Prudhoe Community High School

General information

The school consists of several buildings and departments (housed within 'blocks'). The main school building is where the maths, languages, and sciences departments are based, as well as ICT rooms, the Contemporary Arts department, the music department, and part of the PE department.

Other buildings include the humanities block, where the student support areas (Pastoral and Learning Support teams), finance office, and administrative staff are based. It is also where the Humanities department, consisting of history, geography, and ethics, is based. The block also houses the Drama department and a Police Office (which is staffed by Northumbria Police).

The school includes an English block, a Sixth form study area, a DT and Business and ICT block, an Engineering building, and a full sports hall and gymnasium. The Art Building was opened by HM Queen Elizabeth II in May 1998.

The FUSE Media Centre opened in 2012, after several years of construction, which resulted in the rugby field at the north end of the school not safe for use. Although not essentially part of the school, classes are taught there including Media Production. From 2014, the centre also acts as a public cinema with limited screenings of newly released and classic films- a scheme to increase usage of the building.

New School Build

The school is currently getting a new state of the art rebuild with the tag price of around £12.5m. Building work on the new School officially begun in the end half of 2015 and the school will open its doors to students in September 2016. Located on the existing school site, The work entails demolition of the existing main school building and part demolition of the existing sports hall, and the erection of a two storey school building, phased relocation, reconfiguration of vehicular and pedestrian access and laying out of associated car parking, cycle parking, boundary treatments and landscaping. Work is being funded by the Education Funding Agency following a successful bid to the agency from Northumberland County Council. Once the new school has been built, the existing school will then be demolished and the area returned to playing fields.

Technology

Prudhoe Community High School is a specialist technology college, although from 2011 students are not obliged to study a technology subject at GCSE level. Courses include textiles, electronics, resistant materials, food, graphics (I.C.T. and traditional) and the 14–19 nationally acknowledged engineering diploma.

IT facilities

The school has on average one IT classroom per department (with art, maths, and contemporary arts departments being the only departments not to have an IT room). As an educational establishment within the Northumberland LEA, PCHS has full WiFi access for staff and students in all of its buildings.

Every classroom in the school has at least one PC, with portable laptops available only to the sixth form students.

Learning Resource Centre

Prudhoe Community High School supports its pupils through a learning resource centre (known also as the LRC), which includes a library, career advice centre, creative area, and 26 computers for use by students.

Clubs

The Learning Resource Centre hosts to several after-school clubs. These include the year nine reading group and a homework club.

Sports facilities

The sports hall includes a squash court, a fitness room, and a large gym with cricket batting nets, two small and one large basketball court. Outside the sports hall are some basketball and tennis courts. In the main building, there is a gymnastics hall.

The school has three large playing fields. One has athletics facilities (a sand pit and running track) and rugby posts; one has football posts; and the third is a lighted astro-turf pitch. The schools sporting facilities were reduced in wake of the construction of the FUSE Media Centre.

Extracurricular and S.E.N. support

The school provides a special area for anyone with learning and social difficulties. There is a permanent team of staff on hand who can help with extra lessons and one-on-one learning. The school has two connections offices and provides help for those looking towards further and extended education. A school nurse is available to give confidential free advice.