The Elmhirst School
Encyclopedia
The Elmhirst School was a comprehensive school
on the B6100 (Ardsley Road) in Worsbrough Dale, south of Barnsley
, South Yorkshire
, England
.
It became the Barnsley Academy in 2006.
In October 2003, Barnsley Council had decided to close the school in August 2004 and open a new 11-18 school, under the Fresh Start scheme. In February 2004, the council decided to close the school and open an Academy in September 2006 for ages 3–18, including Worsbrough Bank End and Kendray primary schools. It was to be done under Barnsley Council's Remaking Learning project. The Academy would have 420 primary places and 900 secondary places. Funding would come from the Department for Education and Skills, and £2m from the Academy's sponsor, the Church Schools Company (which became the United Church Schools Trust
). It was actually sponsored by the United Learning Trust
.
and Ardsley areas. More than 50% of pupils were on free school meal
s. The Ardsley area has a very high teenage pregnancy rate, double the national rate, and much higher than the overall rate for Barnsley.
in 2003, and taken out of this restriction in November 2003. In 2003, its results for exams at 14 were the fifth lowest in England. In the same year, only 9% of pupils got 5 good GCSEs. By 2006, including English and Maths, only 6% of pupils got five good GCSEs including Maths and English. In that same year the school, in March 2006, was lifted from Special Measures into the Notice to Improve category by OFSTED.
The Academy opened in the old building in September 2006.
The Academy moved to its new building on 1 March 2009. In the Summer of 2010 the Academy saw 51% of its students achieve give good GCSEs including Maths and English - it was listed by the Department for Education as the most improved Academy in England.
Comprehensive school
A comprehensive school is a state school that does not select its intake on the basis of academic achievement or aptitude. This is in contrast to the selective school system, where admission is restricted on the basis of a selection criteria. The term is commonly used in relation to the United...
on the B6100 (Ardsley Road) in Worsbrough Dale, south of Barnsley
Barnsley
Barnsley is a town in South Yorkshire, England. It lies on the River Dearne, north of the city of Sheffield, south of Leeds and west of Doncaster. Barnsley is surrounded by several smaller settlements which together form the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley, of which Barnsley is the largest and...
, South Yorkshire
South Yorkshire
South Yorkshire is a metropolitan county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It has a population of 1.29 million. It consists of four metropolitan boroughs: Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham, and City of Sheffield...
, 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...
.
History
It was the Worsbrough High School, which became known as Elmhirst School in the 1990s. The building before 1952 had been the White Cross School.It became the Barnsley Academy in 2006.
In October 2003, Barnsley Council had decided to close the school in August 2004 and open a new 11-18 school, under the Fresh Start scheme. In February 2004, the council decided to close the school and open an Academy in September 2006 for ages 3–18, including Worsbrough Bank End and Kendray primary schools. It was to be done under Barnsley Council's Remaking Learning project. The Academy would have 420 primary places and 900 secondary places. Funding would come from the Department for Education and Skills, and £2m from the Academy's sponsor, the Church Schools Company (which became the United Church Schools Trust
United Church Schools Trust
The United Church Schools Trust is a large education charity in the United Kingdom which owns and operates a group of 11 independent schools.-History:...
). It was actually sponsored by the United Learning Trust
United Learning Trust
The United Learning Trust is an education charity and the largest single sponsor of academies in the UK with 20 academies and one City Technology College currently open. ULT's objective is to bring out "the best in everyone", driving educational improvement across its family of academies and...
.
Admissions
It admitted ages 11–16 from the WorsbroughWorsbrough
Worsbrough is an area about two miles south of Barnsley in the metropolitan borough of Barnsley, South Yorkshire, England.-Geography:Worsbrough includes Worsbrough Bridge, Worsbrough Common, Worsbrough Dale, Worsbrough Village and Ward Green. The River Dove flows east-west through Worsbrough and...
and Ardsley areas. More than 50% of pupils were on free school meal
Free school meal
A Free School Meal, provided to a child or young person during a school break, is paid for by Government. For a child to qualify for a Free School Meal, their parent or carer must be receiving particular qualifying benefits as stated by Government...
s. The Ardsley area has a very high teenage pregnancy rate, double the national rate, and much higher than the overall rate for Barnsley.
Academic performance
It was a low performing school, like many schools in Barnsley. From 2000, the schools results virtually halved. It was placed in special measuresSpecial measures
Special measures is a status applied by Ofsted and Estyn, the schools inspection agencies, to schools in England and Wales, respectively, when it considers that they fail to supply an acceptable level of education and appear to lack the leadership capacity necessary to secure improvements...
in 2003, and taken out of this restriction in November 2003. In 2003, its results for exams at 14 were the fifth lowest in England. In the same year, only 9% of pupils got 5 good GCSEs. By 2006, including English and Maths, only 6% of pupils got five good GCSEs including Maths and English. In that same year the school, in March 2006, was lifted from Special Measures into the Notice to Improve category by OFSTED.
The Academy opened in the old building in September 2006.
The Academy moved to its new building on 1 March 2009. In the Summer of 2010 the Academy saw 51% of its students achieve give good GCSEs including Maths and English - it was listed by the Department for Education as the most improved Academy in England.
White Cross Secondary School/Worsbrough High School
- Arthur ScargillArthur ScargillArthur Scargill is a British politician who was President of the National Union of Mineworkers from 1982 to 2002, leading the union through the 1984–85 miners' strike, a key event in British labour and political history...
1949-53 - Mick McCarthyMick McCarthyMichael Joseph "Mick" McCarthy is an English-born former Irish international footballer who is currently the manager of Premier League club Wolverhampton Wanderers, where he has been in charge since July 2006....
1970-74
External links
News items
- Parents opposing the Academy in 2005
- Designing new Academy in November 2004
- Receiving praise in September 2004
- School in one of the worst in England in December 2003