Chetwynde School

Updated on Oct 30, 2023

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Established 1938 Head Ms Sian Jeffreys DfE number 909/6025 Founded 1938		Type Free school Chairman of Governors Dr Simon Mardel OBE Phone +44 1229 824210 Local authority Cumbria County Council

Location CroslandsRating LaneBarrow-in-FurnessCumbriaLA13 0NY England Address Crosslands, Rating Ln, Barrow-in-Furness LA13 0NY, UK Similar Ulverston Victoria High Sch, Furness College, Dowdales School, St Bernards Catholic, Millom School Profiles Facebook Twitter

Chetwynde school 6th form highlights 07 08

Chetwynde School is a non-selective coeducational free school in Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, England. It includes a nursery, primary school, secondary school and sixth form. The school is situated on a 17-acre (69,000 m²) site.

Founded as an independent primary school, it was known as Our Lady's Chetwynde School and Chetwynde Convent Preparatory School at different periods of its history before it expanded to being a coeducational independent school for children aged 3 to 18. Before 2014 it was Barrow's only independent school and the only one in the town which educated children from nursery all the way to sixth form. The school became a state-funded free school in September 2014.

History

Chetwynde was founded as Our Lady's Chetwynde School in 1938 by Sister Aquinas and her nuns as a girls' school. In 1976 the school became mixed and independent from the church, though it retained its Catholic faith and ethos. Under Margaret Stones, the school's first headteacher, Chetwynde achieved high levels of sporting and academic success. The next headteacher was Isobel Nixon; during her time as headmistress the school dropped the "Our Lady's" prefix from its title and the school's record of high academic and extra-curricular achievement was maintained. New laboratories were built with the help of the John Fisher Foundation and many other modernisations took place.

It was initially a junior school for children up to age 11. In 1984, the age range was extended to 16. By then the school had outgrown its premises on Abbey Road and moved to its current site. The Sixth Form was opened in 1989. The first male headteacher, Russell Collier, was appointed in 2010.

Threat of closure

Due to the economic climate and falling pupil numbers, in March 2012 the governors made the decision to close the school as of July 2012 due to it no longer being economically viable. The possibility of converting Chetwynde into a free school was explored as Barrow MP John Woodcock wrote to the Minister for Education Nick Gibb about a possible late application that year. However, it was found that Chetwynde did not meet the necessary government criteria.

A group of parents against the closure formed the "Chetwynde Support Group" (CSG) to collect funds from the local community and businesses in hopes of keeping the school open. As of 20 April 2012 the total was £370,000 raised in just three weeks. By May the total had reached £461,000.

A meeting held by the board of governors, representatives from Barclays Bank and the CSG took place on 16 May 2012. Two days later it was announced that the banks supporting the school were "satisfied with the work that has been done" and all parties agreed that the school would remain open for the 2012-13 school year provided there was a minimum enrolment of 220 pupils. The board also took the decision to stand down from their positions of responsibility and a new interim board was appointed, consisting of some CSG members.

Reopening

On 25 May 2012 it was announced that the school would open in September after an eleventh hour purchase from a currently unnamed purchaser. The school, which will remain under the leadership of current headmaster Russell Collier, will return with a new board of governors, the majority from the Chetwynde Support Group (CSG). The school began to offer new bursary programs to make it more accessible to the local community and to increase enrollment.

Free school application

On 8 November 2012, in a meeting held between governors and parents, it was announced that the school intended to apply for free school status beginning in September 2014, as based on pupil numbers the school's long-term future was in doubt. The application was processed by January 2013, with a decision from the Department of Education to be made by May 2013. Initial reception from parents was extremely positive and Chetwynde asked parents in the area to register their interest in order to aid the school's application. On 22 May 2013 Chetwynde announced that it had been successful in its application and became Cumbria's first free school in September 2014.

Academics

Chetwynde is consistently ranked as one of the county's top non-selective schools. In the 2011 GCSEs, pupils achieved a 100% pass rate with all gaining at least five "A*" to "C" grades, making Chetwynde the best school in Cumbria for GCSE results. That same year it also achieved the best A-level results in Cumbria, with 86% of grades at "A*" to "B".

In 2013, Chetwynde School Sixth Form maintained its 100% A-Level pass rate for the fourth consecutive year. In the same year, 96% of Chetwynde's GCSE students achieved five or more A* to C grades.

Sport

In sport, the school has competitive rugby union, football, cricket, hockey, tennis, cross-country running and athletics teams. It is most notable for success in netball and swimming.

Chetwynde is known for its highly successful swimming team. The school has achieved a number of national titles, being the only school to have won medals at every English National Schools' Primary Championship since their inauguration in 1995. They have represented England in international tournaments.

Chetwynde has a formidable record in netball and it remains a popular sport with pupils. During the 1980s and 1990s, its teams dominated the English Schools Netball Association Championship.