Gosford Hill School

Gosford Hill School
Address
Oxford Road Gosford , Oxfordshire , OX5 2NT England
Coordinates	51°48′58″N1°16′45″W / 51.81624°N 1.27913°W / 51.81624; -1.27913
Information
Type	Academy
Established	1932
Local authority	Oxfordshire
Specialist	Maths and Computing
Department for Education URN	138897 Tables
Ofsted	Reports
Head teacher	Nigel Sellars
Staff	90
Gender	Coeducational
Age	11to 18
Enrolment	900
Website	www.gosford-hill.oxon.sch.uk

Gosford Hill School is a co-educational secondary school with academy status in the village of Kidlington in Oxfordshire, England. ^[1]

History

The school, originally called the Kidlington Church of England Central School, was built to teach children over the age of 11 whose numbers had grown during the 1920s to the point where the National School in the village was not able to accommodate them. By combining the number of over-11s from Kidlington with those from the church schools in the surrounding villages of Begbroke, Cassington, Hampton Poyle, Islip, Noke, Oddington, Shipton-on-Cherwell, Thrupp and Yarnton a sufficient number was achieved to justify the cost of a new school.

The first Headteacher, when the school opened on 7 September 1932, was Herbert Chapman who had been the head of the National School. ^[2]

The original buildings, designed by R Fielding Dodd, ARIBA and GT Gardner consisted of 4 classrooms and a Practical Studies Centre. Two more classrooms were added in 1934. The site of 4 acres (16,000 m²) had been part of Gosford Hill Farm, which itself had been turned into Oxford Zoological Gardens by Frank Gray by the time the school was built.

On 1 November 2012 the school completed its transition to an academy.

On June 12, 2024, Cherwell District Council granted the school planning permission for a complete demolition and replacement with a new L-shaped, three-storey building under the Department for Education’s School Rebuilding Programme. ^[3]

Sporting achievements

On 16 May 2016, Gosford Hill were crowned the English Schools' FA Under 15s National Small Schools Cup Champions, defeating Howden School from East Riding of Yorkshire 6-3 at the Madejski Stadium in Reading. ^{[4] [5] [6] [7]}

Notable alumni

• David Rodigan - Reggae DJ and radio presenter^{[ citation needed ]}
• Tim Supple - Theatre and opera director^{[ citation needed ]}
• Nick Cope - musician^{[ citation needed ]}
• The Candyskins - 1989 rock band^{[ citation needed ]}
• Irene Tracey - Vice Chancellor of the University of Oxford ^{[8] [9]}

References

1. www.gosford-hill.oxon.sch.uk
2. Tossell, T. Gosford Hill School 1932 - 2007 pp 13-14.
3. "Kidlington: 'Outdated' Gosford Hill School to be rebuilt". 12 June 2024.
4. "FOOTBALL: Gosford Hill capture national schools title". 18 May 2016.
5. "Gosford pupils celebrate national football success". 18 May 2016.
6. "Highlights PlayStation U15 Small Schools Cup 2016 Gosford Hill School v Howden School". YouTube . 17 May 2016.
7. "Full Match PlayStation U15 Small Schools Cup 2016 Gosford Hill School v Howden School". YouTube . 17 May 2016.
8. Anon (2017). "Tracey, Prof. Irene Mary Carmel" . Who's Who (online Oxford University Press  ed.). Oxford: A & C Black. doi:10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.U278814.(Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
9. "Next Oxford University vice-chancellor state educated and second female in role". oxfordmail.com. Oxford Mail. 9 May 2022.