User:MatthewHunter/Sir Thomas Wharton Community College

Sir Thomas Wharton Community College, formerly known as Edlington School is a Coeducational Comprehensive school found in the mining village Edlington. The school in 2009 was awarded specialist status in Business and Enterprise and contains 1110 students as of the same year. The school is located in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England.

In 2009 the school welcomed the opening a newly created building, this modern campus was built using part of a £45 million private finance initiative with the Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council. The new building brought the school environment together under one roof, this was opposed to the previous school site which contained a number of buildings spread across the area.

The new building now contains state of the art facilities such as a number of IT suites, A large resource centre, a study centre and a giant sports hall complete with badminton, tennis, table-tennis, football and basketball courts.

The schools receives students from a variety of areas with the vast majority of these coming from Edlington, Warmsworth and Tickhill.

The Head Teacher as of 2008 is Mrs Mary McCorry.

Also, in March/April 2010, Sir Thomas Wharton Community College achieved trust status.

Mixed age groups
Sir Thomas Wharton School operates a house system, this was introduced at the same time as mixed age tutor groups.

Tutor groups in the past had traditionally contained students all of the same age group but as of 2009 new tutor groups were formed which include 2-4 members of each year group (this includes members of the sixth form).

Members of the Senior management team believed that this would create better relationships between the age groups which in the past was an issue.

The house system
At Sir Thomas Wharton school all students and members of staff are seperated into four different 'houses'. Each house has its own Pastoral team which deals with issues students of that house may have. Also, The four houses are all named after country halls, these are Cusworth, Brodsworth, Chatsworth and Wentworth. Different coloured ties are used to identify which house students belong to.

Each house has its own assemblies, sports teams, events, logo and motto.

School Council
The school has its own council system in place. This is made up of the Student Body which includes representatives of the house councils.

These house councils then contain representatives from each of the form groups in the school, this way all students in the school get a say. The council meets occasionally to discuss student needs and other issues.

Also, there is a sixth form council, this unlike the house council is an elected body. All members of year 12 moving into year 13 can vote for the student council for that year. Positions available are:
 * Head Boy- Aidan Lil (and deputy, Ashley Martin)
 * Head Girl- Robyn Cusworth (and deputy, Anna Starbuck)
 * Treasurer
 * Secretary
 * Liason & Recruitment Officer
 * Social Activites Officer
 * Chairman
 * Charity Co-ordinator-

Academic record
The school over the years has had negative Ofsted reports and a variety of bad publicity. But since the move to the new school conditions have improved and the quality of education students receive has increased proportionally, this is evident from the more recent Ofsted reports which show great progress.

Ofsted Report 2009 - http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/oxedu_reports/display/(id)/109303

Ofsted Report 2008 - http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/oxedu_reports/display/(id)/97022

Ofsted Report 2005 - http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/oxedu_reports/download/(id)/52979/(as)/106787_268799.pdf

The school is currently midway up the BBC Doncaster League Tables for GCSE results.

2009 Fire
On January the 5th 2009 some scrote bag set a fire and fire services were contacted to tackle a raging inferno which had engulfed all seven buildings of Edlington School. In total ten fire engines were called in from stations located all over South Yorkshire in an attempt to control the blaze which burnt the majority of the school to the ground just after 6am with the fire engines putting out the last of the flames at 11am that morning.

Official sources suggested that the fire had started with an explosion in the science block which then spread setting the rest of the school alight.

On the 31st of January 2009 the was once again, on fire. The remains left from the first fire were completely burnt to the ground.

Awards

 * The first and only Business and Enterprise specialist school in Doncaster
 * 'Investors In People' Award
 * Arts Mark Gold Award (Arts Mark Levels website)
 * Enterprising Schools Award

In addition to the awards the school itself has obtained. Sir Thomas Wharton school also gives its students the opportunity to participate in awards such as the Duke of Edinburgh's Award and its residential camping trips as well as the Prince's Trust award scheme.

School productions
2010 - Little Shop of Horrors

2007 - Jekyl & Hyde

STW Vision
"Our Vision is to provide a personalised education in a safe environment, promoting self-discipline, motivation and excellence in learning, through which we will develop together as life-long learners and socially responsible citizens."