Hugh Sexey Church of England Middle School, formerly known as Sexey's School and Sexey's Grammar School, is a coeducational middle school located in Blackford near Wedmore, Somerset, England. The school had 620 pupils in June 2012,[2] who join aged 9 in Year 5 and stay until age 13 in Year 8, after which they go to The Kings of Wessex Academy in Cheddar.[3] Because the school educates pupils of secondary school age it has middle deemed secondary status.[4] The school had been rated outstanding by Ofsted, but as of January 2023[update] had not been inspected since conversion to an Academy on 10 December 2016.[5] It is part of the Wessex Learning Trust with other schools in the Cheddar Valley area.[6]
| Hugh Sexey Church of England Middle School | |
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| Location | |
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| , , BS28 4ND England | |
| Coordinates | 51°13′22″N 2°50′32″W / 51.2228°N 2.8423°W |
| Information | |
| Type | Middle school (deemed secondary) Academy |
| Religious affiliation(s) | Church of England |
| Established |
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| Local authority | Somerset County Council |
| Trust | Wessex Learning Trust |
| Department for Education URN | 143329 Tables |
| Ofsted | Reports |
| Head teacher | Paul Tatterton[1] |
| Gender | Coeducational |
| Age | 9 to 13 |
| Enrolment | 620 in June 2012[2] |
| Houses | Saxons, Vikings, Normans, Celts |
| Alumni | Old Sexonians |
| Website | www |
History
edit
The school is named after Hugh Sexey (1556–1619), a royal auditor of the Exchequer to Queen Elizabeth I and later King James I. After his death the trustees of his will established Sexey's Hospital in Bruton as an institution to care for the elderly, and Sexey's School in Bruton, which still exists today.[7]
Sexey's School in Blackford was originally opened in 1897 in a barn in nearby Stoughton, with 13 pupils.[8] The Blackford site opened in 1899 with around 60 pupils, of which around 20 were boarders.[9] It became Sexey's Grammar School in 1948,[8] and ceased to be a boarding school in 1966.[10] The 1976 Education Act abolished the tripartite education system of grammar and secondary modern schools in England and Wales. Up to this point, the area was served by Sexey's Grammar School in Blackford, and The Kings of Wessex School (a secondary modern school) in nearby Cheddar.[9] In 1976, the three-tier Cheddar Valley Community Learning Partnership was established, creating a system of first, middle and comprehensive upper schools in the area.[11] The Kings of Wessex School became a comprehensive, Sexey's Grammar School became Hugh Sexey Middle School serving half of the Cheddar Valley,[12] and Fairlands Middle School was established to serve the other half.
In September 2010, Hugh Sexey was one of the first two middle schools in England to be awarded specialist Technology College status.[13]
Previously a voluntary controlled school administered by Somerset County Council, in November 2016 Hugh Sexey Church of England Middle School converted to academy status. The school is now sponsored by the Wessex Learning Trust.
Notable former pupils
edit- Jos Buttler (born 1990), current England cricket team wicket-keeper
- Sophie Luff (born 1993), cricketer
- Sexey's Grammar School
- Chris Phillips (1956–2007), former chief executive of Scottish Widows[14]
References
edit- ^ "Who's Who". Hugh Sexey C of E Middle School. Retrieved 30 December 2022.
- ^ a b "2012 Inspection Report" (PDF). Ofsted. Retrieved 24 November 2015.
- ^ Welcome to Our Visitors Archived 6 June 2007 at the Wayback Machine, Hugh Sexey Church of England Middle School
- ^ "Hugh Sexey Church of England Middle School". Department for Education. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
- ^ "Hugh Sexey Church of England Middle School". Ofsted. 8 October 2020. Retrieved 30 December 2022.
- ^ "HUGH SEXEY MIDDLE SCHOOL". Wessex Learning Trust. Retrieved 30 December 2022.
- ^ Sexey's School history Archived 7 July 2007 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved June 2011
- ^ a b "D-block GB-340000-147000". Domesday Reloaded. BBC. Retrieved 24 June 2011.
- ^ a b "History of the School (Sexey's Grammar School)". Old Sexonians. Retrieved 24 June 2011.
- ^ "The Boarders". Old Sexonians. Retrieved 24 June 2011.
- ^ "Hugh Sexey Middle School Prospectus". Fairlands Middle School. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
- ^ "Hugh Sexey's Middle School". Old Sexonians. Retrieved 23 January 2011.
- ^ "Somerset schools are the first to gain specialist status". Cheddar Valley Gazette. 16 September 2010. Archived from the original on 13 September 2012. Retrieved 24 June 2011.
- ^ Langdon, Julia (11 April 2007). "Polymath who died on a pilgrimage doing what he loved best" (PDF). Financial Times. Retrieved 24 June 2011.