Whickham School is a secondary school in the north-east of England, near the city ofNewcastle upon Tyne. Formerly Whickham Comprehensive School, it first opened its doors in 1962 as a replacement for the small, 'all-age' Victorian school in the village centre. A much larger school was required due to the large house building programme that was taking place. It holds around 1700 pupils between the ages of 11-19 and has 300 members of staff. It offers a range of vocational and traditional qualifications at Key Stage 4 and 5, including GCSE, BTEC and A-Level.
Within the Community
It is a well established and well known school within the community, with good academic achievement, and the largest sixth form in Gateshead. It holds frequent events for the local community, most notably the annual Community Carol Service. During the schools last Ofsted inspection the school was judged to 'Good' with five areas of the school being judged "outstanding". The OfSTED definition of ‘Good’ is, “These are very positive features of a school. A school that is good is serving its pupils well”. Five areas of the school were judged to be “Outstanding”. These features are highly effective. An outstanding school provides exceptionally well for all its pupils’ needs. The ‘Outstanding’ areas were: 1 - The quality of learning for pupils with special educational needs and /or disabilities and their progress 2 - The extent to which pupils feel safe 3 - Pupils’ attendance 4 - The effectiveness of care, guidance and support 5 - The effectiveness of partnerships in promoting wellbeing All these areas reflect the commitment of Whickham School to the well being of all its students. Pupils who are happy, secure, well cared for and supported have the best possible opportunity to succeed. Equally partnerships are crucial to the success of any school and Whickham values all its partnerships extremely highly.
Drama at Whickham School
A minimum of two productions are staged every year. Recent Whickham School productions include the Wizard of Oz and the classic Grease.
Fire
On 21 March 2008, there was a fire which destroyed the staff room, library, two music rooms, sixth form common room and study area. New and improved Sixth Form facilities opened ready for the academic year beginning in September 2009.
Legal challenge to school uniform
In June 1999, University Professor Claire Hale took legal action against the School when they refused permission to allow her daughter, Jo Hale, to wear trousers. Amongst others, the Equal Opportunities Commission decided to back pupil Jo Hale's case. On February 24, 2000, the school was forced to avoid a costly legal battle and resolved the dispute by announcing that, in future, girls would be able to wear trousers.
