Counthill School

Last updated
Counthill School, newly built, around 1953 Counthill School newly built.jpg
Counthill School, newly built, around 1953
Cover of class photo showing the original school badge Counthill Badge.jpg
Cover of class photo showing the original school badge

Counthill School
Address
Counthill School
Counthill Road

Oldham
,
Greater Manchester
,
OL4 2PY

England
Coordinates 53°33′23″N2°04′38″W / 53.5565°N 2.0771°W / 53.5565; -2.0771 Coordinates: 53°33′23″N2°04′38″W / 53.5565°N 2.0771°W / 53.5565; -2.0771
Information
Former nameCounthill Grammar School
Type Community school
MottoAnimo Atque Fide
Establishedc. 1951
Closed2010 (now Waterhead Academy)
Local authority Oldham
Department for Education URN 105728 Tables
Ofsted Reports
Gender Mixed
Age11to 16
HousesGlobe, Granville, Cairo and Albany (local mills)

Counthill School formerly a high-achieving Grammar School, was a mixed gender secondary school for 11- to 16-year-olds in the Moorside area of Oldham in Greater Manchester, England. The school had approximately 900 pupils on roll and its motto was Animo Atque Fide. Although sometimes mistakenly thought to be the highest secondary school above sea level in the country, the site sits between 280 and 285 metres, which is lower than others such as Buxton Community School at 320 metres.

Contents

History

Counthill Grammar School was planned in the 1930s but construction was delayed by World War II and it opened in September 1951. In 1966 it accepted its first comprehensive school intake. [1] Problems with the school were later identified and in November 2004 it was placed in special measures. A year later it was rated as satisfactory, but Oldham Borough Council decided to reshape secondary schooling under the UK government's Building Schools for the Future project. Counthill, along with four other failing schools at the time (Breeze Hill, Kaskenmoor, Grange, South Chadderton) were earmarked for closure to form two new Academies. [2] It closed at the end of July 2010 as part of the New Oldham Academies Project, merging with Breezehill School to form Waterhead Academy. Initially the school site was used as the Moorside campus of the new academy; however, after Waterhead relocated its main campus to a third site in November 2012, the old Counthill site is now the sports campus of the academy.

Teaching staff

David J. Clifford resigned as head teacher in March 2005 after Ofsted criticised him as lacking a clear strategic vision for improving his pupils' quality of education. [3] [4]

Margaret Ryan, who got the school out of special measures, after replacing Clifford, retired from her post on 12 September 2008. [5]

David Lack was appointed headteacher in 2008 and has a record for transforming struggling school. He left when the school merged.

Academics

Although the school did require Special Measures in 2004 [6] on 23 November 2006 the special measures tag was removed. [7] GCSE exam results improved from 27% in 2004 to 51% passes at A-C in 2007. [8]

Notable alumni

Related Research Articles

North Chadderton School is a mixed gender secondary school and sixth form, located in Chadderton, in the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, Greater Manchester, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stantonbury School</span> Secondary school in Milton Keynes, England

Stantonbury 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, as of January 2020. 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Parrs Wood High School</span> Academy in East Didsbury, Greater Manchester, England

Parrs Wood High School is a coeducational secondary school in East Didsbury, Manchester, England, located off Wilmslow Road behind Parrs Wood Entertainment Complex. It educates pupils from the age of 11 to 18 years. A-Levels are taught at the Parrs Wood Sixth Form Centre, which is integrated with the main school.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bacup and Rawtenstall Grammar School</span> Academy grammar school in Waterfoot, Rossendale, Lancashire, England

Bacup and Rawtenstall Grammar School (BRGS) is a selective co-educational academy grammar school in Waterfoot, Rossendale, Lancashire, England. The school is named after the two main towns either side of Waterfoot, Bacup and Rawtenstall.

Breeze Hill School was a mixed-sex comprehensive secondary school for 11- to 16-year-olds in Oldham, Greater Manchester, England. It was a specialist Humanities College, and served over 750 students. Bernard Phillips was the last headteacher of Breeze Hill School before it merged with neighbouring Counthill School to form the Waterhead Academy. Since the school lay in the heart of Oldham's Pakistani Asian community, the students were predominantly Asian.

Sedgehill Academy, previously Sedgehill School, is a co-educational secondary school and sixth form located in Lewisham, London, England. It is part of United Learning.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Hathershaw College</span> Secondary academy college in Oldham, Greater Manchester, England

The Hathershaw College is a coeducational, Secondary Academy for 11- to 16-year-olds in Oldham, Greater Manchester, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Waterhead, Greater Manchester</span> Human settlement in England

Waterhead, is an area of Oldham, and an electoral ward of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, in Greater Manchester, England. Historically in Lancashire, an upland area in the Pennines, the ward of Waterhead has population of 12,876, decreasing to 12,029 at the 2011 Census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Midhurst Grammar School</span> School in Midhurst, West Sussex, England

Midhurst Grammar School was a grammar school and later a comprehensive upper school in Midhurst, West Sussex. The school served pupils aged 11 to 18 who usually joined the school from one of the local intermediate schools. It was replaced in 2009 by Midhurst Rother College. Notable students included geologist Charles Lyell and H. G. Wells.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Canterbury Academy</span> Academy in Canterbury, Kent, England

The Canterbury Academy is a co-educational 11-19 academy school in Canterbury, Kent, England. It is a specialist Sports College and 15% of its 1081 pupils are selected on musical aptitude. The school was founded as a non-selective secondary modern foundation school before gaining academy status in 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Five Islands Academy</span> Academy in the Isles of Scilly, England

Five Islands Academy, formerly Five Islands School, is the first federated school in the United Kingdom, providing primary and secondary education for children from 3 to 16 at five sites in the Isles of Scilly. As of May 2022, the headteacher is Rachel Gibb, and the Chair of the Local Academy Committee is Jeremy Brown.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">City of London Academy Highbury Grove</span> Academy in London, England

City of London Academy Highbury Grove is an 11–18 mixed secondary school with academy status in the London Borough of Islington, England. It is part of the City of London Academies Trust.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harris Academy Chafford Hundred</span> Academy in Grays, Essex, England

Harris Academy Chafford Hundred is a secondary school and sixth form with academy status located in Chafford Hundred in the borough of Thurrock within the commuter belt of London, England, United Kingdom. The building was designed by Nicholas Hare Architects. Previously a comprehensive school, it became an academy on 1 October 2011.

The NCEA Duke's Secondary School is an 11–19 academy in Ashington, Northumberland, England. It is part of the Northumberland Church of England Trust occupying the Josephine Butler Campus of its predecessor, The Northumberland Church of England Academy, which was an all-through school spread out across six campuses in southeastern Northumberland.

Consett Academy is a secondary academy school in Consett, the result of a merger between Consett Community Sports College and Moorside Community Technology College.

Waterhead Academy is a secondary school with academy status located in Oldham, Greater Manchester, England. The academy was taken out of special measures in June 2016 and was one of the most improved academies in the country in 2016. The Academy is rated as good by Ofsted (leadership) and is sponsored by South Pennines Academies Trust.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oasis Academy Oldham</span> Academy in Oldham, Greater Manchester, England

Oasis Academy Oldham is a coeducational secondary school with academy status for 11- to 16-year-olds in the Hollinwood area of Oldham, Greater Manchester, England.

The Frank Montgomery School was a mixed-gender secondary modern school in the village of Sturry near Canterbury in east Kent. It was founded in 1935 and closed in 2007, when the site and school roll was taken over by Spires Academy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oasis Academy Leesbrook</span> Free school in Oldham, Greater Manchester, England

Oasis Academy Leesbrook is coeducational secondary school located in the Oldham in Greater Manchester, England. It is part of the Oasis Community Learning. It opened to pupils in September 2018. It moved to its new site on 9 November 2020. It has not had its first Ofsted inspection.

References

  1. ↑ The Story of Education in Oldham Government of the United Kingdom. Retrieved 21 January 2015
  2. ↑ Building Schools for the Future Readiness to Deliver Wave 4 Submission. Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council
  3. ↑ "Head criticised by Ofsted quits". Manchester Evening News. M.E.N. Media. 16 March 2005. Archived from the original on 20 April 2013. Retrieved 22 December 2011.
  4. ↑ Ferguson, James (16 March 2005). "School head resigns". Oldham Advertiser. M.E.N. Media. Archived from the original on 21 April 2013. Retrieved 22 December 2011.
  5. ↑ report in oldham chron. Oldham-chronicle.co.uk (22 September 2008). Retrieved 19 May 2012.
  6. ↑ Find an inspection report Archived 4 December 2007 at the Wayback Machine . Ofsted. Retrieved 19 May 2012.
  7. ↑ See Page 8 Archived 29 May 2008 at the Wayback Machine . Government of the United Kingdom. Retrieved 19 May 2012.
  8. ↑ Counthill School. Government of the United Kingdom. Retrieved 19 May 2012.
  9. ↑ Ian Kershaw: My inspiration at The Guardian Education. Retrieved 21 January 2015
  10. ↑ Anne Kirkbride Obituary in The Guardian. Retrieved 20 January 2015
  11. ↑ Saddlewoth School Honours. Retrieved 21 January 2015
  12. ↑ "Andrew Shore".
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.