Southway Community College
| Established | 1962 |
|---|---|
| Closed | 2001 |
| Type | Comprehensive school |
| Location |
Rockfield Avenue Plymouth Devon PL6 6DY 50°25′43″N 4°07′59″W / 50.428506°N 4.132969°WCoordinates: 50°25′43″N 4°07′59″W / 50.428506°N 4.132969°W |
| Gender | Mixed |
| Ages | 11–18 |
Southway Community College was a comprehensive school for ages 11–18 in Southway, Plymouth, England. It was opened in 1962 as Southway Comprehensive School, becoming a community college offering additional adult education in 1994. Its feeder primary schools included Langley Junior School, Mary Dean's CE Primary School, Southway Primary School and Tamerton Vale Primary School. The school closed in July 2001, largely as a result of falling student numbers. This was a decision that was opposed by many students, teachers and parents. It later became the site of Beechwood Primary School. In 1993, four students from the school were killed in a kayaking accident during a school trip to an adventure centre in Lyme Regis, Dorset.
The school opened in 1962 as Southway Comprehensive School, with 140 pupils. The first headmaster was Peter Bindschedler from Switzerland. Bindschedler influenced much of the early development of the school, including the creation of the motto and the design of the school uniform. Bindschedler remained at the school until 1981, overseeing the growth of the institution to one of the biggest schools in Plymouth, with 1,850 students. During this time, the name was changed to Southway School.
On 22 March 1993, four students died while kayaking in Lyme Bay on a school trip, led by instructors from a local activity centre. The pupils were aged 16 and 17. The company that owned the activity centre were prosecuted for corporate manslaughter, and the activity centre manager was given a prison sentence. This was the first time in the UK that a company had been successfully prosecuted for corporate manslaughter. The incident also led to changes in the legislation concerning outdoor activities for schoolchildren, including the establishment of the Adventure Activities Licensing Authority in 1995. A memorial garden was planted at the school in remembrance of the pupils.
In 1994, the school became a community college and began to offer courses for adults. Academic standards improved in the years that followed: the percentage of pupils passing five or more GCSE exams rose from 82% in 1996 to 93% in 2000 and the percentage of candidates achieving five or more A*-C grades increased from 16% to 27%. However, the number of students attending the school declined during the 1990s. As a result of this, and the fact that standards at the school were not improving as quickly as the council desired, the college was placed on a list of "schools causing concern" in July 2000.
...
Wikipedia