Sir William Robertson Academy Explained

Sir William Robertson Academy
Coordinates:53.067°N -0.566°W
Motto:ASPIRE
Established:1961
Religious Affiliation:None
Head Label:Headteacher
Head:Mark Guest
Chair Label:Chair of Governors
Address:Main Road
Postcode:LN5 0PA
Ofsted:yes
Dfeno:925/5420
Urn:138839
Staff:113
Lower Age:11
Upper Age:18
Houses:Robertson
Windrush
Attenborough
Seacole
Website:http://www.swracademy.org/

Sir William Robertson Academy (formerly Sir William Robertson High School) is a coeducational secondary school of around 1000 pupils, situated in Welbourn, near Lincoln, Lincolnshire, England. The school is sited on a former WWII munitions dump for the nearby Wellingore Aerodrome.

The school used to specialise languages and taught French, Spanish and German, but now only French is taught. From September 2012 the school has catered for students aged 11 to 18. The school also achieved its best ever GCSE results in 2008.

The school has four houses, each with a differently coloured tie: Simla (yellow), Dragoon (red), Chitral (blue) and Lancer (green). These are named after experiences in Sir William Robertson's life.

History

Secondary modern school

Sir William Robertson Academy is named after Field Marshal William Robertson, born in Welbourn, who served in the First World War.

The school was to open as Leadenham County Secondary Modern School. The name change to William Robertson took place on Wednesday 30 November 1960, at a meeting of Kesteven Education Committee in Sleaford.[1]

It opened on 5 January 1961, with HORSA buildings.[2] The first head was educated in Grantham, who was a flight lieutenant in the RAF during the war.[3] It was officially opened on Tuesday 17 October 1961 by Brian Robertson, 1st Baron Robertson of Oakridge.[4] [5]

The school was to be three form entry. There were new buildings in the mid-1960s. The school was to cost £74,767.[6] The deputy headteacher, Mr Padgett, became the first headteacher of the new secondary modern at Billinghay, in 1963. From September 1964 it worked with Grantham College to teach commercial subjects for one day a week.[7]

Comprehensive

It became a comprehensive around 1975.

Notable former pupils

Notes and References

  1. Grantham Journal Friday 2 December 1960, page 1
  2. Grantham Journal Friday 21 October 1960, page 8
  3. Grantham Journal Friday 24 June 1960, page 1
  4. Newark Advertiser Wednesday 18 October 1961, page 16
  5. Newark Advertiser Wednesday 19 July 1961, page 12
  6. Grantham Journal Friday 11 May 1962, page 6
  7. Grantham Journal Friday 6 March 1964, page 5