Tile Cross Academy | |
---|---|
Address | |
Gressel Lane , , B33 9UF England | |
Coordinates | 52°29′00″N1°46′11″W / 52.4833°N 1.7697°W |
Information | |
Type | Academy |
Local authority | Birmingham City Council |
Trust | Washwood Heath Academy Trust |
Department for Education URN | 144306 Tables |
Ofsted | Reports |
Head | Paul Marano |
Gender | Coeducational |
Age | 11to 16 |
Enrolment | 541 |
Website | http://tilecross.academy/ |
Tile Cross Academy is a coeducational secondary school located in the Tile Cross area of Birmingham, West Midlands, England. [1]
The school is ethnically diverse and contains around 700 pupils spread over three major buildings. The school is situated on Gressel Lane and is roughly one mile from Lea Hall railway station, operated by London Midland. It is close to the eastern boundary of Birmingham, close to the Solihull boundary.
The genesis of the school was three schools being built next to each other in Tile Cross, East Birmingham in the late 1950s. The famous Central Grammar School for Boys was founded in 1897 on Suffolk Street and relocated to Gressel Lane in September 1957. It was a three-form entry school with around 550 boys. During the Second World War half of the school was evacuated and shared with The West Monmouth High School for Boys at Pontypool under the Headship of Leslie Bradley, who had been appointed Headmaster in 1934. They returned in 1942 and reunited with the other half to a location in Bordesley Green.
The City then created two new schools named Byng Kenrick Girls' Grammar School and Sir Wilfrid Martineau School (named after Wilfred Byng Kenrick and Wilfrid Martineau respectively, two men who had each been prominent local politicians and Lord Mayors of Birmingham).
The two schools combined would not only cater for pupils who would have gained a place in a grammar school (See Grammar schools debate) and as well for local Birmingham children wanting the best in education. Its first headmaster, however, declared that it was his intention to compete and announced it was a bilateral rather than a secondary modern school (in contemporary parlance) and the school competed with its neighbours. Central Grammar School moved from Cherrywood Road to adjoin Byng Kenrick school for Girls and Sir Wilfrid Martineau. Byng Kenrick then almagamated with Central Grammar School and became Byng Kenrick Central.
When the City abolished some grammar schools in 1974, Central and Byng Kenrick merged to create Byng Kenrick Central School (BKC), a co-educational comprehensive on Gressel Lane.
Sir Wilfrid Martineau, which had merged with 'Sticland Green Mixed Secondary Modern School', had a better reputation than BKC at the time
However, by 2000 Sir Wilfrid Martineau School was failing badly and so in an attempt to 'save it' the City hastily decided that the adjacent Byng Kenrick Central School would 'take it over' and be renamed. This was NOT a merger.
The 'new school' named: The International School and Community College East Birmingham was opened in September 2001. It has since been awarded specialist Business and Enterprise College status.
A rocky beginning was brought about by the 9% pass rate for GCSEs in the July 2003 examinations, which resulted in the instant dismissal of the then-Principal, Sarah Harris.
The school struggled through September 2003, and after negotiations and an unfavourable contract with Ninestiles-Waverly Federation, the ISCCEB was accepted as the third member to "The Federation", an organisation set up by Sir Dexter Hutt, to assist failing schools to recover.
After three years in the Federation, and many major changes in school policy, ISCCEB managed to gain independence from "The Federation", and became a specialist business school, with Microsoft Platinum membership.
The school had been chosen by the Labour government along with 82 other Birmingham schools for refurbishment or an entire re-build.
However, after the 2010 elections all plans had been scrapped by the new Conservative government in an attempt to reduce spending.
After months of negotiations and changes to the original plan, it was finally agreed 9 schools would be put forward for refurbishment by contractor Lend Lease.
Refurbishment began mid-2011 and was completed on 27 February 2012.
The school faced a series of changes, most of them to its advantage. However, the historic Martineau tower and the Central building were knocked down and the off-site Sheldon building given to the council.
Previously a community school administered by Birmingham City Council, in May 2017 The International School converted to academy status. The school is now sponsored by the Washwood Heath Academy Trust.
During the process of converting the school to an academy, a name change was proposed "We do propose changing the name of the school from The International School to Tile Cross Academy and would welcome your thoughts on this proposed name change" - this resulted in the school changing its name to "Tile Cross Academy". [2]
Way back in 2015 many found it offensive to suggest that only academy schools are qualified to help others and the debate is there. Existing money (promised but with no worthy governance) to hard-working pupils & staff or as a means of driving up educational standards in disadvantaged areas (See What are academies?)
In the late 60's both Colin McFadyean and Sam Doble taught P.E. at Central Grammar School and played rugby union for Moseley. Colin captained England whilst teaching at Central and Sam got his England caps in the early '70's. John Wakeley and Steve Walker had a very happy time in the English department in the same period. Schleft originated from students from Byng Kenrick Central who studied there from 1997-2002.
The July 2007 examination results were that 50.5% of pupils passed with 5 (or more) A*-C grades at GCSE, an increase of 41% in 5 years. In the 2010 GCSE examination results :
Beverley Grammar School is an 11–16 boys’ comprehensive secondary academy school in Beverley, East Riding of Yorkshire, England. A school may have been established under the Beverley Grammar School name about 700 AD; on that basis the school is claimed to be the country's oldest grammar school, and the eighth oldest school overall, but the existence of a school here is not continuous. The school shares a joint Sixth form with Beverley High School, styled as Beverley Joint 6th.
Pate's Grammar School is a grammar school with academy status in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England. It caters for pupils aged 11 to 18. The school was founded with a fund bestowed to Corpus Christi College, Oxford, by Richard Pate in 1574. The school became co-educational in 1986, when Pate's Grammar School for Girls merged with Cheltenham Grammar School.
The Skinners' School, is a British Grammar School with academy status for boys located in the town of Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent, England. Established in 1887, the school was founded by the Worshipful Company of Skinners in response to a demand for education in the region. Today Skinners' remains an all-boys grammar school, recently awarded specialist status in science and mathematics in recognition of these disciplines' excellent teaching. The current enrolment is 1119 pupils, of whom around 326 are in the sixth form. The first headmaster was Reverend Frederick Knott, after whom Knott House is named. The current Headmaster is Edward Wesson.
The Priory Academy LSST is a co-educational non-selective academy school and teaching school situated on Cross O'Cliff Hill, Lincoln, Lincolnshire, England. It specialises in science, technology and teaching, and is the lead school of the Lincolnshire Teaching Schools Alliance. It is also the lead member of The Priory Federation of Academies.
Colyton Grammar School (CGS) is a co-educational grammar school located in the village of Colyford in East Devon, England, that caters for pupils aged 11 to 18. The school has been classified by Ofsted as "Outstanding" in three successive reports. As of 2023 it was ranked by The Sunday Times as the ninth-best state school in the country, and the second-best in the South West. Founded by local merchants in 1546, the school is situated on an 18-acre site near the Devon coast.
Lincolnshire is one of the few counties within the UK that still uses the eleven-plus to decide who may attend grammar school, in common with Buckinghamshire and Kent.
The Henrietta Barnett School is a grammar school with academy status for girls, in Hampstead Garden Suburb in London. The Good Schools Guide called the school 'One of the best academic state schools in the country, providing a gentle, inspiring education in a wonderful setting for very clever girls', and the school consistently ranks amongst the top state schools in educational league tables. The school was named among the 'magnificent seven' in 2005, following three mentions as being 'outstanding' in Ofsted's inspections. Following its latest Ofsted inspection in May 2022, the school was recategorised as "Good".
Hounsdown School is a secondary school in Totton, near Southampton, Hampshire, England The school has 1,215 pupils, spanning ages 11 to 16. Classes are held in renovated 1960s buildings and new specialist blocks built since 2000.
Oxford Spires Academy is a state funded secondary school for children aged 11–18 in Glanville Road, East Oxford, England formerly known as Oxford Community School and The Oxford School. Formerly sponsored by the CfBT Education Trust it is currently part of the Anthem Schools Trust.
Rochester Grammar School often abbreviated to RGS is a grammar school for the education of girls between the ages of 11 and 18. It has academy status. It is now known as just "Rochester Grammar School" following the introduction of boys into the sixth form, despite the rest of the school remaining single sex.
Holcombe Grammar School is a grammar school with academy status in Chatham, Kent, England. They are part of Thinking Schools Academy Trust. Holcombe is a selective school. From the 2017-18 academic year, the school planned to become co-educational and remain selective in the lower school. This was blocked - and later approved - by the Department for Education with co-educational admission desired for the 2018/19 school year. The school has changed name in their advanced plans of becoming co-educational and plans to change all references from "Chatham Grammar School for Boys" to "Holcombe Grammar School" over academic year 2016/17.
Central Foundation Boys' School is a voluntary-aided comprehensive secondary school in the London Borough of Islington. It was founded at a meeting in 1865 and opened the following year in Bath Street, before moving to its current location on Cowper Street in 1869. Originally named The Middle Class School of London, it was renamed in 1890 after the establishment of its trust body, the Central Foundation Schools Trust. Its sister school is Central Foundation Girls' School in Tower Hamlets. Both schools are beneficiaries of the charity Central Foundation Schools of London, which in turn is a beneficiary of The Dulwich Estate, successor to the historic College of God's Gift charity.
Brooke Weston Academy is an Academy in Corby, Northamptonshire, United Kingdom, teaching pupils from ages 11 to 18. It has consistently placed very highly in GCSE league tables and has an above average value added score at Key Stage 4. The value added score for Key Stage 5 is below average nationally, but slightly higher than the Northamptonshire average. Attainment on entry is well above average and the proportions of pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities or eligible for free school meals are much lower than average.
The Grangefield Academy is a secondary school with academy status in the borough of Stockton on Tees, on Oxbridge Avenue, Grangefield, Stockton-on-Tees, a market town in the ceremonial county of County Durham, North East England.
King Edward VI Academy is a coeducational bi-lateral secondary school and sixth form with academy status, located in Spilsby, Lincolnshire, England, for children between the ages of eleven and eighteen.
The Barstable School was a mixed intake secondary school in Basildon, Essex. It closed in 2009 to become a founding member of the Basildon Academies.
Stanborough School is a secondary academy school located in Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, England.
The Dover Christ Church Academy, previously known as Archers Court Secondary School is a coeducational secondary school and sixth form located in Whitfield, Kent, 4 miles north of Dover.
Chatham & Clarendon Grammar School is a co-educational grammar school in Ramsgate, Kent, England, formed as a result of the merger of the boys-only Chatham House Grammar School and girls-only Clarendon House Grammar School in September 2011.
Hillcrest School is a secondary school for girls in the California area of Bartley Green, Birmingham, in the West Midlands of England.