West Exe School

Secondary school in Exeter, UK

50°42′25″N 3°32′24″W﻿ / ﻿50.707°N 3.540°W﻿ / 50.707; -3.540

West Exe School

West Exe School

Address

Hatherleigh Road

Exeter

Devon

EX2 9JU

England

Information
Type| Academy[2]
Motto| Bringing Learning to Life[1]
Excellence for All, in all that WE do[1]
Established| 1889 (predecessor established)
2014 (present name and logo adopted)
Local authority| Devon
Department for Education URN| 145404 Tables
Ofsted| Reports
Chair| David Kernick[4]
Head teacher| Julie Fossey[3]
Gender| Coeducational
Age| 11 to 16
Enrolment| 1,300
Houses| Malala(green) Romero(Blue) Daley(Red) Boyan(Yellow)
Colour(s)| Green, Blue, Yellow and Red
Publication| West Express (2012)[5]
Exe Press (2018-present)
Website| http://www.westexe.devon.sch.uk/

West Exe School is a coeducational secondary school located in Exeter, with a catchment area covering St Thomas, Alphington, and some parts of Exwick.

## History

[edit]

### Origins and predecessor institutions (1889–2000s)

[edit]

The origins of the school date back to the Victorian times, when the mergers of a number of smaller schools resulted in the creation in 1889 of two National Schools: one for boys at the end of Cowick Street, and another for infants and girls adjacent to Emmanuel Church on Okehampton Road.[6] In 1900, when St Thomas became part of the city of Exeter, control of these schools moved to the Exeter School Board. The Board moved the boys' school to the bottom of Dunsford Road, and in 1917 the girls' school was destroyed by fire.[7]

In 1921, the Dunsford Road Boys' School was renamed to the John Stocker School, after John Stocker, the recently retired chairman of the Education Board.[8] In 1930 the boys' school was split into John Stocker Senior Boys' School and John Stocker Junior Boys' School, both of which still used the Dunsford Road site. The site on Cowick Street used by the boys' school until 1900 was taken over by a number of girls' and infants' schools that had previously been based in different locations around St Thomas, Redhills and Exwick.[9]

The schools were all merged into a single Boys' Secondary Modern School and Girls' Secondary Modern School in 1967,[citation needed] and in 1972 the two were merged into a single comprehensive school. In 1973 the two halves of the newly united school started using a new site on Cowick Lane, being renamed to Exeter St Thomas High School under the headship of Bill Ridley, who was in post from 1973 until 1997.[9]

Under new headteacher Steve Maddern the school was renamed to West Exe Technology College and a new school logo designed in 1998 to reflect its status as a specialist Technology College under the Government's Specialist Colleges programme. In 2005, a new school building was completed on the playing fields of the St Thomas High School and a new rugby field was built on top of the old building.[9][better source needed]

Following the end of the Government's Specialist Colleges programme, the school was renamed to West Exe School in 2014, and a new logo was adopted.[10][failed verification]

A report commenting on the school's subsequent improvement spoke of West Exe as "troubled Exeter school" in these years.[11] In June 2016 it had previously described West Exe school as having a reputation for controversy,[12] and when reporting on the November 2016 riot, described the school as "in the spotlight again".[13]

### Academy status

[edit]

Ready to Learn expections on a classroom poster and printed in a student planner at West Exe School in 2018.

The Ted Wragg Multi-Academy Trust began setting policy at the school in September 2017.[14][better source needed] The Trust introduced the strict Ready to Learn behaviour policy,[11] later renamed "Reset".[14]: 10

On 28 February 2018, the school became an academy and formally acceded to the Ted Wragg Multi-Academy Trust.[15]

In April 2023, a parents' campaign group, Reset Ted Wragg, was established to oppose the Reset behaviour policy at West Exe and other schools in the Ted Wragg Multi-Academy Trust.[16][17] The Trust initially agreed to review its policies,[18] but the group dismissed the proposed amendments to the RTL system as inadequate.[19][20]

In April 2024, West Exe School was named in the top five best secondary schools in Devon for "pupil progression".[21]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b "About us - West Exe School". Archived from the original on 7 October 2014. Retrieved 2 October 2014.
2. ^ "West Exe School - GOV.UK".
3. ^ "Contact us".
4. ^ "Governors - West Exe School". 27 April 2020.
5. ^ "West Express - our new student newspaper!". Archived from the original on 29 July 2018. Retrieved 29 July 2018.
6. ^ "Exeter Memories - West Exe Technology College".
7. ^ "Okehampton Road Girls' School destroyed by fire, 1917". Devon and Exeter Gazette. 12 February 1917. p. 4. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
8. ^ "Dunsford Road School to be renamed John Stocker School, 4 May 1921". The Western Times. 4 May 1921. p. 4. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
9. ^ a b c Exeter Memories – West Exe Technology College
10. ^ "Exeter southern suburbs from the air, 1998"
11. ^ a b Anita, Merritt (11 September 2018). "Troubled Exeter school transforms into one of the top-rated in the region". Devon Live. Retrieved 10 November 2024.
12. ^ "The story behind the headlines at West Exe School". 17 June 2016.
13. ^ "'Mass food fight as children run riot at school'". 11 November 2016.
14. ^ a b Stapleton, Kerry (March 2024). 'Pupil resistance to the Ready to Learn behaviour system in British secondary schools, 2016–2023' (BA thesis, University of Oxford)
15. ^ Ted Wragg Trust – Our Journey
16. ^ Anita, Merritt (4 April 2023). "Frustrated parents demand Ted Wragg Trust make six urgent changes to school policy". Devon Live. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
17. ^ Merritt, Anita (25 April 2023). "Angry parents say Ted Wragg Trust is 'failing our kids'". Devon Live. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
18. ^ Merritt, Anita (29 June 2023). "Devon's Ted Wragg Trust could change controversial policies". Devon Live. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
19. ^ Anita, Merritt (19 July 2023). "Parents say Ted Wragg Trust changes don't go far enough". Devon Live. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
20. ^ Anita, Merritt (14 November 2023). "Controversial Devon schools trust says it's getting results but 'is listening'". Devon Live.
21. ^ Merritt, Anita (29 April 2024). "Devon's best and worst secondary schools for pupil progression". Devon Live. Retrieved 20 August 2024.

## External links

[edit]

* West Exe School \- West Exe School Home Page.

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