The Lafford High School

The Lafford High School
Address
Fen Road Billinghay , Lincolnshire , N4 4HU England
Information
Type	Community school
Established	1963
Closed	31 August 2010
Department for Education URN	120637 Tables
Ofsted	Reports
Chairman of the Governors	Derek Daniels
Headteacher	Paul Watson (resigned 2008) (Mrs N. Irvine as acting headteacher)
Gender	Mixed
Age	11to 16
Enrolment	40+ (2010)
Capacity	365 (2010)

The Lafford High School, Billinghay was a secondary-level, co-educational Community School in Billinghay, a village in the English county of Lincolnshire. Opened in 1963 to serve several villages near Billinghay, it serving pupils aged 11 to 16 before closing in 2010. ^[1] The school used a secondary modern admissions system and had a capacity for 365 pupils at the time of its closure. ^[2]

History

Planning

The Education Act 1944 made secondary education available to all children up to the age of 15; a 'tripartite system' of secondary schools was established to provide curricula based on aptitude and ability: grammar schools for "academic" pupils, secondary moderns for practical studies, and technical schools for science and engineering. Pupils were allocated to them depending on their score in the eleven-plus examination. ^[3] There was no dedicated secondary school in the district around Billinghay, so the village schools continued to take pupils up to the age of 14; ^[4] because they lacked capacity to teach 14 to 15 year olds as well, a temporary HORSA school (Billinghay HORSA Centre) was opened at Billinghay after the Second World War. ^{[4] [5]} In 1946, the local education authority, Kesteven County Council, considered proposals to build a new secondary modern school at Billinghay; ^[6] these plans were approved in 1947, with the school expected to be coeducational and take up to 450 pupils aged 11 to 16 when it opened (planned for sometime between 1952 and 1957). ^[7]

The construction of the new school was delayed and, after it and two other proposed rural secondary schools (at Billingborough and at Corby Glen) were absent from the Ministry of Education's 1959–60 funding programme, a contingent of Kesteven County Councillors travelled to the ministry to make their case. They received commitments that the Billinghay school would be included in the 1960–61 programme. ^[8] By 1961, funding had been approved for the Billinghay school and work was underway. ^[9] The Sleaford Standard was optimistic about the benefits afforded by consolidating secondary education in larger dedicated schools, writing that "new heights of educational prowess will be achieved by the children ... There is a nostalgic regret in the thought of all the consequent decline that may ensue for the smallest village schools, but that will be a short-lived thing that cannot stand by comparison with the opportunities in life a fuller education may bring for the schoolchildren." ^[9]

Opening

The secondary modern at Billinghay was completed in 1963, with teaching commencing on 23 April. ^[10] The school did not have an official opening ceremony. ^[11] The new building was a three-storey block built by Messrs H. H. Adkins (Contractors) Ltd, of Boston; it included a hall with stage and sound and lighting equipment; a gymnasium and changing rooms; a large kitchen; a library; administrative rooms; an art room; a general science laboratory; a needlework room; a domestic science room; a woodwork and metalwork room; and a rural science laboratory with a greenhouse. It was officially named The Lafford School. Accommodating boys and girls aged 11 to 16, there were 137 pupils on roll on the opening day, with the number expected to grow to between 270 and 300 by approximately 1967. The children came from the villages of Billinghay, North Kyme, South Kyme, Anwick, Walcott, Martin, Timberland and Witham Bank; those from Martin and Timberland had previously been sent to Ruskington Secondary Modern School, but existing pupils there had the option to chose to move over to Lafford, which some did. The first headmaster was J. T. Padgett and Dr D. Horton was the inaugural chairman of the governors. ^[12] There were seven teaching staff (other than Padgett) on roll at the school's opening, plus a secretary, caretaker and assistant caretaker, a cook and four kitchen staff. ^{[13] [14]}

Operation: 1963 to 2005

In the late 1970s, Lincolnshire County Council (Kesteven County Council's successor authority) debated proposals for comprehensivising Sleaford's schools, with the possibility of consolidating its three schools into two; opponents of the three-school approach argued that it would require closing Lafford to make it viable, unless the council expanded Lafford's catchment area, though the closure of Lafford was considered to be unpalatably expensive. ^[15] In 1979, the County Council voted to preserve the three schools in Sleaford, ^[16] and in the following September it increased the size of Lafford's catchment area as part of a policy of protecting the county's smaller rural schools. The catchment changes, which also affected the secondary modern schools at Ruskington and Billingborough, caused controversy amongst parents in affected areas and governors at the Sleaford Secondary Modern School, where the roll was expected to fall (along with the range of courses) to enable this policy. ^{[17] [18] [19]} This led to more pupils being enrolled at Lafford, ^[20] whose catchment now included Anwick, Billinghay, Dogdyke, Martin, Metheringham, North Kyme, South Kyme and Walcott. ^[19] In 1982, Lincolnshire County Council approved funding for a £105,000 extension at Lafford, to be built in 1983, which added a science laboratory, design and technology room and cloakrooms to accommodate the increasing number of children on roll and deficiencies in the existing science and technology facilities. ^{[20] [21] [22]} In 1984, the local authority also granted permission for the addition of a mobile classroom at Lafford. ^[23]

The issue of its small roll returned again in October 1986, when a study commissioned by the County Council predicted that Lafford's roll would fall by 17% by 1996, and proposed closing the school in several options for consolidating schooling in the wider Sleaford area; doing nothing was assessed as being the most expensive option. ^[24] In November that year, the County Council's schools sub-committee voted to retain Lafford and the other small schools, ^[25] though there were concerns that the Education Reform Act 1988's provisions to enhance parental choice would reduce the roll at Lafford because more parents would be able to send their children to Sleaford's secondary modern school. ^[26] In 1989, the local authority opened new buildings for Billinghay Church of England Controlled Primary School on a site adjacent to Lafford, and Lafford then shared its playing fields with the primary school. ^[27] To accommodate the technology teaching requirements in the National Curriculum (introduced in 1988), a new design and textiles room was built at Lafford (costing £75,000) and the existing food technology room renovated in the mid-1990s; they were opened officially by the chef Prue Leith in January 1995. ^[28] Lafford became a comprehensive school on 1 September 1995. ^{[28] [29]}

Federation: 2005 to 2008

Between 1996 and 2001, the school's roll decreased "significantly" so that it sat at 183 pupils at the start of the 2001–2 year. ^[30] In 2002, Ofsted recommended that Lincolnshire County Council review schools with under 600 pupils. Two years later, the Council's education officers suggested that some of these schools merge, close or federate to make them more economical. They included Lafford, ^[31] which had been under-performing in GCSE and A-level league tables. ^[32] St George's College of Technology in Sleaford became federated with Lafford in 2005 (St George's also federated with Aveland High School in Billingborough in 2006). ^{[33] [34]} A plan to merge them into an Academy was announced the following year; Coteland's School in Ruskington was allowed to opt-in, ^[34] and joined the federation in 2007; ^{[35] [36]} with that, Paul Watson, principal at St George's, became executive head of all four schools. ^[37]

Closure: 2008 to 2010

Despite improvements, ^{[35] [38]} the village schools continued to perform below the national average. ^{[39] [40]} The County Council began consulting parents in 2008 about closing Lafford due to falling numbers. Despite denials from Watson, parents complained that he had lost "passion" for the school and that St George's "cherry-picked" the most able pupils. ^{[41] [42]} After a heated meeting with them in March 2008, Watson resigned as Principal at Lafford. ^[33] By that time, the school had 250 pupils on roll (despite capacity for 400) and only 27 new starters in 2007–08. It was deemed unviable by the county council. A phased closure took place over the next two years, with pupils moving to schools in Sleaford, Ruskington and Branston. ^[43] By 2010, the school roll had fallen to "over 40" pupils. ^[44] Lafford closed on 31 August 2010. ^{[45] [46]} Its buildings were subsequently demolished. ^[47]

Headteachers

Years	Name	Notes
1963–1981	James Thomas "Jim" Padgett	A native of Nottinghamshire, Padgett was educated at Magnus Grammar School in Newark-on-Trent, the Coventry Training College and the University of Nottingham. [48] He had been in the RAF in the Second World War, serving in the UK and Middle East. [48] He then taught in Nottinghamshire schools until 1960, [48] when he was appointed deputy headmaster at the Sir William Robertson School in Welbourn. [48] [49] He was appointed head of Lafford School in October 1962 and took up the position in January 1963. [48] He retired from Lafford in August 1981 [50] and died on 8 August 1988 at Lincoln. [51]
1981–1997	John Hockin	A Cornishman, [52] Hockin came to Kesteven in 1971 as a schools inspector. He subsequently taught at an approved school, [53] before being appointed headmaster at the Lafford School in September 1981. [52] He retired in April 1997. [54] A member of the Sleaford Rotary Club since 1975, Hockin was elected vice-president of Rotary International British Isles for the 1998–99 year, [53] and then served as president for the 1999–2000 year. [55] [56]
1997–1998	Kathy Farmer (acting)	Farmer served as acting headteacher for the 1997–98 academic year. [57] [58]
1998–2001	Paul Kern	Kern attended Loughborough University from 1971 to 1975, graduating with a BSc in chemistry and management. He then trained to be teacher at Loughborough College of Education. He was deputy head at St Wulfram's School, Grantham, when he was appointed headteacher at Lafford in July 1998. [59] Kern had left Lafford in 2001. [30] [60]
2001–2002	Julie Woolley and Colin Saywell (acting)	Woolley was acting headteacher after Kern's departure in 2001 and was in post that October. [61] [62] Colin Saywell subsequently took over the role, and latterly shared it with Woolley before Taylor's arrival in 2002. [62]
2002–200?	Martyn Taylor [63]	Taylor taught American history at the University of Massachusetts before teaching in London, Hull and Lincolnshire. He was first deputy headteacher at The Thomes Cowley High School in Donington from 1998 to 2002. He was appointed headteacher at Lafford in June 2002. [64]
2005–2008	Paul Frederick Watson [65]	Educated at Nottingham and Leicester Universities, Watson then taught in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire. [66] He helped to establish the Lincoln School of Science and Technology and was appointed its deputy headteacher in 1992, before he was seconded to Middlefield School of Technology in Gainsborough as acting deputy headteacher; he eventually became the school's head. [67] He became principal at St George's College of Technology in Sleaford in 1998, [68] and headteacher at Lafford after it federated with St George's in 2005. [32] [33] He resigned as headteacher at Lafford in 2008, remaining in post at St George's and the other schools in the federation. [33] He retired from teaching in 2014. [69]
2008–2010	Mrs N. J. Irvine (acting)	Irvine became acting headteacher after Watson's resignation in 2008. [70] She was still acting headteacher when the school closed in 2010. [44]

Notable former pupils

• Air Vice-Marshal Stuart Butler, former Nimrod pilot, commanded 206 Sqn and Station Commander of RAF Kinloss ^[71]

See also

• Education in Lincolnshire

References

1. "The Lafford High School, Billinghay: Summary", EduBase (Department for Education). Retrieved 3 January 2017.
2. "The Lafford High School, Billinghay: Establishment Details", EduBase (Department for Education). Retrieved 3 January 2017.
3. Ward & Eden 2009 , pp. 34–35
4. "A New School Open at Billinghay", Sleaford Standard, 10 May 1963, p. 16.
5. The Billinghay HORSA School (also called the Billinghay HORSA Centre) was in operation by 1948: "Where Are They Now?: Details of the Appointments Held by Some Former Students of the Bolton Training College", The Vocational Aspect of Secondary and Further Education, vol. 15, no. 30 (1963), p. 67; see also, notice regarding school re-openings in Sleaford Gazette, 15 September 1950, p. 4, col. 1. A workshop was added to the school in 1949. With the subsequent opening of new secondary schools at Ruskington and Branston, enrolment at the HORSA Centre fell, but it continued to serve local children and its workshop also provided lessons for pupils aged 11 to 13; see: "'Primary' Title is Deceiving", Sleaford Gazette, 30 June 1961, p. 10. The headteacher from 1951 until at least 1959 was Mr K. Hinchcliffe: "New Chairman for Youth Employment Committee", Sleaford Gazette, 3 July 1959, p. 2.
6. "Events in 1946 in Retrospect", Sleaford Gazette, 27 December 1946, p. 3.
7. "Primary and Secondary Education", Sleaford Gazette, 16 May 1947, p. 4.
8. "Ministry Give Way on Secondary School at Billingborough", Sleaford Gazette, 28 November 1958, p. 9.
9. "Patient Efforts", Sleaford Standard, 7 July 1961, p. 10.
10. "The First Day at a New School", Sleaford Standard, 26 April 1963, p. 24.
11. "No Official Opening—And This Is Why", Lincolnshire Echo, 5 December 1963, p. 3.
12. "A New School Open at Billinghay", Sleaford Standard, 10 May 1963, p. 16.
13. "Governors and Staff", Sleaford Standard, 10 May 1963, p. 17.
14. With the transfer of senior pupils to the Lafford School, Billinghay's two existing village schools (a boys' school and a girls' and infants' school) merged, with the boys' school closing and the new school being under a new headteacher, K. Hinchcliffe, who had previously been headteacher at the boys' school and before that the HORSA Centre: "Senior Girls Going to New School", Sleaford Standard, 19 April 1963, p. 26.
15. "Pupils Face 17-Mile Bussing", Sleaford Standard, 19 July 1979, p. 3.
16. "Split-Site School to Be Rebuilt" . Sleaford Standard. 13 September 1979. p. 1. Retrieved 18 April 2024– via British Newspaper Archive.
17. "No Guarantees over School" . Sleaford Standard. 13 December 1979. p. 7. Retrieved 18 April 2024– via British Newspaper Archive.Lenton, Bob (13 December 1979). "The School Equation No-One Has Solved" . Sleaford Standard. p. 7. Retrieved 18 April 2024– via British Newspaper Archive.
18. "Education Chairman Speaks out on Schools Controversy" . Sleaford Standard. 3 January 1980. p. 1. Retrieved 18 April 2024– via British Newspaper Archive. "School-Shuffle Support Refuted" . Sleaford Standard. 10 January 1980. p. 1. Retrieved 18 April 2024– via British Newspaper Archive.
19. Lenton, Bob (4 September 1980). "Parents Beat Big School Reshuffle". Sleaford Standard. p. 1. Retrieved 27 April 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
20. "£105,000 for School Growth", Sleaford Standard, 21 January 1982, p. 3.
21. "[No title]", Sleaford Standard, 25 March 1982, p. 4, col. 7.
22. "Planning Decisions", Sleaford Standard, 15 April 1982, p. 2.
23. "Village School May Become House", Lincolnshire Echo , 7 August 1984, p. 6.
24. "New Report Says Three at Risk", Sleaford Standard, 30 October 1986, p. 4.
25. "Schools Axe Won't Fall", Sleaford Standard, 27 November 1986, p. 1.
26. "Schools at Risk Again?", Sleaford Standard, 7 May 1987, p. 3.
27. "Term Begins in Premises Built with Staff Ideas in Mind", Lincolnshire Echo , 22 September 1989, p. 3.
28. "Top Cook Opens up", Sleaford Standard, 26 January 1995, p. 12.
29. "Education through the Years", Sleaford Standard, 12 October 1995, p. 12.
30. "Extra £70,000 to Improve School", Sleaford Standard, 11 January 2001, p. 3.
31. "Small Secondary Schools to Shut?". Lincolnshire Echo. 27 April 2004. p. 3.
32. "Struggling School May Get New Headteacher". Lincolnshire Echo . 12 May 2005. p. 13.
33. "Lafford School Head Resigns". Sleaford Standard. 21 March 2008. Archived from the original on 16 December 2014. Retrieved 15 December 2014.
34. "Plans to Merge Schools into £24 Million Academy". Sleaford Standard. 4 April 2007. Archived from the original on 16 December 2014. Retrieved 15 December 2014.
35. "Head Calls It a Day after 13 Years". Sleaford Standard. 17 July 2007. Archived from the original on 16 December 2014. Retrieved 15 December 2014.
36. "Ruskington Governors Agree to Join Schools Partnership". Sleaford Standard. 21 May 2007. Archived from the original on 16 December 2014. Retrieved 15 December 2014.
37. "£300,000 Boost for Academy". Lincolnshire Echo . 14 November 2008. Retrieved 19 March 2015.
38. "Lafford High is Nation's Most Improved School". Sleaford Standard. 8 March 2007. Archived from the original on 16 December 2014. Retrieved 15 December 2014.
39. "'Vote of Confidence' for Schools over Exams". Sleaford Standard. 17 June 2008. Archived from the original on 16 December 2014. Retrieved 15 December 2014.
40. "Lafford High: The Big GCSE Improvers!". Sleaford Standard. 16 January 2008. Archived from the original on 16 December 2014. Retrieved 15 December 2014.
41. "St George's Cherry-Picked Star Pupils". Sleaford Standard. 13 March 2008. Archived from the original on 16 December 2014. Retrieved 15 December 2014.
42. "Parents Reach Boiling Point". Sleaford Standard. 13 March 2008. Archived from the original on 16 December 2014. Retrieved 15 December 2014.
43. "County High School to Close Doors", BBC News , 28 February 2008. Retrieved 25 April 2024.
44. "Welcome to Lafford High School", Lafford High School, archived from the original on 13 July 2010.
45. "Fighting to Save Lafford School Buildings". Sleaford Standard. 13 July 2010. Archived from the original on 16 December 2014. Retrieved 15 December 2014.
46. "The Lafford High School, Billinghay", UK Government. Retrieved 25 April 2024.
47. "Bid to Block Sale of Former School Land", Lincolnshire Live, 17 June 2016. Retrieved 25 April 2024.
48. "Headmaster is A.A.A. Coach", Sleaford Standard, 10 May 1963, p. 17.
49. "From Newark to Leadenham", Grantham Journal , 25 November 1960, p. 4.
50. "School's out", Sleaford Standard, 6 August 1981, p. 7.
51. "Births, Marriages and Deaths", Sleaford Standard, 11 August 1988, p. 2.
52. "Two New Head Take Over", Sleaford Standard, 13 August 1981, p. 4.
53. "Taking Rotary into the Next Century", Grantham Journal, 25 July 1997, p. 37.
54. "Special Farewell", Sleaford Target, 2 April 1997, p. 5.
55. "All Change", Sleaford Target, 7 July 1999, p. 6.
56. "Ex-Head Is Rotary President", Newark Advertiser , 9 July 1999, p. 15.
57. "News from 1997", Centre for Studies on Inclusive Education . Retrieved 28 April 2024. Quoting Sleaford Standard, 20 November 1997.
58. "Schools to Bale out Music Cut?", Sleaford Standard, 29 January 1998, p. 5.
59. "New Head at Lafford", Sleaford Target, 1 July 1998, p. 2.
60. Inspection Report: The Lafford High School (Ofsted: 2001), p. 7.
61. Inspection Report: The Lafford High School (Ofsted: 2001), pp. 1, 7.
62. "Students Can Take Pride in Their Achievements", Sleaford Standard, 4 December 2002, p. 25.
63. Taylor's name was spelt "Martin" in the newspaper announcing his appointment at Lafford, but was otherwise spelt "Martyn", e.g. in "Students Can Take Pride in Their Achievements", Sleaford Standard, 4 December 2002, p. 25, and David Martin, "Joining the Book Club", The Times (London), 15 May 2003 (retrieved 8 May 2024).
64. "Headteacher Appointed at Billinghay", Sleaford Standard, 27 June 2002, p. 2.
65. "Paul Frederick Watson". Companies House. Retrieved 21 October 2015.
66. "Taking College into Next Century" . Sleaford Standard. 17 September 1998. p. 11. Retrieved 18 April 2024– via British Newspaper Archive.
67. "Principal Nominated as Teacher of the Year". St George's Academy. 27 February 2014. Retrieved 10 April 2015.
68. "Brief History". St George's College of Technology. Archived from the original on 11 December 2009.
69. "Re: Principal Appointment" (PDF). St George's Academy. 27 February 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2016.
70. "Lafford Pupils Say 'Save Our School' (Lincs Echo)", Lincolnshire Echo (Youtube, 5 May 2008) at 9:14. Retrieved 28 April 2024.
71. Stuart Butler

Bibliography

• Ward, Stephen; Eden, Christine (2009), Key Issues in Education Policy, London: SAGE Publications Ltd., ISBN   9781446243619