City technology college in Telford, Shropshire, England
Thomas Telford School is a City Technology College in Telford, Shropshire and is sponsored by The Mercers Company and Tarmac Holdings Limited.[1]
History
The school was founded in 1991 as the eighth of fifteen specialist CTCs set up to raise educational standards in inner-city areas.[2] The catchment area includes Telford, Wolverhampton and the villages and suburbs in between. One of the school's initial main aims was to help relieve the under-performing schools in the urban areas of Wolverhampton. Thomas Telford School previously generated significant funds through the sale of its online curriculum content and qualifications sold through a subsidiary company TTSOnline Limited (Thomas Telford School Online Limited).[clarification needed][3]
In 2009, pupils from the school were chosen to construct Airfix models of planes and tanks, and to assist Top Gear co-host James May construct a life size model of a World War II Spitfire on the first episode of the series James May's Toy Stories.
Information technology
The school has used IT for education, making use of electronic whiteboards provided by Smart Technologies in all classrooms, learning bases and study rooms. The school provides an extranet, which is run using Virtual Office, allowing students and staff to access their files and e-mail from home.
The school has a CAD/CAM suite; which provides access to Roland CAM CNC milling and machining equipment and a set of 3D printers. The CAD/CAM suite also consists of an HP A1 Pantone printer, HP A3 colour laser printer and HP A3 inkjet laser printer as well as the school's network of other laser printers. The CAD/CAM suite also houses around fifty computers for students to produce work on the various CAD packages the school has which includes the latest version of AutoDesk Inventor.[citation needed]
The school hosts its online curriculum in-house, with a web server and Real Streaming Media Server housed in the computer services department of the school.[4]
Achievements and school life
The school caters for students from the age of 11 through to 18. This is in a system of national year groups from Year 7 to 6.2 (year 13). GCSE and A-level results have also improved year on year and now results are consistently around 100% pass rates.[citation needed] Most students leave Thomas Telford with 12 or more pass GCSEs of which most are A or A* grades.[citation needed]
In the 2009-10 academic year the school won two national football finals and were finalists and semi-finalists in a further 3. Also, the Synchronised Swimming Teams are currently national champions and a former student won a gold medal in the European School Games in 2006.[5] In recent years, the school choir has been invited to perform at the Royal Albert Hall, which is an honour for any choir[6]
The school's current headmaster, Kevin Satchwell, was knighted in 2001 for services to education and the community,[7] and from 1998 to the present day, TTS has been named 'the most successful Comprehensive school in the UK', after 100% of its pupils gained 5 or more GCSEs at A*-C, being the first and only comprehensive school ever to do so in 1998.
Ranking and Facilities
The school no longer uses the traditional yardstick of five or more GCSE passes at grades A* to C since all students achieved at least 12 GCSE passes at grades A* to C.[8]
The school at one time in the first decade of the 21st century was the best-performing comprehensive school in England.[9]
Expansion
In 2004, Thomas Telford School partnered with a local school, Madeley Academy,[10] placing members of its own senior leadership in charge. The academy was graded Outstanding by Ofsted in 2009.
The school has helped set up two other schools. These are in Walsall and Sandwell; both are now fully built and operational. These are headed by former Deputy Headteachers at Thomas Telford School. All four current academies compete in Inter-Academy competitions throughout the year in a variety of sports.
