Arthur Mellows Village College is a secondary school in Glinton in the local authority of

Peterborough Peterborough ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in the City of Peterborough district in the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Cambridgeshire, England. The city is north of London, on the River Nene. A ...

. The college is an

academy An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tertiary education. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 386 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the go ...

with a specialism in technology. Olympic gymnast Louis Smith and footballers Luke Steele and Lia Cataldo are amongst the alumni.

History

The school is named after its founder, Arthur Holditch Mellows (1892–1948), a British army captain from the Hunts Cyclist Battalion who was promoted to colonel during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, served in Iraq during the 1920s, and commanded local

Home Guard Home guard is a title given to various military organizations at various times, with the implication of an emergency or reserve force raised for local defense. The term "home guard" was first officially used in the American Civil War, starting ...

units during World War II. In the interwar years he became a solicitor, and from 1935–37 he was Mayor of Peterborough. From 1943 onwards he headed the national education committee. He owned a black

Chrysler Windsor The Chrysler Windsor is a full-size car which was built by Chrysler (division), Chrysler from 1939 through to the 1960s. The final Chrysler Windsor sold in the United States was produced in 1961, but production in Canada continued until 1966. The ...

, an unusual sight in wartime Britain. Chrysler Windsor Coupe 1940

Colonel Mellows was returning from a

shoot Shoot most commonly refers to: * Shoot (botany), an immature plant or portion of a plant * Shooting, the firing of projectile weapons * Photo shoot, a photography session; an event wherein a photographer takes photographs Shoot may also refer t ...

on 16 October 1948, when his car was struck by a train at

Conington, Huntingdonshire Conington (Conington All Saints, or "Conington-juxta-Petriburg") is a village and civil parish in the Huntingdonshire district of Cambridgeshire, England. Conington lies about 6 miles (10 km) south of Peterborough and 2 miles (3 km) north of S ...

.1948 report of the accident
/ref> The college opened in 1949. From 1948 until the 1970s, the Arthur Mellows Memorial Trust hosted lectures at the college and provided education grants in subjects of interest to Mellows. In the 1970s and 1980s the college was ahead of its time in community links. Arthur Mellows offered evening classes and a meeting area for community groups and had a public library on site. As such the school used to refer to the headteacher using the title "Warden". More recently this was changed to the more recognisable term "Head of College". The college was originally built to serve the villages from Wittering to

Eye An eye is a sensory organ that allows an organism to perceive visual information. It detects light and converts it into electro-chemical impulses in neurons (neurones). It is part of an organism's visual system. In higher organisms, the ey ...

which form an approximate straight line, the village of Glinton being in the middle. More recently the school developed a broader catchment including pupils from the large Peterborough suburb of Werrington. In the 2000s multiple Peterborough schools were considered failing, closed down, demolished, rebuilt and re-named. However, Arthur Mellows converted to academy status, underwent significant expansion and was considered a successful school.

Architecture

Built just after WWII, the college was designed so that it could be quickly converted into a hospital if necessary. However, this was never required. It is most evident on the main ground floor teaching corridor of the original building, where large glass windows make easy viewing from corridor to classrooms which could be re-purposed as wards. The external walls of these classrooms are almost entirely glass, which would have allowed patients access to large amounts of light and south facing patios.

School performance and inspections

As of 2024, the college's most recent inspection by

Ofsted The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted) is a non-ministerial department of His Majesty's government, reporting to Parliament. Ofsted's role is to make sure that organisations providing education, training ...

was in 2014, with a judgement of Outstanding. In 2008, results at

GCSE The General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) is an academic qualification in a range of subjects taken in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, having been introduced in September 1986 and its first exams taken in 1988. State schools ...

and

A-Level The A-level (Advanced Level) is a subject-based qualification conferred as part of the General Certificate of Education, as well as a school leaving qualification offered by the educational bodies in the United Kingdom and the educational ...

were above average.

References

External links

Arthur Mellows Village College
{{authority control Academies in Peterborough Secondary schools in Peterborough 1949 establishments in the United Kingdom