In 2007, Ofsted rated the school as "good". In 2010, Ofsted described it as "good with outstanding features". In 2014, the school was judged to be requiring improvement overall. In 2016, Ofsted described the school as "good". In 2021, Ofsted confirmed that the school remained "good".
School history
Playing fields of Hathershaw College, the college buildings are in the centre background
As the 'Hathershaw Technical High School', it opened in 1955 with a selective intake. The school was housed in three blocks (a main building, a science block, and a craft/engineering block). The school was sponsored by the aviation manufacturer Avro, and the ground plan of the main building was inspired by the outline of a Lancaster bomber.[1] It competed for intake with Oldham's state grammar schools but offered a more technical syllabus. Provision of equipment and machinery for metalwork and woodwork was considered to be among the finest available nationally.[2]
In 1966, the school became a co-educational comprehensive school. In 1970, it was reorganised as an 'upper school' for pupils aged 14–18, supplied by two separate 'lower schools', Greenhill and Fitton Hill. These feeder schools, which were on sites significantly distant from each other and from Hathershaw School, educated pupils from 11 to 14 years of age.[3] During the 1977–78 academic year, the system was reorganised again, and Hathershaw catered for the full 11–18 age range, with sixth form entry. The loss of selective entry in 1966 and the split-site feeder system led to a period of falling academic attainment.[4] The trend was reversed following the appointment of John Cole as headteacher in 1976, who has been credited with having "transformed Hathershaw School".[5][6]
In 1981, Oldham's first joint school/community sports hall was built. In a 1992 reorganisation, the school became an 11–16 institution, with its sixth form transferred to Oldham Sixth Form College. In December 1999, it was recognised by the government as one of the 50 most improved secondary schools in the country.[7]
In September 2000, the school became a Technology College and, in May 2003, was admitted to the Specialist Schools Trust "Value Added" club for significantly improving examination results between Key Stage 2 and Key Stage 4.[8] In November 2004, the school received more than £1 million in lottery funding to improve its sports facilities. Hathershaw became the first dual-specialism school in England in March 2005, specialising in both sport and technology. In October 2005, the school opened a £350,000 netball complex.[9]
The Ofsted inspection of November 2007 gave the school an overall rating of "good". In November 2010, the school was revisited by Ofsted and described as "good with outstanding features".[10]
On 1 August 2011, The Hathershaw College gained academy status.
In 2016, the College achieved its best GCSE results to date, with 60% of pupils gaining five A*–C grades including both English and Maths, above both local and national averages.[11] This was equalled in 2017, despite the introduction of the new numerical GCSE grading system in Maths and English.[12]
In April 2016, an Ofsted inspection rated the school as "good".[13]
In 2025, the school received approximately £1–10 million in funding to upgrade its existing 3G sports pitch into a new 4G facility, enhancing both student and community access to high-quality outdoor sports provision.[14]
Changes in name
Though an educational establishment in continuous operation from 1955, it has had a number of changes of name:
Hathershaw Technical High School (1955-1966)
Hathershaw Comprehensive School (1966-2000)
Hathershaw College of Technology and Sport (2000-2011)
The Hathershaw College (2011-)
Headteachers/Principals of Hathershaw School/College
Charles Clifford Bell, 1955–1967
John Hemmings, 1967–1976
John H.S. Cole, 1976–1988 (left his post as Oldham's assistant director of education to take on the school's headship)[15]
Averil Cunnington (temporary appointment), 1988, later headteacher of Counthill School
Haffsah Nazir – Curriculum Leader for Humanities, recognised for her leadership in disciplinary literacy and teacher development within and beyond the college.
Headcount of all teachers - 66 Headcount of all teaching assistants - 41 Headcount of all support (exc. auxiliary) staff - 26 Pupil to teacher ratio = 16.6:1[16]
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