SPECIAL SCHOOLS

AFTER much talk and speculation, Worcester's three special schools were closed in July as part of a controversial re-organisation plan. Thornton House, Rose Hill and Manor Park all closed their doors, and in September pupils started life at the new Fort Royal Community Primary School and Regency High School.

The re-organisation of the special schools was heavily criticised when Worcestershire County Council announced the scheme, and a catalogue of errors saw costs spiral from £5 million to £10.2 million.

The schools are still awaiting the development of new buildings, but staff and pupils say they have been delighted with the first term. Headteacher Frank Steel said: "It has been a really positive start and everything has been fantastic."

OFSTED

ASK almost any school and they will tell you that Ofsted inspections are one of the most stressful times. And over the past year Worcestershire's schools received a mixed bag from the education watchdog.

Elgar Technology College was the most reported on after it was placed in special measures in March. Staff and pupils were left at an all-time low as the school came to terms with the report, released around the same time as its headteacher Tony James left. A new headteacher, David Williams, was brought in, but just two months later he also left, and David Seddon was then appointed executive headteacher.

Under his leadership, the school has managed to make a marked improvement and by the end of the year was looking forward to a positive 2008.

Meanwhile, St Barnabas CE First and Middle School in Drakes Broughton, near Worcester, had an early Christmas present when it was taken out of special measures at the end of the year. And Gorse Hill Primary School in Tolladine, Worcester, is also well on its way to coming out of special measures.

A number of schools and nurseries in the county celebrated top reports during the year, with many being judged as outstanding' and good'.

QUALIFICATIONS IT was a top year of results for the county's students in both GCSEs and A-levels. Worcestershire schools and colleges celebrated some of their best ever grades.

The overall A-level pass rate in the county rose again, with many achieving almost 100 per cent. Schools throughout the county also celebrated a record set of GCSEs, with most gaining between 50 and 100 per cent pass rates.

But both sets of qualifications could soon be a thing of the past, as the government's new diplomas were last year being prepared for introduction.

In Worcestershire the first diplomas will start to be offered in 2009 - but the county is already gearing itself up for the change with many schools joining forces to offer the new qualification.

SCHOOL MERGERS 2007 saw a number of county schools merged. Aside from the multi-million pound Wyre Forest Review, where the entire school network was reorganised, there were both state and independent schools in Worcester that underwent changes.

One of the most notable was the merger of the historic Royal Grammar School and The Alice Ottley School. The independent schools were two of the oldest in the city, sitting side-by-side in The Tything. In July they closed and re-opened in September as one school, called the Royal Grammar School and The Alice Ottley School.

A decision was also taken last year to merge Northwick Manor infant and junior schools in Worcester. The two were the only remaining infant and junior schools in the city, following a county council policy to re-organise the schools system. The proposed merger sparked huge controversy among parents, but it was given the go-ahead at the end of the year, and the schools will merge as one primary school this year.

NEW SCHOOL AFTER 15 months of building, the new Red Hill CE Primary School, Worcester, opened its doors in the spring of 2007.

Pupils watched as the £3.5 million state-of-the-art building went up, which included seven classrooms, a nursery, music/drama studio, ICT suite, group rooms and a hall. Following the rebuild the school become one of Britain's first low-carbon' schools, boasting a host of environmentally-friendly features including a groundsource heating system using the Earth's temperature as an energy source for heating, rather than the conventional gas boilers.