Caroline Chisholm School is a mixedall-through school with academy status, in Wootton, south Northampton, England. It is named after Caroline Chisholm, a 19th-century social reformer.[1] The principal is David James.[2] The school was built in 15 months and cost £25 million.[2] The school added its final year, Year 13, in September 2008.[3] In 2005, admission arrangements were changed to give siblings of existing students at the school greater priority for places.[4]
Design
The school has 5 blocks, A Block (Music, Drama and PE), B Block (Languages and Humanities), C Block (Maths and English), D Block (Technology and Science), E Block (Sixth Form Centre, ICT, Business and Art). The school has a two-form entry Primary Phase with its own studio, multi-purpose room, 14 classrooms and playground area. The site also has a cafeteria, takeaway area, ICT suites, drama studios, gym, art display area, and public meeting rooms.[citation needed]
The school was mentioned in the House of Lords when it was confirmed that this was one of six schools in England defined as a middle school that educates Year 11 pupils.[6]
The school is in the Wooldale Centre for Learning, a multi-use community facility.[2] Caroline Chisholm has been described as "unique and ground breaking" for the way it is linked into the community including offering sports and learning facilities for the community.[10]
Academic standards
Ofsted's report of 17 May 2006 describes the school as:
Caroline Chisholm is a good school with many outstanding features, a view shared by parents and reflected in the school’s self-evaluation. Outstanding features such as the quality and standards in the Foundation Stage, the progress made by pupils with a statement of autism spectrum disorders, the behaviour and attitudes of all pupils, and the personal development and well-being of pupils make Caroline Chisholm a unique school.
It had 'outstanding' outcome from its Ofsted report in July 2009, while they received a 'good' outcome from their Ofsted report in 2012. Caroline Chisholm school received 'requires improvement' by Ofsted in 2018.[11] In their latest report in January 2020, the school received a 'good' rating with an 'outstanding' Early Years Foundation Stage.[12]
Catchment area row
Although the area is next to the large housing development of Grange Park, a proposal in January 2010 by Northamptonshire County Council to remove Woodland View Primary School in Grange Park as a feeder school provoked huge protest from Grange Park parents. The alternative schools proposed were Elizabeth Woodville School (formerly Roade School Sports College) and Abbeyfield School. (formerly Mereway Secondary School).[13]
