Established c. 1950s Headteacher Mr Christopher Walford Ofsted Reports Number of students 774 | Closed 2007 DfE URN 110876 Tables Phone +44 1733 566010 Ceased operations 2007 | |
Location Western AvenuePeterboroughCambridgeshirePE1 4HXEngland Address Western Ave, Peterborough PE1 4HX, UK | ||
John Mansfield School was located in the Dogsthorpe area of Peterborough, England. The school opened in the 1950s, when the estate had just been completed, and was originally an all-girls school for those who failed the 11+. In 1981, it became a mixed school opened to all student form year 7 to post 16. In 2007 the school was closed and merged with two other schools, Deacon's Secondary School and Hereward Community College. The new school was relocated and called the Thomas Deacon Academy of Peterborough.
In the mid-1970s the school became a mixed comprehensive school. Until the early 2000s, it suffered from a poor reputation and occasional bad press, mainly in the local papers. During the 2000s, some parents went to the main local paper, The Evening Telegraph', angry that their children had been suspended because of extreme haircuts. The school was unapologetic for its actions. It was seen, by many, as an underachieving school with troublesome students but the school worked hard to shake off this image and although pupil behaviour and exam results did dramatically improve the reputation never completely went away. It achieved excellent 'Value Added'results and received recognition as an improved school three years running. In 1995 the school began teaching sixth form courses and won Government School Achievement Awards in 2001 and 2002. In 2006 it was named the 53rd most improved school in Britain.
In 2003 it was announced that the school would close and students would go to a new academy. The head teacher fought against the planned action and had a great deal of support from the local community. A few former students openly welcomed the idea in the local press after a misleading letter was published by one of the supporters of the campaign. The school closed its doors in July 2007 for the last time.
The school boasted excellent facilities for performing arts, with two art studios, several music rooms, a dance studio and a drama studio. Other additions to the school included a much improved English/Design Technology/Maths block. It also had three Information Technology suits and was praised for these facilities.