Ifield Community College

Ifield Community College (ICC) is a maintained comprehensive secondary school for pupils aged 11 to 18.

Ifield Community College
Address
Crawley Avenue

Crawley
,
West Sussex
,
RH11 0DB

England
Coordinates51.1172°N 0.2096°W / 51.1172; -0.2096
Information
TypeCommunity school
Established1966
FounderSarah Robinson
Local authorityWest Sussex County Council
Department for Education URN126071 Tables
OfstedReports
PrincipalRob Corbett
GenderMixed
Age11 to 18
Enrolment1018
Colour(s)Black (and red logo)   
Former nameIfield Grammar School
Websitehttp://www.ifieldcc.w-sussex.sch.uk

Admissions

It caters for around 1000 pupils in years 7 to 13, including over 100 in its sixth form. It is situated in the west of Crawley, next to the A23. Ifield railway station is nearby to the south.

The school is entirely comprehensive, providing education for around 1000 pupils aged between 11 and 18 of all abilities.

Most pupils attending the school live within the catchment area, and transfer from one of the local primary schools:

  • The Mill Academy School
  • Waterfield Primary School
  • West Green Primary School
  • The Bewbush Academy
  • Gossops Green Primary School
  • Langley Green Primary School
  • St.Margarets Primary School

History

The school has history dating back to 1852 – nearly 100 years before the coming of the new town. It began life as a free school opened by Mrs Sarah Robinson in the village of Crawley. A new building was opened in 1854 in what was later to become known as Robinson Road in honour of the teacher. In 1953, the school lost its primary-aged pupils with the opening of the new West Green county junior and infants' school. Many older pupils were moved to the newly opened Hazelwick School with the remainder transferring to the new Sarah Robinson secondary modern School buildings opened on the Ifield campus in 1956.[1]

Comprehensive

At this time, the secondary modern school shared a campus with the newly opened Ifield County Grammar School, built in 1955. The schools worked closely together, eventually merging in 1966 to become Ifield comprehensive school following retirement of F.W. Wilmott, the Headmaster at the Sarah Robinson school.[2] A distinguished headmaster, Mr Bomford, was brought in to oversee the transition and he introduced a new formality, with senior teachers wearing gowns in assemblies for the first time. Ifield had a considerable reputation for sport, particularly soccer and athletics. The pupils at this time included Jeff Bryant, who went on to be a professional footballer with Wimbledon and Alan Minter, a future World Boxing Champion.

By 1984 there were some 1600 pupils on roll[3] - including Keith Newell who went on to play cricket for Sussex County Cricket Club.

Developments in the early 1980s saw the two separate buildings co-locating, with former buildings becoming the home of Ifield Middle School in 1985. In 2005, a new school building opened in the centre of the campus, with the old buildings being demolished.[4]

Campus

The campus for the school was set aside in the masterplan for Crawley New Town along the eastern edge of the neighbourhood of Ifield alongside the A23. It was shared with St Margaret's Church of England primary school, and later the Holy Cross Intermediate School.

In 2005, a new building for the school was opened in the southeasternmost corner of the large campus, maintaining the existing tree-lined boundaries. The campus is still shared with St Margaret's School, and now The Mill Primary School and the Manor Green special schools.[5]

Choir

Ifield Community College had a very successful and accomplished choir made up of students from all age groups in the school. In 1996 it was the subject of a film by SVC television, directed by Andrew Vere.[6] The choir, led by Patrick Allen (music educator), has performed at some of Europe's major venues, including St Mark's Basilica in Venice (2008),the Royal Festival Hall, London, Barcelona Cathedral, the Auditorium Stravinski in Montreux and a recent (June 2011) collaboration with the BBC Singers saw them performing and recording at Maida Vale Studios.[7] They have been six times finalists at the National Festival of Music for Youth, most recently in 2009, 2010 and 2014.[8] The choir was the subject of a feature on BBC Radio 3's Music Matters in May 2011, focusing on the integration of the choir's Chagossian Drummers.[9] The choir also represented the UK in The Let The People's Sing Gala Concert, broadcast on BBC Radio 3 in October 2011.[10] The choir broadcast live on BBC Radio 3 in March 2012 as part of the Voice's Now festival from The Roundhouse, London.[11]

School in 2004 before demolition in 2005

References
  1. Hudson, T.P. (ed.) (1987). "Ifield: Education". A History of the County of Sussex: Volume 6 Part 3: Bramber Rape (North-Eastern Part) including Crawley New Town. Oxford: Institute of Historical Research by Oxford University Press. pp. 72–73. ISBN 0-19-722768-6. Retrieved 5 January 2007.CS1 maint: extra text: authors list (link)
  2. Report and Recommendations on Reorganisation of Secondary Education. West Sussex County Council. 1966.
  3. Hudson, T.P. (ed.) (1987). "Ifield: Education". A History of the County of Sussex: Volume 6 Part 3: Bramber Rape (North-Eastern Part) including Crawley New Town. Oxford: Institute of Historical Research by Oxford University Press. pp. 93–95. ISBN 0-19-722768-6. Retrieved 5 January 2007.CS1 maint: extra text: authors list (link)
  4. "New Crawley Schools get ready to welcome pupils" (Press release). West Sussex County Council. 16 August 2005. Archived from the original on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 4 January 2007.
  5. "Ifield School and Thomas Bennett Community College". Nicholas Hare Architects LLP. Archived from the original on 22 September 2006. Retrieved 5 January 2007.
  6. BFI.org
  7. http://www.bbc.co.uk/orchestras/events/765
  8. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 26 April 2014. Retrieved 25 April 2014.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  9. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b011y7jx
  10. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b016kdc8
  11. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01cvmhz
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