Avon Valley Academy is a mixed

secondary school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., b ...

in Durrington,

Wiltshire Wiltshire (; abbreviated to Wilts) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It borders Gloucestershire to the north, Oxfordshire to the north-east, Berkshire to the east, Hampshire to the south-east, Dorset to the south, and Somerset to ...

, England. Earlier in its history it has been known as Durrington Senior School, Durrington Secondary Modern School, Durrington Comprehensive School, Upper Avon School and then Avon Valley College.

History

The school was established in 1922 on a site in Bulford Road, and in 1944 it became a

secondary modern school A secondary modern school () is a type of secondary school that existed throughout England, Wales and Northern Ireland from 1944 until the 1970s under the Tripartite System. Secondary modern schools accommodated the majority (70–75%) of pupil ...

in line with government policy. As the school grew in the 1950s, a new building was constructed at the end of Recreation Road, at the north-eastern corner of the village, at a cost of £118,732. The new building opened on 7 September 1959, and the old site became Durrington Junior School. In the 1970s, extensive additions were made to the school buildings, and in 1974 it became a

comprehensive school A comprehensive school is a secondary school for pupils aged 11–16 or 11–18, that does not select its intake on the basis of academic achievement or aptitude, in contrast to a selective school system where admission is restricted on the basis ...

. Throughout its early history the school had limited academic success and went through a period of decline in the 1990s, culminating in it being placed in "special measures" in 2000. These measures were lifted earlier than expected in 2002, and the school showed considerable sustained improvement in subsequent

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 ...

reports. The school changed its status to a

foundation school In England and Wales, a foundation school is a state-funded school in which the school governor, governing body has greater freedom in the running of the school than in Community school (England and Wales), community schools. Foundation schools ...

in January 2009, and in September 2010 its status changed to a trust school. Since 2016 it has been 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 ...

, part of Salisbury Plain Academies, a multi-academy trust. In 2010, the school scored its highest overall

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 ...

results to date, with 43% achieving five or more GCSEs including Maths and English at grades A*-C or equivalent. This was exceeded in 2011 when 53% per cent of students achieved grades A*-C in five GCSEs or equivalent qualifications, including Maths and English. In Ofsted reports in January 2011 and March 2014 the college was rated as " 2 – Good". The school previously operated a

sixth form In the education systems of Barbados, England, Jamaica, Northern Ireland, Trinidad and Tobago, Wales, and some other Commonwealth countries, sixth form represents the final two years of secondary education, ages 16 to 18. Pupils typically prepa ...

, but this provision was closed in July 2021 due to low student numbers. The school was then renamed Avon Valley Academy.

Facilities

Facilities at Avon Valley Academy include a tented sports hall, a dance studio, a café, and a gym which is open to the public outside school hours.

Adult education Adult education, distinct from child education, is a practice in which adults engage in systematic and sustained educating activities in order to gain new knowledge, skills, attitudes, or values. Merriam, Sharan B. & Brockett, Ralph G. ''The Pr ...

classes take place during the day and in the evening.

Notable former pupils

* Claire Sturgess, radio presenter on

Absolute Radio Absolute Radio is a British digital radio station owned and operated by Bauer Media Audio UK as part of the Absolute Radio Network. It broadcasts nationally across the UK via digital audio broadcasting. The station focuses on alternative ...

, and former Radio 1 presenter

References

External links

* {{authority control Secondary schools in Wiltshire Educational institutions established in 1922 1922 establishments in England Academies in Wiltshire