Wyvern College, Eastleigh

Wyvern College is a coeducational secondary school with academy status for students in the Fair Oak, Bishopstoke, Horton Heath, Upham and Durley areas of Southern Hampshire. The College is for students aged 11-16 and post-16 students go on to local sixth form colleges such as Barton Peveril and Eastleigh College, which are located in the neighbouring town of Eastleigh. It currently has over 1300 students, 95 Teaching Staff and 80 Support Staff.Academic PerformanceAt the school’s most recent inspection by Ofsted in March 2014, the inspectors found it to be "good". The school's academic performance is above national average. In 2014, 65% of all pupils attained 5 GCSE's grade A* to C grade including Mathematics and English.HistoryThe original village school in Fair Oak at Fair Oak Court catered for pupils aged 5 to 14. In 1935 a new school was built on the Infants School site, and pupils continued at this school until 1958 when it was decided that the 248 pupils should attend a newly created secondary school in Eastleigh. They were joined by Bishopstoke pupils as other Eastleigh secondary schools were overcrowded. As the school was now sited outside its catchment area, all pupils had to travel to and from by bus.Originally, the new school was known as the Eastleigh Secondary School, but within a year the new Headmaster, Robert Blachford, chose the distinctive name of Wyvern with the motto "Advance". This heraldic dragon has been connected with Wessex since Tudor times and formed the crest of Sir Francis Drake; it also featured on the badge of Mr Blachford's Wessex regiment. However, accommodation became a problem at the Wyvern County Secondary School, and in 1966 the Wyvern arose again at Fair Oak, in the centre of the catchment area which also included the villages of Colden Common, Durley, Horton Heath and Upham. The number on roll had risen to 750.