The Mountbatten School

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 This article does not cite any references or sources. (February 2008)
Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed.
The Mountbatten School
Motto We Care, We Respect, We Achieve [1]
Established 1969
Type Comprehensive
Headteacher Heather McIlroy
Chair of Governors Dr. Mary Bainbridge
Specialisms Language College, Sports College
Location Whitenap Lane
Romsey
Hampshire
SO51 5SY
England Flag of England
LEA Hampshire County Council
Students c.1500 pupils
Gender Coeducational
Ages 11 to 16
Houses Wishart, Daring, Kelly, Lion
Website mountbatten.hants.sch.uk

The Mountbatten School is a secondary school located on Whitenap Lane in Romsey, Hampshire, England. The school opened in 1969 and was built on land that was originally part of Earl Mountbatten's Broadlands estate.

The school is an 11-16 co-educational comprehensive school, situated in the Parish of Romsey Extra. The majority of pupils are drawn from Romsey and Southampton districts including Chilworth, North Baddesley, Nursling, and Rownhams. As of 2008 there are 1,485 pupils on roll, and the school has a standard Year-7 intake of 280.

Contents

[edit] Specialist status

The school became a Language College in 2000, and in September 2004, the school gained Sports College status, and it is now known as The Mountbatten School: A Language and Sports College. In September 2006, the school became the hub of The Mountbatten School Sports Partnership, incorporating the following secondary schools:

[edit] House system

After entry into the school education system, each pupil is assigned to a house which will form the basis for their allegiances during sporting events. The houses are named after Lord Mountbatten's ships. The houses are Wishart, Daring, Kelly, and Lion.

[edit] Headteachers

  • Mr. Paddy Chesterton
  • Mr. Harold Winkle
  • Mr. Geoff Wilkinson
  • Mrs. Lesley Morffew
  • Mrs. Heather McIlroy (Current)

[edit] The Lantern Theatre

The Mountbatten School site consists of 6 separate buildings. The Lantern Theatre building contains the drama and music rooms, including a recording studio and theatre with pull-out seating for 140 people. The Lantern is not only part of the school, but is also part of a large Community project, funded by Hampshire County Council and The National Lottery.

[edit] The fire of 2006

On Tuesday, 7 March 2006, the school suffered a fire which destroyed the electrical distribution box in the main block[citation needed]. This was quickly put out by the fire brigade, and no other parts of the school were damaged. This box serves the entire school site, which affected heat, light, ICT, and telephone services. The school was closed for a couple of weeks, before pupils returned, a year group at a time, before the end of April.

There has been a history of unexplained fires at the school, there having been several in the 1990s that destroyed or seriously damaged (on unrelated occasions) the science block, the English block, the library, and the music huts. The fire which destroyed the library and parts of the English block during the Christmas holidays in 1996-7, the police concluded that it was an arson attack but no one was charged with the offence. Coincidentally, these fires always occur in parts of the school site that most need redevelopment.

[edit] GCSE results

In 2007, 74% of pupils received 5 or more A-C grades; 99% received 5 or more A-G grades. The class of 2007 were the second highest achieving year group in the school's history, and put them on the list of the top 250 schools in the country[citation needed].

[edit] Notable alumni

Some prominent former pupils of the school include:

[edit] External links