Beechen Cliff School

Last updated

Beechen Cliff School
Beechen cliff school logo.png
Address
Beechen Cliff School
Alexandra Park, Kipling Avenue

, ,
BA2 4RE

England
Coordinates 51°22′20″N2°21′36″W / 51.3723°N 2.3600°W / 51.3723; -2.3600
Information
Type Academy
Established1896 (predecessor school)
TrustMidsomer Norton Schools Partnership
Specialist Technology
Department for Education URN 136520 Tables
Ofsted Reports
Chair of GovernorsHelen Eastwood
HeadmasterTimothy Markall
GenderBoys (Coeducational sixth form)
Age11to 18
Enrolment1,325 (2017)
Houses
  •  Byron 
  •  Kipling 
  •  Milton 
  •  Shakespeare 
Colour(s) 
Former nameCity of Bath Boys' School
Website http://www.beechencliff.org.uk/

Beechen Cliff School is a boys' secondary school in Bath, Somerset, England, with about 1,150 pupils. Its earliest predecessor school was founded in 1896.

Contents

There are around 930 boys in years 7 to 11 and a co-educational sixth form of 402 pupils. [1] The school offers the option of state boarding. It is located just south of the city centre near Alexandra Park, up a hill from Bear Flat on the A367, a major route from the south of the city into Bath.

History

List of headmasters Beechen Cliff School, headmasters.jpg
List of headmasters

The school began in 1896 as Bath City Secondary School in the Guildhall. [2] [3]

It moved from the Guildhall Technical College [4] to its present site at Beechen Cliff in 1932 when it was renamed the City of Bath Boys' School. [5]

It changed to its present name in 1970 when the City of Bath reorganised secondary education. The grammar school was amalgamated with Oldfield Boys' School, a local secondary modern school founded in 1903, to form a comprehensive school.

On 7 August 1988, on a school climbing expedition in the Briançon region of the French Alps, the 57-year-old headmaster Donald Stephens fell 300 feet (91 m) to his death. Fifteen pupils and three members of staff were on the expedition, training for a walk up Mount Kenya, and witnessed the tragic incident. A library has been established in his memory.

Bath from the top of Beechen Cliff, in Alexandra Park adjacent to the school SouthGate and Bath from Beechen Cliff.jpg
Bath from the top of Beechen Cliff, in Alexandra Park adjacent to the school

A review of Bath secondary provision by Avon County Council in the 1980s proposed that the school be closed and replaced with a sixth form college on the same site serving the whole city. Partisans of the school, however, took advantage of new legislation to obtain grant-maintained status for the school, taking it out of local authority control, which the then Government permitted despite a policy that schools would not be allowed to use grant-maintained (GM) status as a way of avoiding closure.

In February 1990 Avon County Council took the Secretary of State for Education and Science, John MacGregor, to the High Court to prevent the school gaining GM status and thus fatally undermining its Bath schools reorganisation plan; on 24 February Mr Justice Hutchison ruled in favour of the council, obliging the Secretary of State to reconsider his decision. On 30 March the Minister accordingly reconsidered his decision, but came to the same conclusion as before, that the school should be GM funded. In a vote, 55% of parents supported the change of status. [6] At a further judicial review hearing by the High Court on 15 May, Lord Justice Mustill upheld the Minister's decision. The Director of Education at Avon, Dr Christopher Saville, said he was 'very disappointed'.

Former pupil and winner of the 1993 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for the discovery of the mechanism of gene-splicing, Richard J. Roberts, donated a substantial part of his prize money to help the school build a new science centre, called the Richard Roberts Science Centre. [7]

Beechen Cliff School acquired the specialist school status of Technology College in 1997, and with the demise of grant-maintained status became a Foundation school with similar characteristics in the early 2000s. [8] In 2008 the school was awarded Trust school status. [8] [9] In 2011 it became an Academy School, and along with Hayesfield School for girls, Ralph Allen School, Three Ways School (special education) and Wellsway School (in Keynsham) it constitutes the Bath Education Trust, whose governors include representatives of Rotork Ltd, the University of Bath and Bath Spa University.

Since 2014 the school has offered boarding places for boys at the school. [10]

In July 2018 the school was severely criticised following an unannounced Ofsted inspection, which downgraded its rating for overall effectiveness from outstanding to inadequate. The report was particularly critical of the handling of a serious safeguarding incident earlier in 2018 in which pupils chained a black pupil to a lamppost and whipped him in a "mock slave auction", and of the effectiveness of the leadership and management. The report stated the school was misusing extended study leave as a form of unlawful exclusion. The chair and vice chair of governors resigned. The inspection had been unannounced because the Chief Inspector of Schools had concerns about safeguarding, leadership and the quality of education at the school. [1] [11] [12] The headmaster had decided to expel three of the seven pupils involved, but a panel of three governors in a disciplinary hearing decided the three pupils should not be permanently excluded. [13] The police investigated the "mock slave auction" incident, and seven pupils admitted involvement in a hate crime, two undergoing a restorative justice "community resolution process" involving the victim. [14] [15]

In September 2018 the Schools Adjudicator found that the school's admission policy was unreasonable and unfair, stating that the "school has a less deprived intake than the other state-funded schools in the city" due to rules such as giving priority to siblings of Hayesfield Girls' School pupils, allocating 40% of places to children living in affluent areas north of the River Avon and 20% to children living outside Bath. The Adjudicator ordered changes to 16 aspects of the school's admissions policy. [16] [17]

In 2019 Beechen Cliff School, on the advice of the Regional Schools Commissioner, became part of the Midsomer Norton Schools Partnership multi-academy trust of ten secondary schools and nearly twenty primary schools. [18] [19]

Environment

In the early 1930s the main building was built on the site of Lyncombe Hill Farm to enable the move from the Guildhall. [8]

In the early 1970s sixth form, science, technology, humanities and sports buildings were built on the eastern playing fields to support the merger of schools into a comprehensive school. [8]

In 1983 an avenue of elm trees, which ran within an ancient hedge along the road to the south of the lower playing fields, contracted Dutch elm disease and had to be felled; replacement trees of different species were planted by subscription of local residents, though not all survived to maturity. In 2000 the school proposed to sell off the lower part of its playing fields for housing development. Although the latest school inspection report had remarked that the playing fields were small for the school, [20] the required consent was obtained from the DfEE, but there was vigorous opposition from the local community and planning permission was refused. [21]

In 1997 the science building was extended, part funded by former pupil Sir Richard J. Roberts from his Nobel Prize award, [7] and the arts building relocated into a new building enabling improvements to the canteen. [8]

Partnerships

Beechen Cliff is home to schoolboys on the full-time training model at Southampton. Beechen Cliff and Bath Rugby have an Academic and Sporting Excellence (AASE) programme at the school and play in RFU's National AASE League.

The school is home to Bath Theatre School and together have a musical theatre partnership that puts on a production once a year.

Outdoor education

The school takes part in a number of annual challenges that include the Centurion Challenge (a 100-mile walk from Bath to Hungerford and back in 48 hours), Duke of Edinburgh, Ten Tors (teams complete hikes of up to 55 miles across Dartmoor), 100 mile Coast to Coast Cycle ride across Devon and the Three Peaks Challenge.

The Centurion Challenge is an annual long-distance event organised by Beechen Cliff School, Bath. The event is open to pupils of the school and usually takes place on the first weekend of July. The objective of the challenge is to walk/run 100 miles in 48 hours.

Beechen Cliff School, from snowy school field.jpg
Beechen Cliff School main building, with sixth form and technology buildings on the right

Notable alumni

City of Bath Boys' Grammar School

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Haberdashers' Adams</span> Boarding school in Newport, Shropshire, UK

Haberdashers' Adams Grammar School is a selective state grammar school for high-achieving boys and girls aged 11–18 with boarding for boys, located in Newport, Shropshire, offering day and boarding education. As of 2024, boarding fees are £14,553 per year for years 7-11 and £15,954 per year for Sixth Form. Haberdashers' Adams was founded in 1656 by William Adams, a wealthy member of the Worshipful Company of Haberdashers. In January 2018, the school changed its name from Adams' Grammar School to Haberdashers' Adams. In July 2022, the school announced that it would become fully co-educational, starting from September 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Devonport High School for Boys</span> 11–18 boys grammar school in Devonport, Plymouth, Devon, England

Devonport High School for Boys is an 11–18 boys grammar school and academy in Plymouth, Devon, England. It has around 1,150 boys, and its catchment area includes southwest Devon and southeast Cornwall as well as Plymouth. Pupils are accepted on the basis of academic aptitude.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">King Edward's School, Bath</span> Private day school in Bath, Somerset, England

King Edward's School (KES), in Bath, Somerset, England, is an independent co-educational day school providing education for 1,134 pupils aged 3 to 18. The school is a member of The Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sandbach School</span> School in Sandbach, Cheshire, England

Sandbach School is an 11–18 boys free school in Sandbach, Cheshire, north-west England. It was established in 1677 by local philanthropists, including Richard Lea, who donated the land for the school, and Francis Welles, who helped to fund the schoolhouse. It was located at Egerton Lodge, Middlewich Road, before moving into a new set of buildings designed by George Gilbert Scott in 1851.

Chichester High School for Boys, or CHSB, was a boys' secondary school with academy status, located in the city of Chichester, West Sussex, England. It was formed in 1971 during the schools reformation act of the 1970s by the amalgamation of two established schools; The Lancastrian School and the High School for Boys. In 2016, Chichester High School for Boys merged with Chichester High School for Girls, to become just Chichester High School. This occurred after speculation that the two schools would merge, starting from 2014. The new school would adopt purple as its main colour, replacing the previous boys' school green and girls' school navy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hayesfield Girls' School</span> Academy in Bath, Somerset, England

Hayesfield Girls' School is an all-girls secondary school with a co-educational sixth form located in Bath, England. In August 2011, the school became an academy. The school operates from two main sites, about a seven-minute walk apart. The campus at Brougham Hayes accommodates STEM subjects such as Science, Technology and Maths, and the Upper Oldfield Park campus hosts the Performing Arts, English and Sports faculties.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Newbridge, Bath</span> Electoral ward in Bath, United Kingdom

Newbridge is a largely residential electoral ward on the western edge of Bath, Somerset, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Temple Moor High School</span> Academy in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England

Temple Moor High School is a coeducational secondary school and sixth form located in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. In recent years, it has received 'Science College' status. In 2017 an Ofsted inspection gave the school a Good rating.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oldfield School</span> Academy in Bath, England

Oldfield School is a secondary school, with a sixth form, in Newbridge, Bath, England. Since February 2011, the school has had academy status, meaning that it operates outside the control of the local authority. Prior to 2012 the main school was for girls only, with a co-educational sixth form. In March 2024, the school had 1,243 pupils.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sexey's School</span> Academy in Bruton, Somerset, England

Sexey's School is a Church of England, co-educational state boarding and day school in Bruton, Somerset, England for 11-18 year olds. Sexey's School is named after Hugh Sexey who, in 1599, was appointed as a Royal auditor to Elizabeth I and later as a Royal auditor to James I. Sexey's Hospital was established in 1619 from the proceeds of his will, and the school was founded in 1889. State boarding schools are most unusual in England and Wales. The school became an academy in August 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bath Community Academy</span> Secondary academy in Bath, Bath and North East Somerset, England

Bath Community Academy (2012–2018), formerly Culverhay School (1956–2012), was a secondary school in the Odd Down area of Bath, England. Built as a boys' school, it became mixed-sex in 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bath College</span> Further education college in Bath, Somerset, England

Bath College is a further education college in the centre of Bath, Somerset and in Westfield, Somerset, England. It was formed in April 2015 by the merger of City of Bath College and Norton Radstock College. The College also offers Higher Education courses and has its own Undergraduate building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wellsway School</span> Academy in Keynsham, Somerset, England

Wellsway School is a mixed comprehensive school on the eastern side of Keynsham, Somerset, England, for students aged 11 to 18. In November 2021, there were 1,266 students attending the school, which is run by Futura Learning Partnership and has been an academy since October 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Mark's School, Bath</span> Academy in Bath, Somerset, England

St Mark's is a coeducational Church of England secondary school and sixth form located in Bath, Somerset, England. The school attracts pupils from Bath, Larkhall and Fairfield Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Norton Hill School</span> Academy in Midsomer Norton, Somerset, England

Norton Hill School is a state school with academy status in Midsomer Norton, Somerset, England. It is part of the Midsomer Norton Schools Partnership academy group. It was formerly the Midsomer Norton Grammar School.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stepney All Saints School</span> Voluntary aided school in London, England

Stepney All Saints Church of England Secondary School is a Church of England voluntary aided school and sixth form located in Stepney, London, England. The last Ofsted report in October 2015 rated SJCR School as "Outstanding."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Torquay Boys' Grammar School</span> 11–18 boys grammar school in Torquay, Devon, England

Torquay Boys' Grammar School is an 11–18 selective boys grammar school in Torquay, Devon, England. As of May 2023, it had 1,087 students. The school was founded in 1904. It is situated in Shiphay, south of Torbay Hospital, not far from the A3022 and Torre railway station as well as being directly next to Torquay Girls Grammar School.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bath College of Domestic Science</span> Predecessor of Bath Spa University

Bath College of Domestic Science was a small college in Bath, Somerset, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Workington Academy</span> Academy in Workington, Cumbria, England

Workington Academy is a mixed secondary school in Workington, Cumbria that was formed in September 2015 as a result of the merger of Southfield Technology College and Stainburn School and Science College.

Somerset 1 is an English rugby union league which sits at the ninth level of league rugby union in England involving teams based in the county of Somerset as well as some teams based in Bristol. 1st, 2nd and even 3rd XV sides can participate in the division as long as they are not from the same club.

References

  1. 1 2 Beechen Cliff School, 22–23 May 2018 (PDF) (Report). Ofsted. 3 July 2018. Retrieved 3 July 2018.[ permanent dead link ]
  2. "Plan for sites adjoining the Guildhall (Technical Schools) 14 March 1891". Central Library Collection. Bath in Time. Archived from the original on 2 March 2012. Retrieved 20 November 2010.
  3. "Guildhall. General View c.1895". Central Library Collection. Bath in Time. Archived from the original on 18 May 2015. Retrieved 20 November 2010.
  4. "Technical College. When housed in the Guildhall 1929". Central Library Collection. Bath in Time. Archived from the original on 16 July 2011. Retrieved 20 November 2010.
  5. Saunders, Anne (10 July 2017). "Celebrating 125 years: The history behind Bath College and why it opened". Bath College. Retrieved 9 February 2019.
  6. Paul Meredith (1992). Government, schools, and the law. Routledge. pp. 169–177. ISBN   0-415-03658-5.
  7. 1 2 3 Max Davidson (24 November 2008). "Town vs Gown: Royal High School vs Beechen Cliff School in Bath". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 9 January 2015.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 Beechen Cliff School – Heritage Statement (PDF). BBA Architects (Report). Bath and North East Somerset Council. July 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 October 2016. Retrieved 4 November 2018.
  9. Sarah Knowles (13 March 2015). "What Are Foundation and Trust Schools?". GetTheRightSchool. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
  10. "Boarding". Beechen Cliff School. Retrieved 22 October 2016.
  11. Gavin Thompson, Amanda Cameron (3 July 2018). "Beechen Cliff School in Bath rated inadequate in Ofsted report". Bath Chronicle. Retrieved 3 July 2018.
  12. "'Mock slave auction' school rated inadequate". BBC News. 3 July 2018. Retrieved 3 July 2018.
  13. Cameron, Amanda (6 June 2018). "Why three 'mock slave auction' boys were not expelled from a Bath school". Bath Chronicle. Retrieved 3 July 2018.
  14. Morris, Steven (29 August 2018). "Seven pupils admit involvement in hate crime at Bath school". The Guardian. Retrieved 30 August 2018.
  15. "No criminal charges for 'mock slave auction' students in Bath". BBC News. 30 August 2018. Retrieved 12 September 2018.
  16. Cameron, Amanda (10 September 2018). "Beechen Cliff School must change its 'unfair' admissions policy". Bath Chronicle. Retrieved 10 September 2018.
  17. Whiffing, Phil (10 September 2018). ADA3413: Beechen Cliff School (PDF) (Report). Office of the Schools Adjudicator. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 September 2018. Retrieved 12 September 2018.
  18. Cameron, Amanda (19 September 2018). "Why Beechen Cliff School in Bath looks set to be taken over by this multi-academy trust". Bath Chronicle. Retrieved 24 June 2021.
  19. "Midsomer Norton Schools Partnership". Midsomer Norton Schools Partnership. Retrieved 24 June 2021.
  20. Report by P M Nixon, OFSTED 1998, §70
  21. Bath Chronicle, 9 June 2001 page 27
  22. "Bath actor to play Ringo in Beatles remake". This is Bath. Retrieved 26 August 2011.
  23. "Budding sport stars celebrate A-level success". Shropshire Star. 16 August 2018. Retrieved 4 March 2020.
  24. "Bath City Football Club". Proud of Twerton. Archived from the original on 2 October 2011. Retrieved 26 August 2011.
  25. "My best teacher: Jason Gardener". Times Educational Supplement magazine. 23 July 2004. Archived from the original on 21 August 2009. Retrieved 21 October 2008.
  26. "Young Guns: Bath winger Gabriel Hamer-Webb". The Rugby Paper. 13 December 2019. Retrieved 15 January 2020.
  27. "News". David Lassman. Retrieved 16 September 2012.
  28. "Andrew Lincoln". IMDb. Retrieved 26 August 2011.
  29. 1 2 3 4 "Fame and fortune for former students at Beechen Cliff". This is Bath. Retrieved 26 August 2011.
  30. "Charlie's up to more good". This is Bath. Retrieved 26 August 2011.
  31. "Beechen Cliff School Easter Newsletter 2013" . Retrieved 20 April 2023.
  32. Jones, Owain (6 May 2023). "Miles Reid: 'My grandparents were stopped from buying a house in Bath because they were black'" . Retrieved 7 May 2023.
  33. "Beechen Cliff School – Summer 2016" (PDF). Beechen Cliff School. 2016. Retrieved 20 October 2016.
  34. "All About Curt Smith – Bio". Tears for Fears. Archived from the original on 12 September 2012. Retrieved 26 August 2011.
  35. "Spreadbury takes the whistle for Beechen win". This is Bath. Retrieved 26 August 2011.
  36. "Beechen to host dinner". The Bath Chronicle. 17 July 2008. Archived from the original on 22 October 2012.
  37. "Amy Williams wins historic gold medal at Winter Olympics". Bath Chronicle. 20 February 2010. Archived from the original on 28 March 2010. Retrieved 21 February 2010.
  38. "Ascott, Professor Roy". Art and Mind. Archived from the original on 25 July 2011. Retrieved 26 August 2011.
  39. "Roger Bannister 4-minute mile edition May 8, 1954". Bath in Time — Bath Central Library Collection Date unknown. Archived from the original on 5 October 2011. Retrieved 13 January 2011.
  40. "roger bannister". UNITED KINGDOM ATHLETICS — Date unknown. Retrieved 14 January 2011.
  41. "Professor Emeritus" . Retrieved 20 April 2024.
  42. "Who we are". Sand City Opera Company. Archived from the original on 31 March 2012. Retrieved 26 August 2011.
  43. Who's Who 2008: London, A & C Black ISBN   978-0-7136-8555-8
  44. "Robert Orledge". Eric Satie. Archived from the original on 23 April 2011. Retrieved 26 August 2011.
  45. "Richard J. Roberts Autobiography". The Nobel Foundation. 1 January 1993. Archived from the original on 22 October 2008. Retrieved 21 October 2008.
  46. Evans, Michael (16 June 2009). "Outsider Sir John Sawers appointed new head of MI6". The Times. London. Retrieved 26 August 2011.[ dead link ]