History
1970s
Originally designated Shefford & District Upper School, it was as Samuel Whitbread Upper School that it opened on a purpose-built site on 4 September 1973, as part of Bedfordshire County Council's re-organisation into a 3-tier, non-selective school system. Adult education provision was in place from the beginning under Gordon Ainscough, but the name of the institution was not changed to Samuel Whitbread Upper School and Community College until 1975 (when the 'Headmaster' became the 'Head') and it became Samuel Whitbread Community College, (led by a 'Principal') at some point in the late 90s.
The Headmaster, when the school opened, was Kenneth Dodsworth, and the Chairman of Governors was Alderman W. Inskip.
The original intention was for the school to have an eventual roll of 1100, drawn from the existing secondary modern schools Robert Bloomfield and Etonbury, which were to become middle schools, and from 1975, a planned purpose-built Henlow Middle School.
There were 457 pupils when the school was opened: 249 in what was then the '3rd Year' (now known as Year 9) from the Robert Bloomfield and Etonbury Schools; 94 in the '4th Year' (Year 10) and 117 in the 5th Year (Year 11) who were from Robert Bloomfield only. A vestigial 6th Form of 5 former Robert Bloomfield pupils was enrolled, although 6th form courses were not yet in place.
Thirty teachers were employed in September 1973, the last of whom retired in 2007. At that time there were 25 support staff, including 8 cleaners and 9 kitchen assistants.
House System
To help with managing the large number of students, the school employs a House system, whereby students are separated into five "houses" with which they are associated for their time at the school. Students may change house if they move between form classes, and most change from year 11 to 12 when entering sixth form.
The five Houses are:
- Whishaw - House colour: Red
- Sims - House colour: Green
- Moore - House colour: Purple
- Rashford - House colour: Blue
- Obama - House colour: Turquoise
They are named after Ben Whishaw, David Sims, Tom Moore, Marcus Rashford, and Michelle Obama. These houses were introduced in September 2021 in an attempt to increase diversity amongst the house names. This was chosen through a combination of pupil votes, nominations, and school council decisions. The house colours and shields were kept the same. [2] While 2 racial minorities were added, the representation of women remained at one.
The previous system used Ben Whishaw, Frank Whittle, Ralph Endersby Harwood, Victoria Pendleton, and Laurence Olivier as namesakes. All of whom have a historical connection to Clifton, Shefford.
Before this the houses were Curie and Brunel.
These houses are used to simplify school-wide activities and competitions, such as assemblies. Sporting events will often be organised in ‘houses’ culminating in the 'SWA House Olympics' at the end of the year. Pupils' uniform is subtly changed to signify their house, with changes to tie and blazer colour. [3]
Houses can earn points throughout the year by succeeding in events like the House Olympics, participating in charity work, or taking more books from the library. The house with the most points at the end of the year are named ‘House Champions.’
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