Greneway Middle School, Royston

The Greneway Middle School is a middle school located in Royston, Hertfordshire, England. It is an academy, and has approximately 444 registered students.^[1]

History

The Greneway Middle School first opened to pupils on 9 September 1969 following Hertfordshire County Council’s introduction of a three-tier system of first, middle and upper schools. The opening ceremony was performed on 3 July 1970 by Royston’s then MP, Shirley Williams, who was later appointed Secretary of State for Education. The school building had previously housed the Royston Secondary School (for pupils aged 11 to 16 years old) since 1954, when it was first built. The school’s name is a reference to the 'Grene Highway' that at one time linked Royston and the surrounding villages.^[2]

In 2007, the school installed the Hexagon, a wooden shelter designed to provide pupils with somewhere peaceful and quiet to go at break times. A spokesperson for the school said, "The children are really enjoying the Hexagon. They can use it for reading or as somewhere quiet to go at break times. It is a good shelter if the pupils are outside at break in the winter and it will be lovely in the summer." The school’s fund-raising association, Friends of Greneway School (FoGs), gave £4,000 towards the structure’s building costs.^[3]

The school runs an active listener programme which trains pupils, mainly from Year 6, in how to counsel their peers at the school if they are experiencing bullying, are dealing with emotional issues or have other worries at school. Pupils who have undergone training wear a special ‘Peer Mentor’ badge so that pupils with concerns can identify them. In October 2007, the school’s active listener co-ordinator said, "We've been running this programme for several years and it's been very successful. […] Since the active listening scheme started we've put a stop to several cases of bullying. The children are taught their limits, and they know that if they discover anything serious which is going on that they must come straight to me or another member of staff." She added, "As well as being available to their fellow pupils when needed, the active listeners take it in turns to run a drop-in centre every Tuesday. It gives them responsibility and we hope it makes the school a better place for everybody".^[4]

In November 2011, Greneway Middle School joined with Royston’s other middle school, Roysia, and the town’s upper school the Meridian School to form the Royston Schools Academy Trust, Hertfordshire’s first multi-school academy. The move gained the new body additional funding and greater freedom from the control of Hertfordshire County Council, allowing greater flexibility in terms of its members’ curriculums.^[5]

Leadership

The School’s first headteacher was Ken Charles, who introduced basketball and mini basketball to Royston when he took up the post in 1969.^[6] He had previously taught the sport in a school in Harrow early in his career under the guidance of PE teacher Joe Jagger, father of the singer Mick Jagger.^[7]

Subsequent Greneway headteacher Rhona Seviour later became a school inspector and Technology Advisor for Hertfordshire.^[8][9]

Sue Kennedy retired as headteacher in 2012 after leading the school for seven years. She had served as the School’s deputy head before becoming its leader.^[10]

The Greneway Middle School’s current headteacher is Laura Rawlings (née Flitton), who had served as the head of the science department and leader of ICT before becoming the school’s leader.^[11][12]

Awards and achievements

In April 2006, the school became one of the first in England to receive ICT Mark accreditation from the British Educational Communications and Technology Agency (Becta), the government-funded body which at that time had responsibility for promoting the use of ICT in schools and colleges nationally. Neil McLean, executive director of educational practice at Becta, said: "Greneway School thoroughly deserves this accolade. It clearly demonstrates how important it is to take a holistic approach to using ICT in a school. By doing this, its investment in new technologies has contributed to improvements in learning".^[12]

In September 2011, Greneway Middle School won third place in the Hertfordshire Sports Partnership Service to Sport Awards. The county-wide competition recognises both the quality of PE teaching within schools and the institutions’ community links in the field of sport.^[13]

In November 2012, the school became the first in England to gain a fourth consecutive Artsmark award.^[14] A special Artsmark Gold award was presented by former Greneway Middle School pupil Alison Balsom, who said, “I had a wonderful time studying music with many of the teachers who are in this hall today. Whenever I play music anywhere in the world I remember how privileged I am, and I’m very pleased to be at Greneway today, it’s a pleasure to be back.”^[15]

In December 2013, Greneway Middle School was runner-up in the School of the Year category at the Hertfordshire Sports Partnership awards. In July 2014 it was awarded the Association for Physical Education’s quality mark with distinction. The award was presented by Jan Wood MBE, head of the North East Herts Sports Partnership, who said, “This is a richly deserved award and I am delighted to award it to Greneway. All of our young people are entitled to benefit from a high quality physical education and we all know that this supports other learning right across the curriculum. It also contributes to healthy and active lifestyles, improves emotional well-being, and develops key skills such as leadership, confidence and social skills.”^[16] In January 2015, Greneway Middle School achieved the School Games Gold Kitemark award for the third year in a row.^[17]

Notable students and staff

Notable former students of The Greneway Middle School include:

• Alison Balsom, an award-winning trumpet player.^[18]
• Robin Belfield, former National Theatre Staff Director.^[19]
• Chris Tidey, a swimmer who represented Great Britain in international competitions and has coached Velimir Stjepanović and Irakli Bolkvadze.^[20][21]

Notable current and former staff of the school include:

• Ken Charles - In 1986, the school’s first headteacher was awarded the MBE for services to basketball in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list.^[22] In 2002, he became one of only seven people in the world to be given honorary membership of the International Federation of Basketball (FIBA). The BBC reported, "The award is considered to be one of the highest honours in basketball. However Mr Charles, who lives in Whaddon, is no stranger to prize-winning. His club Corvus Cornix became internationally renowned in the 1960s as a training ground for sports stars". The BBC report added, "Mr Charles told the BBC: 'From here in this school, we had seven girls who played for English Schools. Two played for England and one played for Great Britain, and really was one of the very best players we have had in the country ever.'"^[6] Four years later, he was also awarded the FIBA Order of Merit. Reporting the award, which was made at basketball’s World Congress in Tokyo, the school’s local newspaper The Royston Crow added, "For 17 years he was the executive chairman and then the president of the national basketball federation, he has been the principal officer and authority on world mini-basketball for children since 1980 and has led the management and coaching of Corvus Cornix Basketball in Royston since 1970. He has also tutored teachers from 5,500 schools over the country in order to enrich their PE lessons with mini-basketball".^[7]
• Terry Graves - In 2010, Greneway Middle School’s head of PE won a commendation in the School Sport Teacher of the Year category at the School Sport Matters Awards at Wembley Stadium.^[23] The Royston Crow reported, "The 50-year-old mixed with a host of current and former Olympians at the ceremony - including Olympic gold medallist Sally Gunnell as well as World Cup winner George Cohen. But, while quick to admit he had enjoyed his spell in the limelight, Graves was anxious to deflect praise onto the rest of the school’s efforts – and those of his former teaching mentors. 'It was a fantastic experience to go to Wembley and to see all the former sports stars and see them and speak to them', said Graves. 'But it was also quite humbling because while it is great to be nominated and recognised I am really just part of a team and it is as much an award for them as for me. I was encouraged into teaching by a number of different people when I was younger and I thoroughly enjoy the job.'"^[24]

Extra-curricular activities

Music, dance and drama

The Greneway Middle School’s pupils have participated in numerous artistic activities, including:

In April 2007, two Greneway Year 8 pupils completed successful musical auditions for leading institutions the Royal College of Music and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.^[25] In June of the same year the school held a special fund-raising concert by the pupils to raise the money for their tuition fees of approximately £3,000 per year. The students played solos, duetted together and played with the Royston Town Band.^[26]

Pupils from Greneway Middle School have joined those from other schools across Hertfordshire to participate in two concerts at the Royal Albert Hall organised by the Hertfordshire Music Service.^[27][28]

Youth Makes Music

Founded by Greneway Middle School’s first headteacher Ken Charles in the 1990s, and organised by the Rotary Club of Royston, the annual Youth Makes Music concerts at the University of Cambridge’s West Road Concert Hall have seen musicians and singers from the school join forces with those from other local schools.^[29] In March 2014, Ken Charles announced he would be retiring after organising the event for 17 years.^[30]

School productions

Past school productions include student performances of:

• Bugsy Malone (2007)^[31]
• Dracula Spectacular (2013)
• Wizard of Oz (2015) ^[32]

Greneway’s Got Talent

The school holds a school-wide talent contest, Greneway’s Got Talent, every two years. In 2008 more than 300 pupils entered the contest, with four acts from each age group performing in the final stage of the contest which was judged by professional musicians and dancers. Other students had designed the stage set and concert programme for the event.^[33]

Sports

The Greneway Middle School’s sports teams have achieved successes including:

In May 2006, the school’s Year 8 athletes achieved "a unique treble", representing the North Hertfordshire district in athletics, basketball and mixed sports hall athletics at the Herts Youth Games at the University of Hertfordshire’s Sports Village. Greneway’s was the only school team in the competition, with the other county districts being represented by elite groups from their athletics clubs.^[34]

In July 2006, Greneway Middle School’s Year 7 cricket team were North Hertfordshire Schools Cricket Champions after beating Baldock’s Knights Templar School at Letchworth Cricket Club.^[35]

In November 2011, the school’s Year 8 basketball team won their 199th consecutive home win having been undefeated at Greneway since 1995.^[36]

In June 2015, the school’s Year 5/6 boys' football team achieved "an unprecedented quadruple", winning the Stevenage and North Herts Schools' under-11 seven-a-side title, the North East Herts under-11 nine-a-side championship, the North East Herts seven-a-side title, and the Hertfordshire Wix under-11 nine-a-side competition. Reporting the achievement, Cambridge News noted, "and they achieved all of that without conceding a goal".^[37]

References

1. 1 2 Spoors, Matthew; Tabberer, Susan; Chambers, Roisin (24 October 2013), Inspection report: The Greneway School, 8–9 October 2013 (PDF), Ofsted, p. 9, retrieved 8 October 2015 
2. ↑ "History of Greneway". www.greneway.herts.sch.uk/. Retrieved 8 October 2015. 
3. ↑ "Getting away from it all . . .". The Royston Crow. 18 October 2007. Retrieved 8 October 2015. 
4. ↑ "We're listening!". The Royston Crow. 25 October 2007. Retrieved 8 October 2015. 
5. ↑ Foskett, Ewan (3 November 2011). "Royston schools transform into county's first multi academy". The Royston Crow. Retrieved 30 September 2015. 
6. 1 2 "Top honour for sports pioneer". BBC News Online. 25 September 2002. Retrieved 9 October 2015. 
7. 1 2 "Ken's years of service earn surprise' award". The Royston Crow. 12 October 2006. Retrieved 8 October 2015. 
8. ↑ "The Education (Inspectors of Schools in England) Order 2003: No. 1872". Legislation.gov.uk. Retrieved 9 October 2015. 
9. ↑ George, Alan (23 June 1994). "Conference Report - Developing a Professional Teaching Force in Design & Technology: an Active Role for Industry and Commerce". Design & Technology Teaching. DATA Conference. Keele University: Design & Technology Association. p. 10. Retrieved 9 October 2015. 
10. ↑ Foskett, Ewan (19 July 2012). "Royston headteacher to retire". The Royston Crow. Retrieved 8 October 2015. 
11. ↑ Hodge, Janice (17 March 2009). "Science studies: The higher-level teaching assistant". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 9 October 2015. 
12. 1 2 "School first with award for technology". The Royston Crow. 27 April 2006. Retrieved 8 October 2015. 
13. ↑ Foskett, Ewan (20 September 2011). "Two Royston schools awarded for sporting commitment". The Royston Crow. Retrieved 8 October 2015. 
14. ↑ "Celebrating Achievement". http://www.rsat.org.uk/. Retrieved 9 October 2015.  External link in |website= (help)
15. ↑ Gooding, Matthew (15 November 2012). "Renowned trumpet player heralds her old school's Artsmark success". The Royston Crow. Retrieved 8 October 2015. 
16. ↑ Gooding, Matthew (20 July 2014). "Greneway school celebrating after picking up Association for Physical Education's quality mark". The Royston Crow. Retrieved 8 October 2015. 
17. ↑ "Greneway Middle School achieve prestigious sports kitemark". The Royston Crow. 17 January 2015. Retrieved 8 October 2015. 
18. ↑ Walker, Ella E. (2 October 2014). "Alison Balsom: "I'm pushing the envelope in terms of: is this even classical?"". Cambridge News. Cambridge. Retrieved 27 September 2015. 
19. ↑ "Teenagers to get in on the act at Arts Festival". The Royston Crow. 15 September 2009. Retrieved 8 October 2015. 
20. ↑ "International star gives master class to Greneway swimmers". The Royston Crow. 10 July 2009. Retrieved 8 October 2015. 
21. ↑ Cameron, Neil (20 July 2011). "Dubai club pooling world's young but strong Olympic swimming hopes". The National. Abu Dhabi. Retrieved 10 October 2015. 
22. ↑ "Supplement To The London Gazette, 14th June 1986". London Gazette (50551). London. 14 June 1986. p. 12. Retrieved 10 October 2015. 
23. ↑ Davies, Gareth A. (3 November 2010). "Daily Telegraph-Aviva School Sport Matters Awards brings out a host of sporting heroes". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 11 October 2015. 
24. ↑ "Terry Graves honoured". The Royston Crow. 4 November 2010. Retrieved 8 October 2015. 
25. ↑ "Pupils going where the music takes them". The Royston Crow. 26 April 2007. Retrieved 8 October 2015. 
26. ↑ "School's help as young musicians aim to hit high notes". The Royston Crow. 14 June 2007. Retrieved 8 October 2015. 
27. ↑ "Musical pupils from Royston take part in a concert at the Royal Albert Hall". The Royston Crow. 12 March 2010. Retrieved 8 October 2015. 
28. ↑ Gooding, Matthew (22 March 2014). "Royston students perform at the Royal Albert Hall". The Royston Crow. Retrieved 8 October 2015. 
29. ↑ "Sounds of music". The Royston Crow. 8 March 2007. Retrieved 8 October 2015. 
30. ↑ Gooding, Matthew (29 March 2014). "Youngsters make a big noise at Rotary Club of Royston concert". The Royston Crow. Retrieved 8 October 2015. 
31. ↑ Baker, Les (28 June 2007). "Bugsy cast rules in gangster-era show". The Royston Crow. Retrieved 8 October 2015. 
32. ↑ "Wizard of Oz is a sellout success at Greneway Middle School". The Royston Crow. 21 July 2015. Retrieved 8 October 2015. 
33. ↑ "Talented Greneway students take to stage". The Royston Crow. 18 June 2008. Retrieved 8 October 2015. 
34. ↑ "Unique treble for school". The Royston Crow. 25 May 2006. Retrieved 8 October 2015. 
35. ↑ "Cricket glory for Greneway". The Royston Crow. 27 July 2006. Retrieved 8 October 2015. 
36. ↑ "199 and counting for Greneway". The Royston Crow. 21 November 2011. Retrieved 8 October 2015. 
37. ↑ "Junior Sports Awards: Greneway School and Cambridge City are Junior Team of the Year runners-up". Cambridge News. 11 June 2015. Retrieved 9 October 2015. 

External links