Newent Community School

Newent Community School is a secondary school in Newent, Gloucestershire, England. It is an Academy of 1,340 students, serving the town and the rural community. The school provides secondary education for ages 11 to 18. The school offers GCSEs as well as A Levels. In 2001, the school was granted Arts College specialist status. In 2007 the school was also granted Science College as a second specialism. In addition, the school has been awarded Sportsmark Silver, Artsmark Gold and Healthy School. The school became an academy in 2012.

Newent Community School
Address
Watery Lane Newent , Gloucestershire , GL18 1QF England
Information
Type	Academy
Motto	Fidem Praesto
Established	1840 and 1921 (ancestor schools) 1951 (comprehensive) - moved to present site in 1965.
Local authority	Gloucestershire
Specialist	Arts (visual arts) and Science
Department for Education URN	138746 Tables
Ofsted	Reports
Principal	Dawn Burke
Gender	Coeducational
Age	11 to 18
Enrolment	1,108
Houses	Collingwood   Mountbatten   Nelson   Sixth Form Unnamed House (2023)
Colour(s)	Green   Gold
Website	http://www.newent.gloucs.sch.uk/
11km 6.8miles Newent Community School

The campus consists of 35 acres (140,000 m²) which includes extensive sporting and leisure facilities, including: a floodlit all-weather pitch; sports hall; squash courts; gymnasium; fitness suite and indoor heated swimming pool - all of which are for use by the school and wider community.^[1] As a community school, adult education classes, are held both in the school and in the dedicated community rooms.

Mark Harper MP was governor between 2000 - 2005.^[2]

History

Newent Community School and Sixth Form Centre was Gloucestershire’s first purpose-built comprehensive school. The present building was opened in April 1965, although previously it had operated on a split site in Ross Road.^[3]

Originally there were four houses; Collingwood(blue), Mountbatten(red), Nelson (green)and Drake (yellow), but due to a low student numbers Drake was removed and only three remain.

Eco-Lab

The school required a new laboratory to meet curriculum requirements and inspired by exchange visits with a school in Kenya the pupils requested that it be developed as an eco lab. The building incorporates a comprehensive range of sustainable qualities; designed for low energy use with a high performance thermal envelope locally sourced and using renewable, low maintenance materials; good levels of north daylighting linked to automatically controlled artificial lighting and underfloor heating. Energy consumption results are published in the school news network.^[4]

Kenya student exchange

Newent Community School, along with two other Gloucestershire schools (Dene Magna School and Lakers School) has been involved with student exchange with St George’s Secondary School near Kisumu in Kenya for twelve years.^[5] The school maintains a strong partnership with St George's Secondary School and provides financial and educational support through the use of fundraising.

Students visited St George's in Kenya in 2004, 2006, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2015 and 2017.^[6]

Notable former pupils

• Alex Cuthbert, Welsh rugby union player^[7]
• Vicky Holland, British Triathlete, Commonwealth Games Gold medallist^[7]
• Ed Leigh, TV Presenter^[7]
• Stuart Fleetwood Football Player^[7]
• Andi Gladwin, magician^{[citation needed]}
• Joe Edwards (footballer, born 1990) Football Player^[7]
• Karen Holford, Chief Executive and Vice-Chancellor of Cranfield University, former Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Cardiff University.^[8]