Cheney School is a secondary school and sixth form with academy status, located in Headington, Oxford, England. It serves the Headington and East Oxford area as a destination for students from primary schools across the city.[2] The headteacher has been Rob Pavey since 2020.[1] Cheney School is part of River Learning Trust.[3]

Cheney School
Address
Map
Cheney Lane

, ,
OX3 7QH

Coordinates51°45′11″N 1°13′20″W / 51.752944°N 1.222168°W / 51.752944; -1.222168
Information
TypeAcademy
Established1797; 227 years ago (1797)
Department for Education URN139146 Tables
OfstedReports
HeadteacherRob Pavey[1]
GenderCoeducational
Age11 to 18
Enrolment1700
Colour(s)Maroon, white, grey
     
Websitewww.cheney.oxon.sch.uk

History

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The foundation was around 1797. It then moved to New Inn Hall Street in 1901 under the name of Oxford Central Girls School. The building it occupied at that time is now part of St Peter's College of Oxford University. Eventually the school became Cheney Girls' School. The Junior Day Department of the Oxford Technical College moved to the same site under the name Cheney School, a separate, mixed secondary technical school. For four years, between 1957 and 1961 boys only were admitted (Cheney Boys School) after which girls were again admitted from 1962. Together they were usually known as Cheney Mixed. In 1972 the two schools merged to form the new mixed comprehensive school, Cheney School. In 2003, Cheney School changed from being upper school, for children aged 13 to 18, to a secondary school serving children aged 11 to 18, in the two tier system. In January 2013, the school became an academy as part of the Cheney School Academy Trust. The Trust was renamed to Community Schools Alliance Trust in 2017.[4] The trust ran into significant financial difficulty[5] leading to accusations of mismanagement by trust CEO Jolie Kirby.[6] Cheney (along with Barton Park and Bayards Hill primary schools, the two other schools which made up the Community Schools Academy Trust) joined River Learning Trust in 2022.[7]

Students

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The school has over 1700 pupils, aged 11–18.

Specialist Status

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When the UK government began awarding grants to schools specialising in areas of the curriculum, Cheney School decided to become a Language College. Using the grant money, they built a language computer laboratory and added extra in-classroom IT equipment.

Cheney School was awarded a second specialism and picked Student Leadership, which enables more "Student Leaders" (mostly in sports and languages), and concentrates primarily on the student voice.

Cheney School is host to and also partner organisation for the Iris Community Classics Centre which is founded and run by The Iris Project.

Cheney School became the first school in the UK to host a museum working within the Arts Council Accreditation scheme, the Rumble Museum, in May 2015.[8]

Notable former students

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Buildings

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  • Chadwick (English, Art, PE Offices)
  • Wainright (Science, school library, reception)
  • Ford (Maths) (Named after the Oxford Maths teaching legend Derek Ford who has taught in Oxford for 50 years[10])
  • Lane (History, Geography, Languages, RE, Economics, Business, Philosophy, Politics)
  • John Brookes (DT, ICT)
  • Russell (Science, Maths)
  • Music (Music)
  • Sports Hall/Gymnasium (PE)
  • Brighouse (Science, Maths) (Opened in November 2016, named after Sir Tim Brighouse[11])
  • Music is attached to the Assembly Hall and the Community Hall

References

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  1. ^ a b "Senior Leadership Team". Cheney School. Retrieved 18 October 2020.
  2. ^ "Cheney School catchment area" (PDF). Retrieved 25 January 2014.
  3. ^ "River Learning Trust Schools". Retrieved 30 July 2024.
  4. ^ "Companies House Community Schools Alliance Trust". Retrieved 30 July 2024.
  5. ^ "Cheney School could cut jobs amid funding pressures". Oxford Mail. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
  6. ^ "NEU's vote of no confidence after Cheney School redundancy plan". Oxford Mail. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
  7. ^ "Cheney School River Learning Trust". Retrieved 30 July 2024.
  8. ^ Sproule, Luke (12 May 2016). "Cheney School to become Oxford's newest museum". Oxford Mail. Retrieved 11 May 2022.
  9. ^ "Biography of Danny Dorling" (PDF). Retrieved 15 July 2014.
  10. ^ "Oxford teacher celebrates 50-year milestone". Oxford Mail. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
  11. ^ "New science block at Cheney School will inspire next generation". Oxford Mail. Retrieved 27 February 2017.
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