The Emmbrook School

The Emmbrook School
The Emmbrook School Badge and Motto
Address
Emmbrook Road Wokingham , Berkshire , RG41 1JP England
Information
Type	Academy
Motto	Learning Together : Succeeding Together
Established	1964
Local authority	Wokingham
Department for Education URN	148453 Tables
Ofsted	Reports
Head teacher	Nick McSweeney
Gender	Co-educational
Age	11 to 18
Enrolment	1,200
Houses	Venus (blue), Jupiter (yellow), Mercury (red), Saturn (green)
Colour(s)	Blue and yellow
Website	http://www.emmbrook.wokingham.sch.uk

The Emmbrook School is a co-educational secondary school located in Emmbrook, Wokingham, Berkshire, England, for students between 11 and 18 years of age. There are approximately 1,378 students at the school, with nearly 200 in the Sixth Form. The School expanded in September 2021 by increasing the numbers of students joining Year 7^[1]

Between the 14 and 16 March 2017, the school was inspected by Ofsted, which rated it as "Good".^[2]

The school opened a new £2 million English block in 2015.^[3] A new Maths building was opened in 2017^[4] and a new 3G pitch opened in 2020.^[5]

Previously a community school administered by Wokingham Borough Council, The Emmbrook School converted to academy status in April 2021. The school is now sponsored by The Circle Trust.^[6]

The Houses

The four houses of the school are:

  Venus

  Jupiter

  Mercury

  Saturn

Students represent their house by wearing a tie in a corresponding colour. They compete in sporting events, including football, cricket, netball, rugby and rounders, as well as during sports day. Other competitions contribute points to the house competition, including dance, music, and the merits collected by Key Stage Three pupils.

An E-Sports day was held on 25 February 2020 with representatives from each year group competing in a GoldenEye 007 tournament on the Nintendo 64 platform.^[7]

Between 2009 and 2019 the house names changed to Aqua (Blue), Atmos (Yellow), Terra (Green) and Solar (Red). This was reverted after a consultation with students, parents and staff.^[8]

Curriculum

In Years 7, 8, and 9, children study a varied curriculum with a balance between the core subjects (English, maths, and science), humanities, languages, and creative subjects. In Years 10 and 11, all students study for qualifications in English, English literature, maths, and science, and can choose additional subjects. In Years 12 and 13, students can study a range of A-levels and BTECs.

Music Concerts

The school holds regular concerts.^[9]

Tirabad

The Emmbrook School, along with Maiden Erlegh and Charters School,^[10] co-owns an outdoor education residential centre located in the Welsh village of Tirabad, Powys. Students from years 7-10 and the Sixth Form have the opportunity to spend a week at the centre once a year. The centre's activities are climbing, sailing, canoeing, caving, orienteering, environmental and field studies.

Sixth Form students from the three trust schools (Emmbrook, Maiden Erlegh, and Charters) jointly support the annual New Futures trip, in which students with disabilities travel to Tirabad.^[11] These volunteer students raise funds through charity work and then attend the trip to provide support for the younger children.

On 26 February 2021, a letter was sent to parents stating that Tyr Abad Residential Educational Trust was entering voluntary liquidation.^[12]

Headteachers

There have been 6 Headteachers and 1 acting Headteacher during the school's lifetime^[13]

1965 – 1983	Richard Carter	Appointed November 1964 and was in place for when the school opened on 3 May 1965. Formerly a Senior Master at Edgbarrow School, Crowthorne.
1983 – 1997	Edward Burton	Previous school; St Bartholomew's School, Newbury. Subject specialty – History
1997 – 2005	John Goulborn	Previous school; George Abbott School, Guildford
2004 – 2006	Linda Peart (Acting)	Subject specialty – Physical Education
2006 – 2016	Nigel Matthias	Previous school; Longdean School, Hemel Hempstead. Subject specialty – Chemistry & Biology
2016 – 2019	Paul O'Neill	Previous school; Prendergast Vale School, London. Subject specialty – Maths
2019 -	Nick McSweeney	Previous school; Cherwell School, Oxford. Subject specialty – Economics

References

1. Creighton, Phil (6 March 2021). "Wokingham school places: Emmbrook expands as pupils miss out on their first choice". Wokingham.Today. Retrieved 30 March 2021.
2. "The Emmbrook School Ofsted Report" (PDF).
3. "GetReading".
4. "Hunters South Architects :: Emmbrook School Planning Approval!". www.hunterssoutharchitects.co.uk. Retrieved 20 June 2017.
5. Wakefield, John (9 February 2020). "Emmbrook School get a visit from Reading FC player as it launches new 3G pitch". Wokingham.Today. Retrieved 30 March 2021.
6. "The Circle Trust". thecircletrust.co.uk.
7. The Emmbrook School [@EmmbrookSchool] (25 February 2020). "Y7 gave a solid start to inter-house Goldeneye today. Well done to Saturn on winning with 3 kills. (The wording of this message will likely prompt an AOB item at this evenings' SLT meeting) https://t.co/8CmdubHwdq" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 26 July 2021. Retrieved 4 December 2022 – via Twitter.
8. The Emmbrook School [@EmmbrookSchool] (15 July 2016). "Some amazing races and events so far. The current order of colleges: Solar, Aqua, Atmos, Terra. Still plenty of events to go" (Tweet). Retrieved 4 December 2022 – via Twitter.
9. "Emmbrook School - History".
10. "The Emmbrook School Website - Tirabad".
11. "The Emmbrook School - New Futures".
12. Gibson, Paul (26 February 2021). "Tyr Abad closure letter" (PDF). The Emmbrook School.
13. "Brief History of Emmbrook School Headteachers". The Emmbrook School. 26 April 2021.

External links

• The Emmbrook School website
• School overview and profile from Schoolsfinder

51°25′18″N 0°51′6″W