Abbeydale Grange School
Encyclopedia
Abbeydale Grange School was a mixed comprehensive school
set in a green site off Abbeydale Road
, a short bus journey from Sheffield
city centre. The school served both the local area and the wider multi-racial city community.
Almost twenty years ago the high schools in Sheffield agreed to abandon their Sixth Forms in favour of post 16 provision via local colleges. However, for politically motivated reasons the schools in the south west of Sheffield exempted themselves from this agreement and retained their Sixth Forms. This was the start of the problems for Abbeydale Grange School. Ironically, Silverdale, another nearby school was less regarded by the local parents than Abbeydale Grange. In the late nineties the local authority failed to prevent other local schools drawing pupils from the natural catchment area and leaving Abbeydale Grange significantly short of students and funding. This further disadvantaged an already smaller school. In recent years the local authority did not use its legal powers to intervene despite there being clear evidence that all was not well within the school. Invevitably, in 2009, after poor OFSTED reports, the LEA wanted to close the school. After a campaign by parents, teachers and alumni, the council committee decided not to follow the LEA and went with the option to consult on closure of the school. There is great dispute over the nature and conduct of the consultation process recently conducted. Many parents live away from the local area and neither speak nor read English or indeed their own language. Some consultation events were inevitably poorly attended - not through lack of interest but more to do with poor communication. The 'efforts' to secure a Hard Federation were widely considered inadequate as very little time or 'weight' was given to the attempt. The Governors have unanimously voted to appeal the December 9th 2009 decision of the Council Cabinet to proceed to statutory notice of closure. The fact that this was a decision taken by a whip vote rather than a free vote indicates to many the fragility of the case for closure.
The appeal was rejected and Abbeydale Grange school closed its doors for the final time on 31 August 2011 after a final year where only Year 11 students were onsite. The Local Authority have acted swiftly and plan to begin demolition of the building in September 2011.
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...
set in a green site off Abbeydale Road
Abbeydale Road
Abbeydale Road and Abbeydale Road South is a road in Sheffield. It leads south-west from the suburb of Highfield to the railway bridge over the Dore and Chinley railway, before becoming Baslow Road. The road begins at a junction with London Road near the former Royal Hotel public house.The road...
, a short bus journey from Sheffield
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
city centre. The school served both the local area and the wider multi-racial city community.
History
Originally the current site was named Abbeydale Grammar School for Boys. It became a comprehensive in the 1969, growing out of three local grammar schools. In 2007 Abbeydale Grange attempted to underpin its future by opting out of local authority control and taking independent foundation status.Almost twenty years ago the high schools in Sheffield agreed to abandon their Sixth Forms in favour of post 16 provision via local colleges. However, for politically motivated reasons the schools in the south west of Sheffield exempted themselves from this agreement and retained their Sixth Forms. This was the start of the problems for Abbeydale Grange School. Ironically, Silverdale, another nearby school was less regarded by the local parents than Abbeydale Grange. In the late nineties the local authority failed to prevent other local schools drawing pupils from the natural catchment area and leaving Abbeydale Grange significantly short of students and funding. This further disadvantaged an already smaller school. In recent years the local authority did not use its legal powers to intervene despite there being clear evidence that all was not well within the school. Invevitably, in 2009, after poor OFSTED reports, the LEA wanted to close the school. After a campaign by parents, teachers and alumni, the council committee decided not to follow the LEA and went with the option to consult on closure of the school. There is great dispute over the nature and conduct of the consultation process recently conducted. Many parents live away from the local area and neither speak nor read English or indeed their own language. Some consultation events were inevitably poorly attended - not through lack of interest but more to do with poor communication. The 'efforts' to secure a Hard Federation were widely considered inadequate as very little time or 'weight' was given to the attempt. The Governors have unanimously voted to appeal the December 9th 2009 decision of the Council Cabinet to proceed to statutory notice of closure. The fact that this was a decision taken by a whip vote rather than a free vote indicates to many the fragility of the case for closure.
The appeal was rejected and Abbeydale Grange school closed its doors for the final time on 31 August 2011 after a final year where only Year 11 students were onsite. The Local Authority have acted swiftly and plan to begin demolition of the building in September 2011.
Notable alumni
- Sebastian Coe (Now Baron Coe, of Ranmore) - Multi Gold Medal winning Olympic athlete & Chair of UK Olympic Committee
- Kevin DaviesKevin DaviesKevin Cyril Davies is an English footballer who currently plays for Bolton Wanderers and the England national football team as a striker. He was made Bolton team captain in January 2009....
- English football player who currently plays for Bolton Wanderers - Brian Anderson - British Middleweight Champion Boxer and the UK's first black prison governor