Vandyke Upper School and Community College is an

academy school An academy school in England is a state-funded school which is directly funded by the Department for Education and independent of local authority control. The terms of the arrangements are set out in individual Academy Funding Agreements. 80% ...

and

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 ...

in Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire, England. As of 2022, there are approximately 1500 students in both the sixth form at Vandyke, and compulsory education.

History

The school was opened in 1976 as a comprehensive school for 13- to 18-year-olds.Vandyke School at Office of Standards in Education (OfSted)
, retrieved 15 June 2007 During the

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 ...

inspection that took place in December 2006, Vandyke Upper School achieved a Grade 2 (Good) rating.http://www.vandyke.beds.sch.uk/Ofsted%20Inspection%20Report.pdf The school was inspected again by Ofsted in 2013, the overall result being Grade 3 (Requires improvement). This was primarily attributed to unsatisfactory exam results and mixed quality of teaching. Since this inspection, Ofsted have upgraded the school back to a `good` rating.

Achievements

For several years Vandyke has been a participant of the Rock Challenge, a dance and drama event promoting healthy lifestyles amongst pupils. In 2005 Vandyke achieved

Sports College Sports Colleges are senior secondary schools which promote sports alongside secondary education. United Kingdom Sports Colleges were introduced in 1997 as part of the Specialist Schools Programme in the United Kingdom. The programme enabled sec ...

status and was granted £114,000 from the Government's

Big Lottery Fund The National Lottery Community Fund, legally named the Big Lottery Fund, is a non-departmental public body responsible for distributing funds raised by the National Lottery for " good causes". It is the largest community funder in the UK and ...

in 2006, providing out of hours sporting activities., retrieved 15 June 2007 In 2007 the school was awarded the Government Charter Mark for excellence in customer service. Vandyke met 63 exacting standards of customer service to qualify for the award.Leighton Buzzard Today (Online)
retrieved 5 July 2007 The Government's Key performance indicator, a program that logs school's

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 Key Stage Two exam performances, has placed Vandyke's results in the top 25% of schools across the country. According to the log, 61 per cent of Vandyke students attained A* to C grades in their GCSEs in 2007.

Charity

Vandyke Upper School donated forty-eight computers to Kabalega Secondary School, in

Uganda Uganda, officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the ...

. Twelve more computers went to an

NGO A non-governmental organization (NGO) is an independent, typically nonprofit organization that operates outside government control, though it may get a significant percentage of its funding from government or corporate sources. NGOs often focus ...

, the Link Development Community, also of Uganda, who work to improve education within the country. Retrieved 15 June 2007 Annually, since 2005, Vandyke has held fund raising events for the charity, Smile Malawi. Smile Malawi is a charity aimed at improving educatory standards for children in

Malawi Malawi, officially the Republic of Malawi, is a landlocked country in Southeastern Africa. It is bordered by Zambia to the west, Tanzania to the north and northeast, and Mozambique to the east, south, and southwest. Malawi spans over and ...

. Retrieved 15 June 2007 In 2008 Vandyke Upper School raised over £2000 for Smile Malawi and £3200 in 2017.

Vandyke Education Trust

The Governing Body of Vandyke Upper School is proposing a change of school category from a community school to a foundation school which will acquire a charitable trust to be called the Vandyke Education Trust.Vandyke home page
retrieved 30 June 2010 This is a new type of school that, while still being part of the local authority, has the opportunity to be supported by a Charitable Trust. To provide continuity and stability for the Trust, the Governors of Vandyke Upper School proposed to formalise, through a Trust, their partnerships with: * The University of Bedfordshire * Central Bedfordshire College of FE * MK Dons Sport and Education Trust * BEAerospace * VT Education * Central Bedfordshire Council

References

External links

Official website
{{authority control Upper schools in Central Bedfordshire District Academies in Central Bedfordshire District Educational institutions established in 1976 1976 establishments in England Leighton Buzzard