Stantonbury School (formerly known as Stantonbury Campus and Stantonbury International School) is a coeducational secondary school located in north Milton Keynes, England, established in 1974. It is the second largest secondary comprehensive school in the United Kingdom with more than 1,600 school students aged 11–18 (Years 7-13 / US Grades 6-12), . It is built as part of a community site, including shared facilities including 'Stantonbury Sports & Leisure Centre', 'Stantonbury Theatre', a health centre and a church.
Originally established as two schools (Bridgewater Hall and Brindley Hall), during the late 1980s it was restructured into four halls plus a shared sixth form, and eventually merged into one school. The campus held Arts College status as its specialism under the now discontinued specialist schools programme.
History
The concept for the school developed in the early 1970s with Geoff Cooksey appointed by Buckinghamshire County Council in 1971, where he worked with Tim Brighouse to create the first new secondary school in Milton Keynes since its designation. When the school opened in 1974, it introduced a first name policy which meant students called staff by their first name (rather than the convention used in other schools of addressing teachers as "Sir" or "Miss").
Stantonbury Campus was the first secondary school in the country to not require a uniform, but 38 years later the school introduced a uniform for years 7-9 for the September 2012 term following pressure from governors, from Ofsted and growing discipline issues.
The school has a history of educational innovation and has successfully defended the principles of comprehensive education in a climate which has sometimes been hostile to its inclusive and learner-centred ethos.
As part of its original concept as a "community school", open to the public as well as the students, the Campus has facilities such as an athletics track with all athletic sport equipment, a Leisure Centre complete with a swimming pool, a Theatre, and science labs. The Leisure Centre and Theatre formed a separate charitable incorporated organisation (CIO) - Stantonbury Arts and Leisure Trust, establishing in 2014 and later dissolving in mid-2018. The Leisure Centre (now Sports Centre) and Theatre were taken under the umbrella of Griffin Schools Trust when they took over the school in 2016.
The original Stantonbury timetable was significantly different to other secondary schools, incorporating long 1 hr and 2 hr sessions, and during the 1970s and 1980s, suspending normal timetables every fortnight (later every month) for "Day 10", a day of extra curricular activity which was selected by the student. At the end of each school year, the timetable was suspended for a week for "Week 10".
Stantonbury School is one of the largest comprehensive schools in the country by pupil numbers (Nottingham Academy is the largest since 2009). Having been a 12-to-18 school from its inception, it admitted students in Year 7 from September 2006, following reorganisation of secondary education in Milton Keynes.
Previously a foundation school administered by Milton Keynes Borough Council, in September 2016 Stantonbury Campus was converted to academy status and was renamed Stantonbury International School. From then until the contract was terminated with effect from July 2021, the school was administered by the Griffin Schools Trust, which reduced its performance from satisfactory to inadequate. The school closed as Stantonbury International on 31 August 2021, and reopened on 1 September 2021 under the Tove Learning Trust as "Stantonbury School". All permanent staff were transitioned to the new employer.
Sixth form
The sixth form is based in its own hall in the centre of the campus; with a library, computer network, and a suite of tutorial and teaching rooms. The sixth-form curriculum and range of activities for students are broad: providing a wide range of academic courses leading to A level and AS level qualifications, along with vocational courses.