Soham Village College

Last updated

Soham Village College
Soham Village College - geograph.org.uk - 269552.jpg
Address
Soham Village College
Sand Street

Soham
,
Cambridgeshire
,
CB7 5AA

England
Coordinates 52°19′47″N0°20′21″E / 52.32964°N 0.33904°E / 52.32964; 0.33904
Information
Type Academy
MottoNon nobis sed omnibus ('Not just for us, but for everyone')
Established1958
Department for Education URN 136610 Tables
HeadteacherJon Hampson
Gender Coeducational
Age11to 16
Enrolment1,350 pupils
HousesKing, Churchill, Radcliffe, Turner, Mandela
Colour(s)Black with red & black tie (yrs 7–10), black with blue tie (yr11), a red tie for Sports Participation, a green tie for musical participation, yellow for art participation, purple tie for senior team and the Headteacher's Tie for exceptional performance
PublicationFenside
Website www.sohamvc.org OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg

Soham Village College is a secondary school with academy status located in Soham, Cambridgeshire, England. It has around 1,400 pupils, aged 11 to 16. Although its wide catchment area does not include Ely, some pupils from there and its neighbouring villages attend the college. It is split between two adjacent sites: Beechurst, formerly a large house, and Lodeside, built more recently.

Contents

History

The college has its origins in Soham Free School, established in 1686. It became known as Soham Grammar School from 1878 and occupied a site on Churchgate Street. In 1925 the grammar school moved to Beechurst House (built in 1901 and located in Sand Street, which had formerly been the home of the late Newmarket jockey, Charles Morbey. [1] The grammar school took boys aged 11–18 from surrounding villages, and also had a few weekly boarders.

The name Soham Village College comes from the former secondary modern style village college, which was established in 1958. The original village college took boys and girls between the ages of 11 and 15, and was built on a 17-acre (69,000 m2) site next to the Soham Lode known as Moat Fields. It took in senior children from a number of "national schools" which were converted to junior or primary schools. [2] The village college system was the brainchild of Henry Morris, the Chief Education Officer at Cambridgeshire County Council. The college was officially opened by the baronet and MP Sir Edward Boyle, a former Minister for Education. Morris's emphasis was on a community-based establishment, and the college was equipped with a public library and a youth leader.

The present village college emerged in 1972 when the modern co-educational village college and the long-established grammar school merged. The merger was a direct result of the government raising the school-leaving age to 16.

Throughout the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, building work was carried out under the headships of A. E. Lawrence (1972–85) and Dr A. W. Bullock (1985–99). This included the construction of the Ross Peers Sports Centre, a music block, and a science and technology block.

In 1993 the college gained grant-maintained status. This allowed for generous donations, such as the funds donated in the mid-1990s by Simon Gibson to extend the mathematics and English departments (known as the Gibson Block in his honour).

In June 1998, "M Block", which contains science, humanities, ICT and languages rooms, was opened by Princess Margaret.

In August 2002 the school became infamous as the place where a double child-killer, Ian Huntley, worked as school caretaker. Clothing from the murdered children was found in the school grounds, leading to Huntley's arrest and eventual conviction in the Soham murders case. Huntley's house on the school site, and the storage hangar where the clothing was found, were later demolished.

The school was previously a specialist Technology College and Language College before converting to academy status on 1 April 2011.

Since November 2019, a parkrun (a free, weekly timed 5 km run/walk event) has taken place at Soham Village College every Saturday morning at 9.00am. [3]

Academic reputation

In the school's 2010 public exam results, 73 per cent achieved at least five grade A–C GCSEs. The school still attracts pupils from many schools within and outside the catchment area. Many take the opportunity of obtaining extracurricular GCSEs, including astronomy and statistics.

However, pupils wishing to continue onto sixth form studies must change schools, usually attending establishments in nearby Ely or Cambridge.

Awards

Soham Village College has received many awards. Currently the school has specialisms in technology and languages. The college has been awarded the Artsmark – Bronze Award, International School Award, School Achievement Award, Sport England SportsMark Award, Basic Skills Quality Mark, and the ICT Mark for excellence in ICT.

The school awards pupils for various achievements, such as outstanding attendance, distinctive progression and extra-curricular activities out of school, such as sport. Scarlet ties are awarded to pupils who excel in sport, both in school and at county level; emerald ties are awarded to pupils in the performing arts, in school or in county-level performance organisations; gold ties are awarded to pupils in the visual arts, in school or in community events. The Headteacher's Tie is awarded to pupils who display exceptional performance in and out of school.

Catchment area

The school has a wide catchment area, owing to its rural location. Pupils come mainly from the following areas: Soham, Barway, Wicken, Fordham, Isleham, Chippenham, Snailwell, Kennett, and Burwell.

However, some pupils come from other nearby settlements outside of the catchment area including: Stuntney, Ely, Littleport, Newmarket, Little Downham, Witchford, Stretham, Wilburton, and Haddenham.

The principal feeder primary schools are:

50th anniversary celebrations (1958–2008)

A weekend of celebrations was staged to mark the 50th anniversary of Soham Village College. Between 23 and 25 January 2009, displays of memorabilia and personal souvenirs provided a chronological account of past events and life at the Village College.

Former pupils

Soham Grammar School

Pupils of the former grammar school are known as Grammarians.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Burwell, Cambridgeshire</span> Village in Cambridgeshire, England

Burwell is a village and civil parish in Cambridgeshire, England, some 10 miles north-east of Cambridge. It lies on the south-east edge of the Fens. Westward drainage is improved by Cambridgeshire lodes (waterways), including Burwell Lode, a growth factor in the village. A population of 6,309 in the 2011 census was put at 6,417 in 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Soham</span> Town in Cambridgeshire, England

Soham is a town and civil parish in the district of East Cambridgeshire, in Cambridgeshire, England, just off the A142 between Ely and Newmarket. Its population was 12,336 at the 2021 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">East Cambridgeshire</span> Non-metropolitan district in England

East Cambridgeshire is a local government district in Cambridgeshire, England. Its council is based in the city of Ely. The district also contains the towns of Littleport and Soham and surrounding rural areas, including parts of the Fens.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Village college</span>

The village college is an institution specific to Cambridgeshire, England, including the Peterborough unitary authority area. It caters for the education of 11- to 16-year-olds during the day, and provides educational and leisure facilities to the wider community out of school hours.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fordham, Cambridgeshire</span> Village in Cambridgeshire, England

Fordham is a village in rural Cambridgeshire, England. Fordham is part of the East Cambridgeshire district. It is four miles north of Newmarket, as well as being close to the settlements of Soham, Burwell, Isleham, Mildenhall and Chippenham.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South East Cambridgeshire (UK Parliament constituency)</span> Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 1983-2024

South East Cambridgeshire was a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament from 2015 to 2024 by Lucy Frazer, a member of the Conservative Party who has served as the Culture Secretary since 2023. The constituency was established for the 1983 general election and was based on the cathedral city of Ely.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ipswich–Ely line</span> English railway line

The Ipswich–Ely line is a railway line linking East Anglia to the English Midlands via Ely. There is also a branch line to Cambridge. Passenger services are operated by Greater Anglia. It is a part of Network Rail Strategic Route 5, SRS 05.07, 05.08 and part of SRS 07.03. The line has previously been part of the Great Eastern Main Line.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wisbech Grammar School</span> School in Cambridgeshire, UK

Wisbech Grammar School is an 11–18 co-educational, Church of England, private day school and sixth form in Wisbech, Isle of Ely, Cambridgeshire, England. Founded by the Guild of the Holy Trinity in 1379, it is one of the oldest schools in the country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Newmarket Rural District</span>

Newmarket was a rural district in Cambridgeshire, England from 1894 to 1974. It surrounded the town of Newmarket, in West Suffolk, on the north, west and south sides.

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

Chippenham is a village and civil parish in Cambridgeshire, England, part of East Cambridgeshire district around 4 miles (6.4 km) north-east of Newmarket and 10 miles (16 km) north-east of Cambridge.

Newmarket is a former United Kingdom Parliamentary constituency. It was created upon the splitting up of the three member Cambridgeshire constituency into three single member divisions in 1885. The seat was abolished in 1918.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hounsdown School</span> Academy in Southampton, Hampshire, England

Hounsdown School is a secondary school in Totton, near Southampton, Hampshire, England The school has 1,215 pupils, spanning ages 11 to 16. Classes are held in renovated 1960s buildings and new specialist blocks built since 2000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Witchford Village College</span> Academy in Witchford, Cambridgeshire, England

Witchford Village College is a secondary school in the village of Witchford, near Ely, Cambridgeshire, England. Before becoming an academy the school was a specialist Sports College. With approximately 820 pupils on roll, the college has fewer pupils than the national average (~950).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Crispin's School</span> Academy in Wokingham, Berkshire, England

St Crispin's School, founded in 1953, is a coeducational comprehensive secondary school and sixth form located in Wokingham, Berkshire, England. There were 1,164 students at the school in 2017, of whom 234 were in the Sixth form. The school is on the London Road, just outside Wokingham town centre.

Healing School, A Science Academy is a co-educational secondary school and specialist academy located on Low Road in the village of Healing, North East Lincolnshire, England.

Cromwell Community College is a coeducational all-through school and sixth form located in Chatteris, Cambridgeshire, England.

References

  1. ↑ "Soham Roots - Charles Morbey 1856 - 1938". Archived from the original on 21 November 2008. Retrieved 3 December 2010.
  2. ↑ Cambridgeshire Archives Service - Handlist of School Records Archived 9 March 2014 at the Wayback Machine
  3. ↑ "Home | Soham Village College parkrun | Soham Village College parkrun".
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.