Wade Deacon High School

Wade Deacon High School
Location
Birchfield Road Widnes , Cheshire , WA8 7TD England
Coordinates	53°22′31″N2°44′06″W / 53.3752°N 2.7349°W / 53.3752; -2.7349
Information
Type	Academy
Motto	Latin: Fervet opus, lit.  'The work glows'
Established	1507 [1]
Department for Education URN	139368 Tables
Ofsted	Reports
Lead Principal	Brendan Hesketh [2]
Gender	Coeducational
Age	11to 16
Enrolment	1,594 as of January 2024 [update]
Capacity	1,600
Website	wadedeacon.co.uk

Wade Deacon High School is a coeducational secondary school with academy status in Widnes, Cheshire, England. ^[3]

Admissions

Wade Deacon has a Public Admissions Number of 300 per year and is oversubscribed.^{[ citation needed ]}

History

Wade Deacon High School traces its origins to a local grammar school tradition in Widnes, with some accounts dating these roots to 1507. ^[4]

A new main school building opened in 1931 as Wade Deacon Grammar School, and the school was named in honor of Sir Henry Wade Deacon (1852–1932), a Widnes industrialist associated with local education governance. ^[1] Sir Henry Wade Deacon served as Chairman of Lancashire County Council (1927–1931). ^[5]

Comprehensive

It became the Wade Deacon High School in September 1974 for ages 11–16. ^[1] The headmaster, Ernest High Smith, came directly from the Kingsway County Secondary School, a secondary modern school on Kingsway, which formed the comprehensive with both grammar schools. He left in December 1978. A levels would be taken at Widnes VI Form College or Halton FE College. In April 1998, it was administered by Halton borough.

Fairfield High School Closure and Modernisation

In August 2010, the nearby Fairfield High School, Widnes closed due to a decreasing number of student admissions. ^[6] Current students were amalgamated into Wade Deacon's student body. To deal with the increased number of enrolled students, the school received a £25m refurbishment, with significant expansions made to the original 1931 building. During the renovations, pupils were taught at a variety of sites across Widnes. The remodelling was finished by late 2013, with an opening ceremony on 11th December 2013. ^[7]

Academy

The school converted to academy status on 1 March 2013. ^[8]

Notable former pupils

• Alan Bleasdale, playwright (1957–1964) ^[9]
• James Durbin, Professor of Statistics from 1961-1988 at the London School of Economics, and President from 1986-7 of the Royal Statistical Society and from 1983-5 of the International Statistical Institute, and who invented the Durbin test (1934–41)
• Fred Lawless, writer and producer for Brookside
• Gordon Oakes, local Labour MP for Halton from 1983–97 and for Widnes from 1971–83
• Steve Platt, journalist
• Sir Ken Robinson, author (1963–1968)
• Stephen Myler, professional rugby union player, Northampton Saints and England
• Rachel McDowall, film actress

References

1. "Wade Deacon High School - About Us". www.wadedeacon.co.uk. Retrieved 17 September 2021.
2. "Principal's Welcome". Wade Deacon High School. Wade Deacon Trust. Retrieved 9 July 2025.
3. "Wade Deacon High School - GOV.UK". get-information-schools.service.gov.uk. Retrieved 28 December 2025.
4. "MacColl, James Eugene, (27 June 1908–16 June 1971), JP; MP (Lab) Widnes Division of Lancashire since 1950", Who Was Who, Oxford University Press, 1 December 2007, retrieved 28 December 2025
5. "Sir Henry Wade Deacon (1852–1932), Chairman of Lancashire County Council (1927–1931) | Art UK". artuk.org. Archived from the original on 10 January 2024. Retrieved 28 December 2025.
6. "Fairfield High School to close". Runcorn and Widnes World. 19 May 2008. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
7. "Widnes school celebrates £25m refurbishment". Runcorn and Widnes World. 21 December 2013. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
8. Echo, Liverpool (19 June 2019). "Wade Deacon High School". liverpoolecho. Retrieved 20 May 2020.
9. "Widnes". Oxford Reference. Retrieved 28 January 2021.