Chetwynde School
 |
|
| Established | 1938 |
|---|---|
| Type | Free school |
| Head | Ms Sian Jeffreys |
| Chairman of Governors | Dr Simon Mardel OBE |
| Location |
Croslands Rating Lane Barrow-in-Furness Cumbria LA13 0NY  England54°07′52″N 3°12′24″W / 54.13121°N 3.20655°WCoordinates: 54°07′52″N 3°12′24″W / 54.13121°N 3.20655°W |
| Local authority | Cumbria |
| DfE URN | 141106 Tables |
| Ofsted | Reports |
| Students | 420~ |
| Gender | Coeducational |
| Ages | 4–18 |
| Website | www.chetwynde.co.uk |
Chetwynde School is a non-selective coeducational free school in Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, England. It includes a nursery, primary school, secondary school and sixth form. The school is situated on a 17-acre (69,000 m2) site.
Founded as an independent primary school, it was known as Our Lady's Chetwynde School and Chetwynde Convent Preparatory School at different periods of its history before it expanded to being a coeducational independent school for children aged 3 to 18. Before 2014 it was Barrow's only independent school and the only one in the town which educated children from nursery all the way to sixth form. The school became a state-funded free school in September 2014.
Chetwynde was founded as Our Lady's Chetwynde School in 1938 by Sister Aquinas and her nuns as a girls' school. In 1976 the school became mixed and independent from the church, though it retained its Catholic faith and ethos. Under Margaret Stones, the school's first headteacher, Chetwynde achieved high levels of sporting and academic success. The next headteacher was Isobel Nixon; during her time as headmistress the school dropped the "Our Lady's" prefix from its title and the school's record of high academic and extra-curricular achievement was maintained. New laboratories were built with the help of the John Fisher Foundation and many other modernisations took place.
It was initially a junior school for children up to age 11. In 1984, the age range was extended to 16. By then the school had outgrown its premises on Abbey Road and moved to its current site. The Sixth Form was opened in 1989. The first male headteacher, Russell Collier, was appointed in 2010.
Due to the economic climate and falling pupil numbers, in March 2012 the governors made the decision to close the school as of July 2012 due to it no longer being economically viable. The possibility of converting Chetwynde into a free school was explored as Barrow MP John Woodcock wrote to the Minister for Education Nick Gibb about a possible late application that year. However, it was found that Chetwynde did not meet the necessary government criteria.
...
Wikipedia