The Emmbrook School
Between the 14 and 16 March 2017, the school was inspected by Ofsted, which rated it as "Good".
The school opened a new £2 million English block in 2015. A new Maths building was opened in 2017 and a new 3G pitch opened in 2020.
Previously a community school administered by Wokingham Borough Council, The Emmbrook School converted to academy status in April 2021. The school is now sponsored by The Circle Trust.
The Houses
The four houses of the school are:
Venus
Jupiter
Mercury
Saturn
Students represent their house by wearing a tie in a corresponding colour. They compete in sporting events, including football, cricket, netball, rugby and rounders, as well as during sports day. Other competitions contribute points to the house competition, including dance, music, and the merits collected by Key Stage Three pupils.
An E-Sports day was held on 25 February 2020 with representatives from each year group competing in a GoldenEye 007 tournament on the Nintendo 64 platform.
Between 2009 and 2019 the house names changed to Aqua (Blue), Atmos (Yellow), Terra (Green) and Solar (Red). This was reverted after a consultation with students, parents and staff.
Curriculum
In Years 7, 8, and 9, children study a varied curriculum with a balance between the core subjects (English, maths, and science), humanities, languages, and creative subjects. In Years 10 and 11, all students study for qualifications in English, English literature, maths, and science, and can choose additional subjects. In Years 12 and 13, students can study a range of A-levels and BTECs.
Music Concerts
The school holds regular concerts.
Tirabad
The Emmbrook School, along with Maiden Erlegh and Charters School, co-owns an outdoor education residential centre located in the Welsh village of Tirabad, Powys. Students from years 7-10 and the Sixth Form have the opportunity to spend a week at the centre once a year. The centre's activities are climbing, sailing, canoeing, caving, orienteering, environmental and field studies.
Sixth Form students from the three trust schools (Emmbrook, Maiden Erlegh, and Charters) jointly support the annual New Futures trip, in which students with disabilities travel to Tirabad. These volunteer students raise funds through charity work and then attend the trip to provide support for the younger children.
On 26 February 2021, a letter was sent to parents stating that Tyr Abad Residential Educational Trust was entering voluntary liquidation.
Headteachers
There have been 6 Headteachers and 1 acting Headteacher during the school's lifetime
1965 – 1983 | Richard Carter | Appointed November 1964 and was in place for when the school opened on 3 May 1965. Formerly a Senior Master at Edgbarrow School, Crowthorne. |
1983 – 1997 | Edward Burton | Previous school; St Bartholomew's School, Newbury. Subject specialty – History |
1997 – 2005 | John Goulborn | Previous school; George Abbott School, Guildford |
2004 – 2006 | Linda Peart (Acting) | Subject specialty – Physical Education |
2006 – 2016 | Nigel Matthias | Previous school; Longdean School, Hemel Hempstead. Subject specialty – Chemistry & Biology |
2016 – 2019 | Paul O'Neill | Previous school; Prendergast Vale School, London. Subject specialty – Maths |
2019 - | Nick McSweeney | Previous school; Cherwell School, Oxford. Subject specialty – Economics |
References
- ^ Creighton, Phil (6 March 2021). "Wokingham school places: Emmbrook expands as pupils miss out on their first choice". Wokingham.Today. Retrieved 30 March 2021.
- ^ "The Emmbrook School Ofsted Report" (PDF).
- ^ "GetReading".
- ^ "Hunters South Architects :: Emmbrook School Planning Approval!". www.hunterssoutharchitects.co.uk. Retrieved 20 June 2017.
- ^ Wakefield, John (9 February 2020). "Emmbrook School get a visit from Reading FC player as it launches new 3G pitch". Wokingham.Today. Retrieved 30 March 2021.
- ^ "The Circle Trust". thecircletrust.co.uk.
- ^ The Emmbrook School [@EmmbrookSchool] (25 February 2020). "Y7 gave a solid start to inter-house Goldeneye today. Well done to Saturn on winning with 3 kills. (The wording of this message will likely prompt an AOB item at this evenings' SLT meeting) https://t.co/8CmdubHwdq" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 26 July 2021. Retrieved 4 December 2022 – via Twitter.
- ^ The Emmbrook School [@EmmbrookSchool] (15 July 2016). "Some amazing races and events so far. The current order of colleges: Solar, Aqua, Atmos, Terra. Still plenty of events to go" (Tweet). Retrieved 4 December 2022 – via Twitter.
- ^ "Emmbrook School - History".
- ^ "The Emmbrook School Website - Tirabad".
- ^ "The Emmbrook School - New Futures".
- ^ Gibson, Paul (26 February 2021). "Tyr Abad closure letter" (PDF). The Emmbrook School.
- ^ "Brief History of Emmbrook School Headteachers". The Emmbrook School. 26 April 2021.