Midhurst Rother College
Midhurst Rother College is a coeducational secondary school with academy status for students aged 11 to 19, in Midhurst, West Sussex, in southern England. It was officially formed on 1 January 2009 following the closure of three predecessor schools in the area. It serves a wide rural area in the Rother Valley of West Sussex and is sponsored by one of the largest academy groups in the country, United Learning. The college also has partnerships with the University of Chichester and Winchester College.
Formation
The academy was formed in January 2009. This followed the closure of three predecessor schools operating as part of a three-tier structure: Midhurst Grammar School, Midhurst Intermediate School and Petworth's Herbert Shiner School. The Grammar school - with a history dating back to 1672 - had accommodated students aged 13 to 19, while both intermediate schools had students aged 10 to 13.The new school was introduced as part of the local authority's move towards two-tier provision. The school opened with students from Year Six to Year 13, but began to operate as a standard secondary from September 2009, with the youngest students being in Year Seven, aged 11.
Campus
In September 2012, a new school building replaced the old on the River Site Campus at a cost of £31 million. Situated at the foot of the South Downs, the building is state of the art both in its architecture and the facilities it has to offer students, staff and the community of Midhurst. The facilities include a new school bus terminus, county-standard Astro Turf pitch, multi-use games area, Amphitheatre and extensive sports grounds. The formal opening ceremony, performed by Lord Andrew Adonis took place on 19 April 2013. Lord Andrew Adonis, Minister of State for Education 2005-2008, was the original champion of the academy concept and was directly instrumental in the College's early development. During his speech he said “I am delighted to be opening MRC which is transforming education in its community. Its results last year were spectacular and attribute to its principal, governors and staff.”In a recent article written for the Academy Magazine by Lord Nash, Current Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Schools, he said about academy freedoms being at the heart of school improvement, "I have seen from my own experience that introducing strong performance management, professional development, coaching and reward can also make a huge difference ... Midhurst Rother College in West Sussex ... has transformed management procedures since becoming an academy and has seen astonishing turnarounds in pupil performance."
Curriculum
The school operates joint specialisms in Science and Mathematics. In addition, the school identifies aspects of Business and Enterprise, and ICT throughout the curriculum.Principal
The first principal of the College was Dr Joe Vitagliano, former headteacher of Chislehurst and Sidcup Grammar School. Dr Vitagliano was formerly a pupil at the Midhurst Grammar School.The current principal is Mr Stuart Edwards.