Alumwell Business and Enterprise College
Encyclopedia
Alumwell Business and Enterprise College is in the Alumwell
/Pleck
area of Walsall
, not far from junction 10 of the M6, and about a mile west of the town centre. It also takes pupils from Birchills
and further afield.
A comprehensive school, it has had Business and Enterprise College
status since September 2003.
The head teacher is Mr. A. E. Hubble, B.Ed., NPQH.
Its first headteacher, until 1974, was Mr. Leslie Cox. His successor was Mr. Eugene M. Hughes, who served the school for 18 years until 1992, when he was succeeded by Miss Susan M. Bradford, who served the school for a similarly long period before leaving in December 2009 having gained a number of quality marks for the school, in particular, Investors in People
.
Further historical information may appear here in the future. Transcripts and memoirs from ex-members of staff will be particularly welcome (please cite code AD).
There was to have been substantial rebuilding as a result of the school's participation in Building Schools for the Future
, but this fell through following the general election of 2010. There will, however, be a separate on-campus £7 million Health Tec, a borough-wide training centre for careers in Health and Social Care, Science, and Public Service, to be opened in 2011.
Details of the current curriculum are given on the school's website, under the heading What we teach.
in 2007. He left the school in 1991.
Alumwell
Alumwell is a suburb on the west side of Walsall, in the West Midlands of England. The area is home to Walsall's Manor Hospital. The neighbourhood is adjacent to the M6 and can be seen from the motorway by passing drivers. The neighbourhood is by a primary and secondary school. Most of the houses...
/Pleck
Pleck
Pleck in the borough of Walsall neighbours Palfrey and stretches from the bridge on Wednesbury Road to Junction 9 of the M6 motorway. It consists of a large green space called Pleck Park and housing estates....
area of Walsall
Walsall
Walsall is a large industrial town in the West Midlands of England. It is located northwest of Birmingham and east of Wolverhampton. Historically a part of Staffordshire, Walsall is a component area of the West Midlands conurbation and part of the Black Country.Walsall is the administrative...
, not far from junction 10 of the M6, and about a mile west of the town centre. It also takes pupils from Birchills
Birchills
Birchills is a residential area of Walsall in the West Midlands of England.It is situated several hundred yards west of the town centre and is an established area containing many different housing types, though Victorian/Edwardian terraced houses and inter-war council houses are the most frequent...
and further afield.
A comprehensive school, it has had Business and Enterprise College
Business and Enterprise College
Business and Enterprise Colleges were introduced in 2002 as part of the Specialist Schools Programme in the United Kingdom. The system enables secondary schools to specialise in certain fields...
status since September 2003.
The head teacher is Mr. A. E. Hubble, B.Ed., NPQH.
History
The school was opened, on land owned by the Earl of Bradford, in September 1971 as Wilfred Clark Comprehensive, an 11-18 school formed by the amalgamation of four secondary modern schools. It was the first school in Walsall to be designed with out-of-hours community users in mind: a vision of the then Director of Education, Mr. R. D. Nixon, which, for a time, brought visits from education officers from all over England. Since September 1974, and prior to its present appellation, it has been known as the Alumwell Comprehensive School, (briefly) Alumwell Community School, and the Alumwell School. The annexe in Scarborough Road (used for years 7 and 8, and some year 9 subjects) was closed in July 1991 due to a decline in pupil numbers, and taken over by Walsall College (WALCAT).Its first headteacher, until 1974, was Mr. Leslie Cox. His successor was Mr. Eugene M. Hughes, who served the school for 18 years until 1992, when he was succeeded by Miss Susan M. Bradford, who served the school for a similarly long period before leaving in December 2009 having gained a number of quality marks for the school, in particular, Investors in People
Investors in People
Launched in 1991 Investors in People is a business improvement tool administered by UK Commission for Employment and Skills and supported by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills ....
.
Further historical information may appear here in the future. Transcripts and memoirs from ex-members of staff will be particularly welcome (please cite code AD).
Campus
The school has extensive sports facilities including a football/athletics field, eight tennis courts, a heated swimming pool, a gym and squash court, a large Astroturf and, arguably, the biggest sports hall in the West Midlands. It also has a theatre. The Business Centre provides conferencing facilities as well as courses for people in the local community.There was to have been substantial rebuilding as a result of the school's participation in Building Schools for the Future
Building Schools for the Future
Building Schools for the Future is the name of the previous UK Government's investment programme in secondary school buildings in England. The program is very ambitious in its costs, timescales and objectives, with politicians from all English political parties supportive of the principle but...
, but this fell through following the general election of 2010. There will, however, be a separate on-campus £7 million Health Tec, a borough-wide training centre for careers in Health and Social Care, Science, and Public Service, to be opened in 2011.
Curriculum
The curriculum is currently undergoing changes of emphasis, for example towards teaching for competencies in years 7 and 8 (known as Opening Minds).Details of the current curriculum are given on the school's website, under the heading What we teach.
Extracurricular activities
The range of activities is given on the school's website, which can be found by clicking on the external link below.Notable former student(s)
Wayne Aveline, fashion designer, who won season 2 of Project CatwalkProject Catwalk
For the Dutch version of Project Catwalk, see Project Catwalk Project Catwalk is a competitive reality television series focusing on fashion design. In the UK it is shown on the digital station Sky One. The show follows a group of fashion designers as they compete against each other to avoid being...
in 2007. He left the school in 1991.