Rydon Community College

Rydon Community College is a maintained comprehensive middle-deemed-secondary school for pupils aged 10 to 13. The school is located just outside Storrington, West Sussex, England, in the village of Thakeham. It is one of only 7 schools of its type in the United Kingdom, and currently caters for around 400 pupils. Rydon has specialisms in Science College and Business and Enterprise College. All subjects are taught to Year 6 pupils and above as secondary pupils. The school permanently closed in July 2017.HistoryThe school was first opened in 1940 as the Storrington council senior school. It was developed and extended over the following years, being renamed as Rydon county secondary school. The roll continued to rise until the mid-1960s, but had fallen to just 328 by 1968. Accordingly, in 1969, the school was modified to become an intermediate school offering education for pupils aged between 10 and 13 years.In 2002, consultations were undertaken to review provision in the area to revert to the more usual two-tier structure of education. However, a parental ballot demonstrated clear support for the existing arrangements, and the status quo emerged as the preferred option. Further consultations in 2015 led to the announcement of the closure of the school from July 2017, at which point it will become a campus of Steyning Grammar School for pupils in Years 7 and 8.CampusThe campus is in a rural area, just north of the village of Storrington in West Sussex. The school is largely housed in original buildings from original secondary school opened during World War II. Several additions and adaptations have been made, including modifications to accommodate the change to an intermediate school.