Wellsway School

Infobox UK school
name = Wellsway School
phone = 0117 986 4751
fax = 0117 916 1039
established = 1971
type = Comprehensive school
head = Mrs A Arlidge
street = Chandag Road
city = Keynsham
county= Bristol
country = England
enrollment = 1354 [cite web |url=http://www.dfes.gov.uk/cgi-bin/performancetables/school_06.pl?Mode=Z&No=8004138&Type=P&Num=p483&Phase=k&Year=06&Base=b |title=Wellsway School profile |accessdate=2007-07-24 |format= |work=department for children, schools and families ]
lower_age = 11
upper_age = 18
website = http://www.wellsway.bathnes.sch.uk

The Wellsway School is an 11-18, mixed comprehensive school maintained by Bath and North East Somerset Local Education Authority situated on the eastern side of Keynsham.

History

Wellsway School was established in 1971, by amalgamating Keynsham Grammar School and Wellsway County Secondary School both of which opened on a shared site in the mid 1950s.

Headteachers at Wellsway School

About Wellsway School

The School

Wellsway School is a mixed comprehensive school in the town of Keynsham, Bristol. Most students that attend the school live in Keynsham and Saltford or the nearby villages.cite web |url=http://www.wellsway.bathnes.sch.uk/news/ofsted/2003.pdf |title=Wellsway School Inspection 2003 |accessdate=2007-07-24 |format=PDF |work=OFSTED ] As of 2007, approximately 1350 students attend the school, ranging in age of 11-18, with 64% achieving 5 or more A-C grades at GCSE. [cite web |url=http://www.dfes.gov.uk/cgi-bin/performancetables/school_06.pl?Mode=Z&Type=P&No=8004138&Phase=1&Year=06&Num=p483&Base=a&s2s=1 |title=Wellsway School achievement tables |accessdate=2007-07-24 |format= |work=Department for children schools and families ] Around 280 of those students attend Wellsway Sixth Form Centre. There are also around 85 members of teaching staff, supported by approximately 25 support staff.

The Campus

Wellsway School is situated on the eastern side of Keynsham in a spacious campus with open and green fields. The campus contains 3 main areas; Lansdown Building, Mendip Building & The Playing Fields.

School Uniform

Wellsway is proud to be a school which require students to wear uniform, promoting a distinguishing and neat appearance inside and outside Wellsway.

During the 2005/06 academic year, parents, staff and students were consulted when reviewing the current uniform. The result from much feedback was a uniform that brought about a new look for Wellsway pupils.

The main changes were the introduction of Green blazers, worn by all pupils, changing the previous policy in which only boys wore blazers.

The Level System

The new leveling system is for people who misbehave. The level system is:L1: Formal warningL2: Student gets a 15 minute detention.L3: Student gets a half an hour detention. (at lunch or after school)L4: Student get a 40 minute detention after school.L5: Student is sent to the work room.

The detention will run either by a member of staff or the subject leader.

The School Day

The school day has changed due to the fact that the staff didn't have the required amount of teaching time. All lessons are now 50 minutes long. On a Friday, school ends at 2.45pm instead of 3.30pm.

In July 2008 it was announced that the school day was to be changed once again with effect from September 2008. Changing tutor time to be straight after luncheon period. The early finish on Friday remains.

The school day is as follows.

Monday-Thursday8:40 - Bell Rings for the start of school.8:45- Period 1.9:35- Period 2.10:25- Break.10:40 - Warning bell.10:45- Period 311:35-Period 412:25-Lunch1:20- Warning Bell1:25 Tutor Time1:50- Period 52:40-Period 63:30- End of School

FridaySam untill period 4 but:12:55-Warning Bell1:00- Afternoon Registration1:05-Period 51:55-Period 62:45-End of School

Curriculum Teams and Subjects

In 2005/2006, the Staff Structure was reviewed at Wellsway, consequently resulting in the departmental structure being revised. From September 2006, the previous structure was replaced by Curriculum teams, which in some cases, comprises more than one Subject Team.

In 2008, the structure was as follows:

Sport

Students represent the district, county or region in various sports. Wellsway has received good reports from Sports Mark Gold 3 times [cite web |url=http://www.wellsway.bathnes.sch.uk/archive/display.asp?205 |title=Wellsway School - Sportsmark Gold presentations (2000) |accessdate=2007-07-25 |format= |work=Wellsway School ] . Sporting success has been achieved in many sports including Cricket, Football, Rugby union, Athletics, Netball and especially Hockey. A new artificial turf pitch was constructed in 2005. [cite web |url=http://www.wellsway.bathnes.sch.uk/archive/display.asp?677 |title= Opening of Artificial turf pitch (2005) |accessdate=2007-07-25 |format= |work=Wellsway School ]

Recent achievements in Hockey include:

Since the opening of the Artificial pitch, Wellsway has played XI Mixed Hockey against local schools and in the 2006-2007 season, won the U18 Mixed District Tournament. Players from the school have gone on to play at club level in the area and around the country.

In netball, the U14 team reached the National Championships in Bournemouth and teams for other age groups have been district and regional champions.

Wellsway have also shown commitment to those who want to pursue a career in Sport. Wellsway funded a couple of Sixth Form student's on a RFU Referee's foundation course in 2005. The pair passed with flying colours, and returned the favour to the school by refereeing Year 7-9 games in-lesson and in extra curricular matches. One of these successful student's was Jon Dudbridge, who left Wellsway in 2006, and recently captained the Old Mixed Hockey Team in the 2007 Mixed Hockey Reunion match, now officiates in British Universities Sport Association (BUCS) Rugby Union matches, as he studies a Sports Degree at the University of Gloucestershire.

Other extracurricular activities

Music

In May 2006 students composed music for a concert at Wellsway involving over 60 local musicians. In September 2006 over 200 students sang together for World Peace Day. Wellsway hosted the regional heat for a national schools rock idol competition and musicians fro the school performed live on BBC Radio Bristol. A fundraising concert for the Royal United Hospital brought together the musicians and Radio Wellsway with a live broadcast and video link involving the whole school.

This was recognised by the Chair of BANES council as the music department received an Education Award for its achievements presented at a civic reception at the Pump Rooms in Bath (where the music was provided by Wellsway Students). Every student has the opportunity to study music and nearly 200 opt to learn an instrument in school. Be it Rock, Rachmaninov, Ragga or Reggae.

Dance

‘A’ level dance is now offered in the sixth form and has become an important part of Wellsway’s extracurricular activities. Wellsway pupils presented their own Evening of Dance which included junior, senior and sixth form students. This event involved year 6 pupils from Chandag Junior School, giving them a chance to take part in a dance workshop.

Drama

A Level Theatre Studies students regularly take part in evening performances which are either an extension of ideas explored in class or formal practical exams. In November 2005 Year 13 students performed their devised pieces as part of the Endgames Festival at the Egg Theatre, which is a part of the Theatre Royal, Bath whose education department are working with the school. The school has been approached to perform at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in August 2007, a project that will involve Years 12, 13 and ex-Wellsway students.

Green Team

The Green Team is the name of the school's environmental group. The group meets regularly for sessions looking after the environment both in and outside school. There are also talks held on some Friday night's at St Dunstan's Hall which are open to the public. It's run by a science teacher, Mr Dave Sage.

Radio Wellsway

Radio Wellsway started in February 2006 as a student-run station, from the students, for the students. Running Monday to Friday during lunchtimes, it is host to a variety of different shows by a variety of different student DJ's. Due to the eclectic mixture of students' music taste this results in an eclectic mixture of music, from "underground and undiscovered" to pure cheese the station has something for all its listeners. During late 2006- mid 2007, breakfast shows, that began before school, featured on the station. Daily contributions from student news and sports journalists also add to the radio's content, providing an informative , if not always lengthy, view on the days current events. Both news and sports teams are run and managed by student editors. Students can listen to the radio at various listening points located around the school, including in the lunch hall and the sixth form common room.

Debating

Wellsway debating society has been established for several years but has recently undergone a renaissance under the combined leadership of two highly experienced debating coaches. The school hosts both junior and senior debates weekly, and participates in local area inter-school debates. The school has also won acclaim at Model United Nation conferences across the country, and has received several awards for both individual and team successes, most notably a 'Highly Commended Delegation' award at Model United Nations Cheadle Hulme in 2007.

Reunions

Old students of Wellsway will always remember Wellsway in some way. Wellsway School have held many reunions, giving the opportunity for ex-pupils to meet up with old friends and staff, from 2 to 50 years ago.

Wellsway have also started Sporting Reunion matches where old teams play the current teams. These successful events, organised by Head of PE Mrs L Riddoch, and Hockey Coach Mr R May, are great opportunities to meet up with old team mates, teachers and coaches.

The following reunions have taken place at Wellsway from 2006:

- 18th/19th July 2006: 50th Anniverary Alumni Visits

As part of Wellsway's 50th Anniversary celebrations, past pupils and staff were invited to visit the school. The visit consisted of a tour of the school, bringing back old memories of their classrooms, and visiting the newly built classrooms, which were very different from the ones they used to be taught in. Over the two days, over 100 alumni visited the school, including many members of staff.

- 3rd April 2007: Old Girls Hockey Match

Tuesday 3rd April 2007 saw the gathering between the then current 1st XI squad and a team of old girls team gathered from all corners of the globe. The fixture was played at 4pm on Wellsway's new artificial turf pitch and marked the last fixture for that 1st XI squad. The occasion turned out to be quite emotional for players young and not quite so young. Old PE staff members were invited to watch from the side lines, whilst catching up with old department colleagues.Afterwards, all players headed off to one of Keynsham's local hostelries for a celebratory drink, and a catch up with fellow players and staff members.

- 18th December 2007; Old Mixed Hockey Match

Following the success of the old girls match earlier in the year, an Old Mixed Match was organised by the 1st Team Hockey coach Mr R May. The match played on Tuesday 18th December at 4pm, which saw the gathering between the then current mixed team and a team of both old girls and boys, gathered from all over the country.

The mixed team consisted of players mainy from the mixed team that played so well together during the 2005/2006 season. However, the team couldn't put together such a performance, and lost 5-2 to a good current Wellsway side.

Awardwards, the players from the mixed team, and their old coach Mr R May, went out for a meal to catch up with old friends, mostly who are now at University all over the country.

For the Future

Plans for the future are always on-going at the school, the latest developments include:

Construction of a new Cricket square will begin the autumn of 2007, and it should be ready for use from the end of next summer and in full use by 2009. This new construction came about due to the old square being replaced by the new artificial pitch. The school has also been fortunate enough to receive a grant of £8,500 from the MCC for the square. [cite web |url=http://www.wellsway.bathnes.sch.uk/archive/display.asp?819 |title=Wellsway School Archive: MCC Grant new Cricket Square |accessdate=2007-07-24 |format= |work=Wellsway School ]

Now being a Specialist School in Sport and Science, Wellsway will be investing in a new dance studio and fitness suite, which will be available for use by the local community.

References

External links

* [http://www.wellsway.bathnes.sch.uk Wellsway School website]