When you think of a school in temporary buildings the first thing that comes to  mind may well be damp cabins with no light.

But this couldn’t be further from the truth at Croydon’s newest school.

Coombe Wood School (CWS) opened in September and is based in temporary buildings while a permanent home is built on the same site.

The school currently has just one year group of 180 pupils.

At the moment, what will eventually be the school is just an expanse of earth with diggers and a massive piling machine.

But by the end of May, it is expected that the frames for the building will be up.

It was hoped that pupils could transfer to the sports hall in September, but delays in the building mean additional temporary buildings will go up this summer in time for the new year 7s.

CWS is now expected to be fully opened in its new home by September 2020.

Jonathan Wilden, executive headteacher at the Folio Trust  which runs the school, is pleased the permanent buildings aren’t being rushed. 

“The quality of the building is excellent, it’s got everything we need,” he said. 

“We have to be very, clever in terms of using spaces flexibly – some are used for sport then, for the children to go in to eat.

“We don’t have the luxury of a secondary school with dedicated facilities but it’s warm in the winter and doesn’t get too hot  in the summer.

“There was no way we were going to hit the September deadline so the rush was taken off.

“To be honest I am happy it has been delayed because it means it is not being rushed.

“But it would very much bother me if it was delayed again – it would be impossible for us.”

What makes the school different?

CWS is part of the Folio Education Trust which was founded in 2016 and includes Wallington Grammar School, St Peter’s Primary School and Park Hill Junior School.

“This is really different from Wallington – this is a comprehensive mixed school. It is non fee paying and there is no exam to get in. It is very much a local school for local children,” said Mr Wilden.

For its first intake of pupils in September 2018, there were seven applicants per place, showing the huge pressure on school places in the borough.

The executive head added: “This is probably the best example of a free school being in the right place at the right time.”

There are currently about 12 teachers at the school and 15 members of staff in total, with another 10 teachers set to be starting in September.

And for the assistant head role, the school had more than 60 applications – Mr Wilden says a school would normally expect between 10 and 20.

A focus on sport

On our visit to the school, the hall, which doubles up as a space for lunch and assemblies, a group of children are taking part in a health related fitness session (HRF).

All pupils have been issued with a MyZone heart monitor which they wear in the lessons.

To the sounds of Taylor Swift’s Shake it Off the class mirror each other’s moves in pairs.

The children can see their heart rates on a big screen and, when it is high, their square turns red. 

After a high intensity workout, the class is told by head of sport Will Smith to bring their heart rates back down.

The longer the heart rate is high, the more points children earn – this means it isn’t the sportiest and fittest kids that gain the most.

“If they put more effort in, they will get more points,” said Mr Wilden. 

And 10% of places at the school are given to children who meet the criteria for sporting aptitude.

Instead of having a go at loads of sports the school focuses on just four – basketball, netball, gymnastics and football.

All children take Latin classes

On the same visit, we pop our heads into a Latin and Classical Civilisation lesson, which every pupil takes.

One boy is asked to demonstrate verb endings through the medium of dance, which he does to the delight of his fellow pupils.

And there are classes for some pupils to catch up on areas they might have missed out on at primary school, like numeracy and reading.

Small classes called the transition group give children extra support,  and Mr Wilden hopes this will mean that they will be able to thrive rather than start off  behind their peers.

“Sometimes children come from the primary sector and haven’t grasped reading or writing,” he said.

They employed a primary-trained teacher, Zara Jennings-Grant, to take this lesson. But children in this class join the rest of their year group for all other lessons.

In September 2021, the school will open its sixth form and will once again have to rely on parents and young people taking a ‘leap of faith’.

The school will be hoping to fill 100 places and will offer A-Levels.

What do pupils have to say?

We asked four 12-year-old pupils what they liked most about their new secondary school.

Ray Khan’s favourite subject is maths and he loves playing outside with his friends at break time.

He said he enjoys the kind of exercises they do in Health and Fitness classes.

“We learn how your core muscles work and how to make them stronger,” he added.

Gymnast Reece Harris said she likes the teachers at CWS and is excited to see the school grow in September.

“We will be the older ones then, so I am excited about that.”

Amely Bravenboer: “I think it is different to other secondary schools, I like the Health Related Fitness stuff we do and how all the teachers are supportive.”

Isaac Richards is a keen footballer and says the fitness classes at school have helped him get better.

“I like the teachers, they are very good and supportive if we need help in class and if we have certain questions they are there.

“Health related fitness is very good especially if you do sport outside of school it helps. It has made me have stronger legs for football.”

Starting from scratch

Headteacher Barry Laker was previously deputy head at All Hallows Catholic School in Farnham.

“It is really exciting to be able to start from scratch,” he said.

“To bring together a great team of staff and just, really, the whole ethos is putting the children at the forefront of what we do.

“If we think about it this was a big leap of faith for the parents. This time last year this site was just a piece of grass.

“I am really pleased for them that things have started well after they trusted us.”