Ivybridge Community College

History

It was awarded a sports specialism in 1997, a specialism in science in 2004 and a third specialism in languages in 2005 In December 2009, Geoffrey Rees CBE retired as Principal of Ivybridge Community College after holding the position for 22 years. The next principal, Rob Haring, moved from Hanley Castle High School, a specialist language college in Worcestershire, to assume office at the start of 2010. The school introduced blazers to the uniform and new PE kits at the start of the 2010/11 academic year. In June 2010, it was announced that it had applied to become an academy, independent from Devon County Council's control and funded directly from the state. This took effect in November 2010. The new principal, former GB gymnast, Rachel Hutchinson, moved from St Peter's School in Exeter, Devon to become Principal as of September 2016.

Academics

The only secondary school in Ivybridge, Ivybridge Community College offers a range of student facilities and is usually over-subscribed. The college received an outstanding report from Ofsted in 2006 and 2011.

Sport

Sports facilities include 4 tennis courts, a former AstroTurf pitch now a 3G rubber crumb, 4 basketball courts, a fitness suite, a rugby pitch, a 200m concrete running track, a gymnasium, a large sports hall, a 100m synthetic long jump track, and a smaller rubber crumb; these are also used for extracurricular clubs.(In 2006 the year 8 boys’ football team reached the final of the Under 13 Coca Cola Cup and the school rugby team participated in the Sanix World Rugby Youth Invitational Tournament. In 2011, the college represented England at the Sanix World Rugby Invitational Tournament.

Notable staff

Michaela Breeze MBE, former sports teacher (until 2012), won a gold medal weightlifting in the 2002 Commonwealth Games for Wales, was given an MBE at Buckingham Palace, London for her services to weightlifting in 2011 and won another gold medal in the 2006 Commonwealth Games.

Geoffrey Rees CBE, ex-principal (1987–2009) was given a CBE at Buckingham Palace, London for his services to education in 2003.

Curriculum

The college curriculum follows the national curriculum of England and Wales and offers French and Spanish for a compulsory modern foreign language. Year 8 students in upper classes study a second language as well. Students choose 4 GCSE subjects, with "philosophy & ethics", Social Studies, Physical Education and IT compulsory. Science is taught for five hours a week compared to 3 each for maths and English. Higher standard science students do Science and Additional Science and lower standard science students study the more vocational Science and Applied Science. The school has a sixth form for students to take AS/A levels and BTEC National Diplomas. The start of the school year in 2009 was the first year where some sixth formers studied International Baccalaureate Diplomas alongside those choosing to do A levels. This follows the move to the IB by many Plymouth Exeter and other Devon schools.

Results

Key Stage 3 

In 2006, 84% of English students, 86% of maths students and 86% of science students achieved NC level 5 and above at the end of Key Stage 3. All results had improved since 2005 in particular English which rose by from 78%. In 2007, 22% of year 9 students achieved a level 7 in Physical Education, compared to the 6% of pupils in 2006. In the 2006 SATs the percentage of students at level 7 was just 8%, compared to the national average of 9%.

Key Stage 4 

Students take GCSEs and BTEC National Diplomas. In the period 2002–05, the average percentage of students achieving five or more A*–C grades was 78% — 22 points higher than the average for England and Devon (of 56%).

Key Stage 5 

Key stage 5, tertiary education comprises AS levels/A2 levels taken in years 12 and 13, along with BTEC national diplomas. In 2006, 19% of results were As, 24% were Bs, 30% were Cs, 15% were Ds, 9% were Es and 2% were Us.