SOUTH WOLDS COMMUNITY SCHOOL – A Specialist Language College

Church Drive, Keyworth, Nottingham NG12 5FF
Tel: 0115 9373506/9374196
Fax: 0115 9372905
E-mail: jkolmar@southwolds.notts.sch.uk
Website: www.southwolds.co.uk
Head Teacher: Simon Dennis, BEd(Hons.), MEd.

South Wolds Community School first opened in January 1967 as a 360 place secondary modern school but currently there are approximately 1050 students, 75 teaching staff and a large support team. It occupies a central site in the village and the school is thus very much a centre for community life. Since gaining Language College status in 2002, the school has undergone a programme of extensive refurbishment and recent developments have included adaptations to the buildings to accommodate disabled students and visitors in wheelchairs. We now have a range of well-equipped specialist teaching areas including a large Learning Resource Centre and excellent ICT facilities.

The school’s successful bid for Language College status has enabled us to offer a wide range of languages to the local community in a specialist language suite making extensive use of ICT and our virtual teaching observatory. The languages currently taught to students are French, German, Spanish and Japanese.

Sports provision at the school has also recently been boosted by a £500,000 grant from the Football Foundation for a new all-weather football pitch and upgraded changing rooms. All our sports facilities are jointly used by the Leisure Centre and the community.

The school’s catchment area includes Keyworth and the surrounding villages. There are currently seven feeder schools: Keyworth Nursery and Primary, Crossdale Drive Primary, Willow Brook Primary, Bunny Church of England Primary, Kinoulton Primary, Tollerton Primary and Willoughby Church of England Primary. There is close co-operation between these schools and South Wolds. The headteachers meet regularly and staff from South Wolds visit each of the seven primary schools to teach specialist subjects such as languages and music. The

school also attracts increasing numbers of students from out of the catchment area, both from the county and from Nottingham City.

Curriculum courses follow the National Curriculum for ages 11-16 and in the sixth form we offer AS and A2 level courses. For a small number of students who find the conventional courses too rigorous there is an alternative package available and we work closely with local colleges to try to satisfy the needs of this small minority. Academic achievement is good and public examination results are well above the national average.

Many of our students enter the sixth form (currently approximately 180) and most of these go on to higher education at universities throughout the country. We are also attracting foreign students who come to study at South Wolds for fixed periods following our success as a language college and the granting of the International School Award in 2004.

Being a specialist school in languages has enabled us to develop an international dimension to the whole school curriculum, raising student aspirations and preparing them better for working in a global economy.

We also have close links with the British Geological Survey and the University of Nottingham with whom we have developed a video conferencing facility to allow student teachers on PGCE courses to observe live lessons and then ask questions of the teachers.

Pastorally, the school is run by Heads of Year, each with their assistant and a team of tutors. Control of discipline is well established. The school has strong links with the community, and pupils and staff are frequently found involved in the life of the village.

Visitors to the school are always welcome but it is advisable to telephone the school beforehand. School brochures and further information about the school are available from the Headteacher’s PA, Jenny Kolmar, or you can visit the school’s website.