Mayfield School, Portsmouth
Type | Community comprehensive |
---|---|
Headteacher | David Jeapes |
Location |
Mayfield Road Portsmouth Hampshire PO2 0RH England 50°49′13″N 1°04′13″W / 50.8204°N 1.0704°WCoordinates: 50°49′13″N 1°04′13″W / 50.8204°N 1.0704°W |
Local authority | Portsmouth |
DfE URN | 116463 Tables |
Ofsted | Reports |
Students | 1215 |
Gender | Mixed |
Ages | 4–16 |
Website | Mayfield School |
Mayfield School is a mixed all-through school for pupils ages 4 to 16 located in Portsmouth. It is the leading all-through school (for primary and secondary education) in the United Kingdom.that offers many opportunities for its pupils.[1]
The News, a paid for publication based in Portsmouth, England, published an article that the Portsmouth City Council was able to solicit funding worth £22 million from the Education and Skills Funding Agency to renovate Mayfield School at the North End.[2]
The school
The majority of the school building retains its original 1930s architectural style, with wooden door panels and wooden tile flooring; other parts of the school feature later stylised corridors.
A new building is in the process of being planned with plan to start construction in June 2018 with it opening 2020, with the current building with the 1930s architecture being demolished after the new building is finished.[3]
The school is surrounded, on all sides by 1930s built residential housing. £22 million of public funding has been allocated under the Government's Priority School Building Programme. The option to build a new school and demolish the existing 1930s built school was selected, in preference to refurbishing the existing school, by the school's administration, on the grounds that it will be less disruptive to the pupils (there is ample room on the school fields for temporary classrooms), as well as not being cost effective to renovate the existing building The school is suffering from overdue major maintenance but was modified recently, using public funding and considered suitable for the through school education system. The basic school structure is sound however the corridors consistently leak with water damage due to the roof tiles coming loose.
Asbestos is known to be concealed in the building but is not a threat to students, teachers or visitors health.
History
Grammar school
The school is located in the buildings of the former Portsmouth Northern Grammar School for Boys and Portsmouth Northern Grammar School for Girls, which were opened in 1932. (The boys school had begun as the Northern Secondary School in Kingston in 1921). After wartime evacuation, the two secondary schools were re-established in 1946 as a result of the 1944 Education Act. The boys' school housed approximately 550 boys in 1970 and was run by the City of Portsmouth Education Committee.
Comprehensive
In 1975 the two schools were amalgamated with Brunel School (boys) and North End Modern Girls' School to form the largest comprehensive school in Portsmouth, with approximately 1800 pupils. The roll was later reduced by the setting up of Portsmouth's Sixth Form College with the school losing its sixth form.
In 1999, the school was failing academically and was placed in "special measures" after an Ofsted inspection said it was failing to provide an acceptable standard of education.[4] By 2001 the school was facing another crisis—this time a staff problem, as the school had 12 vacancies due to long-term sickness and unfilled positions. Training new teachers became a priority and the school introduced a new graduate teacher programme and created a new teacher training room. With a series of new teachers and new coaching programmes the school has experienced a slight increase in academic achievement, with a 4% rise in GCSE achievement in 2004, compared with 2003.[4][5]
In 2005, 150 students of the school launched a protest against the deportation of a fellow student, Lorin Sulaiman, who had previously immigrated from Syria in 2003 after fearing for her safety.[6][7]
All-through
In September 2014 the school opened an infant and junior section of the school meaning that pupils can attend from the age of 4 to 16.
Since 2005, the school reintroduced the prefect system with Deputy and Head Boy and Girl.
A system in which all pupils and teachers cast a vote for their favourite and most trustworthy candidates
Performing Arts
In 2007, the school received the Special Performing Arts Status after raising £50,000. The school spent the money on a new Dance/Drama Studio.
School productions
- 2003 Oh What a Lovely War
- 2004 A Midsummer Nights Dream
- 2005 Romeo and Juliet
- 2006 Oliver!
- 2007 Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
- 2008 The Boy Friend
- 2009 Sweet Charity
- 2010 Sweeney Todd
- 2011 Alice in Wonderland
- 2012 The Wizard of Oz
- 2013 Beauty and the Beast (Cancelled)
- 2014 (No school production)
- 2015 Into the Woods
- 2015 Grease
- 2016 Oliver!
- 2017 Little Shop Of Horrors
- 2018 Our House
House system
The school adopted a house system in 2011, which became a vertical tutor system and more house orientated in 2013, replacing year group tutor system. The houses are:
- Endeavour
- Discovery
- Intrepid
- Victory
A house cup, taking achievement points, house competitions, sports day, and other events, into a house competition, was also introduced in 2013 the results from this are:
- Victory 3
- Endeavour 1
- Discovery 0
- Intrepid 0
Notable former pupils
Northern Grammar School for Boys
- John Armitt CBE, Chief Executive from 1997-2001 of Costain Group, from 2001-2 of Railtrack, and from 2002-7 of Network Rail, and Chairman since 2007 of the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and Olympic Delivery Authority
- Rear-Admiral Gordon Bridle CB MBE, Project Manager of the Sea Dart and Sea Slug (the Navy's first surface-to-air missile - SAM)
- James Callaghan, Baron Callaghan of Cardiff, the UK Prime Minister from 1976 to 1979, completed his secondary education at the former (now Mayfield) Northern Secondary School in 1926.
- Sir Barry Cunliffe CBE, an eminent archaeologist, Professor of European Archaeology from 1972-2007 at the University of Oxford, and President from 1976-9 of the Council for British Archaeology and from 1991-5 of the Society of Antiquaries of London
- Sir Roger Fry (educationist) CBE. Founder King's Group 1981. Chairman (1996-2011) and President from 2011 Council of British International Schools.
- Mike Donkin, former BBC world affairs correspondent
- Maj-Gen Brian Pennicott CVO, Colonel Commandant from 1991-6 of the Royal Artillery
- Sir John Pestell, Chief Adjudicator on Immigration Appeals from 1970-87 at Heathrow Airport
See also
- Mayfield High School (London) in Dagenham
- The Portsmouth Grammar School - independent school, and former direct grant grammar school
References
- ↑ "About Us | Mayfield School". mayfield.portsmouth.sch.uk. Retrieved 2018-05-11.
- ↑ "Portsmouth school to be rebuilt thanks to £22m boost". Retrieved 2018-05-11.
- ↑ "Mayfield new building letter to staff and parents" (PDF). Nov 2017.
- 1 2 Training trios revitalise school, BBC News, 2003
- ↑ BBC Education League Tables
- ↑ Students rally over deportation, BBC News, 2005
- ↑ Pupils upset over deportation, BBC News, 2005