Samuel Whitbread Community College
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| Type | Academy |
|---|---|
| Principal | Mr Nick Martin |
| Location |
Shefford Road, Clifton Shefford Bedfordshire SG17 5QS England Coordinates: 52°02′13″N 0°19′06″W / 52.03682°N 0.31835°W |
| DfE number | 823/4079 |
| DfE URN | 137948 Tables |
| Ofsted | Reports Pre-academy reports |
| Students | 1851 |
| Gender | Co-educational |
| Ages | 13–18 |
| Colours | Blue, Green Red Purple turquoise |
| Website | Samuel Whitbread Academy |
Samuel Whitbread Academy is an upper school and sixth form with academy status serving the rural communities around the small market town of Shefford in Central Bedfordshire. Its school campus includes a nursery school and facilities for adult education.
Originally designated Shefford & District Upper School, it was as Samuel Whitbread Upper School that it opened on a purpose-built site on 4 September 1973, as part of Bedfordshire County Council's re-organisation into a 3-tier, non-selective school system. Adult education provision was in place from the beginning under Mr Gordon Ainscough, but the name of the institution was not changed to Samuel Whitbread Upper School and Community College until 1975 (when the 'Headmaster' became the 'Head') and it became Samuel Whitbread Community College, (led by a 'Principal') at some point in the late 90s.
The Headmaster, when the school opened, was Mr Kenneth Dodsworth, and the Chairman of Governors was Alderman W. Inskip.
The original intention was for the school to have an eventual roll of 1100, drawn from the existing secondary modern schools Robert Bloomfield and Etonbury, which were to become middle schools, and from 1975, a planned purpose-built Henlow Middle School.
There were 457 pupils when the school was opened: 249 in what was then the '3rd Year' (now known as Year 9) from the Robert Bloomfield and Etonbury Schools; 94 in the '4th Year' (Year 10) and 117 in the 5th Year (Year 11) who were from Robert Bloomfield only. A vestigial 6th Form of 5 former Robert Bloomfield pupils was enrolled, although 6th form courses were not yet in place.
Thirty teachers were employed in September 1973, the last of whom retired in 2007. At that time there were 25 support staff, including 8 cleaners and 9 kitchen assistants.
The site was extensively updated to provide new facilities and space for school departments as part of a Private Finance Initiative with the companies Bilfinger Berger, Galliford Try, Gensler and Helaba. The site is owned by Bilfinger Berger and maintained by Galliford Try Facilities Management. The new buildings were officially opened by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on 17 November 2006.
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