Wilmslow High School

Wilmslow High School
Established 1960
Type Community school
Headteacher Dr J Pullé[1]
Chair Mr D Bennett[2]
Location Holly Road
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 1LZ
England
Coordinates: 53°19′20″N 2°13′45″W / 53.3221°N 2.2293°W / 53.3221; -2.2293
Local authority Cheshire East
DfE URN 111443 Tables
Ofsted Reports
Students 2,000+
Gender Mixed
Ages 11–18
Houses      Bollin
     Harefield
     Norcliffe
     Thorngrove
Colours          Maroon and Black
Former name Wilmslow County Grammar School
Website Wilmslow High School

Wilmslow High School is a mixed-sex 11–18 comprehensive secondary school in Wilmslow, Cheshire,[3] and a designated Centre of Excellence.[4] The school began in 1960 as a grammar school and gradually became a comprehensive school, becoming Wilmslow High School in 1991. Dr. James Pullé is the head teacher. Students achieve above average academically and the school was designated "good" by Ofsted, a drop from their previous position as "outstanding" in 2011.[5][6]

History

Grammar school

Wilmslow High School began life as the co-educational Wilmslow County Grammar School in September 1960 with 900 pupils. The new county grammar school was opened by Sir James Mountford, the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Liverpool on 24 March 1961. A girls' grammar school was built on 14 acres (57,000 m2) of the former Colshaw Hall Farm, and situated on Dean Row Road. It opened in 1965 and had 750 girls. The school on Holly Road became an all-boys' school.

Comprehensive

The school changed name to Harefield County High School when it became a sixth form-entry comprehensive in 1978, gradually becoming more comprehensive. In the mid-1980s it became Wilmslow County High School, then Wilmslow High School in 1991.[7] The school was designated as a specialist Sports College in September 2003.[8]

Other former schools in Wilmslow included Wilmslow County Secondary School for Girls on Wycliffe Avenue in Wilmslow. When the Wycliffe Avenue Secondary Modern School closed the girls moved to Thorngrove County High School, which was until that point the Hough Secondary Modern School for Boys, having previously opened in 1965 on Thorngrove Road – the land now occupied by the A34 bypass. The girls' grammar school became Dean Row High School and later all schools closed, leaving Wilmslow with one high school on the site of the original boys' grammar school.

Curriculum

The school's curriculum offers a wide range of programmes that meet National Curriculum requirements. Students progressing through the school are able increasingly to tailor programmes to meet their particular learning needs with a wide range of GCSE and BTEC programmes, as well as GCE and AS/A2 programmes. Alternative accredited programmes are also available.

Non-academic work

The school places particular emphasis on personal, health, social and citizenship education and operates a system that links curricular activity, tutorial activity and three "Personal, Health, Social & Citizenship Education" (PHSCE) Days. All Year 10 students have a one-week work experience placement, with further course-related work experience in Year 12.[9]

Extracurricular activities

The school's curriculum is enriched by a wide range of visits and fieldwork activity and is supplemented by extracurricular activities that offer the opportunity for students to develop and follow their interests and talents in music, drama, sport and other activities. The school operates the Duke of Edinburgh's Award Scheme, and a bi-annual "World Challenge" expedition is available to older students, which for the last three years has been run through Camps International. In 2011 some of the Sixth Form students went to Kenya with the company to carry out various charity work and climb Mt. Kilimanjaro. Competitive sport is a feature of the school's extracurricular programme "Sports Xtra".

The school encourages all students to become involved with charity work, locally and on a national and international scale. Charity projects include a Christmas fun day organised by the Sixth Form for the lower school, the 50p Shop, a weekly tuckshop selling confectionery in aid of charity, and many cake sales and other small scale fund raising events organised by individual form groups to support the annual house charities.

Academic performance

Students at Wilmslow High achieve well-above average results at GCSE and at A-level. In 2011, 70% of Year 11 students achieved 5 A*-C grades including English and mathematics and 23% of Year 13 students achieved 3 A or A* grades or equivalent.[10]

Admissions

Wilmslow High School works in partnership with the twelve primary schools in Wilmslow, Handforth and Alderley Edge, from where the majority of its students come. The school has 300 places available in each year and a Sixth Form that has the capacity to provide programmes for some 500 students. In 2011, 3.4% of students have statements of special educational need, the proportion of students on roll with SEN statement or on School Action Plus was 7.8% and 6% of students were entitled to free school meals.[11]

Students wishing to enter the sixth form must obtain a minimum of five GCSEs with grades A* – C (or equivalent), including at least a C grade in English Language and any subjects they wish to study at A-level.[12]

Learning support

The school's Learning Support team caters for students who have special educational needs (SEN).[13] Provision includes a fully integrated 8-place unit for children who have impaired hearing. The school is leading a Local Education Authority (LEA) project relating to provision for autistic students and a member of staff based at the school has responsibility for supporting such students.

The school's Parent-Teacher Association (now known as "Parents Xtra") organises a wide range of social, educational and fund-raising activities.[14]

The school is a centre for adult education and has developed strong links with the local community and major local employers: the Wilmslow High Partnership was established in 1997. Community involvement and links are also manifest in student placements, musical concerts, the annual Arts Festival that includes all of the local primary schools, and wide-ranging activity in support of local charities. The school acts as the host for the annual Wilmslow Show.

Notable former pupils

The Last Broadcast (2002)

Wilmslow County Grammar School for Boys

Wilmslow County Grammar School for Girls

Wycliffe Avenue School

References

  1. ↑ Pullé, James. "Cirriculum". wilmslowhigh.com. Wilmslow High School. Retrieved 29 June 2015.
  2. ↑ "Governing Body". wilmslowhigh.com. Wilmslow High School. Retrieved 29 June 2015.
  3. ↑ "Schools in Wilmslow". SchoolsSearch. Retrieved 29 June 2015.
  4. ↑ "IQM". wilmslowhigh.com. Wilmslow High School. Retrieved 29 June 2015.
  5. ↑ Ofsted: Wilmslow High School (Retrieved 30 November 2014)
  6. ↑ Ofsted report
  7. ↑ Schools in Wilmslow: Recent Schools (Retrieved 20 November 2014)
  8. ↑ "Home - Wilmslow High School". Wilmslow High School.
  9. ↑ "Home - Wilmslow High School". Wilmslow High School.
  10. ↑ DFE. "2011 Performance Tables". DFE. Retrieved 5 February 2012.
  11. ↑ DFE. "DFE School Statistics". Performance Tables 2011. DFE. Retrieved 5 February 2012.
  12. ↑ "Admissions - Wilmslow High School". Wilmslow High School. Retrieved 29 June 2015.
  13. ↑ "Learning Support". wilmslowhigh.com. Wilmslow High School. Retrieved 29 June 2015.
  14. ↑ "Home - Wilmslow High School". Wilmslow High School.
  15. ↑ "Seren Bundy-Davies makes her choice - she's off to Estonia!". Wilmslow Guardian.
  16. ↑ Doves fly to top Wilmslow Express – 16 March 2005
  17. ↑ Dan Green (8 February 2006). "Lacrosse requires skill - not just rough stuff". Telegraph.co.uk.
  18. ↑ Sarah's big break as star of Confetti Wilmslow Express – 24 May 2006
  19. ↑ Roger Matthews
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