Berry Hill High School and Sports College
Encyclopedia
Berry Hill High School and Sports College was a mixed, secondary school located on Arbourfield Drive, Berry Hill, Stoke-on-Trent
. The school was awarded specialist Sports College
status, though was usually just referred to as Berry Hill High School.
With almost 900 students in 2005, merger proposals saw student numbers drop to around 500 by 2010. This period also saw a high turnover of staff. The school closed in summer 2011, though the site will continue to school children of the yet to be built St Peters Academy, which is due to be completed in 2013.
(Years 7
, 8
and 9
), and Key Stage 4
(Years 10
and 11
). Most pupils were White British
and qualified for free school meal
s, mostly coming from 'hard pressed families'.
The majority of its students lived in the surrounding areas, and the suburbs of Bentilee
, Bucknall
, and Hanley. It was located by the Berryhill Fields
.
Mr Stephen Daniels was appointed as Headteacher in June 1998. A November 1999 OFTED inspection noted that the school had a below average to well below average performance, though this performance was rated as average to above average compared with similar schools. The school was generally satisfactory, with good behaviour, leadership and ethos, and unsatisfactory attendance. The school's expenditure was £2,032,741 for 1999, an average spending of £2,181 on each pupil.
Around 2003 Mr Daniels left the school to become headteacher of Ilkeston Grammar School
, and was replaced by Ruth Poppleton.
In September 2004 the school was awarded Sports College
status.
In October 2005 - the school's first inspection for six years - the school was graded as 'Satisfactory'.
In January 2007 the school received national attention when then-Headteacher Ruth Poppleton excluded eleven pupils who walked out in protest amid complaints over poor education standards. Protesters complained that as much as 75% of teachers were employed on a supply
basis.
In September 2008 another Ofsted inspection also handed out a Satisfactory grade. In December 2008, Poppleton left the school, and Deputy Head Mark Ranford was appointed Headteacher. Since that time Ofsted
declared that they had found "satisfactory progress in making improvements and inadequate progress in demonstrating a better capacity for sustained improvement". The October 2009 report acknowledged Ranford had "worked extremely hard... in difficult circumstances".
, Edensor, Trentham, Blurton
and Brownhills to form five academies; a plan supported by then-Mayor Mark Meredith
. The school would merge with Mitchell and Edensor and be replaced by a new academy at Park Hall. Some parents were outraged by the decision, insisting that Park Hall was too far a distance. The Berry Hill area is a difficult site to build upon, with ground instability due to old mines
, and the City Council insisted upon the Park Hall plan. The building projects were delayed after protests by parents at Trentham High, and planning permission
issues, despite the City Council's determination to move ahead with the plans.
A new merger plan would see the school merge with St Peter's CofE (A) High School on the site of the old Stoke-on-Trent Sixth Form College
to create a new faith school. These plans also met with strong opposition from staff, pupils and parents.
By March 2010, merger plans are still under discussion. By then the discussed location was Adderley Green
, as opposed to Park Hall. One Ofsted report noted that "uncertainty about the school’s future has led to a rapid reduction in pupil numbers." In five years the school's student numbers reduced from around 900 to just over 500; almost a 50% reduction.
The school closed in summer 2011, though as St Peters Academy is as yet to be built, the site will continue to welcome schoolchildren for the 2011–12 academic year.
Note: From 2006 onwards rankings were based on percentage of students achieving five GCSE grades A*-C including Maths & English. Before then rankings were based purely on percentage of students achieving five GCSE grades A*-C.
The school itself was a feeder of Stoke-on-Trent College
and the City of Stoke-on-Trent Sixth Form College.
Stoke-on-Trent
Stoke-on-Trent , also called The Potteries is a city in Staffordshire, England, which forms a linear conurbation almost 12 miles long, with an area of . Together with the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme Stoke forms The Potteries Urban Area...
. The school was awarded specialist Sports College
Sports College
Sports Colleges were introduced in 1997 as part of the Specialist Schools Programme in the United Kingdom. The system enables secondary schools to specialise in certain fields, in this case, PE, sports and dance. Schools that successfully apply to the Specialist Schools Trust and become Sports...
status, though was usually just referred to as Berry Hill High School.
With almost 900 students in 2005, merger proposals saw student numbers drop to around 500 by 2010. This period also saw a high turnover of staff. The school closed in summer 2011, though the site will continue to school children of the yet to be built St Peters Academy, which is due to be completed in 2013.
Admissions
The school taught around 500 pupils, all between the ages of 11 and 16; broken up into Key Stage 3Key Stage 3
Key Stage 3 is the legal term for the three years of schooling in maintained schools in England and Wales normally known as Year 7, Year 8 and Year 9, when pupils are aged between 11 and 14...
(Years 7
Year Seven
Year Seven is an educational year group in schools in many countries including England, Wales, Australia and New Zealand. It is usually the seventh year of compulsory education and incorporates students aged between eleven and thirteen.-Australia:...
, 8
Year Eight
Year Eight is an educational year group in schools in many countries including England, Wales, Australia and New Zealand. It is usually the eighth year of compulsory education and incorporates students aged between twelve and thirteen.-Australia:...
and 9
Year Nine
Year Nine is an educational year group in schools in many countries including England, Wales, Northern Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. It is usually the ninth year of compulsory education and incorporates students aged between thirteen and fourteen....
), and Key Stage 4
Key Stage 4
Key Stage 4 is the legal term for the two years of school education which incorporate GCSEs, and other exams, in maintained schools in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland—normally known as Year 10 and Year 11 in England and Wales, and Year 11 and Year 12 in Northern Ireland, when pupils are...
(Years 10
Year Ten
Year Ten is an educational year group in schools in many countries including Bangladesh, England, India, Wales, Northern Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. It is usually the tenth year of compulsory education and incorporates students aged between fourteen and sixteen.-Bangladesh:In schools in...
and 11
Year Eleven
Year Eleven is an educational year group in schools in many countries including England, Wales, Northern Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. It is usually the eleventh year of compulsory education and incorporates students aged between fifteen and seventeen....
). Most pupils were White British
White British
White British was an ethnicity classification used in the 2001 United Kingdom Census. As a result of the census, 50,366,497 people in the United Kingdom were classified as White British. In Scotland the classification was broken down into two different categories: White Scottish and Other White...
and qualified for 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, mostly coming from 'hard pressed families'.
The majority of its students lived in the surrounding areas, and the suburbs of Bentilee
Bentilee
Bentilee is a suburb and housing estate in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire situated between Hanley and Longton, and parallel with Fenton, Staffordshire.-History:...
, Bucknall
Bucknall, Staffordshire
Bucknall is a suburb of Stoke-on-Trent in the county of Staffordshire.It was recorded in the Domesday Book as having a taxable value of 0.3 geld and consisting of three ploughlands....
, and Hanley. It was located by the Berryhill Fields
Berryhill Fields
Berryhill Fields is 68 hectares of grassland in the heart of Stoke-on-Trent, between the housing estates of Bentilee & Berryhill and the town of Fenton, Staffordshire....
.
History
The school opened in September 1964, originally with sixteen staff members and 196 pupils.Mr Stephen Daniels was appointed as Headteacher in June 1998. A November 1999 OFTED inspection noted that the school had a below average to well below average performance, though this performance was rated as average to above average compared with similar schools. The school was generally satisfactory, with good behaviour, leadership and ethos, and unsatisfactory attendance. The school's expenditure was £2,032,741 for 1999, an average spending of £2,181 on each pupil.
Around 2003 Mr Daniels left the school to become headteacher of Ilkeston Grammar School
Ilkeston Grammar School
Ilkeston Grammar School was a selective co-educational secondary school, admission being dependent on passing the eleven-plus examination. It stood on King George Avenue, Ilkeston, in the south east of Derbyshire in the East Midlands of England....
, and was replaced by Ruth Poppleton.
In September 2004 the school was awarded Sports College
Sports College
Sports Colleges were introduced in 1997 as part of the Specialist Schools Programme in the United Kingdom. The system enables secondary schools to specialise in certain fields, in this case, PE, sports and dance. Schools that successfully apply to the Specialist Schools Trust and become Sports...
status.
In October 2005 - the school's first inspection for six years - the school was graded as 'Satisfactory'.
In January 2007 the school received national attention when then-Headteacher Ruth Poppleton excluded eleven pupils who walked out in protest amid complaints over poor education standards. Protesters complained that as much as 75% of teachers were employed on a supply
Substitute teacher
A substitute teacher is a person who teaches a school class when the regular teacher is unavailable; e.g., because of illness, personal leave, or other reasons. "Substitute teacher" is the most commonly used phrase in the United States, Canada and Ireland, while supply teacher is the most commonly...
basis.
In September 2008 another Ofsted inspection also handed out a Satisfactory grade. In December 2008, Poppleton left the school, and Deputy Head Mark Ranford was appointed Headteacher. Since that time Ofsted
Ofsted
The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills is the non-ministerial government department of Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Schools In England ....
declared that they had found "satisfactory progress in making improvements and inadequate progress in demonstrating a better capacity for sustained improvement". The October 2009 report acknowledged Ranford had "worked extremely hard... in difficult circumstances".
Merger
Proposals were made for the school to merge with St Peter's, Mitchell, James BrindleyJames Brindley Science College
Ormiston Horizon Academy, formerly know as James Brindley High School/James Brindley Science College, is an 11-16 mixed school located at the top most point of St Michaels Road in Tunstall, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire. Most students are from the surrounding areas such as Chell Heath, Fegg Hayes,...
, Edensor, Trentham, Blurton
Blurton High School
Blurton High School is a mixed, secondary school in Blurton, Staffordshire. The school has been awarded specialist Business and Enterprise College status.-Feeder Schools:...
and Brownhills to form five academies; a plan supported by then-Mayor Mark Meredith
Mark Meredith
Mark Joseph Meredith was the second and last directly elected mayor of Stoke-on-Trent in England. An openly gay man and former amateur boxer he was elected on 5 May 2005, for the Labour Party, and defeated incumbent independent Mike Wolfe. In March 2009, Meredith was arrested on suspicion of...
. The school would merge with Mitchell and Edensor and be replaced by a new academy at Park Hall. Some parents were outraged by the decision, insisting that Park Hall was too far a distance. The Berry Hill area is a difficult site to build upon, with ground instability due to old mines
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
, and the City Council insisted upon the Park Hall plan. The building projects were delayed after protests by parents at Trentham High, and planning permission
Planning permission
Planning permission or planning consent is the permission required in the United Kingdom in order to be allowed to build on land, or change the use of land or buildings. Within the UK the occupier of any land or building will need title to that land or building , but will also need "planning...
issues, despite the City Council's determination to move ahead with the plans.
A new merger plan would see the school merge with St Peter's CofE (A) High School on the site of the old Stoke-on-Trent Sixth Form College
Stoke-on-Trent Sixth Form College
The City of Stoke-on-Trent Sixth Form College is a mixed sixth form college on Leek Road, Stoke-on-Trent. Prior to September 2010 the college was located on Victoria Road, Fenton. The college also has a campus in Burslem, which teaches 7% of the pupils...
to create a new faith school. These plans also met with strong opposition from staff, pupils and parents.
By March 2010, merger plans are still under discussion. By then the discussed location was Adderley Green
Adderley Green
Adderley Green is a village in Staffordshire, England. It is included in the township of Longton. It was a center for mining activities in the 19th century....
, as opposed to Park Hall. One Ofsted report noted that "uncertainty about the school’s future has led to a rapid reduction in pupil numbers." In five years the school's student numbers reduced from around 900 to just over 500; almost a 50% reduction.
The school closed in summer 2011, though as St Peters Academy is as yet to be built, the site will continue to welcome schoolchildren for the 2011–12 academic year.
Academic standards
According to Ofsted's October 2009 report, 31% of students achieved A*to C grades in English and mathematics, below the national average. The report showed that academic standards were improving at the school.Performance table
| Year | % of 5 GCSE A*-C | % of 5 GCSE A*-C incl. Maths & English | City Ranking (of 17) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 21 | ||
| 1998 | 28 | ||
| 1999 | 31 | ||
| 2000 | 24 | ||
| 2001 | 27 | ||
| 2002 | 25 | ||
| 14 | |||
| 2003 | 45 | ||
| 10 | |||
| 2004 | 35 | 18 | 12 |
| 2005 | 44 | 21 | 7 |
| 2006 | 36 | 15 | 16 |
| 2007 | 69 | 18 | 17 |
| 2008 | 51 | 13 | 17 |
| 2009 | |||
| 23 | 16 | ||
| 2010 | |||
| 43 | 10 |
Note: From 2006 onwards rankings were based on percentage of students achieving five GCSE grades A*-C including Maths & English. Before then rankings were based purely on percentage of students achieving five GCSE grades A*-C.
Feeder Schools
The main feeder school was Eaton Park Primary School, located on the opposite side of the street from Berry Hill High.The school itself was a feeder of Stoke-on-Trent College
Stoke-on-Trent College
Stoke-on-Trent College is a provider of further and higher education based in Stoke-on-Trent. According to www.stoke.net the college has more than 30,000 students and over 1000 staff. The college's main campus, known as Cauldon Campus, is in Shelton and it has a second campus in Burslem.Stoke on...
and the City of Stoke-on-Trent Sixth Form College.
Notable alumni and staff
- John CaudwellJohn CaudwellJohn Caudwell is an English businessman who has made most of his money in the mobile phone business. In 2005, the Sunday Times estimated Caudwell's wealth at £1.28 billion .-Early life:...
, student, billionaire businessman - Ray WilliamsRay Williams (footballer)Raymond "Ray" Williams is an English former footballer who played as a striker. He now works as a commentator at BBC Radio Stoke....
, Mathematics teacher, former Port ValePort Vale F.C.Port Vale Football Club is an English football club currently playing in Football League Two. They are based in Burslem, Staffordshire — one of six towns that make up the city of Stoke-on-Trent. The club's traditional rivals in the city are Stoke City, and games between the two clubs are known as...
footballer and Northwich VictoriaNorthwich Victoria F.C.Northwich Victoria Football Club are an English football club who play at the Victoria Stadium in Wincham, Northwich, Cheshire in the Northern Premier League Premier Division, the seventh tier of the English football league system.Northwich are an old club, founded in 1874 and named in honour of...
manager
External links
- Profile at direct.gov.uk
- Squirrel Mail
- SGFL Mail