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A Levels

The county of Dorset has a comprehensive education system, primarily based on First, Middle and Upper schools, with transfer between schools at age 9 and 13. This system has allowed the predominatly rural county to provide early years education close to home, and to minimise transport requirements for older students. As school populations have fallen in parts of the county, however, the authority has begun to reintroduce a primary/secondary system with transfer at age 11, particularly in the more urban areas such as in Blandford. There are currently 19 state and 8 independent upper or secondary schools in Dorset, with year sizes in the state schools of around 200.

Bournemouth has a selective system, with 10 state and 2 independent secondary schools; Poole also has a selective system, with 8 state and 2 independent secondary schools. Bournemouth and Poole each have two single-sex selective grammar schools. West Dorset has the biggest school population - almost twice that of any other Dorset district. and all three schools in the Weymouth and Portland district do not have a sixth form, as does one school in the North Dorset district. Purbeck and East Dorset districts only have two schools. In Dorset in 2006, of the 4600 pupils taking GCSE at 16, 50.0% gained 5 grades A-C including English and Maths, compared to the English average of 45.8%. The best school at GCSE is the Thomas Hardye School in Dorchester with 76%, which has the largest school year size of almost 500, followed by the Woodroffe School in Lyme Regis with 61%. The worst is the Grange School in Christchurch with 30%, although four schools in Bournemouth and two in Poole get lower results. At A-level, the best school in Dorset is the Thomas Hardye School, again followed by the Woodroffe School, with the best school being Sherborne School For Girls closely followed by Sherborne School, both independent schools. An independent school in Bournemouth gets better results than both of the Sherborne schools, as also does one in Poole. However, the best school of all types at A-level including Bournemouth and Poole, is the Parkstone Grammar School, followed by the Poole Grammar School - Poole's two grammar schools. Overall at A-level, Dorset performs under the England average, with Poole performing averagely, but Bournemouth gets overall results well above the England average, and one of the highest for an English authority area, even though at GCSE it performs under the England average.

• See list of Dorset schools

Talk

Advanced Level is too general; after all, GNVQs were available at Advanced Level (and Intermediate and Foundation levels), Vocational Certificates of Education (VCEs) are available at Advanced Level, not to mention English as a Foreign Language (EFL) [2], City and Guilds qualifications (eg in Jewellery [3]), etc, and in any case Advanced Level may not even refer to a qualification. At least most people relate A-Level to GCE A-Level.

In full the article should be called General Certificate of Education Advanced Level, but perhaps we should use the new, more sucinct, QCA nomenclature of Advanced General Certificate of Education [4].

Revised Entry

The General Certicate of Education Advanced Level (or A-level for short) is a GCE qualification, usually taken by students in the final two years of secondary education (commonly called the Sixth Form), after they have completed GCSEs. It is a non-compulsory qualification taken by students in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. In Scotland, students usually take Highers and Advanced Highers of the Scottish Qualifications Certificate, although schools may choose to offer the A-Level as an alternative.

The Really-Free Library

Many years ago in a large city in the northeast USA, a man named John (Jonbi) Scotland opened a new "free library". This library differred from other public and community libraries in several ways.

1. It required no registration to use its books, although registration was optional. Registered readers wore name tags to identify them, but sometimes some readers would forget their tags.
2. The library building itself had no locks, though it did have doors to keep out the elements.
3. The library had no paid libraians.
   1. Instead, every reader was considered a volunteer "librarian". They were to warn each disruptive reader atleast 3 times to "shhhhhsh" before reporting them to "adlibs". This also applied to readers
   2. There was a small group of "administrative libraians" (called "adlibs") that would help "police" the library. These ablibs could ask disruptive visiters to leave, though the disruptive readers could come back in if they changed clothes.
4. There was no time limit whatsoever on borrowing books, and readers could borrow as many books as they wanted at a time.
5. Readers could also donate books to the library.
6. There was one room in the library for special books which did have a lock, which was only open to registered readers. Registered readers could nominate books for protection, but only adlibs could place books in need of protection in the locked room.

For awhile, everyone was happy with the new library. Then, things began to take unexpected turns.

New books began to turn up missing, with no record of who borroewd them. Adlibs sent out notices to the registered readers (the only ones they had addresses for), but most regiestered readers were fairly prompt aboout returning borrowed books. In addition, many books, almost of of which had been borrowed by unregistered readers, were returned in bad conditions. Some were missing covers, or large chunks of pages (called "book blanking", which these readers sometimes wrote on the book's remaining front page).

At other times, unregistered readers would walk up and down the isles, and write words in the books with large black markers. Most of these readers were not very inteligient, and so found themselves limited to writing such simple wordsand phrases as "poop", "penis" and "kATie mCAwLipH is h0t".

Many registered readers attempted to report these "vandals", as they were encouraged to do by the library's "guidelines". However, they had to witness the vandal vandalizing at least four times within 24 hours, and have spoken to the person asking them them to desist after each witnessed occurence. Even then, adlibs were hesitant to expel vandals, as they did not want to discourage other unregistered readers from visitng the library. Adlibs were even known to harrass registered readers who attempted to report vandals, encouraging them not to "bite the new readers", but in actuality protecting the vandals, rather than the books being vandalized.

Even when vandalized books were placed in the locked room for protection by adlibs, other adlibs would promptly place them back on the main shelves, saying that these books should ba available to everyone.

The library was close to several large schools, and this presented even more problems. Each of these schools required school uniforms for their students. Thus the students causing problems resembled other students who were just in the libray to read or borrow books. Because of this, adlibs were hesitant to speak to these students, as they could not tell one student aprat from the other. The schools were not much help either, often complaing if one of their students was caught vandalizing, say it broight shame on the school, and so the vandalism should just be ignored.

The library soon gained a reputation among its registered readers for having some very good books, many of whom spent much effort finding books to donate. However, its reputation amog the outside world was considerably less golden. The library became known for its trashy, unreliable books. Many registered readers would encourage non-members of the libray to come and check out some books. However, after finding several trashy or vandalized books, most of these non-members would never return.

Many registered users, fed up with the policies of the library, began going to other libraries where registration was required to borrow books, and where there were time limits on borrowing books. In fact, most libraries today are of this type.

After several years, the library was forced to close, as it no longer had any books thet people wanted to read. Each time a good book was donated, it was borrowed, and never returned.

It is said that Jonbi Scotland, when he died a few years later, still did not understand why his vision of the "really-free library" had failed.

RAF Ludham

RAF Ludham was a World War II RAF flying station, lying 11 miles NE of Norwich, Norfolk, England. For a short while it was used by the Royal Navy for the construction of Mobile Naval Air Bases.

Early years

The airfield was built as a grass-surface satellite airfield for RAF Coltishall in 1941. Operational flying commenced in the November, initially with the Spitfires of No. 152 Squadron RAF. Many RAF squadrons used the base over next two years but none were to stay for very long. The station was closed to flying operations in July 1943 and work started to build three concrete runways, taxiways and aircraft hard standings, in preparation for its next intended occupants, the U.S. Eighth Air Force. However, they never took up the option of using Ludham for operational duties, and the station remained effectively empty until August 1944. During this time Ludham was opened by a skeleton duty crew to provide emergency recovery facilities for American bombers returning from raids on the continent; Ludham being the first airfield on the flight path home to Norfolk. In total eight B17s, a B24, and a P47 aircraft either crashed or made emergency landings at Ludham or in the surrounding area.

RNAS Ludham

Ludham was transferred to the Admiralty to become RNAS Ludham on 24 August 1944, when an advance party of the Mobile Naval Airfields Organisation arrived, and RNAS Ludham was commissioned as HMS Flycatcher on September 4 1944. While at Ludham, the MNAO assembled and despatched the first five Mobile Naval Air Bases (MONAB) and one Transportable Aircraft Maintenance Yard (TAMY). However, Ludham’s location did not lend itself to the task of the MNAO, since all mobile units sailed from Liverpool and later Greenock, and transporting the vehicles and equipment from Ludham was a difficult task. The RAF offered to exchange RAF Middle Wallop, which had become available, for Ludham which they now planned to reopen as an operational station. The Admiralty accepted and Ludham was returned to No. 12 Group RAF control on February 16 1945.

Return to the RAF

No. 602 (City of Glasgow) Squadron was the first RAF unit to arrive, to be joined imediately by No. 603 (City of Edinburgh) Squadron, both flying Spitfire XVs. In April 1945 they were replaced by No. 91 Squadron RAF which flew in from RAF Manston, soon to be joined by No. 1 Squadron RAF - both squadrons flying the new Spitfire XXIs. These units departed in July, however, and no further flying was to take place at Ludham. The station was placed on 'Care and Maintenance' on August 8 1945. Control was later transferred to No. 60 Group, Fighter Command and the accommodation sites were then utilised for housing personnel from surrounding RAF establishments, the station becoming officially titled 60 Group Personnel Holding Unit. The site officially closed in April 1946.

Thorney Island

Thorney Island in 1835 (centre left) before being joined to the mainland with seawalls

Thorney Island is an island (effectively a peninsula) that juts into Chichester Harbour in West Sussex. It is separated from the mainland by a narrow channel called the Great Deep. The village of West Thorney lies on the east coast of the island and has been incorporated into the military base. A fortnightly game shoot is held on Thorney, shooting patridges, pheasants and snipe.

A public footpath, part of the Sussex Border Path encircles the island. The southern part of the island (south of Great Deep) is part of a military base and access to this area for the public is limited to the coastal footpath and the church of St Nicholas at West Thorney. Walkers using the footpath will be asked by intercom to provide contact details (name, address and mobile phone number) at the security gates to access the southern part of the island. Walkers must keep to the footpath marked with the yellow posts. At the south of the island is Pilsey Island, now joined to Thorney Island by a sandbank, which is an RSPB nature reserve.

The 2001 census showed the island to have a resident population of 1,079.

RAF Thorney Island

Consolidated Liberator

In 1938 the RAF airfield on Thorney Island was built, the runways being metalled in 1942.

Among the aircraft based at the station during the war years were Avro Ansons and Consolidated Liberators of RAF Coastal Command.

No. 407 Coastal Strike Squadron (RCAF) was formed at Thorney Island on the 8 May 1941, first training on the Bristol Blenheim. From September 1941 to January 1943, the squadron operated as a"strike" squadron attacking enemy shipping with the Lockheed Hudson. On 29 January 1943 it was re-designated 407 General Reconnaissance Squadron, and for the remainder of the war it protected friendly shipping from the U-Boat threat operating the Vickers Wellington. The squadron was disbanded at the end of the Second World War on 4 June 1945.

No. 404 Coastal Fighter Sqn (RCAF) also formed at Thorney Island. Tasked with coastal patrol and attack, the squadron flew the Bristol Beaufighter and deHavilland Mosquito until it was disbanded on 25 May 1945.

248 Sqn??

On 1 October 1946 No.36 Squadron reformed at Thorney Island by renumbering No.248 Squadron. It was probably the last of the Mosquito coastal strike squadrons when it disbanded at Thorney Island on 15 October 1947.>ref>Mosquito fighter squadrons in focus By Philip Birtles</ref>

After the war the airfield was utilised for training navigators, until the 1960s when 242 OCU of Transport Command took over, flying the C130 Hercules as well as No. 46 Squadron RAF with Andover CMk1 transports.

Also, from June 1955, a Search and Rescue flight of 22 Sqn equipped with [[]]Whirlwinds was based at Thorney Island. The HAR2s were retired in August 1962 and replaced by Whirlwind HAR10s.

These remained at the base until the RAF left in the 1976.

Subsequently the Royal Navy expressed an interest in utilising the base, but accommodation and logistics

in 1980 West Thorney was host to many hundreds of Vietnamese families, accepted by the United Kingdom for settlement in this country.

In 1985, a series of experiments to investigate atmospheric dispersion of gases was carried out on the island.

1984 eventually saw control handed to the Royal Artillery towards the end of the decade, who remain in control of the base to date. Baker Barracks on Thorney Island is currently home to 47 Regiment Royal Artillery, armed with the Starstreak HVM. In January 2008 12 Regiment Royal Artillery moved to the Island upon their return from Germany.

In 2009, the airfield was used a a test track for a British-built steam car hoping to smash the longest standing land speed record. The British Steam Car Challenge team includes test driver Don Wales, 47, nephew of the late Donald Cambell. The Surrey man is also the grandson of Sir Malcolm Campbell.

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