Editing Thurrock (section)

==Education==
{{See also|List of schools in Thurrock}}

Thurrock has 55 schools; 39 of them are [[primary schools]], 13 are [[Secondary school|secondary]], two are [[Special schools|special]] and one is [[Alternative school|alternative]]. All but one have [[Free school (England)|free school]] or [[Academy status (England)|academy status]], with [[Grays Convent High School]] instead having [[Voluntary aided school|voluntary aided]] status. Five schools, including Grays Convent High School and four primary schools, are [[Catholic Church|Catholic]] [[faith school]]s while two primary schools are [[Church of England|Anglican]] faith schools. 44 schools in Thurrock are operated by one of 13 [[multi-academy trust]]s, which include major chains such as the [[Harris Federation]] and [[Ormiston Trust]] and the country's first [[cooperative]] academy trust.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-07-13 |title=Thurrock's Education Landscape |url=https://democracy.thurrock.gov.uk/documents/s31004/Item%2010%20-%20Thurrocks%20Education%20Landscape.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220119084634/https://democracy.thurrock.gov.uk/documents/s31004/Item%2010%20-%20Thurrocks%20Education%20Landscape.pdf |archive-date=2022-01-19 |url-status=live |access-date=2022-05-08 |website=Thurrock Council}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Thurrock Education Commission |url=https://democracy.thurrock.gov.uk/Data/Children%27s%20Services%20Overview%20and%20Scrutiny%20Committee/201310301900/Agenda/401%20-%2019772.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221012082511/https://democracy.thurrock.gov.uk/Data/Children's%20Services%20Overview%20and%20Scrutiny%20Committee/201310301900/Agenda/401%20-%2019772.pdf |archive-date=2022-10-12 |url-status=live |access-date=2022-05-08 |website=Thurrock Council |pages=25 and 26}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Our History |url=http://www.osborne.coop/about-us/our-history/ |access-date=2022-05-08 |website=Osborne Co-operative Academy Trust}}</ref> Since 2007, all secondary schools in Thurrock have had [[Specialist schools in the United Kingdom|specialist school]] status.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Smith |first=Alexandra |date=2007-02-01 |title=Specialist schools in England now total 84% of all schools, new figures show |url=http://www.theguardian.com/education/2007/feb/01/schools.uk1 |access-date=2022-05-08 |website=The Guardian |language=en}}</ref> Some schools, such as [[William Edwards School]] and [[Orsett Heath Academy]], utilise their right as specialist schools to [[Partially selective school (England)|select 10%]] of their pupils in specialist subject aptitude every year.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Thurrock Council Secondary School Admissions information brochure September 2022 |url=https://www.thurrock.gov.uk/sites/default/files/assets/documents/admissions-secondary-2022-v05.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211022115333/https://www.thurrock.gov.uk/sites/default/files/assets/documents/admissions-secondary-2022-v05.pdf |archive-date=2021-10-22 |url-status=live |access-date=2022-05-08 |website=Thurrock Council |pages=40 and 58}}</ref>

Thurrock has no [[grammar schools]], although Thurrock Council has tried to introduce them.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2015-11-30 |title=Grammar schools for Thurrock? |url=https://www.thurrockgazette.co.uk/news/14112709.grammar-schools-for-thurrock/ |access-date=2022-05-08 |website=Thurrock Gazette |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2016-08-12 |title=Thurrock Council reveals plans for new grammar school, if government reforms get green light |url=https://www.thurrockgazette.co.uk/news/14738166.thurrock-council-reveals-plans-for-new-grammar-school-if-government-reforms-get-green-light/ |access-date=2022-05-08 |website=Thurrock Gazette |language=en}}</ref> Historically Thurrock had three grammar schools, Grays Thurrock School,<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wwQTAAAAYAAJ |title=Parliamentary Papers |publisher=H.M. Stationery Office |year=1869 |series=11 |volume=28 |location=Great Britain |pages=64–65 |language=en |department=House of Commons}}</ref> Palmer's School for Boys and Palmer's School for Girls. In 1931, the Palmer's schools became [[Public school (United Kingdom)|public schools]] with [[Boarding school|boarding]], reverting back to grammar school status in 1944 under [[Voluntary controlled school|voluntary control]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=William Palmer College Educational Trust |url=https://www.uspcollege.ac.uk/about-us/our-history/william-palmer-college-educational-trust/ |access-date=2022-05-08 |website=USP College}}</ref> Grays Convent High School was an [[Independent school|independent]] [[day school]] from its formation until 1969. There were also two selective [[secondary technical school]]s, [[Grays County Technical High School]] which is now an academy status [[Comprehensive school|comprehensive]]<ref name=":1">{{cite web |title=Parishes: Grays Thurrock |url=https://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/essex/vol8/pp35-56#p124 |access-date=2022-05-08 |website=British History Online}}</ref> and [[Aveley County Technical High School]], which merged with the Palmer's schools in 1971 to form [[Palmer's College]].<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |date=July 1995 |title=Report from the Inspectorate: Palmer's College |url=https://dera.ioe.ac.uk/3192/1/palmers_cyc1.pdf |access-date=2022-05-08 |website=Further Education Funding Council for England}}</ref>

Palmer's College, now one half of [[USP College]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=Our History |url=https://www.uspcollege.ac.uk/about-us/our-history/ |access-date=2022-05-08 |website=USP College}}</ref> is Thurrock's local [[sixth form college]] for generalised [[further education]], whilst the Thurrock Campus of [[South Essex College]] is the local sixth form college for [[vocational education]].<ref name=":2" /> Palmer's also offers courses at [[higher education]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=USP College Prospectus 2018 |url=https://www.uspcollege.ac.uk/media/1275/prospectus-2018-final-version.pdf |access-date=2022-05-08 |website=USP College}}</ref> Other [[Further education institution|institutions of further education]] in Thurrock include the [[Thurrock Adult Community College]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=About us |url=https://tacc.ac.uk/about-us/ |access-date=2022-05-08 |website=Thurrock Adult Community College |language=en-GB}}</ref> [[Osborne Sixth Form]] and [[Ortu Sixth Form Centre Stanford & Corringham]].

===Partnerships===
The [[Tilbury and Chadwell St Mary Excellence Cluster]] brought together Chadwell St Mary Primary School, ORTU Corringham Primary School, Grays Convent High School, [[Hassenbrook Academy]], Herringham Primary School, Landsdowne Primary School, Manor Infant School, Manor Junior School, St Mary's RC Primary School, Woodside Primary School and [[The Gateway Academy]]. Senior members of the schools' councils also sat on the cluster's student council before its dissolution.<ref>{{cite web |title=Tilbury and Chadwell St Mary Excellence Cluster |url=http://www.thurrock.gov.uk/education/schools/content.php?page=excellence |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100430223949/http://www.thurrock.gov.uk/education/schools/content.php?page=excellence |archive-date=30 April 2010}}</ref>

ORTU Gable Hall School has had a long partnership with [[Pro Arte Alphen Park|Pro Arte Alphen Park School]] in Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa for almost 10 years – the two schools have held exchange programmes with each other and the students sampling life in each other's respective countries.{{Citation needed|date=May 2022}}

Woodside Primary is linked with a school in [[Nepal]], through the charity Gorkha Learning for Life, which was founded by a member of school staff.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gorkhalearning.org/volunteers-staff.asp|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100311235920/http://www.gorkhalearning.org/volunteers-staff.asp|url-status=dead|title=Gorkha Learning for Life|archive-date=11 March 2010}}</ref>