = Principal
head = Dr W. Lind
r_head_label =
r_head =
chair_label =
chair =
founder = Sarah Robinson
founder_pl =
specialist =
street = Crawley Avenue
city = Crawley
county = West Sussex
country = Englandflagicon|England
postcode = RH11 0DB
LEA = West Sussex County Council
ofsted = 126071
staff =
enrollment = 1200
gender = Mixed
lower_age = 11
upper_age = 18
houses =
colours = Black (and red logo)color box|Black color box|Red
publication =
free_label_1 =
free_1 =
free_label_2 =
free_2 =
free_label_3 =
free_3 =
website =
website_name = http://www.ifieldcc.w-sussex.sch.uk

Ifield Community College (ICC) is a maintained comprehensive secondary school for pupils aged 11 to 18. It caters for around 1000 pupils in years 7 to 13, including over 100 in its sixth form.

History

The school has history dating back to 1852 - nearly 100 years before the coming of the new town. It began life as a free school opened by Mrs Sarah Robinson in the village of Crawley. A new building was opened in 1854 in what was later to become known as Robinson Road in honour of the teacher. In 1953, the school lost its primary-aged pupils with the opening of the new West Green county junior and infants' school. Many older pupils were moved to the newly-opened Hazelwick School with the remainder transferring to the new Sarah Robinson secondary modern School buildings opened on the Ifield campus in 1956. [cite book | last = Hudson | first = T.P. (ed.) | title = A History of the County of Sussex: Volume 6 Part 3: Bramber Rape (North-Eastern Part) including Crawley New Town | origyear = 1987 | url = http://www.british-history.ac.uk/source.asp?pubid=68 | accessdate = 2007-01-05 | publisher = Institute of Historical Research by Oxford University Press | location = Oxford | isbn = 0197227686 | pages = pp72-73 | chapter = Ifield: Education | chapterurl = http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.asp?compid=18412]

At this time, the secondary modern school shared a campus with the newly-opened Ifield County Grammar School. The schools worked closely together, eventually merging in 1966 to become Ifield comprehensive school. A distinguished headmaster, Mr Bomford, was brought in to oversee the transition and he introduced a new formality, with senior teachers wearing gowns in assemblies for the first time. As one of the biggest schools in England, Ifield had a considerable reputation for sport, particularly soccer and athletics. The pupils at this time included Jeff Bryant, who went on to be a professional footballer with Wimbledon and Alan Minter, a future World Boxing Champion.

By 1984 there were some 1600 pupils on roll. [cite book | last = Hudson | first = T.P. (ed.) | title = A History of the County of Sussex: Volume 6 Part 3: Bramber Rape (North-Eastern Part) including Crawley New Town | origyear = 1987 | url = http://www.british-history.ac.uk/source.asp?pubid=68 | accessdate = 2007-01-05 | publisher = Institute of Historical Research by Oxford University Press | location = Oxford | isbn = 0197227686 | pages = pp93-95 | chapter = Ifield: Education | chapterurl = http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.asp?compid=18425]

Developments in the early 1980s saw the two separate buildings co-locating, with former buildings becoming the home of Ifield Middle School in 1985. In 2005, a new school building opened in the centre of the campus, with the old buildings being demolished. [cite press release |title= New Crawley Schools get ready to welcome pupils |publisher= West Sussex County Council |date = 2005-08-16 |url= http://webserver01.westsussex.gov.uk/wscc/Assistant%20Chief%20Exec/Communications/Press%20Releases.nsf/d56a29d8ba25711c80256cf6003bf3c8/055ca1a7e14a12c98025705f002e9fc9?OpenDocument |accessdate= 2007-01-04]

Campus

The campus for the school was set aside in the masterplan for Crawley New Town along the eastern edge of the neighbourhood of Ifield alongside the A23. It was shared with St Margaret's Church of England primary school, and later the Holy Cross Intermediate School.

In 2005, a new building for the school was opened in the south eastern-most corner of the large campus, maintaining the existing tree-lined boundaries. The campus is still shared with St Margaret's School, and now Mill Primary School and the Manor Green special schools. [cite web |url=http://www.nicholashare.co.uk/education/499_key.htm |title= Ifield School and Thomas Bennett Community College |accessdate=2007-01-05 |work= Nicholas Hare Architects LLP]

tudents

The schools is entirely comprehensive, providing education for around 1000 pupils aged between 11 and 18 of all abilities.

Most pupils attending the school live within the catchment area, and transfer from one of the local primary schools:
*The Mill Primary School
*Waterfield Primary School
*West Green Primary School
*Bewbush Primary School
*Gossops Green Primary School
*Langley Green Primary School

Choir

Ifield Community College has a very successful and accomplished choir made up of students from all age groups in the school. The choir has recently completed a short tour of Venice in July 2008, performing at St Marks Basillica, amongst other venues.

The choir, led by music teacher Patrick Allen, has a tour of Barcelona and the surrounding areas planned for July 2009.

References

External links

* [http://www.ifieldcc.w-sussex.sch.uk/ Official School website]
* [http://wsgfl.westsussex.gov.uk/ccm/content/establishments/secondary/938-4030.en Ifield Community College information on West Sussex Grid for Learning]
* [http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/portal/site/Internet/menuitem.7c7b38b14d870c7bb1890a01637046a0/?urn=126071&providerCategoryID=8192 Ofsted Information on the school]