William Farr School
| Motto | Striving for Excellence |
|---|---|
| Established | 1952 |
| Type | Academy |
| Religion | Church of England |
| Headteacher | Andrew Stones |
| Founder | William Farr |
| Location |
Lincoln Road, Welton Lincoln Lincolnshire LN2 3JB England Coordinates: 53°18′04″N 0°28′55″W / 53.3012°N 0.4820°W |
| DfE number | 925/5415 |
| DfE URN | 136415 Tables |
| Ofsted | Reports |
| Staff | 217 |
| Students | 1502 |
| Gender | Coeducational |
| Ages | 11–18 |
| Houses | Witham (blue), Ermine (purple), Stonebow (orange), Brayford (yellow), Fosse (red) and Lindum (green) |
| Colours | Black blazer and blue shirts |
| Diocese | Lincoln |
| Buildings | Arkwright, Banks, Curie, Darwin, Escher, Fibonacci, Galileo, Halley, Irving and Wolfson |
| Website | WFS |
William Farr School is a Church of England academy school for 11- to 18-year-olds in Welton, Lincolnshire, England, 5 miles (8.0 km) north-east of Lincoln, near the A46, and close to the neighbouring village of Dunholme.
It lies in the ecclesiastical parish of St Chad and the civil parish of Dunholme. The nearest Church of England church is St Mary's in Welton. St Chad's and St Mary's are in the Welton, Dunholme and Scothern Benefice. The school focuses on the 'soft' Christian values, not literal theology. It is overseen by the Lincoln Diocesan Board of Education and Training.
History
Secondary modern school
The school was opened as a secondary modern in 1952 on the site of RAF Dunholme Lodge, a WW2 Bomber Command station, which had been bought for £600 in 1946 by Rev William Farr, the vicar of Welton. The school was named after him when he died in 1955. The old former wartime buildings were replaced in 1960.
Comprehensive
The school acquired comprehensive status in 1972, whilst Brian Sawyer (BA) was the headmaster. The sports hall was built in 1974, and the sixth form added in 1995. In 2000 William Farr signed up for the latest education initiative, Technology College status.
The school is also an associate school of the University of Lincoln. Queen Elizabeth II visited the school in 1996 to open a new Humanities building. In 2001 William Farr achieved the distinction of having the best comprehensive school A-level results in England. The school changed its Technology College status in 2007, to become a Science College.
It gained Grant Maintained status in 1992. This latter scheme was later abolished by the Labour government, but the school became a foundation school, a similar arrangement, in 1999.
In March 2003 a French school, the College Descartes-Montaigne from Liévin near Lens, was due to send an exchange visit to the school, but this was cancelled due to all schools in the Pas-de-Calais department being told Britain was too dangerous to visit.
Academy
The school became an independent academy on 1 January 2011 although head teacher Paul Strong, prior to his retirement in August 2011, stated he did not want to rename the school; it kept its full title, William Farr Church of England Comprehensive School.
There is no uniform in the sixth form. The school is currently oversubscribed.
Achievements
Helen Brittain, Head of History, received the 2008 Guardian award for teacher of the year at the East Midlands Conference Centre at Nottingham University.[1]
Paul Strong Head Teacher 1986 -2011. National Teaching Awards -Head Teacher of the Year -Commendation 2009,Ted Wragg Lifetime Achievement Award 2010, Awarded O.B.E. n Queens Diamond Jubillee Honours 2011.
School aims
In its foundation document the school states its aims as:
- "... to serve its community by providing an education of the highest quality within the context of Christian belief and practice. It encourages an understanding of the meaning and significance of faith and promotes Christian values through the experience it offers to all its pupils."
The school motto, included on the badge on the uniform, reads "Striving for excellence".
Campus radio station
The school formed a radio station, WFR (William Farr Radio) that is broadcast around the school through the school internet system. It was opened by BBC Radio Lincolnshire radio presenter Rod Whiting. The service started on Wednesday February 24th 2010. Due to recent changes there are now shows every day of the week mostly focusing on the aspect of radio concerning music.
References
- ↑ Beliner, Wendy; "Long-lasting treasure", the Guardian, 1 July 2008. Retrieved 8 January 2012