John O'Gaunt School

John O'Gaunt School is a coeducational secondary school in Hungerford, Berkshire, England for students aged 11 to 16. It was Berkshire's first community school.

Not to be confused with The John of Gaunt School, Trowbridge, Wiltshire.

John O'Gaunt School
School entrance and Kennet Block
Address
Priory Road

Hungerford
,
Berkshire
,
RG17 0AN

England
Coordinates51°24′17″N 1°30′52″W
Information
TypeAcademy
EstablishedJanuary 1963 (1963-01)
Local authorityWest Berkshire
TrustExcalibur Academies Trust
Department for Education URN142822 Tables
OfstedReports
Chair of GovernorsMr John Adey
HeadMr Ian Tucker
GenderCoeducational
Age11 to 16
Enrolment395[1]
HousesAvery Hall, Brunel Hall and Columbus Hall
Colour(s)Navy, Yellow and White    
Websitewww.johnogauntschool.co.uk

History

Opened in January 1963, the school is a fusion of 1960s decor and 1990s pre-fabricated buildings.[2] The school gained Technology College status in 2003, and was renamed John O'Gaunt Community Technology College[2] before converting to academy status and becoming John O'Gaunt School in 2012. It is run by the Excalibur Academies Trust, a multi-academy trust which includes several local primary schools and St John's Marlborough.[3]

Hungerford massacre

On 19 August 1987, the school gained notoriety as the site of the denouement of the Hungerford massacre. Michael Robert Ryan made the then-empty school the site of his final stand and suicide, having killed 16 people and injured 15 others.

Sixth Form

In the first half of 2014, the school suspended their upcoming sixth form intake for September 2014 due to dwindling student numbers, and intended to suspend the 2015 intake and beyond. For changes to intakes of 3 or more years, West Berkshire Council were required to hold a statutory consultation, which resulted in the Sixth Form being closed from August 2016 onwards. West Berkshire Council have indicated that should demand increase for a sixth form at the school in the future, that consideration would be given to reopening the sixth form.[4]

Extracurricular activities

John O'Gaunt offers mainly sports and arts events. Students who apply for a course at Newbury College are taken by bus.

Former headteachers
  • Sarah Brinkley (2012–2015)[5]
  • Neil Spurdell (2009–2012)
  • Lin Bartlett (1998–2008)
  • Marcia Twelftree (1993–1997)
  • Jeff Dawkins (1990–1993)
  • Monica Darroch (1990)
  • David Lee (1986–1989)
  • Keith McClellan (1985–1986)
  • David Lee (1975–1985)
  • Norman Fox (1975)
  • Rex Chesney (1963–1974)

Notable former pupils

References
  1. "EduBase - John O'Gaunt School". education.gov.uk. Retrieved 7 August 2016.
  2. Dr Hugh Pihlens. "Hungerford Virtual Museum". Archived from the original on 26 July 2013. Retrieved 7 August 2016.
  3. "John O'Gaunt School". Excalibur Academies Trust. Retrieved 23 July 2019.
  4. "West Berkshire Council - [ARCHIVED] Closure of the Sixth Form at John O'Gaunt School, Hungerford (31 August 2016) - Information". info.westberks.gov.uk. Retrieved 7 August 2016.
  5. "New John O'Gaunt School head is announced - News - Newbury Weekly News". newburytoday.co.uk. Retrieved 7 August 2016.
  6. "Call that heralded an unexpected journey for Hungerford actor - News - Newbury Weekly News". newburytoday.co.uk. Retrieved 7 August 2016.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.