Hazelwick School

History

Hazelwick School is a Secondary school for pupils aged 11–18. The school was finished being built in 1952 although it did not officially open until 1953 as a secondary modern school serving the north-east of Crawley. Philip Keyte, the school’s first pioneering Headmaster, designed the school’s uniform and created its motto 'effort achieves' which is still used to this day. He and his colleagues (including his successor Jim Wilkinson) helped establish a new school in a new town on a new site. The school’s original curriculum, as stated in the commemoration leaflet for Hazelwick’s official opening, was designed to reflect ‘not only the industrial character of the New Town but also its rural background'. At the time the school's main building (now known as 'Lower School') featured in the ‘Architectural Review’ of the summer of 1953 as a state-of-the-art secondary school building. Buildings were extended in the late 1950s, with the school becoming a bi-lateral grammar and secondary modern school in 1960 - a precursor to its current comprehensive status.

In 1971, the school reduced its age range to 12-18, as the area became a three-tier area, with provision for children in middle schools up until the age of twelve. This situation was reversed in 2004, with the school once again taking pupils aged eleven, at the beginning of Year 7. In preparation for this latter change, the school had considerable work done to buildings. It had been thought that the school would form part of the local Private Finance Initiative which re-built other local schools, but this was not to be the case.

A sports team worthy of note was the rugby side of the early seventies that went unbeaten for a record number of games. Several of this team went on to play for Crawley Rugby Club and the side also included Richard Slaney, the future British discus champion.

Academy status

At the start of August, 2011, Hazelwick School became an Academy School in line with new laws passed by the Coalition Government. Academy status was sought due to the school governing body and parental community wanting to have independent control over the school, believing that in the long run the school itself (and the governing body) is best placed to make decisions about its future development.

Students

The school caters for around 2000 pupils who are separated into 7 different years within the school. Years 7 to 9 study at Key Stage 3 which acts as the foundation knowledge of their educational career. Years 10 to 11 study at Key Stage 4 where pupils study to obtain a variety of qualifications such as; GCSEs, BTECs, NVQs and some pupils can even take A Levels. At Hazelwick's Sixth Form, approximately 400 students are taught at Key Stage 5 which provides several different qualifications for students to obtain, with the main being A Levels. A range of other higher level awards such as BTEC and NVQ are also offered by the school.

Curriculum

The school is a specialist technology college having specialisms in Humanities and Technology . It was awarded the Naacemark for schools, recognising the school's success in developing and implementing a strategic approach to ICT.

Although specialised the school offers a vast range of subjects within the curriculum, from core subjects such as Maths, Science and English to subjects as varied as Drama, Electronics, Art, Music, ICT and many more.

Sister School

Hazelwick School is twinned with Aggrey School in Ghana This twinning is celebrated with alternating annual trips being made by sixth formers and teachers. During the visit by Aggrey to Hazelwick a week of events to do with the cultural aspects of Ghana take place throughout the school to further ties between the two schools.

Notable former pupils

Notable former teachers