St Laurence School

St Laurence School is a secondary school in Bradford on Avon, Wiltshire, England. It became an Academy in August 2011.

Not to be confused with St. Laurence High School.

St Laurence School
Address
Ashley Road

Bradford-on-Avon
,
Wiltshire
,
BA15 1DZ

United Kingdom
Coordinates51°21′08″N 2°15′33″W
Information
TypeVoluntary controlled school and Academy
MottoCare, Inspire, Succeed
Religious affiliation(s)Church of England
FounderLord Fitzmaurice
SpecialistArts
Department for Education URN137057 Tables
HeadteacherFergus Stewart (January 2013–)
GenderCoeducational
Age11+
HousesAshley, Budbury, Conigre, Huntingdon, Westfield
Former nameFitzmaurice Grammar School and Trinity Secondary Modern
DioceseSalisbury
Websitest-laurence.com

Besides Bradford on Avon, the school takes pupils from Atworth, Monkton Farleigh, Winsley, Limpley Stoke, South Wraxall, Bradford Leigh and Trowbridge. It is situated in the northwest of the town, off the road towards Little Ashley.

History
St Laurence's church

The school was founded in 1980 as a result of the merger of Fitzmaurice Grammar School and Trinity Secondary Modern school, opening on the Trinity site. It is named after the historically-important Saxon St Laurence's Church, Bradford-on-Avon.

Under the Specialist schools programme of 1997–2010 the school had Arts College status, resulting in extra investment in drama, music and dance facilities.

The school's teaching departments are spread across numerous buildings on the school site. The site also has a large sports hall and several sports courts, pitches and playing fields. A lecture theatre was built in 2007 and was joined by a state-of-the-art independent learning centre in 2011.

In October 2005, a helium balloon launched at a school fete on 24 September 2005 was found by 53-year-old Isak Toyra in Karesuando, Sweden, who sent it back to the school and claimed a £10 prize. Karesuando is 1,430 miles (2,300 km) from the school, and information about the school was also sent to him.[1]

Wiltshire Music Centre

The Wiltshire Music Centre opened in 1998. Private and curriculum-based music lessons are held in the classrooms and teaching rooms in this building; and school collective worships, exam presentations, and other special events are held in its main auditorium. The Music Centre also contains a recording studio.

Roman villa remains
Romain mosaic revealed in excavations

Aerial photographs and minor archaeological excavations in 1976 indicated the presence of the remains of a Roman Villa underneath the school's sports fields. A more major excavation in 2003 uncovered Roman era floor mosaics and walls once belonging to this villa,[2] along with a stone structure believed to have once been part of an early Christian baptistery.[3]

Academic performance

In 2016 79% of the school's GCSE pupils achieved grades 5 A* to C including English and Mathematics. Currently there are 1358 pupils attending the school, across key stages 3–5.

Notable former pupils

Alumni of St Laurence School include Premiership footballer Nathan Dyer and Olympic gold medalist Edward McKeever.

References
  1. "Balloon blows away to the Arctic". CBBC. 8 November 2005.
  2. "Bradford mosaic reveals itself on TV". BBC News. 18 March 2004.
  3. "Bradford on Avon Roman Villa". Wiltshire County Council. 2004. Archived from the original on 10 October 2007.
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