Heart of England School

Last updated

Heart of England School
Address
Heart of England School
Gipsy Lane

Balsall Common
,
West Midlands
,
CV7 7FW

England
Coordinates 52°23′10″N1°38′52″W / 52.3860°N 1.6479°W / 52.3860; -1.6479
Information
Type Academy
MottoCreating Futures
Local authoritySolihull
Department for Education URN 136909 Tables
Ofsted Reports
PrincipalMiss Hughes-Williams
Gender Coeducational
Age11to 18
Enrolment1300 (approx)
HousesVoyager, Phoenix, Pioneer and Apollo
Colour(s)teal blue
Website heart-england.co.uk

Heart of England School is a secondary school and sixth form with academy status located in Balsall Common in the West Midlands. Its catchment is the south-east of the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull, primarily rural and commuter villages. [1]

Contents

History

The school was opened in 1957 [2] and was formerly a secondary modern school. It became a comprehensive school in 1974 when it became part of the metropolitan borough of Solihull. [3] In 1998 a new sixth form block was added with four additional classrooms and a dedicated computer suite. [2] In 2011 the school converted to academy status. [4]

In 1984 pupils from the school starred in an episode of the ITV Good Health series titled Germs, Germs, Germs, written by Peter Brookes, the School drama teacher. [5]

When David Hempleman-Adams undertook his Ultimate Challenge Expedition in 1996 (leading a team of novices to ski to the Magnetic North Pole, having already completed a solo walk to the South Pole), sixth formers at Heart of England School were invited to create a website, which provided up to date tracking of the expedition and information on the history of polar exploration. The work required an upgrade of the school's IT facilities to allow it to connect to the Internet, and allow the students to learn to code for the nascent web technologies. [6]

In 2003 the school made national headlines when the headmistress trialled the use of sniffer dogs to prevent pupils from bringing in drugs. [7] Although she described the school as not troublesome, there had been occasional issues with drug taking in the recent past. [8] The school hired counter drugs specialists to conduct the scheme. [7] [9] [10]

An extension used for sporting activities and dancing was built in 2007, part-financed with lottery money. [11]

Campus

The school has three main blocks (Main block, Hampton block and Leveson block). The P.E. block, a part of main block, consists of a Dance Studio, a Gym, a Sports Hall and lessons also take place in the hall, tennis courts and field. [12] The playing field abuts the Primary School field. In September 2010 an extension to the Hampton Building was added to provide much needed specialist accommodation for Maths, Languages, Food Technology and Drama.[ citation needed ]

The school is a provider for the Duke of Edinburgh's award. [13]

Notable Alumni

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Knowle, West Midlands</span> Human settlement in England

Knowle is a large village situated 3 miles (5 km) east-southeast of the town of Solihull, in the county of the West Midlands, England. Knowle lies within the Arden area of the historic county boundaries of Warwickshire, and since 1974 it has been part of the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull. It lies 2.5 miles from the Warwickshire border and had a recorded population of 10,678.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Metropolitan Borough of Solihull</span> Metropolitan borough in England

The Metropolitan Borough of Solihull is a metropolitan borough in West Midlands county, England. It is named after its largest town, Solihull, from which Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council is based. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of seven boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "West Midlands" NUTS 2 region. Much of the large residential population in the north of the borough centres on the communities of Castle Bromwich, Kingshurst, Marston Green and Smith's Wood as well as the towns of Chelmsley Wood and Fordbridge. In the south are the towns of Shirley and Solihull, as well as the large villages of Knowle, Dorridge, Meriden and Balsall Common.

Nicholas Chamberlaine School is a coeducational secondary school and sixth form with an academy status, located in the town of Bedworth, Warwickshire, England. It has approximately 1,400 pupils between the ages of 11 and 18.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Balsall Common</span> Human settlement in England

Balsall Common is a large village in the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull, West Midlands, England. It is situated 4.75 miles (7.5 km) northwest of Kenilworth, 7 miles (11 km) west of Coventry, 7.5 miles (12.1 km) east of Solihull and 14 miles (23 km) to the southeast of Birmingham. The name “Balsall” comes from the Anglo Saxon word “Baelle” meaning corner of land, and “Heale” meaning a sheltered place

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Meriden (UK Parliament constituency)</span> Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 1955-2024

Meriden was a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament. It was named after the village of Meriden, halfway between Solihull and Coventry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trinity Catholic School</span> Academy in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, England

Trinity Catholic School is a mixed Catholic secondary school and sixth form located in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Berkswell</span> Human settlement in England

Berkswell is a village and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull, county of West Midlands, England. Historically in Warwickshire, Berkswell is situated in the rural east of the borough, approximately 2 miles (3.2 km) west of the western city boundary of Coventry, at Eastern Green. It is situated about 6.5 miles (10.5 km) west of Coventry city centre, 8.5 miles (13.7 km) east of central Solihull, 2.5 miles (4.0 km) south of Meriden and 2 miles (3.2 km) north of Balsall Common.

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

Lymm High School is a secondary school and sixth form with academy status, located in Lymm, Warrington, Cheshire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Woodlands Academy, Coventry</span> Academy in Coventry, West Midlands, England

Woodlands Academy was a boys comprehensive secondary school situated in west Coventry in the West Midlands, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coventry Blue Coat Church of England School</span> Academy in Coventry, West Midlands, England

The Blue Coat Church of England School is a specialist secondary school and sixth form located in Coventry, England. It is an International Cross Of Nails (ICON) school, with links to schools all over the world. The school is funded by the state, with academy status. It is a specialist Music, Maths and Science academy.

Furtherwick Park School was a comprehensive co-educational senior school for 11- to 16-year-olds, located on Canvey Island. The school was based in the town centre and opened in 1957 due to the increase of population on Canvey Island.

Guilsborough Academy is a co-educational academy school in Guilsborough, Northamptonshire, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Caroline Chisholm School</span> Academy in Northampton, Northamptonshire, England

Caroline Chisholm School is a mixed all-through school with academy status, in Wootton, south Northampton, England. It is named after Caroline Chisholm, a 19th-century social reformer. The principal is David James. The school was built in 15 months and cost £25 million. The school added its final year, Year 13, in September 2008. In 2005, admission arrangements were changed to give siblings of existing students at the school greater priority for places.

Exhall Grange School is a special school located in Ash Green just outside Coventry in Warwickshire, England. The school meets the needs of children and young people age from 2 to 19 years with physical disability, visual impairment, complex medical needs, and social, communication and interaction difficulties.

Corpus Christi Catholic College is a co-educational secondary school located in Halton Moor, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. The school currently has a roll of around 900 to 1,000 pupils. Around 50% of pupils achieve 5 A-C grades at GCSE.

Grace Academy Coventry is a mixed secondary school located in Coventry, England. It was founded in 1968 as Woodway Park School and Community College, and became Grace Academy in 2008

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

Skegness Academy is a coeducational secondary school and sixth form with academy status, in Skegness, Lincolnshire, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grace Academy, Solihull</span> Academy in Solihull, West Midlands, England

Grace Academy Solihull is a non-selective co-educational secondary school within the English Academy programme, at Chelmsley Wood, Solihull, West Midlands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hellesdon High School</span> Academy in Norwich, Norfolk, England

Hellesdon High School is a secondary school and, on site, is a sixth form with academy status in Hellesdon, Norfolk, England. The school is part of the Wensum Trust.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Finham Park 2</span> Academy in Coventry, West Midlands, England

Finham Park 2 is a secondary school and sixth form located on Torrington Avenue in Tile Hill, Coventry. It was founded on 1 September 2015 as a sequel school to the already existing Finham Park School, a secondary school and sixth form situated on Green Lane in Finham. In the seven years since its creation, the school has amassed 665 pupils, which is close to the original intended capacity of 800. The school's age range is 11-18, as alike Finham Park School, it has two optional years of sixth form past its five mandatory years of secondary schooling. The headteacher is Will Keddie and the school has 65 staff.

References

  1. Schofield 1982, p. 93.
  2. 1 2 Solihull News 1998, p. 81.
  3. Coventry Evening Telegraph 1976.
  4. Ofsted 2013, p. 3.
  5. Germbusters 1984.
  6. Walker 1996.
  7. 1 2 The Daily Telegraph 2003.
  8. Solihull Times.
  9. The Guardian 2003.
  10. Hughes 2005, p. 219.
  11. Coventry Live 2007.
  12. Heart of England School 2020.
  13. Heart of England School - Duke of Edinburgh's Award n.d.
  14. Coventry Live 2006.
  15. Cricketers' Who's Who 2017.
  16. The Daily Telegraph 2002.

Bibliography