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Thurston Community College

Thurston Community College is a co-educational secondary school and sixth form located in Thurston, Suffolk, England. As of 2018, it had 1,733 students aged 11–18 drawn from the local village and surrounding rural communities.

History

The community college was founded in 1973, and was originally known as Thurston Upper School.

In 2023, the school was identified as having buildings that could be structurally unsound because reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete had been used in its construction.

Transition to two-tier education structure

In September 2014, the school underwent a large transition in order to become a secondary school and follow the two-tier education structure. Because of this, the Thurston Sixth Form Centre was relocated to Beyton, on the site of the former Beyton Middle School, and is now known as Thurston Sixth: Beyton Campus. The most junior year group was lowered from Year 9 to Year 7. The old Sixth Form Centre, now a humanities department, was opened in 2002 by Rt Hon David Puttnam.

The college today

The school's facilities include a community library, a large sixth form centre (based in Beyton) and an Air Training Corps building. It has a total staff of around 170.

In its most recent Ofsted inspection report in 2018, the school was rated Good. The school has been rated Good every inspection except for 2010, when the school was rated outstanding.

A new external building was constructed in 2023, containing three social sciences classrooms and two science labs.

Houses

Until 2020, the school was divided into five houses, each named after a notable British figure with connections to Suffolk. In 2020, the house system was discontinued and replaced by year group blocks.

Students were assigned to a tutor group, which belonged to one of the houses. House assemblies were held regularly, and students could take part in inter-house competitions such as sports days. A House Council provided a platform for student representation, and each house was supported by a dedicated House Leader and Student Support Officer.

Each house had its own distinct identity, featuring a colour scheme, mascot, motto, and departmental associations.

  • Anderson – Named after Elizabeth Garrett Anderson, Britain’s first female physician. Represented by the colour purple and the Anderson Anacondas, with the motto "We leave no one behind." Anderson was associated with the Science department.
  • Gainsborough – Named after the painter Thomas Gainsborough. Represented by the colour green and a phoenix mascot, with the motto "Strength and diversity." Gainsborough included the Design Technology, Drama, and Art departments.
  • Penrose – Named after mathematician Roger Penrose. Represented by the colour light blue and the Penrose Panthers. Its motto was "Penrose and proud." Penrose covered the Mathematics and Music departments.
  • Rendell – Named after author Ruth Rendell. Represented by the colour yellow and the Rendell Rhinos. Rendell included the English and Foreign Languages departments.
  • Wolsey – Named after Thomas Wolsey, a key figure in the court of Henry VIII. Represented by the colour red and the Wolsey Wolves, with the motto "Courageous and determined." Wolsey was based in a separate building—formerly the sixth form block—after the sixth form relocated to Beyton in 2014. This building also housed the school’s library and had its own sports hall used for assemblies, sports events, and results days. Wolsey included the History, Geography, Philosophy, and Religious Studies departments.

Principals

  • 2002–2005: Chris Bowler
  • 2005–2021: Helen Wilson
  • 2021–2023: Nicki Mattin (formerly head teacher of Spires Academy, Canterbury)
  • 2023–present: Maéve Taylor (interim principal from Claydon High School)

Notable former pupils

References

External sources