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William Farr School

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Coordinates: 53°18′04″N 0°28′55″W / 53.3012°N 0.4820°W / 53.3012; -0.4820
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William Farr School
Address
Map
Lincoln Road, Welton

Lincoln
,
Lincolnshire
,
LN2 3JB

England
Coordinates53°18′04″N 0°28′55″W / 53.3012°N 0.4820°W / 53.3012; -0.4820
Information
TypeAcademy
Religious affiliation(s)Church of England
Established1952
FounderWilliam Farr
Department for Education URN136415 Tables
OfstedReports
Head teacherGrant Edgar[1][2]
Staff217
GenderCoeducational
Age11 to 18
Enrolment1448
Houses
  Witham
  Ermine
  Stonebow
  Brayford
  Fosse
  Lindum
BuildingsArkwright, Banks, Curie, Darwin, Escher, Fibonacci, Galileo, Halley, Irving, and Wolfson
Websitewww.williamfarr.lincs.sch.uk

William Farr School, formally William Farr C of E Comprehensive School, is a Church of England academy school for 11 to 18-year-olds in the village of Dunholme, Lincolnshire but officially in Welton, Lincolnshire, England, 8 km (5 mi) north-east of Lincoln, near the A46. Despite officially being a part of Welton, most of the school grounds are in the civil parish of Dunholme.[3]

History

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Remains of former RAF Dunholme Lodge at nearby farm
The school's namesake and founder, the Rev William Farr

Secondary modern school

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The school was opened as a secondary modern in 1952 on the site of RAF Dunholme Lodge, a Second World War Bomber Command station, which had been bought for £600 in 1946 by the Reverend William Farr, vicar of Welton. The school was named after him when he died in 1955.

Work started on the £90,000 two-storey building on Friday 23 May 1958.[4]

The school was officially opened on Tuesday 3 May 1960, by the headmaster of Oakham School, John Buchanan, with a dedication by the Bishop of Lincoln, Kenneth Riches, with Chairman of Lindsey County Council Lt-Col Weston Cracroft-Amcotts, of Kettlethorpe Hall, and the architect Sam Scorer, who designed St John the Baptist's Church, Ermine, Lincoln around the same time.[5][6]

In the 1960s the headmaster was Mr H.P.C. North, who lived on Scothern Lane in Dunholme.[7] Brian Sawyer became headmaster in 1971; he had been the head of English at Blackdown High School, a secondary modern school in Leamington Spa, where he had been for ten years until 1968.[8]

Comprehensive

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The school acquired comprehensive status in 1972, whilst Brian Sawyer was the headmaster. The school had no sixth form.

58 year old Mr Sawyer retired in December 1985.[9] Paul Strong took over from September 1986.[10][11]

It gained Grant Maintained status in 1992. This latter scheme was later abolished, but the school became a foundation school, a similar arrangement, in 1999.[12]

In 2000, William Farr became a specialist Technology School.[13]

The school became a Science College in 2007.

The school became an independent academy in 2012.[14] Head teacher Paul Strong, prior to his retirement in August 2011, stated he did not want to rename the school; it kept its full title, William Farr Church of England Comprehensive School.[citation needed]

Sixth form

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The school was given permission for a sixth form in May 1994.[15][16] It opened Thursday 7 September 1995, for 60, being the only C of E sixth form in the diocese. The school wanted a sixth form for 23 years.[17] The Queen visited on Friday 11 October 1996, before 3pm to open the sixth form. The Queen flew into RAF Waddington at 11.25am in the morning, to open the new University of Lincoln, visiting the school in the afternoon, for the new £500,000 sixth form block.[18][19][20][21][22] They also have started works to make a new 6th form block which will be done by 2026.[citation needed]

1992 fire

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On the early morning of Sunday 24 May 1992, a fire destroyed the science block.[23][24] Two 14 year olds were charged, and appeared in court on 1 July 1992.[25] There was £350,000 of damage. A 15 year old was convicted of arson in early March 1993; the teenagers acquired the plan from watching the 1989 film Heathers.[26][27][28]

Any Questions programme

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On 11 March 1988 the Radio 4 Any Questions? programme was broadcast from the school.[29][30] When the live broadcast was taking place, vandals cut through an important cable. Sound was lost during a discussion on drink driving. Technicians at the BBC could not make any repairs, so music was played for the last fifteen minutes. No-one in the audience knew what had happened until the recording had ended. [31] Some males at the school had mentioned before the broadcast that an attempt would be made to take the broadcast off air. The headmaster initially disbelieved such possibilities of deliberate interference. Once the headmaster investigated likely possibilities, he found that four males had severed the telecommunication line to the school, and immediately suspended the four vandals, with two aged 15, and two aged 14. The decision was made by the chairman of the governors Mike Bonass.[32][33][34][35][36]

The four were interviewed by Lincolnshire Police at Market Rasen.[37]

School performance

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Before the school became an academy, Ofsted inspected and judged it as follows:

  • 2000: "a very good school, with many excellent features"[13]
  • 2006: Outstanding[38]
  • 2009: Outstanding[39]
  • 2022: Good

In 2007, the school was a National Support School.[40]

In 2019, the school's Progress 8 benchmark at GCSE was above average.[41] The proportion of its students entering the English Baccalaureate was low.[41] 56% of children achieved Grade 5 or above in English and maths GCSEs, compared to 43% nationally.[41] Progress at A level was below average and the average result was C+, the same as the national figure.[42]

Four staff members have received awards. Helen Brittain, Head of History, received the 2008 Guardian award for teacher of the year at the East Midlands Conference Centre at the University of Nottingham.[43] The award was also given to Elizabeth Hanson in 2011 and Christopher Mattley in 2015. Paul Strong, head teacher 1986-2011, was awarded Head Teacher of the Year at the Commendation in the National Teaching Awards in 2009, the Ted Wragg Lifetime Achievement Award 2010, and an OBE in at the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Birthday Honours 2012.[44]

School buildings

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The old former wartime buildings were replaced in 1960.[citation needed] The sports hall was built in 1974, and the sixth form added in 1995. Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip visited the school in October 1996 to open a new humanities building, named after Joseph Banks.[45][46][47]

There was a further building programme in the 2000s.[38]

The Lawres Chapel was opened in 2004 by the then Bishop of Lincoln, John Saxbee. It is home to the Helen Alwyn memorial window and the RAF Book of Remembrance, which honours those who served and died during the Second World War and were stationed here at RAF Dunholme Lodge. Every day, members of Year 7 have the responsibility of turning a page. The chapel is always open and available to all members of the school of any faith or none.[48]

The William Farr School Museum

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There were plans for an RAF museum at the school in September 2015. The project aims to create a museum to celebrate and preserve the history of RAF Dunholme Lodge, which inhabited the site before the school opened. The school had a special Nissen hut constructed at the school to house the artefacts it has collected over the last few years. A conservation specialist was employed to advise the academy on how to best display and preserve the material they have. Foundations of many of the old RAF buildings were discovered in William Farr Wood behind the school, planned to be used for an interpretive trail, with help from a woodland management team. The centre appealed for photographs and artefacts that may still be in the community.[49]

Notable ex-pupils

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References

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  1. ^ "Headteacher Welcome". William Farr School. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
  2. ^ "William Farr CofE Comprehensive School". Get Information about Schools. Gov.UK. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
  3. ^ "Parish Boundary". www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/election-maps/gb/?x=501229&y=379177&z=9&bnd1=CPC&bnd2=&labels=off. Retrieved 9 May 2022.
  4. ^ Lincolnshire Echo Saturday 24 May 1958, page 5
  5. ^ Lincolnshire Echo Wednesday 4 May 1960, page 5
  6. ^ Lincolnshire Echo Thursday 5 May 1960, page 5
  7. ^ Lincolnshire Echo Monday 3 July 1967, page 5
  8. ^ Leamington Spa Courier Friday 11 June 1971, page 6
  9. ^ Lincolnshire Echo Tuesday 24 September 1985, page 1
  10. ^ Lincolnshire Echo Thursday 17 July 1986, page 25
  11. ^ Lincolnshire Echo Thursday 30 October 1986, page 7
  12. ^ "William Farr School". www.welton-village.org.uk. Retrieved 11 July 2021.
  13. ^ a b Mitchell, Paul (2000). "Inspection Report: WILLIAM FARR (CE) COMPREHENSIVE SCHOOL". Ofsted. Retrieved 10 July 2021.
  14. ^ Norris, Frank (14 February 2012). "Academy conversion and predecessor schools". Ofsted. Retrieved 10 July 2021.
  15. ^ Lincolnshire Echo Wednesday 4 May 1994, page 23
  16. ^ Lincolnshire Echo Saturday 24 September 1994, page 11
  17. ^ Lincolnshire Echo Thursday 7 September 1995, page 2
  18. ^ Times Saturday October 12 1996, page 20
  19. ^ Lincolnshire Echo Thursday 10 October 1996, page 6
  20. ^ Lincolnshire Echo Friday 11 October 1996, page 1
  21. ^ Lincolnshire Echo Saturday 12 October 1996, page 6
  22. ^ Lincolnshire Echo Monday 14 October 1996, page 30
  23. ^ Lincolnshire Echo Wednesday 27 May 1992, page 3
  24. ^ Lincolnshire Echo Saturday 30 May 1992, page 1
  25. ^ Lincolnshire Echo Monday 1 June 1992, page 16
  26. ^ Lincolnshire Echo Monday 8 February 1993
  27. ^ Lincolnshire Echo Friday 5 March 1993, page 1
  28. ^ Lincolnshire Echo Thursday 11 March 1993, page 1
  29. ^ BBC Genome
  30. ^ Lincolnshire Echo Friday 11 March 1988, page 2
  31. ^ Lincolnshire Echo Saturday 12 March 1988, page 1
  32. ^ Lincolnshire Echo Tuesday 15 March 1988, page 7
  33. ^ Daily Mirror Wednesday 16 March 1988, page 5
  34. ^ Aberdeen Press and Journal Wednesday 16 March 1988, page 2
  35. ^ Liverpool Echo Wednesday 16 March 1988, page 5
  36. ^ Dundee Evening Telegraph Wednesday 16 March 1988, page 14
  37. ^ Scunthorpe Evening Telegraph Saturday 12 March 1988, page 3
  38. ^ a b Cragg, Martin (2006). "Inspection Report". Ofsted. Retrieved 10 July 2021.
  39. ^ Cragg, Martin (2009). "William Farr CofE Comprehensive School Inspection report". Ofsted. Retrieved 10 July 2021.
  40. ^ "Schools". Hansard. UK Parliament. 21 May 2007. Retrieved 10 July 2021.
  41. ^ a b c "William Farr CofE Comprehensive School". Find and compare schools in England. Gov.UK. Retrieved 10 July 2021.
  42. ^ "William Farr CofE Comprehensive School". Find and compare schools in England. Gov.UK. Retrieved 10 July 2021.
  43. ^ Beliner, Wendy; "Long-lasting treasure", the Guardian, 1 July 2008. Retrieved 8 January 2012
  44. ^ "News of Latymerians". OlNews. September 2012. p. 6. Retrieved 11 July 2021 – via Issuu.
  45. ^ "About Us". William Farr Web. Retrieved 11 July 2021.
  46. ^ Alexander, Millie; Broadbent, Sophie (Winter 2012). "Farrago 60th Anniversary". The termly magazine of William Farr C of E Comprehensive School.
  47. ^ "Queens Green Canopy — school marks its platinum opening with a Jubilee tree! | West Lindsey District Council". www.west-lindsey.gov.uk. 10 May 2022. Retrieved 27 May 2022.
  48. ^ "Our Church Distinctiveness". William Farr Web. Retrieved 19 May 2022.
  49. ^ "The William Farr School Museum". No. 44 (Rhodesia) Squadron Association. Retrieved 19 May 2022.
  50. ^ Chapman, Kate (January 2014). "In time with the Tudors…". Lincolnshire Life. Retrieved 12 September 2018.
  51. ^ "Newsletter". William Farr CE Comprehensive School. 2014. Retrieved 25 April 2019.
  52. ^ Lincolnshire Echo Tuesday 9 October 1984, page 12
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Video clips

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