Wrenn School is a coeducational secondary comprehensive school and Sixth form with academy status, located in Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, England.

Wrenn School
Address
Map
London Road

, ,
NN8 2DQ

Coordinates52°17′47″N 0°41′19″W / 52.2963°N 0.6887°W / 52.2963; -0.6887
Information
TypeSecondary Comprehensive Sponsor-led Academy
Motto"Proud to be Wrenn"
Established1907: Wellingborough County High School
1930: Wellingborough Grammar School
1975: Merger to form Wrenn School
TrustCreative Education Trust: 2018
Department for Education URN139961 Tables
OfstedReports
Chair of GovernorsWilliam E Mandeville
PrincipalMarianne Blake
GenderCoeducational
Age11 to 19
Enrolment1,304
Colour(s)Black & Red
  
Second SiteDoddington Road
Wellingborough
Northamptonshire
NN8 2JJ
England
Websitewww.wrennschool.org.uk
Map
About OpenStreetMaps
Maps: terms of use
500m
550yds
Roseacre site
Doddington Road site
.
London Road site

History

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The school's origins lie in Wellingborough County High School for girls (1907) and Wellingborough Grammar School for boys (1930). The Wellingborough County High School was founded in 1907, and moved into the Broadway site in 1911, and the grammar school site was finished in 1930, on Doddington Road. The two schools merged in 1975, under the then headmaster, Mr Wrenn, to form Wrenn School.[1]

Facilities

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Wrenn School is a split-site school, with the three parts of its grounds being a short walk apart. The first site of the school is situated on the A5193 (former A509) in the south of the town, just west of the hospital, on London Road and Broadway (52°17′47″N 0°41′19″W / 52.2963°N 0.6887°W / 52.2963; -0.6887 (Wrenn School, London Road site)). The other two sites are situated on Doddington Road (52°17′45″N 0°41′41″W / 52.2959°N 0.6948°W / 52.2959; -0.6948 (Wrenn School, Doddington Road site)), a few minutes from the London Road site. The Doddington Road site, formerly the boys' grammar school, houses years 9-11 along with the Art and Design Technology buildings, and the Roseacre Playing Fields site, for Physical Education, is situated directly opposite the main Doddington Road building. The London Road site, which was the site of the former girls' high school, is attended by years 7-8 and the school's Sixth Form. The oldest buildings are those of the former grammar school, and the most modern additions are the all-weather pitch (AstroTurf) and pavilion, constructed in 2004 and the music block, constructed in 2006.

Inspection judgements and academisation

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  • 1993: the school became a Grant Maintained School
  • 2004: the school became a Specialist Science College
  • 2009: the school's Sixth Form was rated Outstanding by OFSTED
  • 2013: the school became an Academy, as part of 'The Education Fellowship Trust' .[2]
  • 2015: judgement of Requires Improvement.[3]
  • 2016: judgement of Inadequate.[4]
  • 2017: the Department for Education issued a Termination Notice to the Education Fellowship Trust in January 2017, stating that the Regional Schools Commissioner was considering terminating the academy's funding agreement.[5][6] This was then confirmed in March 2017.[7][8]
  • 2018: judgement of Good.[9][10][11]
  • 2018: the school was transferred to the 'Creative Education Trust'.[10][12][13]

Academic performance

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In 2018, the school's Progress 8 score at GCSE was average, and its Attainment 8 score below average.[14]

Wellingborough Music & Arts Centre

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The Northamptonshire County Council-run “Music and Arts Centre” takes place every Saturday morning in the Wrenn School, at the London Road site, and the festival band has achieved national recognition in the finals of the national festival of music for youth.[15][better source needed]

Notable people

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Wrenn School

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  • Ashleigh Butler, Entertainer and Britain's Got Talent 2012 winner along with Pudsey the Dog[16]

Wellingborough Grammar School

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Former teachers

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References

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  1. ^ a b Tall, David, and Graham Tall (2006). Memories of Wellingborough Grammar School, with foreword by Sir David Frost. Retrieved 12 June 2010.
  2. ^ "Wrenn School". Get Information about Schools. Gov.UK. Retrieved 2 April 2019.
  3. ^ Carter-Fraser, Amanda (2015). "Wrenn School". Ofsted. Retrieved 2 April 2019.
  4. ^ Connolly, Zarina (2016). "Wrenn School". Ofsted. Retrieved 2 April 2019.
  5. ^ Post, Martin (2017). "Termination warning notice to Wrenn School". Gov.UK. Department for Education. Retrieved 2 April 2019.
  6. ^ Dickens & Whittaker, John & Freddie (21 January 2017). "School with £1.3m debt now faces closure over inadequate Ofsted". Schools Week. Retrieved 2 April 2019.
  7. ^ Staufenberg, Jess (10 March 2017). "Education Fellowship trust gives up all 12 schools over poor performance". Schools Week. Retrieved 2 April 2019.
  8. ^ "Funding terminated from failing academy trust". BBC News. 10 March 2017. Retrieved 2 April 2019.
  9. ^ Ofsted report 2018. Retrieved 4 June 2018.
  10. ^ a b Whittaker, Freddie (20 September 2018). "Academy's new start delayed by deficit discussions". Schools Week. Retrieved 2 April 2019.
  11. ^ Weaver, Stephanie (4 June 2018). "Wellingborough academy goes from inadequate to good in just 18 months". Northants Telegraph. Retrieved 2 April 2019.
  12. ^ "CREATIVE EDUCATION TRUST". Get Information about Schools. Gov.UK. Retrieved 2 April 2019.
  13. ^ Zahawi, Nadhim (2018). "Education Fellowship Trust: Department for Education written question". They Work For You. Hansard. Retrieved 2 April 2019.
  14. ^ "Wrenn School". Find and compare schools in England. GOV.UK. Retrieved 2 April 2019.
  15. ^ "National Festival of Music for Youth".
  16. ^ "Ashleigh goes back to school after victory". Northants Telegraph. 16 May 2012. Retrieved 2 April 2019.
  17. ^ Robert Waller; Byron Criddle (1999). The Almanac of British Politics. Psychology Press. pp. 595–. ISBN 978-0-415-18541-7. Retrieved 2 April 2019.
  18. ^ Foden, Giles (6 April 2009). "Michael Cox". The Guardian. Retrieved 2 April 2019.
  19. ^ "Academy sponsor defends high pay and high expectations". the Guardian. 7 November 2011. Retrieved 18 January 2023.
  20. ^ Stephens, Paul (7 June 2007). "Don White". The Guardian. Retrieved 2 April 2019.
  21. ^ Newcombe, Barry (6 May 2004). "Jeff Butterfield". The Guardian. Retrieved 2 April 2019.
  22. ^ Tall, T. and Tall, G. (2006). Memories of Wellingborough Grammar School 1930 - 1975 Clock Tower Publications ISBN 0-9548689-1-9 page 125
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