Bispham High School Arts College
Encyclopedia
Bispham High School Arts College is a secondary school situated in Bispham
, Lancashire
, England, with a mixed intake of both boys and girls aged 11–16.
Bispham was initially called Arnold High School For Girls, a girls' grammar school, having been split from local public school Arnold School
by the local council. Arnold Girls amalgamated with local girls secondary modern Claremont to become Arnold-Claremont in 1975, before changing its name to Greenlands (grey and gold uniform, later pea green) in 1976. The school had an 11-18 age range until 1989, when Blackpool Borough Council separated from Lancashire County Council
and moved A Levels to Blackpool Sixth Form College
.
The school become Bispham High School (navy blue and yellow uniform), a co-educational secondary school, a specialist
Performing Arts College
and a Centre of Excellence for Performing Arts
in 2000. At the last arts college redesignation, the school was judged exceptional in every criterion.
Plans to merge Bispham and Beacon Hill (now Unity College) were discussed over a number of years. However, these were abandoned in 2010 after the Cameron Ministry
scrapped the Building Schools for the Future
funding upon which the plans relied.
The school holds the ICT mark, the Eco Silver Award, the Geography Quality Mark and the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust’s Cultural Diversity Quality Standard Gold Award.
The school offers French and Spanish on the Modern Foreign Languages programme. It offers Food Technology, Resistant Materials, Graphic Design and Textiles as Design Technology options. It also offers a variety of BTEC
course subjects to 14-16 year olds as well as the usual GCSE programme.
The school has firm links with most Further and Higher Education establishments in The Fylde
.
The administration centre and atrium were opened on 7 November 2006 by retired Blackpool
footballer and former Deputy Lieutenant
of Lancashire, Jimmy Armfield
OBE
.
, London and possesses an Arts Council England
Artsmark
Gold. It is regarded as a centre of excellence for Dance and is widely acclaimed for its high grades in the subject and work within the community. Mrs Deborah Hanlon-Catlow (Head of the Arts College and Assistant Head Teacher) took second place in School and Community Involvement at The Teachers Awards 2004.
The school also has a successful gospel
choir
, Bispham High School Gospel Choir, under the direction of Margaret Adereti (Conductor
), Neill Oldham-Campbell (Accompanist) and Sarah Bagot (Vocal Support
).
In March 2007, the choir recorded a cover version of Crazy by Gnarls Barkley
for the BBC 6 Music
Hardchoral competition in which they reached the top ten. The choir made its national debut when the song was played on the BBC 6 Music Breakfast Show over the Easter Weekend in April 2007. On 17 April 2007 the choir sang their version of Crazy on BBC 6 Music during a live broadcast from the school hall, as part of the Hardchoral competition. The choir have released two successful CDs (recorded by the school's performing arts technician, Mr Richard Moore, who has also recorded various other CD and DVD releases for the school in the school's own recording studio), with performances and contributions from current and former students of Bispham. They have also completed two tours in Europe (Germany and France). The French tour involved several performances around the capital city, including an exclusive concert in the Disneyland Paris resort.
Bispham, Blackpool
Bispham is a village roughly one-and-a-half miles north of Blackpool town centre on the Fylde coast in the county of Lancashire, England.-Geography and administration:...
, 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, with a mixed intake of both boys and girls aged 11–16.
History
Bispham High School was formerly an all girls school, founded in the 1950s.Bispham was initially called Arnold High School For Girls, a girls' grammar school, having been split from local public school Arnold School
Arnold School
Arnold School is an independent school located in Blackpool, Lancashire, England on the Fylde coast. It is in the United Church Schools Trust group of schools and is a member of HMC.-History:Arnold School was founded by Frank Truswell Pennington on 4 May 1896...
by the local council. Arnold Girls amalgamated with local girls secondary modern Claremont to become Arnold-Claremont in 1975, before changing its name to Greenlands (grey and gold uniform, later pea green) in 1976. The school had an 11-18 age range until 1989, when Blackpool Borough Council separated from Lancashire County Council
Lancashire County Council
Lancashire County Council is the upper-tier local authority for the non-metropolitan county of Lancashire, England. It currently consists of 84 councillors, and is controlled by the Conservative Party, who won control of the council in the local council elections in June 2009, ending 28 years of...
and moved A Levels to Blackpool Sixth Form College
Blackpool Sixth Form College
The Blackpool Sixth Form College serves the Fylde and surrounding areas of the county of Lancashire, England. The college has around 1,900 full-time students. The college offers academic and applied programmes to a wide range of students aged between 16 and 19....
.
The school become Bispham High School (navy blue and yellow uniform), a co-educational secondary school, a specialist
Specialist school
The specialist schools programme was a UK government initiative which encouraged secondary schools in England to specialise in certain areas of the curriculum to boost achievement. The Specialist Schools and Academies Trust was responsible for the delivery of the programme...
Performing Arts College
Arts College
Arts Colleges were introduced in 1997 as part of the now defunct Specialist Schools Programme in the United Kingdom. The system enabled secondary schools to specialise in certain fields, in this case, the performing, visual and/or media arts...
and a Centre of Excellence for Performing Arts
Performing arts
The performing arts are those forms art which differ from the plastic arts insofar as the former uses the artist's own body, face, and presence as a medium, and the latter uses materials such as clay, metal or paint which can be molded or transformed to create some physical art object...
in 2000. At the last arts college redesignation, the school was judged exceptional in every criterion.
Plans to merge Bispham and Beacon Hill (now Unity College) were discussed over a number of years. However, these were abandoned in 2010 after the Cameron Ministry
Cameron Ministry
David Cameron is Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, after being invited by Queen Elizabeth II to form a new government after the resignation as Prime Minister of Gordon Brown on 11 May 2010. Leading a coalition government formed by the Conservative Party and the Liberal Democrats, the coalition...
scrapped the Building Schools for the Future
Building Schools for the Future
Building Schools for the Future is the name of the previous UK Government's investment programme in secondary school buildings in England. The program is very ambitious in its costs, timescales and objectives, with politicians from all English political parties supportive of the principle but...
funding upon which the plans relied.
Academic subjects and achievements
In 2010, 85% of the school's students achieved a GCSE equivalent pass rate of five or more A to C grades. This is the best result in the school's history. The school has been acknowledged by the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust as one of the country's most improved schools.The school holds the ICT mark, the Eco Silver Award, the Geography Quality Mark and the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust’s Cultural Diversity Quality Standard Gold Award.
The school offers French and Spanish on the Modern Foreign Languages programme. It offers Food Technology, Resistant Materials, Graphic Design and Textiles as Design Technology options. It also offers a variety of BTEC
Business And Technology Education Council (BTEC)
The Business and Technology Education Council is the British body which awards vocational qualifications. Such qualifications are commonly referred to as "BTECs"....
course subjects to 14-16 year olds as well as the usual GCSE programme.
The school has firm links with most Further and Higher Education establishments in The Fylde
The Fylde
The Fylde ; Scandinavian: "field") is a coastal plain in western Lancashire, England. It is roughly a 13-mile square-shaped peninsula, bounded by Morecambe Bay to the north, the Ribble estuary to the south, the Irish Sea to the west, and the Bowland hills to the east...
.
Building and refurbishment project
A £6M project was completed in early 2007. The project included -- A two floor unit housing a Learning Resource CentreLearning Resource CentreLearning Resource Centre is a term which is used in the United Kingdom to describe a type of library that exists within an educational setting such as Secondary Schools, Further Education Colleges and Universities...
and libraryLibraryIn a traditional sense, a library is a large collection of books, and can refer to the place in which the collection is housed. Today, the term can refer to any collection, including digital sources, resources, and services...
on the first floor and a computer suite, Recording Studio and Video/Film/Media editing suite on the ground floor
- A 14 classroom block for HumanitiesHumanitiesThe humanities are academic disciplines that study the human condition, using methods that are primarily analytical, critical, or speculative, as distinguished from the mainly empirical approaches of the natural sciences....
and English Faculties - Arts Block with two large Drama Studios
- Additional dance studioDance studioA dance studio is a space in which dancers learn or rehearse. The term is typically used to describe a space that has either been built or equipped for the purpose....
- Second restaurantRestaurantA restaurant is an establishment which prepares and serves food and drink to customers in return for money. Meals are generally served and eaten on premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services...
- Entrance/reception block with administrationOffice AdministrationOffice administration is a set of day-to-day activities related to financial planning, billing and recordkeeping, personnel, and physical distribution and logistics, within an organization....
offices plus atriumAtrium (architecture)In modern architecture, an atrium is a large open space, often several stories high and having a glazed roof and/or large windows, often situated within a larger multistory building and often located immediately beyond the main entrance doors...
The administration centre and atrium were opened on 7 November 2006 by retired Blackpool
Blackpool F.C.
Blackpool Football Club are an English football club founded in 1887 from the Lancashire seaside town of Blackpool. They are competing in the 2011–12 season of the The Championship, the second tier of professional football in England, having been relegated from the Premier League at the end of the...
footballer and former Deputy Lieutenant
Deputy Lieutenant
In the United Kingdom, a Deputy Lieutenant is one of several deputies to the Lord Lieutenant of a lieutenancy area; an English ceremonial county, Welsh preserved county, Scottish lieutenancy area, or Northern Irish county borough or county....
of Lancashire, Jimmy Armfield
Jimmy Armfield
James Christopher "Jimmy" Armfield, CBE, DL is an English former professional football player and manager who currently works as a football pundit for BBC Radio Five Live. He played the whole of his Football League career at Blackpool, usually at right back...
OBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
.
- Upgrade of classrooms, new car parks, more disabled facilities etc.
- The school now has 11 computer suites.
Pupils and staff
- EmmerdaleEmmerdaleEmmerdale, is a long-running British soap opera set in Emmerdale , a fictional village in the Yorkshire Dales. Created by Kevin Laffan, Emmerdale was first broadcast on 16 October 1972...
actress, Kelsey-Beth CrossleyKelsey-Beth CrossleyKelsey-Beth Crossley is an English actress from Fleetwood, Lancashire, who plays the part of Scarlett Nicholls, the secret teenage daughter of deceased millionaire Tom King and Carrie Nicholls on the ITV soap opera Emmerdale...
completed her secondary education at the school in 2008. - Another ex-pupil, Ashley Lloyd, played the part of Michael in Billy Elliot the MusicalBilly Elliot the MusicalBilly Elliot the Musical is a musical based on the 2000 film Billy Elliot. The music is by Sir Elton John, and book and lyrics are by Lee Hall, who wrote the film's screenplay. The plot revolves around motherless Billy, who trades boxing gloves for ballet shoes...
at the Victoria Palace TheatreVictoria Palace TheatreVictoria Palace Theatre is a West End theatre in Victoria Street, in the City of Westminster, opposite Victoria Station.-Origins:The theatre began life as a small concert room above the stables of the Royal Standard Hotel, a small hotel and tavern built in 1832 at what was then 522 Stockbridge...
, London in 2005, as well as acting in Whistle Down the Wind (musical)Whistle Down the Wind (musical)Whistle Down the Wind is a musical based on the 1961 film Whistle Down the Wind with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Jim Steinman, known for his work with Meat Loaf and Bonnie Tyler.-Stage Premiere:...
and various UK TV programmes. - Kitchenware RecordsKitchenware RecordsKitchenware Records is an independent record label based in Newcastle upon Tyne, UK. It was founded in 1982 by Keith Armstrong and Phil Mitchell, and was originally part of The Soul Kitchen, an artist collective and nightclub...
artiste Karima FrancisKarima FrancisKarima Francis is a Blackpool-born singer-songwriter.She is currently based in Manchester. She was named by The Observer as the number 1 act to watch in 2009. After performing at In The City in Manchester, she was signed by the independent record company Kitchenware Records.She released her first...
was also a pupil of the school. - Ex-Bispham student Chris Maughan in 2011 became one of Blackpool's youngest ever councillors, representing Labour.
- Actress Jacqueline LeonardJacqueline LeonardJacqueline Leonard is an English television, film and theatre actress.Best known for her appearances in long-running British television shows, she played Lorraine Wicks in the London-based soap opera EastEnders, and also appeared in the Glasgow-based soap River City as gangster's wife Lydia...
was a pupil of Greenlands.
- Acting Head Teacher: Mrs Margaret Singleton
- Deputy Head Teacher: Mr John Topping
- Previous Heads: Mrs Angela Winter (-1989), Mrs Alison Berry (1989–2003), Mr Rob Harrison (2004–2008)
Performing Arts Projects
The school is currently working with the Royal Ballet SchoolRoyal Ballet School
The Royal Ballet School is one of the most famous classical ballet schools in the world and is the associate school of the Royal Ballet, a leading international ballet company based at the Royal Opera House in London...
, London and possesses an Arts Council England
Arts Council England
Arts Council England was formed in 1994 when the Arts Council of Great Britain was divided into three separate bodies for England, Scotland and Wales. It is a non-departmental public body of the Department of Culture, Media and Sport...
Artsmark
Artsmark
Artsmark is a national award scheme managed by Arts Council England. The scheme, that is open to all schools in England, recognises schools with a high level of provision in the arts.There are three levels of award:* Artsmark Gold* Artsmark Silver...
Gold. It is regarded as a centre of excellence for Dance and is widely acclaimed for its high grades in the subject and work within the community. Mrs Deborah Hanlon-Catlow (Head of the Arts College and Assistant Head Teacher) took second place in School and Community Involvement at The Teachers Awards 2004.
The school also has a successful gospel
Gospel music
Gospel music is music that is written to express either personal, spiritual or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music....
choir
Choir
A choir, chorale or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform.A body of singers who perform together as a group is called a choir or chorus...
, Bispham High School Gospel Choir, under the direction of Margaret Adereti (Conductor
Conducting
Conducting is the art of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. The primary duties of the conductor are to unify performers, set the tempo, execute clear preparations and beats, and to listen critically and shape the sound of the ensemble...
), Neill Oldham-Campbell (Accompanist) and Sarah Bagot (Vocal Support
Vocal music
Vocal music is a genre of music performed by one or more singers, with or without instrumental accompaniment, in which singing provides the main focus of the piece. Music which employs singing but does not feature it prominently is generally considered instrumental music Vocal music is a genre of...
).
In March 2007, the choir recorded a cover version of Crazy by Gnarls Barkley
Gnarls Barkley
Gnarls Barkley is an American soul duo comprising Danger Mouse and Cee Lo Green. Their first studio album St. Elsewhere was released in 2006; along with its first single "Crazy". Both single and album were a major commercial success and have been noted for their large sales by download...
for the BBC 6 Music
BBC 6 Music
BBC 6 Music is one of the BBC's digital radio stations, was launched on 11 March 2002 and originally codenamed Network Y. It was the first national music radio station to be launched by the BBC in 32 years....
Hardchoral competition in which they reached the top ten. The choir made its national debut when the song was played on the BBC 6 Music Breakfast Show over the Easter Weekend in April 2007. On 17 April 2007 the choir sang their version of Crazy on BBC 6 Music during a live broadcast from the school hall, as part of the Hardchoral competition. The choir have released two successful CDs (recorded by the school's performing arts technician, Mr Richard Moore, who has also recorded various other CD and DVD releases for the school in the school's own recording studio), with performances and contributions from current and former students of Bispham. They have also completed two tours in Europe (Germany and France). The French tour involved several performances around the capital city, including an exclusive concert in the Disneyland Paris resort.