The Priory School, Shrewsbury
 | |
| Established | September 1939 |
|---|---|
| Type | Academy |
| Principal | Michael Barratt [1] |
| Chair of Governors | David Coull |
| Location |
Longden Road Radbrook Shrewsbury Shropshire SY3 9EE England Coordinates: 52°41′45″N 2°46′05″W / 52.69591°N 2.76818°W |
| DfE URN | 138216 Tables |
| Ofsted | Reports |
| Students | 831 pupils |
| Gender | Coeducational |
| Ages | 11–16 |
| Houses | Acton, Baxter, Clive, Darwin, Housman, Webb |
| Colours | Green and gold |
| Website |
priory |
The Priory School is a secondary school with academy status in the Shropshire market town of Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England. The school was opened in September 1939 and became a Business and Enterprise College in 2003, with the addition of Applied GCSE courses to the curriculum. The Principal is Mr Michael Barratt and the Chair of Governors is Mr David Coull. The Priory was formerly a girls' grammar school, but has since become a mixed non-selective school.
The Business and Enterprise training centre was opened in September 2004, equipping the school with conference and meeting facilities, often hired out by local groups and businesses. The school became an Enterprise Hub in April 2006, and was awarded High Performing Specialist School status at the start of the academic year 2007–08. The school has also recently received 'Leading Edge' status.
The school has no sixth form, but is in partnership with the two main local further education institutions (Shrewsbury Sixth Form College and Shrewsbury College of Arts and Technology), which the large majority of pupils go on to attend.
Houses
Each of the school's six houses, named after famous people from or associated with Shropshire, battles it out for the 'House Cup' (which Acton won in 2012), received by the house with the most points at the end of the house year. They are called Acton, Baxter, Clive, Darwin, Houseman and Webb. This runs from the start of the summer term to the end of the following spring term, so pupils in Year 11 are always still at school when the cup is awarded. Points are gained for receiving "learning credits" (for pupils in KS3), "commendations" (for pupils in KS4) and for participating in sports or drama activities. At the end of the term, pupils are given raffle tickets, the number of which corresponds with the number of learning credits received. These tickets are then chosen at random, and the person picked out receives a shopping voucher for the establishment of their choice.
Every year the school holds a variety concert organised and presented by Year 11 Drama and Music Officials, with support from the School Improvement Facilitators (formerly Heads of Department) of Drama and Music. It was formerly known as the Eisteddfod but was renamed the 'Pro Show' in 2007. The event showcases dancing, singing, bands, drama sketches and stand-up comedy, all performed by pupils. In 2014, a new video category was introduced, allowing pupils to be awarded for multimedia creations. The acts earn house points for auditioning, and further points if they are accepted into the school and public performances. Additionally, the school holds many events every year to try to raise money for charity, including a 25-hour sport-a-thon performed by Year-10 pupils.
Theatre
Since introducing Drama GCSE into the curriculum, the school has produced and cast many theatre productions. These are performed to a public audience, often in the second week of November. In 2002 there was a production of Joseph, 2003 Grease, 2004 Oliver!, 2005 Our Day Out, 2006 The Crucible, 2007 Les Misérables, 2008, Jesus Christ Superstar, 2009 West Side Story. For 2010, a talent show (by the name of Kaleidoscope) in much the same vein as the Pro Show was produced. This was to remember and celebrate the life of Mr. Steve Pashley, a former English and Drama teacher at the Priory School who died in May 2010. Acts were performed in honour of him. In 2011, the school performed Return to the Forbidden Planet and in 2012 performed Little Shop of Horrors. In 2013, the school put on a production of Bugsy Malone, to great critical success. In 2014, The Priory performed Fame.
The school was granted Academy status in June 2012, which granted it independence from the Local Education Authority and the ability to manage its own affairs with direct government funding. In addition, the school was rated by Ofsted as 'outstanding' in all four categories (in both of its previous expections), making the school the top performing in the county by Ofsted's criteria.[2]
On 13 December 2013, Candy Garbett, the head of the school, announced her retirement from the role effective 31 August 2014.[3] On 9 April 2014, it was announced that Michael J. Barratt, previously the head teacher of Adams' Grammar School, would be serving in the role from January 2015.[4] >
Notable alumni
- Andrew Rawlinson, dance music producer
- Neil Edmond, actor
- Kevin Seabury, footballer
- Adam Shantry, cricketer
- Stevie Davies, author
- Peter J. Reynolds, archaeologist[5]
- Christopher Timothy, actor - attended during the 1950s in what was then the Priory boys' school
Notable staff
- Sir Christopher (Chris) Woodhead, later Chief Inspector of Ofsted, was a teacher here from 1969 to 1972, in what was then the Priory boys' school. The boys school however was a separate school situated in the town centre.
References
- ↑ http://www.priory.shropshire.sch.uk/uploads/asset_file/David%20Coull%20intro%20letter.pdf
- ↑ http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/provider/files/2237533/urn/138216.pdf
- ↑ http://www.priory.shropshire.sch.uk/uploads/asset_file/3_0_retirement-letter.pdf
- ↑ http://www.priory.shropshire.sch.uk/uploads/asset_file/Letter%20to%20Priory%20Parents%20and%20Pupils.pdf
- ↑ Aston, Mick (5 October 2001). "Peter Reynolds". The Guardian. Retrieved 22 June 2012.