St. Bartholomew's School (known colloquially as St Bart's) has been a non-selective local comprehensive school since 1975. It is a co-educational state funded academy school whose predecessor schools were founded in 1466 in Newbury, Berkshire in the United Kingdom. It accepts students aged 11–18 within its local geographical catchment area, and has approximately 1,970 students on roll, including a sixth form of around 620. It is currently rated by Ofsted as "Outstanding".

House system

The school operates a house system whereby the student body is divided into four houses, each named for a former pupil who died in the First World War:

  • George Ashwin Curnock - Green
  • Alexander Herbert Davis - Red
  • Bertram Saxelbye Evers - Blue
  • Robert Arthur Patterson - Yellow

Students from each house enter into annual competitions in sport and the arts versus the other houses, where pupils represent their house. Examples of House Sports competitions are house netball, house football, house rugby, house lacrosse, house hockey, house tennis, house rounders. There are also House arts events including dance, fine arts, drama and music; there are also House filmmaking and House Drama plays which are written by year 12 students (aged 16 and 17) and performed by year 10 students (aged 14 and 15). The winning house in each competition is awarded a certain number of points, which are accrued during the academic year.

Facilities

The Ad Lucem project

Before the Ad Lucem project, St Bartholomew's School was based on two sites. The Luker site, at one end of Buckingham Road was formerly Newbury County Girls' Grammar School. The Wormestall site, at the opposite end of Buckingham Road, was formerly St Bartholomew's Boys' Grammar School - the two grammar schools had merged in 1975 to form a large comprehensive, spread over both sites.

On 23 November 2006, St. Bartholomew's was awarded a government grant to rebuild its premises. The school was chosen ahead of three other schools in Berkshire: Kennet School, Theale Green Community School, and John O'Gaunt Community Technology College. Whilst several proposals for St. Bartholomew's were considered, the final application involved completely rebuilding the school, with access provided through Fifth Road. This application was approved by a West Berkshire Council Planning Committee on 20 February 2008. The rebuild was completed in October 2010, and was officially opened on 30 March 2011 by the Countess of Wessex.

Both former sites enjoyed large playing fields, tennis courts and sports changing rooms. Most of this space was lost as a result of the building of the new school. The new school still retains a large playing field, and since the completion of phase two of the Ad Lucem project possesses a sizeable Multi-Use Games Area. In January 2014 the planned extension to the Patterson block was complete, allowing more space for the Sixth Form and a much expanded hall.

Facilities

  • Phase one of the Ad Lucem project was completed in October 2010, meaning that the school is now on one site, with an entrance from Buckingham Road, adjacent to the old Luker site.
  • In January 2014 the planned extension to the Patterson block was complete, allowing more space for the sixth form and an expanded hall.
  • In early 2019, the Wormestall 6th Form Block was extended with a new Wormestall Conference Room and smaller Wormestall meeting room. These rooms were designed to accommodate more exam students during exam season. The rooms also act as new meeting rooms, meaning that the 6th Form has now been able to expand into two rooms previously used for meetings on the ground floor of the main block, while the new rooms are used for meetings. This development has allowed the 6th form to continue to expand. These rooms are also hired out by the school.
  • The new school retains a large playing field, and since the completion of phase two of the Ad Lucem project possesses a sizeable Multi-Use Games Area.
  • There is a large hall with a temporary stage, where assemblies and some lessons take place. Larger, whole school assemblies take place in the 'Hub', a central atrium at the heart of the building.

History

The school was founded in 1466 from the legacy of Henry Wormestall who set aside £12 2s 4d annually for "teching gramar scole of the whiche that toune hath grete nede". St. Bartholomew's is therefore thought to be the 42nd oldest school in the UK still in existence.

  • 1466 Male-only St. Bartholomew's Boys' Grammar School founded in a building near the junction of Pound Street and Bartholomew Street. Moved to Wormestall around 1880.
  • 1910 Female-only Newbury County Girls Grammar School moved to the Luker site on the Andover Road.
  • September 2002 School designated as a Business and Enterprise College – a specialist school status
  • 22 November 2010, opening of the new St. Bartholomew's School buildings for academic purposes.
  • 30 March 2011, official opening of the new St Bartholomew's School building
  • 1 September 2011, St Bartholomew's School gains academy status In 2022 Ms Mortimore retired and was replaced Dr David Fitter.

The previous 2015 report and further short inspection in 2018 had rated the school as 'good'.

Alumni

The alumni of St. Bartholomew's are referred to as Old Newburians and include:

  • Arron Banks - businessman, and pro-Brexit political donor
  • Lauren Bell - cricketer
  • Arthur Haddy - sound engineer
  • Ollie Hassell-Collins - rugby player
  • Baroness Sue Hayman (née Bentley) - previously Labour MP for Workington in Cumbria, elected 2015
  • Richard Houlston - Fellow of the Royal Society
  • Hollie McNish (aka Hollie Poetry) - poet
  • Keston Sutherland - poet
  • John Edwin Midwinter – President of the Institution of Electrical Engineers
  • Robert Newton – actor, perhaps best known for his portrayal of Long John Silver in the 1950 film version of Treasure Island
  • Sir Denys Page – classicist
  • David Quarrey - UK Deputy National Security Adviser and former British Ambassador to Israel.
  • Sir Anthony Skingsley - former RAF commander and Air chief marshal.
  • Jon Solly – former long-distance runner, won gold medal in 10,000 metres event at 1986 Commonwealth Games
  • Herbert Akroyd Stuart – inventor, noted for his invention of the Hot bulb engine.
  • Jack Thorne – writer of The Fades, Enola Holmes (film), showrunner of His Dark Materials, contributing writer for Skins and Shameless
  • Lucy Worsley – historian, curator, and television presenter