The Blue School, Wells
 |
|
| Motto |
Recta Certa (Straight and true) |
|---|---|
| Established | 1641 |
| Type | Academy |
| Religion | Church of England |
| Headteacher | Mark Woodlock |
| Location |
Kennion Road Wells Somerset England 51°12′45″N 2°39′15″W / 51.2125°N 2.6542°WCoordinates: 51°12′45″N 2°39′15″W / 51.2125°N 2.6542°W |
| DfE URN | 137285 Tables |
| Ofsted | Reports Pre-academy reports |
| Students | 1,570 in 2013 |
| Ages | 11–18 |
| Website | www |
The Blue School is a coeducational, secondary school located in Wells, Somerset, England. It had 1,570 students aged 11 to 18 of both sexes and all ability levels of which 284 were in the sixth form in 2013. It is currently a Church of England voluntary controlled school. The school motto is "Recta Certa" meaning straight and true. It became an Academy in August 2011.
An Ofsted inspection in 2007 judged the school to be 'outstanding', while the next Ofsted inspection in 2010 rated the school as 'good', with outstanding elements. A further Ofsted inspection was conducted throughout October 2013 again giving a rating of Good. The school is a Specialist Science College and in 2006 the Princess Royal opened a new science centre.
The Blue School was the first pilot for an innovative approach to school councils based on self-selection called Learning to Lead The School Community Council received praise in the School's 2007 Ofsted report.
The school council runs on principles of self-election, and has over 250 members, including students of all ages and staff. Meetings are conducted during lunch times and projects include: keeping chickens, fundraising for many charities, running a garden and many more.
In 2010, an ambitious project backed by Lottery Funding to set up a School-based radio station got under way. The project, run by students, produced a series of podcasts. In Mid 2013, after relocating, the "Blue Lounge Radio" prepared to begin to broadcast again pending the arrival of new hardware.
The school was founded in 1641 as one of the first free schools in the country. The name Blue comes from the early uniforms which were blue in colour.
In 1654, Margaret, widow of Ezekiel Barkham of Wells, purchased a farm in Yenston, to endow a school in Wells. The Blue School retained the farm for nearly 350 years until it was sold in 1990 and 1992. The income from the endowment was to be used for paying a schoolmaster's salary of £20-0-0 pa. and the residue for apprenticing the boys when they could 'read, write and cast accounts'. The school owned a number of properties in the area scattered over several parishes.
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