Ashlawn School
Ashlawn School Academy Trust, more commonly known as Ashlawn School (or simply Ashlawn), is a large partially selective secondary school located in the Hillmorton area of Rugby, Warwickshire, England that specialises in science, computing and leadership. It is one of only five bilateral schools in England for students aged 11-18.
| Ashlawn School | |
|---|---|
 Ashlawn School | |
| Address | |
Ashlawn Road , , CV22 5ET England | |
| Coordinates | 52°21′26″N 1°13′52″W |
| Information | |
| Type | Partial grammar school, academy, Science College, Leadership College |
| Motto | Per Scientiam |
| Established | 1952 (formerly Dunsmore School) |
| Local authority | Warwickshire |
| Department for Education URN | 136587 Tables |
| Ofsted | Reports |
| Principal | Siobhan Evans |
| Staff | Around 110 members |
| Gender | Coeducational |
| Age | 11 to 18 |
| Enrolment | 1,700 |
| Colour(s) | Years 7-9 - maroon
Years 10-11 - black Years 7-9 PE - blue Years 10-11 PE - maroon Sixth form - smart office wear |
| Website | http://www.ashlawn.org.uk |
Ashlawn School is a National Teaching School. It was granted this status in October 2014. These schools are judged to be 'outstanding' by Ofsted, and they help teachers from other schools train. Very few schools have been granted this status.
In November 2013, the school was awarded an OFSTED Outstanding rating (the highest rating) in all categories.[1]
Around 1,700 pupils attend the school, educated by 90 full-time teaching staff, with total staff at around 110 members.
History
Foundation
Ashlawn School opened its doors in the 1952, under the name of Dunsmore School for Girls. The headmistress at the time was called Miss Kathleen Hughes, and the school site still stands as Ashlawn’s ‘west’ site. Shortly after, in 1958, Dunsmore School for Boys opened, which was the present ‘east’ site of the school. The headmaster of the boys’ school was Mr Frank Hodgson. The two schools, along with Fareham High School (on Fareham Avenue, Hillmorton) merged to form today’s Ashlawn School in 1985.
Headteachers
- 1952-1985 (DsG) - Kathleen Hughes
- 1958-1975 (DsB) - Frank Hodgson
- 1975-1985 (DsB) - Eric Needham
- 1985-2008 (Ashlawn) - Peter Rossborough
- 2008- 2018 (Ashlawn) - Lois Reed
- 2019–Present (Ashlawn)- Siobhan Evans
Recent history
In 2005 the school was granted Special Science College status, entitling the establishment to government grants for new educational equipment, such as portable tablets with internet access. These are linked to data projectors so that presentations and research can be done online and easily in front of a class. In April 2009 it was also awarded Leadership College status. Both achievements have been commemorated with the construction of monuments: a rainbow coloured piece of modern art (created by a local artist), for the Science College status; and a large text embossed sun, for the Leadership status.
In early 2007 the school received planning permission from Rugby Borough Council to erect a wind turbine at the school, making it one of the first in the country to employ such a scheme. In 2010, a number of Ashlawn's buildings were fitted with solar panels to cut down on their carbon footprint even further.
In October 2012, work began on a new bespoke expressive arts centre which was completed in mid-2013. The centre is now available out of hours (e.g. the dance studio, drama rooms) marking the school's first building partially dedicated for use by the local community.[2] The building was officially unveiled by Rugby Mayor Cllr Tony Gillias on 20 June 2013, ready for use in the upcoming autumn term.
In April 2015, the Education Funding Agency awarded Ashlawn School with £2.6 million to build a bespoke Sixth Form Centre and specialist Teaching Studio.[3] This was in response to a significant increase in demand for places at this school.
In January 2016, Ashlawn School was listed as one of the UK's best state schools in the Tatler Magazine, based on GCSE and A level results [4].
Academy status
In May 2010, the secretary of education approached the school to become an Academy. On 1 April 2011 the school took on the Academy status. and is now run by the Transforming Lives Educational Trust[5] (formerly Ashlawn School Academy Trust).[6]
Top GCSE Results 2017
In August 2017, the school achieved its best ever GCSE results, and was therefore placed in the very top percentage of schools nationally for exam results. Impressively, the school exceeded the national averages by a significant percentage, proving itself to be one of the country's leading schools of its kind. Below is a table of the results in comparison to the national averages. These excellent results gave the school a progress 8 of +0.45, which puts it in the government's 'above average' category. This was also the second highest progress 8 result in Rugby. In terms of the grammar stream itself, 100% of students achieved a grade 4+ (C) in Maths and English.
| Ashlawn Result | National Average Result | |
|---|---|---|
| % Grade C+(4) in Maths and English | 81% | 63.90% |
| % Grade 5+ in Maths and English | 64% | 39.60% |
| % Grade 5/C + in EBacc | 51% | 19.30% |
Headteacher pay scandal
In 2018, Headteacher Lois Reed, also the chief executive of the Transforming Lives Education Trust, which runs two other schools, received, a pay increase of around £50,000, bringing her salary to between £270,000 and £280,000. David Gadsby, chair of the Ashlawn School Governing Body defended the pay rise,[7] others in the community said it was "obscene" [8]"ridiculous" and some teachers calling it "pure greed".[9]
Following Reed's resignation, The Transforming Lives Educational Trust confirmed that Siobhan Evans would be joining Ashlawn from January 2019.
Notable alumni
- Lauren Taylor - professional golfer
- Michael John Harrison - Science fiction author
References
- "Ashlawn OFSTED report" (PDF). OFSTED. Retrieved 16 July 2015.
- "Ashlawn gets go-ahead for school's new arts building". Rugby Advertiser. 8 October 2012. Retrieved 8 October 2012.
- Hunt, Joanna (17 April 2015). "New multi-million sixth form for Ashlawn School in Rugby". Rugby Advertiser. Retrieved 12 May 2015.
- "The Tatler guide to the best state secondary schools 2017". Tatler. Retrieved 21 December 2019.
- "Home page". Transforming Lives Educational Trust (TLET). Retrieved 21 December 2019.
- "Privacy Notice-Ashlawn School And Science College". Archived from the original on 23 December 2012.
- Green, A (8 March 2018). "Ashlawn School defends head's six-figure salary". Rugby Advertiser.
- Green, A. (16 March 2018). "Ashlawn head's six-figure salary compared with other Rugby schools".
- Green, A.; Vaughn, R. (29 March 2018). "Academy head enjoys £50k pay rise as teachers forced to ration paper".