Established 2002 Headteacher Linda Todd Number of students 280 Gender Mixed-sex education | Religion Church of England Phone +44 1720 424850 Founded 2002 | |
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Type Federated voluntary controlled comprehensive Location Carn Gwaval, Church Road,
St Mary's
Isles of Scilly
TR21 0NA
England Local authority Address Carn Gwaval, Church Rd, St Mary's, Isles of Scilly TR21 0NA, UK Similar Sibleys, Scilly Self Catering, Star Castle Hotel, St Mary's Airport, The Atlantic | ||
Five islands school
The Five Islands School is the first federated school in the United Kingdom, providing primary and secondary education for children from 3–16 at five sites across the Isles of Scilly.
Contents
Five islands school tour
Sites
Secondary education (up to GCSE) is provided only on the most populous island of St Mary's. There, it was based at the Carn Thomas site, on the eastern edge of Hugh Town, on the road to Porth Mellon, but in 2011 relocated to a new school complex at Carn Gwaval, adjacent to an existing primary base there, between Hugh Town and Old Town. Secondary pupils from the other islands are given free board at Mundesley Hostel during the school week, returning home at the weekends and holidays.
The four primary education bases are at Carn Gwaval, near Old Town — for St Mary's pupils (combined since 2011 with the sole secondary education base); on Tresco, near Old Grimsby — for pupils from that island and the neighbouring island of Bryher; on St Martin's; and on St Agnes.
History
The secondary school and four primary schools were formerly five separate schools. While the smaller schools were praised by inspectors, the two larger schools on St Mary's were judged as inadequate. In response, the government forced a fresh start as a federated school, which opened in April 2002 and subsequently the other off islands bases were also federated.
An inspection in June and July 2003 again found the standard of education at the St Mary's sites to be inadequate, and the school was placed in special measures until 2005.
Under a succession of heads, the school has become a successful and cohesive federation, judged "outstanding" by the Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted) in 2007. The school's GCSE results are now the highest in South West England.
In 2008, the school was given funding of £13 million to build a new 3–16 school complex on a site adjacent to the existing Carn Gwaval primary school. This development took place 2010–11 and opened in time for the 2011–12 school year, which resulted in the secondary school moving permanently away from the Carn Thomas site, as well as the primary pupils at Carn Gwaval also moving into the new neighbouring school complex. The former primary school building was modernised and extended, becoming the island's main indoor sports and fitness centre.