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The Dukeries Academy

Coordinates: 53°12′33″N 1°00′01″W / 53.2093°N 1.0004°W / 53.2093; -1.0004
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The Dukeries Academy
Address
Map
Whinney Lane

,
Coordinates53°12′33″N 1°00′01″W / 53.2093°N 1.0004°W / 53.2093; -1.0004
Information
TypeAcademy
EstablishedSeptember 1964
Local authorityNottinghamshire
Department for Education URN139062 Tables
OfstedReports
GenderMixed
Age11 to 19
Websitehttp://www.dukeries.attrust.org.uk/page/default.asp?title=Home&pid=1

The Dukeries Academy (formerly The Dukeries Comprehensive School and then The Dukeries College and Complex) is a secondary school, community college situated in Ollerton, Nottinghamshire.

History

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It opened in September 1964, with Kirkby in Ashfield Comprehensive School, the first Nottinghamshire county comprehensive schools; Fairham Comprehensive School in Nottingham had preceded these schools. The school was dedicated to 'community provision' at a time when the village and neighbouring Edwinstowe and Bilsthorpe, who attended the school, were thriving mining communities. The school/college/academy had its 50th anniversary in 2014.

It had a residential training centre, the Ollerton Educational Institute. It had a purpose-built theatre.[1] There were 1290 children.

The first headmaster was Mr John Ireland West, who was born in Kirkby-in-Ashfield, and lived in Upton, Newark and Sherwood. [2] He had sons Nicholas and Jonathan.[3]

Extensions were constructed from 1967, to increase to the school to a ten-form entry, and to add a sixth form of 90, which would cost £153,563.[4][5]

A Sub-Aqua Group was formed in January 1967.[6] In April 1969 it acquired a residential field studies centre in North Wales at Trawsfynydd, which was provided by Rexco smokeless fuels. This was opened on 4 July 1970 by Richard Marsh, Baron Marsh, former Minister of Transport.[7]

The new sixth form opened in February 1970. By 1971, there were 1800 at the school. There were too many children at the school in the early 1970s.[8]

In 1975 an arsonist set fire to the gym, needing 18 firemen.[9] In June 1975, the headteacher was awarded the CBE in the 1975 Birthday Honours. Two squash courts opened in April 1976.[10][11]

In 2009, The Dukeries was included in controversial plans to cut funding. Nottinghamshire County Council proposed to cut £380,000 of the schools budget to save money.[12] There is a current campaign underway to stop these cuts from happening.

The attached Leisure Centre (owned by NSDC) received an extension to include a new swimming pool in 2020, and the structure was built and completed in 2021. The pool was officially opened by Olympic gold medalist Rebecca Adlington.

Curriculum

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It offers education for students aged 11–19. ATTFE College, the school's sixth form, also offer a range of level 2 and 3 courses, including GCSEs and BTECs.

Visits

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The Dukeries has been visited by Ed Balls,[13] Sebastian Coe[14] and Gordon Brown.[15]

Balls described it as "a school of the 21st century".[citation needed] The school received a "satisfactory" grade after an OFSTED inspection.[16] The school became an academy on 1 January 2013, and was renamed The Dukeries Academy. The Dukeries offers, a theatre, horse riding, on-site counselling, a construction block (opened in 2008), an astro-turf pitch, a youth club and a fire service training centre.

Former teachers

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References

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  1. ^ Retford Times Friday 12 November 1965, page 10
  2. ^ Nottingham Evening Post Saturday 14 June 1975, page 7
  3. ^ Nottingham Evening Post Monday 22 December 1975, page 6
  4. ^ Nottingham Evening Post Friday 23 June 1967, page 17
  5. ^ Retford Times Friday 30 June 1967, page 4
  6. ^ Retford Times Friday 31 January 1969, page 1
  7. ^ Nottingham Evening Post Wednesday 24 June 1970, page 12
  8. ^ Retford Times Friday 7 May 1971, page 3
  9. ^ Nottingham Evening Post Wednesday 4 June 1975, page 4
  10. ^ Nottingham Evening Post Tuesday 27 April 1976, page 18
  11. ^ Retford Times Friday 14 May 1976, page 19
  12. ^ Published on Thursday 19 November 2009 17:25 (19 November 2009). "Dukeries chiefs slam county council cuts - Local - Mansfield and Ashfield Chad". Chad.co.uk. Retrieved 2 September 2012.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  13. ^ "Government minister opens £1.6m Dukeries centre". Johnston Publishing Ltd. Retrieved 2 September 2012.
  14. ^ [1] Archived September 22, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
  15. ^ "Video Gordon Brown on MP expenses at Ollerton's Dukeries College van Mansfield - Myspace Video". Vids.myspace.com. 1 June 2009. Retrieved 2 September 2012.
  16. ^ "Find an inspection report" (PDF). Ofsted. Retrieved 2 September 2012.