T. P. Riley Comprehensive School
Encyclopedia
T. P. Riley Comprehensive School was a secondary school located in Bloxwich
, West Midlands
, England
.
Built in 1958 to serve the expanding town of Bloxwich, it was situated on Lichfield Road, replacing Elmore Green High School in the town centre, the buildings of which survived for several years as an annex.From 1973 until around 1990 the old Elmore Green buildings became incorporated as an annex to the comprehensive school.
Famous pupils at T.P Riley include Noddy Holder
, who became the lead singer of Slade, Adrian Smith (National Hunt racing
jockey) and Garry Newman, developer of the game Garry's Mod
and owner of Facepunch Studios.
The school received news coverage in October 1988 when one of the school's history teachers, Bernard Butt (aged 44), was killed on a cruise ship after it sank following a collision with a freighter near Pireaus in Greece
during a school trip journey. The teacher was reportedly attempting to save students during the sinking. One student from a nearby school in Streetly
and two Greek seamen also died.
Demolition work at T.P Riley began towards the end of 2001 and lessons were taught in Portakabin buildings until the new school, known as Walsall Academy
, was opened in September 2003.
Bloxwich
Bloxwich is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall, West Midlands, England, with a population of around 40,000 people.-Early history:Bloxwich has its origins at least as early as the Anglo-Saxon period, when the place name evidence suggests it was a small Mercian settlement named after the...
, West Midlands
West Midlands (county)
The West Midlands is a metropolitan county in western central England with a 2009 estimated population of 2,638,700. It came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972, formed from parts of Staffordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire. The...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
Built in 1958 to serve the expanding town of Bloxwich, it was situated on Lichfield Road, replacing Elmore Green High School in the town centre, the buildings of which survived for several years as an annex.From 1973 until around 1990 the old Elmore Green buildings became incorporated as an annex to the comprehensive school.
Famous pupils at T.P Riley include Noddy Holder
Noddy Holder
Neville John "Noddy" Holder MBE is an English musician and actor. He was the lead vocalist and guitarist with the rock band Slade....
, who became the lead singer of Slade, Adrian Smith (National Hunt racing
National Hunt racing
National Hunt racing is the official name given to the sport of horse racing in the United Kingdom, France and Ireland in which the horses are required to jump over obstacles called hurdles or fences...
jockey) and Garry Newman, developer of the game Garry's Mod
Garry's Mod
Garry's Mod is a sandbox physics game using the Source engine. Garry's Mod has been available on Steam's content delivery service since November 29, 2006...
and owner of Facepunch Studios.
The school received news coverage in October 1988 when one of the school's history teachers, Bernard Butt (aged 44), was killed on a cruise ship after it sank following a collision with a freighter near Pireaus in Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
during a school trip journey. The teacher was reportedly attempting to save students during the sinking. One student from a nearby school in Streetly
Streetly
Streetly is an area which lies mainly in the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall, England around 8 miles to the north of Birmingham. Streetly lies on the border of Birmingham and Walsall and is part of the West Midlands conurbation. It is adjacent to Aldridge, Sutton Coldfield, Great Barr and Four...
and two Greek seamen also died.
Demolition work at T.P Riley began towards the end of 2001 and lessons were taught in Portakabin buildings until the new school, known as Walsall Academy
Walsall Academy
Walsall Academy is a Comprehensive Academy secondary school in Bloxwich, West Midlands, England. It opened in September 2003 with 470 students on the roll, and after four years that figure had increased to 1,150 - making it one of the most populated secondary schools in the Walsall borough.The...
, was opened in September 2003.