Nicholas Chamberlaine School is a coeducational secondary school and sixth form with an academy status, located in the town of Bedworth, Warwickshire, England. It has approximately 1,200 pupils between the ages of 11 and 18.

The head is Mr P  Gilbride and the executive head is Ms A Ramsay. 

Nicholas Chamberlaine VI Form is located in the Ada Lovelace building on the school campus with the current head being Rhona Bayliss. It offers BTEC and A-Level subjects.

The School is named after Nicholas Chamberlaine (1632–1715) who was a local benefactor of the small town and a prominent figure in the history of Bedworth.

History

The school officially opened in 1953 when the Headmaster was Gilbert Skinner; at this time NCS was a comprehensive school.

The school became a specialist technology college before transferring to an academy in
September 2013, when it became affiliated with the Griffin Schools Trust. The school had been classified as "failing" and placed under special measures in late 1999. but thereafter began a turnaround. In 2015 the school received a "good school" rating from Ofsted, its first such rating in 60 years.

The school was inspected again by Ofsted in 2019 and judged to Require Improvement. In 2021 it was inspected again and again judged to Require Improvement.

Previous headteachers
Gilbert Skinner
Bryan Addison
Lesley King
Nick Smallman - former headmaster
Louise Newman - former principal
Justin Creasey - former joint headmaster with Mark Bland
Mark Bland - former joint headmaster with Justin Creasey

Academic performance

In 2022, 28% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in English and maths GCSEs. Because of the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic, the government recommends "Not making direct comparisons with data from previous years or between schools or colleges".

In 2019, the school's progress score at A Level was "well above average". The average result at the school was C-, compared to C+ in Warwickshire overall and C+ nationally.

Qualifications at NCS

KS3:
Students in Key Stage 3 (Year 7-9) have the chance to study English, Maths, Science, Art, Cuisine, Woodwork, Graphics, PE, History, Geography, RE, Music, Drama, French and Computer Science. They also have an Accelerated Reader session once per week. 

GCSE:
Compulsory: English Language, English Literature, Mathematics, Combined Science (double award) or Triple Science (biology, chemistry, physics), French, History or Geography. 

Optional: Art, Business, Beauty Business, Computer Science, Cuisine, Drama, Fashion and Textiles, Graphics, Geography or History (depending on what was chosen as a compulsory subject), Music, Photography, Product Innovation (Woodwork), PE or Religious Studies. 

A-Level:
Art, Applied Science, Biology, Business Studies, Chemistry, Criminology, Digital iMedia, English Literature, French, Further Mathematics, Forensics, Geography, History, Mathematics, Music, Philosophy and Ethics, Photography, Physics, Psychology, Sport, Sociology.

Notable former students

 Andy Blair (footballer)
 Pete Doherty, musician

References

External links
School website
The school's page on Warwickshire County Council website

Secondary schools in Warwickshire
Academies in Warwickshire
1953 establishments in England
Bedworth