Future Academies Watford is a
co-educational secondary school
A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' secondary education, lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) ...
and
sixth form located in
Garston,
Watford,
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire ( or ; often abbreviated Herts) is one of the home counties in southern England. It borders Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire to the north, Essex to the east, Greater London to the south, and Buckinghamshire to the west. For govern ...
, England.
History
The school opened in 1954 as Francis Combe School, a
secondary modern school. It was named after Francis Combe (or Combes), a
Hemel Hempstead landowner who founded a
charity school in
Watford in 1651, with a bequest of £10 per annum.
It became the first
comprehensive
Comprehensive may refer to:
* Comprehensive layout, the page layout of a proposed design as initially presented by the designer to a client.
*Comprehensive school
A comprehensive school typically describes a secondary school for pupils aged appr ...
in Watford in 1966. Previously a
community school administered by
Hertfordshire County Council, in February 2008, the school was given permission to explore becoming an
academy, sponsored by
West Herts College and the
University of Hertfordshire (later the Meller Educational Trust). The school reopened in September 2009 as Francis Combe Academy, specialising in English, art and media.
In 2020, the name was changed to Future Academies Watford when the school became part of the
Future Academies multi-academy trust.
Facilities
All of the school's buildings were rebuilt in 2012 except for the English and Maths block, which was built in 2001 (currently the Communications and Maths building).
The £25 million rebuild, which connects to the older building, features three storeys and houses Science, ICT & Business and Humanities (originally Maths). The sports department includes a large sports hall, a dance studio and changing rooms. Two new outdoor spaces, the MUGA (multi use sports and games area) and the Agora. A new entrance foyer and a new art department focuses on open plan and collaborative working with no fixed walls between classrooms.
Notable former pupils
Francis Combe School and Community College
*
Bradley Walsh, comedian, television presenter, actor, singer, and former professional footballer
*
Kelly Smith, professional footballer
*
Mark Ilott, professional cricketer
*
eter Urie, television producer / director
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
Schools in Watford
Secondary schools in Hertfordshire
Academies in Hertfordshire
Educational institutions established in 1954
1954 establishments in England