Bacup and Rawtenstall Grammar School
Encyclopedia
Bacup and Rawtenstall Grammar School (BRGS) is a selective
co-educational foundation school
in Waterfoot, Rossendale
, Lancashire
, England
. The school is named after the two main towns either side of Waterfoot, Bacup
and Rawtenstall
.
.
The school is attended by approximately 1250 students, split between the lower school (years 7-11), which has approximately 150 pupils per year (in five groups of thirty pupils each) and the sixth form
(years 12 & 13) with 250 pupils per year (in separate groups). Its status as a selective-entry state school for years seven to eleven (aged 11 to 16) means that the school is vastly oversubscribed, with many children competing for each place by taking an entrance examination
while in their final year of primary school. Entry to the sixth form is non-selective except for the condition of the student's having gained at least four grade B and four grade C marks from their best 8 GCSEs.
s; recent figures can be viewed at the BBC's records
Selective school
A selective school is a school that admits students on the basis of some sort of selection criteria, usually academic. The term may have different connotations in different systems....
co-educational foundation school
Foundation school
In England and Wales, a foundation school is a state-funded school in which the governing body has greater freedom in the running of the school than in community schools....
in Waterfoot, Rossendale
Waterfoot, Rossendale
Waterfoot is a small Rossendale mill-town at between Rawtenstall and Bacup in Lancashire where the B6238 from Burnley meets the A681. It is where the River Whitwell meets the River Irwell.- History :...
, Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
, 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...
. The school is named after the two main towns either side of Waterfoot, Bacup
Bacup
Bacup is a town within the Rossendale borough of Lancashire, England. It is located amongst the South Pennines, along Lancashire's eastern boundary with West Yorkshire. The town sits within a rural setting in the Forest of Rossendale, amongst the steep-sided upper-Irwell Valley, through which the...
and Rawtenstall
Rawtenstall
Rawtenstall is a town at the centre of the Rossendale Valley, in Lancashire, England. It is the seat for the Borough of Rossendale, in which it is located. The town lies 18 miles north of Manchester, 22 miles east of the county town of Preston and 45 miles south east of Lancaster...
.
History
Founded in the 18th century as Newchurch Grammar School, it opened its doors in 1701 on land bequeathed by a certain John Kershaw. The foundation stones for the current site were laid by the Mayors of Bacup and Rawtenstall on 1st July 1911. The school opened in 1913.Admissions
The current headmaster is Trevor Elkington, who is standing in until the new Headmaster joins in early 2012. This is because the former headmaster, Marc Morris, joined the school in April 2005, replacing the retiring Martyn Morris (not related) is moving to Hong Kong where he shall take his position of headteacher at Sha Tin CollegeSha Tin College
Sha Tin College is a private secondary school in Hong Kong and a member of the English Schools Foundation – the largest independent schools organization in Asia....
.
The school is attended by approximately 1250 students, split between the lower school (years 7-11), which has approximately 150 pupils per year (in five groups of thirty pupils each) and the sixth form
Sixth form
In the education systems of England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, and of Commonwealth West Indian countries such as Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Belize, Jamaica and Malta, the sixth form is the final two years of secondary education, where students, usually sixteen to eighteen years of age,...
(years 12 & 13) with 250 pupils per year (in separate groups). Its status as a selective-entry state school for years seven to eleven (aged 11 to 16) means that the school is vastly oversubscribed, with many children competing for each place by taking an entrance examination
Entrance examination
An entrance examination is an examination that many educational institutions use to select students for admission. These exams may be administered at any level of education, from primary to higher education, although they are more common at higher levels....
while in their final year of primary school. Entry to the sixth form is non-selective except for the condition of the student's having gained at least four grade B and four grade C marks from their best 8 GCSEs.
Music Tuition
Every new school year after their first term has the opportunity to learn a musical instrument of their choice.Academic performance
The school ranks high in British School league tableLeague table
A league table, standings, ranking chart, or ladder is a chart or list which compares sports teams, institutions, nations or companies by ranking them in order of ability or achievement. A league table may list several related statistics, but they are generally sorted by the primary one that...
s; recent figures can be viewed at the BBC's records
Notable former pupils
- Kristan BromleyKristan BromleyKristan Bromley is a British skeleton racer who has competed since 1996. He won the gold medal in the men's event at the 2008 FIBT World Championships in Altenberg, Germany...
, skeleton racerSkeleton (sport)Skeleton is a fast winter sliding sport in which an individual person rides a small sled down a frozen track while lying face down, during which athletes experience forces up to 5g. It originated in St. Moritz, Switzerland as a spin-off from the popular British sport of Cresta Sledding... - Natalie CaseyNatalie CaseyNatalie Casey is an English actress, television presenter and singer. She is best known for her long running roles playing Carol Groves in the TV series Hollyoaks from 1995 to 2000 and playing Donna Henshaw in Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps from 2001 to 2011...
, actress - Pattie ColdwellPattie ColdwellPattie Coldwell was a British TV presenter and journalist.Born in Clitheroe, Lancashire, she attended Clitheroe Royal Grammar School for Girls before working as a secretary and starting in local television as a reporter and presenter...
(1952-2002), TV presenter - Agyness DeynAgyness DeynAgyness Deyn is an English fashion model, actress and singer.-Early life:Deyn is from Failsworth in the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, Greater Manchester...
, model - Sir John Egan , former Chief Executive of Jaguar Cars, currently Chairman of Severn Trent plcSevern TrentSevern Trent plc is a British public utility. It is traded on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index.Severn Trent is a group of companies employing more than 15,000 people across the UK, US and mainland Europe, with some involvement in the Middle East.The main...
- Ben HanleyBen HanleyBen Hanley is a British racing driver who competed in the first part of the 2008 GP2 Series season. He is also a member of the Renault F1 team's young driver program.- Career :...
, racing driver - Christopher P. Holland, Professor of Information Systems at Manchester Business School, University of Manchester
- Betty JacksonBetty JacksonBetty Jackson is a British fashion designer based in London, England. She was born a Lancashire. In 2007, her achievement within British fashion was honoured with a CBE...
, fashion designer, who designed the Autograph collection at Marks & SpencerMarks & SpencerMarks and Spencer plc is a British retailer headquartered in the City of Westminster, London, with over 700 stores in the United Kingdom and over 300 stores spread across more than 40 countries. It specialises in the selling of clothing and luxury food products... - Carlo NashCarlo NashCarlo James Nash is an English footballer who plays for Stoke City as a goalkeeper.Nash started his career at non-League Rossendale United and Clitheroe before being signed by Crystal Palace and then moved back north to Stockport County...
, footballer - Rt Revd Jack NichollsJack NichollsFor other people named Jack or John Nicholls see John NichollsThe Rt Revd John Nicholls GCStJ, known as Jack Nicholls, is a British Anglican clergy and former Bishop of Sheffield....
, Bishop of Sheffield from 1997-2008 and Bishop of LancasterAnglican Bishop of LancasterThe Anglican Bishop of Lancaster is an episcopal title used by a suffragan bishop of the Church of England Diocese of Blackburn, in the Province of York, England. The title takes its name after the traditional county town of Lancaster in Lancashire. The incumbent is The Rt Revd Geoff Pearson...
from 1990-7 - Prof Peter Ormerod, President of the British Thoracic SocietyBritish Thoracic SocietyThe British Thoracic Society was formed in 1982 by the amalgamation of the British Thoracic Association and the Thoracic Society. It is a registered charity and a company limited by guarantee.-Function:...
2008-, based at the Royal Blackburn HospitalEast Lancashire Hospitals NHS TrustEast Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust is an NHS hospital trust in Lancashire, England, part of the NHS North West strategic health authority. It was formed in 2003 as the result of a locally controversial, cost saving merger of Blackburn Hyndburn and Ribble Valley NHS Trust and Burnley Health Care... - Prof Michael Pilling CBE, Pro-Vice-Chancellor of the University of LeedsUniversity of LeedsThe University of Leeds is a British Redbrick university located in the city of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England...
from 1992-4, Professor of Physical Chemistry from 1989-2007 - Winston PlaceWinston PlaceWinston Place was an English cricketer who played in 3 Tests in 1948. An opening batsman for Lancashire, he shared a prolific partnership with Cyril Washbrook and was part of the county championship winning side of 1950...
(1914-2002), cricketer - Sir Paul StephensonPaul Stephenson (police officer)Sir Paul Robert Stephenson, QPM was the Metropolitan Police Commissioner, 2009-2011, the most senior police officer within the United Kingdom....
, Metropolitan Police Commissioner 2008-11 - Ernest TomlinsonErnest TomlinsonErnest Tomlinson is an English composer, particularly noted for his Light music compositions. He is sometimes credited as Alan Perry.-Life:...
, light music composer - Ruth Brownrigg, former banker at NatWest, biographer of Danny DeVitoDanny DeVitoDaniel Michael DeVito, Jr. , better known as Danny DeVito, is an American actor, comedian, director and producer. He first gained prominence for his portrayal of Louie De Palma on the ABC and NBC television series Taxi , for which he won a Golden Globe and an Emmy.DeVito and his wife, Rhea Perlman,...
.
Former teachers
- Trevor ParkTrevor ParkJoseph Trevor Park was a British lecturer and politician. He was a Labour Party Member of Parliament during Harold Wilson's government in the 1960s, a government which he regarded as unhelpful to the interests of Labour voters.-Teaching career:Park was born in Lancashire, the son of textile workers...
(1927-95), former MP for South East DerbyshireSouth East Derbyshire (UK Parliament constituency)South East Derbyshire was a parliamentary constituency in Derbyshire. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the first past the post voting system.... - Paul PatrickPaul PatrickPaul Patrick was an English teacher and leading lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights activist...
(1950-2008), LGBTLGBTLGBT is an initialism that collectively refers to "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender" people. In use since the 1990s, the term "LGBT" is an adaptation of the initialism "LGB", which itself started replacing the phrase "gay community" beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s, which many within the...
rights activist