Author Isobel Piper

Cherwell Upper School is a large public sector Upper school, sited off the Marston Ferry Road near Summertown in North Oxford. It is made up of several sets of buildings: the Main Block, the Art Block, the Science Quadrangle and the Hall and environs, all of which are part of the original buildings. There is also a Music and Drama block, a new Humanities block where mainly Geography, History and Languages are taught. We also have access to the Ferry Pool Sports Centres facilities for PE.
Cherwell is made up of a Year Nine (the year before GCSE) Years Ten and Eleven (the GCSE years) and an ever growing Sixth Form. It began as a small secondary modern in 1963. After Oxford began using the three tier system (First 5-9, Middle 9-13, and Upper 13-16) Cherwell became an Upper School.
Year Nine is the first year in Cherwell. You choose your GCSEs in this year and you also begin several new subjects, such as German, Drama and Information Technology. Most of Cherwells students come from either Frideswide Middle or Marston Middle, the two local middle schools.
Year Nine is made up nine tutor groups, which are mixed up for lessons such as Maths, French, German, Technology and PE. Other lessons we have in class groups, but French and German and Maths are streamed. We have a two week timetable which sounds complicated, but isn't really when you get used to it, and each lesson is an hour long. We have five lessons in the day and two breaks.
The lessons start at 8:50, but we have to get in to Registration at 8:30. We have a five minute break between lessons, so the day looks like this:
Registration: 8:30-8:50
First Lesson: 8:50-9:50
Second Lesson: 9:55-10:55
First Break: 10:55- 11:15
Third Lesson: 11:15-12:15
Lunch Break: 12:15-1:15
Registration: 1:15-1:20
Fourth Lesson: 1:20-2:20
Fifth Lesson: 2:25-3:25

We have five computer rooms, most with Internet access and we have two IT lessons per fortnight in Year Nine, and you can use the computers in Lunch Break to do Homework or Coursework, surf the Net, play games, or, as we have been doing, set up a Web page.
Cherwell also has many great clubs you can join, such as Year Nine Choir, Windband, String Group, Orchestra, Rugby, Football, Sailing, Basketball, Netball, as well as many others.
Cherwell is, all in all, and homework excluding, a really great school, and Year Nine is definitely the best year by far.