Crispin School

Crispin School Academy is a secondary school in Street, Somerset. The school is located to the eastern end of Street and shares a campus with Strode College.

History
Crispin School was formed in 1973 by the merger of Elmhurst Grammar School and Strode Secondary Modern School. In 1999, the school was awarded specialist technology status. A second specialism in music was awarded in 2008.

Crispin School was converted to an academy in 2011, under the provisions of the Academies Act 2010.

Subjects
As of 2023, the following subjects are mandatory for students in Years 7 and 8:


 * English
 * Mathematics
 * Science
 * History
 * Geography
 * Beliefs and Values
 * Art
 * Drama
 * Food Technology
 * French
 * Graphics
 * ICT and Computing
 * Music
 * PSHE
 * PE
 * Textiles
 * Resistant Materials

Beginning in Year 8, students also study Spanish concurrently with French.

When completing the General Certificate of Secondary Education during Years 9 through 11, students are required to study the following subjects:


 * English
 * English Literature
 * Mathematics
 * Science (at least two GCSEs)
 * Physical Education
 * Society, Relationships and Values

During this time, they may also optionally enroll in:


 * Geography
 * History
 * French
 * Spanish
 * German
 * Religious Studies
 * Art
 * Drama
 * Food and Nutrition
 * Graphics
 * Health and Social Care
 * ICT and Computing
 * Music
 * Media
 * Photography
 * Sport
 * Business Studies
 * Textiles and Resistant Materials

Extracurricular activities
Students may participate in daily musical activities such as the school choir, senior choir, orchestra, and string group. Crispin School also participates in an Annual Carol Service at Wells Cathedral, a joint Christmas Concert with Brookside Academy, a Spring Concert, and School of Rock Days.

Annual trips take place to galleries in London, Bristol Zoo, and the Eden Project. Several residential trips take place, including ones to Iceland, France, Italy, New York, Swaziland, and Kenya. Crispin has a link with a school in Kenya and the 'Masana Block' is named in recognition of this link.

School shows are performed at the nearby Strode Theatre. Recent productions include Tales of the Arabian Nights (2016), Oliver (2017), Alice (2018), Find Me (2018), Bugsy Malone (2019), and Sister Act (2020).

Over the past six years, more than 90% of art and photography students at Crispin School have received GCSE scores of A*-C/4-9 In 2023, approximately half of the student body is studying Art and/or Photography. The GCSE Art and Photography Virtual Exhibition is held in the school's grounds.

Students may participate in handball, netball, rugby, football, equestrian, and triathlon.

Houses
In 2019, the school introduced a House system with 10 vertical tutor groups in each House. These Houses are Corvus, Falco, Sturnus and Tyto, with the names being derived from various bird genera. Each House has a Head of House, a House Learning Coordinator, and a House Captain, the latter being voted in by staff and students with the House. The school hosts weekly competitions for students to compete in on behalf of their Houses, such as spelling bees and tug of war.

Partner Primary School links
Crispin partners with several Primary Schools. Students of these schools are regularly invited into Crispin to participate in subject-specific days for the purpose of preparing them for Secondary School life.

Alumni
Crispin School has an active alumni program with over 500 alumni registered under the Future First program. Select alumni return to Crispin to host annual workshops about future careers and studies. Notable alumni of Crispin include:


 * Helen Chamberlain – television presenter
 * Beccy Huxtable – Producer and Co-Presenter of The Scott Mills Show on BBC Radio 1.
 * Jaye Jacobs – actress in Holby City, former deputy-head girl of Crispin.