Roundwood Park School

Roundwood Park School is a non-selective state secondary school with academy status situated in Harpenden, Hertfordshire, UK. Opened in 1956,^[1] it currently has around 1300 pupils, most of whom live in the local area and surrounding villages (e.g. Markyate, Southdown, Whitwell, Kimpton, Flamstead, Redbourn, Breachwood Green and Wheathampstead.) At the beginning of 2011, Roundwood (along with Sir John Lawes School, the University of Hertfordshire, and Rothamsted Research) formed a charitable trust. St George's School joined the trust in 2013 and it is now known as "The Harpenden Secondary Schools Trust".^[2]

Roundwood Park School
Address
Roundwood Park Harpenden , Hertfordshire , AL5 3AE England
Coordinates	51.82002°N 0.37270°W / 51.82002; -0.37270
Information
Type	Academy
Established	1956 (1956)
Department for Education URN	136973 Tables
Ofsted	Reports
Headmaster	Alan Henshall
Staff	150
Gender	Mixed
Age	11 to 18
Enrolment	1349
Houses	Cadbury, Frank, Grey-Thompson, Mandela, Owens, Scott, Wilberforce
Colour(s)	Red and Black
Publication	Roundwood Round-Up
Website	http://www.roundwoodpark.co.uk/

Academics

It runs a full curriculum, including all standard subjects as well as vocational subjects for Sixth Form students. The current headteacher is Mr Alan Henshall. He was preceded by Nicholas Daymond.^[1]

Facilities

The construction of a new modern 'Maths and Music' block was finished in October 2008, which was opened by Johnny Ball.

The school has a multimillion-pound sports centre, officially opened on 7 September 2011 by Mike Atherton.^[3] The sports centre is also used for children's parties and sports clubs outside school hours.

The construction of a new all-weather outdoor football pitch was announced in 2016 and was completed in 2018. Having replaced the grass pitches previously on the site, it is now used by Harpenden Colts FC as a training ground.^[4]

Houses

At the beginning of the 2011 academic year, the school introduced a house system as an Olympic legacy. The houses were originally named after colours, but in June 2012, the current house names were unveiled.^[5] Each house has a yearly charity week, where money is raised for the three school charities.

• Grey-Thompson (Blue)
• Wilberforce (Red)
• Frank (Pink)
• Scott (Green)
• Cadbury (Purple)
• Owens (Yellow)
• Mandela (Orange)

Notable alumni

• Rhys James, comedian^{[citation needed]}
• Ralph Adams-Hale, rugby player
• Edward Corrie, tennis player^{[citation needed]}
• Natasha Dowie, football striker^[6]
• Seline Hizli, actress^[7]
• Sarah McKenna, rugby player^[8]
• Richie Driss, former Blue Peter presenter^[9]

References

1. "A Brief History Of Roundwood Park School". Roundwood Park School. Retrieved 27 December 2020.
2. "Harpenden Secondary Schools Trust". Roundwood Park School. Retrieved 27 December 2020.
3. Roberts, Laura (18 September 2011). "Cricketer Mike Atherton opens Roundwood School's new sport centre". The Herts Advertiser. Retrieved 27 December 2020.
4. "Harpenden Colts FC venues". Harpenden Colts. Retrieved 12 October 2023.
5. "House Captains & Leaders History". Roundwood Park School. Retrieved 27 December 2020.
6. Suslak, Anne (19 September 2018). "Harpenden school pitch will encourage girls and under-14s to get into football". The Herts Advertiser. Retrieved 27 December 2020.
7. Burton, Madeleine (14 January 2011). "St Albans actress has landed on her feet with starring role for BBC". The Herts Advertiser. Retrieved 27 December 2020.
8. "Sarah McKenna". Saracens. Retrieved 27 December 2020.
9. Bill, Laura (26 April 2019). "Former Sir John Lawes boy is new Blue Peter presenter". The Herts Advertiser. Retrieved 27 December 2020.

External links

• School website