Crossley Heath Grammar School
Encyclopedia
The Crossley Heath School is a selective grammar school
located in Savile Park, Halifax
, West Yorkshire
, England
.
attainment. If they fail to achieve a high enough grade in the examination then students can appeal to Calderdale council.
The main entrance examination, administered jointly with North Halifax Grammar School
, is the 11+ taken by prospective pupils in December of Year Six. Students are required to pass this examination to enter from primary school.
To enter the school at any point between the years Seven and Eleven inclusive, a pupil must sit and pass a series of examinations in English, Mathematics, Science and a chosen Modern Foreign Language. Exceptions are sometimes made for pupils swapping schools in Year Seven, or pupils transferring from another grammar school.
To enter the Sixth Form at Crossley Heath, students must achieve higher than C grades at GCSE level in all compulsory subjects and B grade or higher in all chosen subjects.
It is situated on Skircoat Moor Road (A646).
.
yarn merchant, the orphanage was extended to include schooling. Over time, the need for an orphanage decreased and the school became a grammar school. The building was designed by John Hogg, a local architect.
At the time of the 1881 census,,Head master William Cambridge Barber, assisted by a Matron, Head mistress, and 8 assistant masters and mistresses, presided over a population of 216 "scholar orphans." They included 84 girls and 132 boys, ranging in age from 7 to 16. They were mostly English born, but included a few Irish as well as children from as far away as Australia.
A Royal Charter of 31 January 1887, named the institution The Crossley and Porter Orphan Home and School. In 1919 the school was given royal permission to admit day pupils.
There were two sections - the Crossley and Porter Boys' School, with around 300 boys, and the Crossley and Porter Girls' School, with around 450 girls, administered by the County Borough of Halifax. In 1967, it became the co-educational Crossley and Porter School with around 800 girls and boys.
The school was initially located on two sites, the former Crossley and Porter School building and the Heath Grammar School building (initially referred to as the Crossley Heath Annex but later changed to the Crossley Heath 6th Form Centre). The former Heath building initially housed the combined sixth forms of the two schools, plus the combined fourth form, with all other years being housed at the Savile Park. As the number of pupils reduced over the coming years, the 6th form and 4th form were relocated to the Savile Park site and the Free School Lane site was passed over to the local authority to become a training centre. Throughout this period, the staff head count was also reduced to reflect the smaller number of pupils.
Helen Gaunt was appointed Head Teacher in April 2001 and the school became a Specialist Language College in 2003. In 2006 it was designated an Outstanding Language College and a second specialism as a Leadership Partner school was granted in 2007. In 2010 a sports hall was built, which provided long-awaited, superior accommodation (supplementing the two victorian gymnasia) for students and staff in which to develop their sporting/dancing prowess. It also provides a space in which the whole school can congregate (a resource the school had not previously had). Following a ten year period of change and growth, under the leadership of Miss Gaunt, the school was inspected and judged to be "outstanding" by Ofsted in February 2011. Notable improvements included a wide range of partnerships and collaborative ventures, enhanced support and guidance systems for students and the school's best ever examination results. In September 2011, Helen Gaunt resigned from her position as head teacher.
students on roll aged from 11 to 18. There are presently 214 students in the sixth form.
and Children in Need
are just some examples of the charities supported on a regular basis.
The proportion of pupils with special educational needs, and the proportion with statements, is well below the national average. Those with the most severe need have physical disabilities. The proportion of pupils known to be entitled to free school meal
s is well below the national average. The area surrounding the school is relatively prosperous, but the school draws from a very wide geographical area and some pupils travel long distances to school. Pupils are selected for admission based on their performance in tests administered by the school, and the attainment of pupils on entry to the school in Year 7 is very high. The attainment of students on entry to the sixth form is well above average.
Grammar school
A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and some other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching classical languages but more recently an academically-oriented secondary school.The original purpose of mediaeval...
located in Savile Park, Halifax
Halifax, West Yorkshire
Halifax is a minster town, within the Metropolitan Borough of Calderdale in West Yorkshire, England. It has an urban area population of 82,056 in the 2001 Census. It is well-known as a centre of England's woollen manufacture from the 15th century onward, originally dealing through the Halifax Piece...
, West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a metropolitan county within the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England with a population of 2.2 million. West Yorkshire came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972....
, 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...
.
Entrance exam
Admission to The Crossley Heath School, is by an entrance examination of prospective pupils' academic ability andattainment. If they fail to achieve a high enough grade in the examination then students can appeal to Calderdale council.
The main entrance examination, administered jointly with North Halifax Grammar School
North Halifax Grammar School
The North Halifax Grammar School is a grammar school, specialist science college and specialist languages college in Illingworth, Halifax, West Yorkshire, England. It is in the east of Illingworth, towards Holmfield and Holdsworth...
, is the 11+ taken by prospective pupils in December of Year Six. Students are required to pass this examination to enter from primary school.
To enter the school at any point between the years Seven and Eleven inclusive, a pupil must sit and pass a series of examinations in English, Mathematics, Science and a chosen Modern Foreign Language. Exceptions are sometimes made for pupils swapping schools in Year Seven, or pupils transferring from another grammar school.
To enter the Sixth Form at Crossley Heath, students must achieve higher than C grades at GCSE level in all compulsory subjects and B grade or higher in all chosen subjects.
It is situated on Skircoat Moor Road (A646).
History
The Crossley Heath School was founded in 1985 as an amalgamation of the Crossley and Porter School and Heath Grammar SchoolHeath Grammar School
Heath Grammar School, Free School Lane, Halifax, West Yorkshire, England was founded in 1585 by Dr. John Favour. Its full title was The Free Grammar School of Queen Elizabeth at Heath, near Halifax...
.
Heath Grammar School
Heath Grammar School, Free School Lane, Halifax, West Yorkshire was founded in 1585 by Dr John Favour. Its full title was The Free Grammar School of Queen Elizabeth. Henry Farror and his brother gave 2 acres (8,093.7 m²) of land in Skircoat Green and personally obtained the school charter from Elizabeth I of England at his own expense. Dr Favour became the Vicar of Halifax in 1593.Crossley and Porter School
In 1857, Frank (later Sir Francis Crossley, 1st Baronet) and John Crossley, of Dean Clough Mills, founded an orphanage through capital of £56,000 (UKP) and a further endowment of £50,000 (UKP). In 1887, after a gift of £50,000 (UKP) from Thomas Porter, a ManchesterManchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
yarn merchant, the orphanage was extended to include schooling. Over time, the need for an orphanage decreased and the school became a grammar school. The building was designed by John Hogg, a local architect.
At the time of the 1881 census,,Head master William Cambridge Barber, assisted by a Matron, Head mistress, and 8 assistant masters and mistresses, presided over a population of 216 "scholar orphans." They included 84 girls and 132 boys, ranging in age from 7 to 16. They were mostly English born, but included a few Irish as well as children from as far away as Australia.
A Royal Charter of 31 January 1887, named the institution The Crossley and Porter Orphan Home and School. In 1919 the school was given royal permission to admit day pupils.
There were two sections - the Crossley and Porter Boys' School, with around 300 boys, and the Crossley and Porter Girls' School, with around 450 girls, administered by the County Borough of Halifax. In 1967, it became the co-educational Crossley and Porter School with around 800 girls and boys.
The Crossley Heath School
The amalgamation required a re-organisation of the two sets of staff, the net outcome being the former Headmaster of Crossley and Porter, Paul Barker, became the Head of the new school with John Bunch, former acting Head of Heath becoming Deputy Headmaster. The first intake of true Crossley Heath students arrived on Tuesday 27 August 1985. The initial intake was circa 90 pupils; a reduction from the previous intakes of Crossley and Porter and Heath intakes by around 50 pupils.The school was initially located on two sites, the former Crossley and Porter School building and the Heath Grammar School building (initially referred to as the Crossley Heath Annex but later changed to the Crossley Heath 6th Form Centre). The former Heath building initially housed the combined sixth forms of the two schools, plus the combined fourth form, with all other years being housed at the Savile Park. As the number of pupils reduced over the coming years, the 6th form and 4th form were relocated to the Savile Park site and the Free School Lane site was passed over to the local authority to become a training centre. Throughout this period, the staff head count was also reduced to reflect the smaller number of pupils.
Helen Gaunt was appointed Head Teacher in April 2001 and the school became a Specialist Language College in 2003. In 2006 it was designated an Outstanding Language College and a second specialism as a Leadership Partner school was granted in 2007. In 2010 a sports hall was built, which provided long-awaited, superior accommodation (supplementing the two victorian gymnasia) for students and staff in which to develop their sporting/dancing prowess. It also provides a space in which the whole school can congregate (a resource the school had not previously had). Following a ten year period of change and growth, under the leadership of Miss Gaunt, the school was inspected and judged to be "outstanding" by Ofsted in February 2011. Notable improvements included a wide range of partnerships and collaborative ventures, enhanced support and guidance systems for students and the school's best ever examination results. In September 2011, Helen Gaunt resigned from her position as head teacher.
Languages
As a language college, the school teaches a range of languages. These include French, German, Spanish and Chinese. The school specialises in language and has an entire block, just for language. The language teachers include Mrs Lusk, Mrs Lovatt, Mr Pickles, Miss Flood, Mrs Gubbini, and until recently Mr McIntyre. Out of 51 students that took French at GCSE, only 3 failed, with 14 A*'s. In German there were 7 people that did not pass and 24 A*'s.Present day
The Crossley Heath School is now a mixed, foundation grammar school with 984 pupils andstudents on roll aged from 11 to 18. There are presently 214 students in the sixth form.
Technology
In recent years the school has had a new technology block built, with five classrooms.Houses
The school has a flourishing house system with all students belonging to one of the four houses; Porter, Savile (derived from the Crossley and Porter School - the houses of Crossley and Standeven were dropped in the merger), Kings and Queens (derived from Heath Grammar School). There are competitions between the houses each year, including the school Sports Day, Swimming Gala, House Music Competition and House Drama Competitions. There is also competition between the various forms and houses with charity work. The school is extremely supportive of many charities and forms will, as previously stated, often compete to raise the most money for charity events; Comic Relief, Jeans for GenesJeans for Genes
Jeans for Genes is a national appeal in the UK and Australia. Although both appeals raise money to help children with genetic disorders they are not the same appeal....
and Children in Need
Children in Need
Children in Need is an annual British charity appeal organised by the BBC. Since 1980 it has raised over £500 million. The highlight of the Children in Need appeal is an annual telethon, held in November. A teddy bear named "Pudsey Bear" fronts the campaign, while Terry Wogan is a long...
are just some examples of the charities supported on a regular basis.
Sport
The school also has a large degree of successful sports teams, many of whom have won their respective competitions on a local and national scale. These include the athletics team, the cross country team, hockey teams, cricket teams, football teams and rugby teams.School community
The school fosters friendship between both staff and pupils. The staff themselves have on many occasions been deemed to be very approachable, with a predisposition to treating students as young adults rather than children; many students therefore report that there is a very positive feel about the school.The proportion of pupils with special educational needs, and the proportion with statements, is well below the national average. Those with the most severe need have physical disabilities. The proportion of pupils known to be entitled to 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 is well below the national average. The area surrounding the school is relatively prosperous, but the school draws from a very wide geographical area and some pupils travel long distances to school. Pupils are selected for admission based on their performance in tests administered by the school, and the attainment of pupils on entry to the school in Year 7 is very high. The attainment of students on entry to the sixth form is well above average.
Notable former pupils
Although various famous people were pupils at either Crossley and Porter or Heath, there have been few Crossley Heathen celebrities since the schools' amalgamation in 1985. This is not to say there have been no notable former pupils. Famous former pupils include:- Leonard BairstowLeonard BairstowSir Leonard Bairstow, CBE, FRS, FRAeS was a son of Uriah Bairstow, a wealthy Halifax, West Yorkshire man and keen mathematician. Born in 1880 in Halifax, Bairstow is best remembered for his work in aviation and for Bairstow's method for arbitrarily finding the roots of polynomials.As a boy,...
CBE FRS FRAeS (1880-1963) - Mathematician, best remembered for his work in aviation and Bairstow's 'Method for arbitrarily finding the roots of polynomials' - Sir Frank Watson DysonFrank Watson DysonSir Frank Watson Dyson, KBE, FRS was an English astronomer and Astronomer Royal who is remembered today largely for introducing time signals from Greenwich, England, and for the role he played in testing Einstein's theory of general relativity.- Biography :Dyson was born in Measham, near...
KBE FRS RAS (1868-1939) - Astronomer and Cambridge Scholar, best known for introducing the 'six pips' (time signals) for Greenwich Mean Time, thus making it far more accurate, and testing Einstein's 'Theory of Relativity' - Brian TurnerBrian Turner (chef)Brian Turner CBE is a British chef, based in London. He has appeared as a cook on BBC2's Ready Steady Cook since 1994 as well as presenting other cookery programmes.-Career:...
CBE (1958-1960) - Celebrity Chef and Restaurateur - Leslie WoodheadLeslie WoodheadLeslie Woodhead is an award-winning British documentary filmmaker.For his National Service he served in Fife at the Joint Services School for Linguists where he was taught Russian. and posted to West Berlin to monitor the communications of Soviet pilots flying in and out of East Germany...
(1948-?) - One of Britain's most distinguished documentary film makers, he almost certainly attended Heath school from 1948. Although born in Glasgow in 1937 his family moved to Halifax after the war where they owned and ran a record shop in the Halifax Borough Market. Writing in his autobiography 'My Life As A Spy' he describes how, 'in the Autumn of 1948, plucked out via the chancy selection of the eleven plus examination, I was translated to a boy's grammar school with a Latin motto over the gate.' The Woodhead family record shop later traded under the 'Bradleys Records' name and today the premises are in use as a photography retailer.
Crossley and Porter School
- Steve Fryer (1965-1971) - Well known businessman, author and photographer
- Dame Betty KershawBetty KershawDame Janet Elizabeth Murray "Betty" Kershaw, DBE, FRCN, CStJ, née Gammie , was Professor of Nursing and Dean at the School of Nursing and Midwifery, University of Sheffield from 1999 to 2006....
(née Gammie), Professor from 1999-2006 at the University of SheffieldUniversity of SheffieldThe University of Sheffield is a research university based in the city of Sheffield in South Yorkshire, England. It is one of the original 'red brick' universities and is a member of the Russell Group of leading research intensive universities...
School of Nursing and Midwifery and President from 1994-8 of the Royal College of NursingRoyal College of NursingThe Royal College of Nursing is a union membership organisation with over 395,000 members in the United Kingdom. It was founded in 1916, receiving its Royal Charter in 1928, Queen Elizabeth II is the patron...
(RCN), and wife of Sir Ian KershawIan KershawSir Ian Kershaw is a British historian of 20th-century Germany whose work has chiefly focused on the period of the Third Reich... - Nick LawrenceNick LawrenceNick Lawrence is a radio and TV presenter. From summer 2004 - October 2006, he used to be a radio presenter for the BBC's regional programme for the east of England between 7pm and 10pm every weekday. He now appears on Watchdog and on Radio 4.-Early life:Lawrence was born and brought up in...
, BBC radio presenter - Brian Moore (1973-1980) - British Lions and England Rugby Union International
Crossley School
- Charles Belling (1884-1965), electrical engineer - formed the MK ElectricMK electricMK Electric is a company that makes electrical accessories. The company's headquarters are in Basildon, Essex, England, from where it makes and sells goods worldwide.-History:...
company in 1912, which invented and produced the three pin plugBS 546BS 546 is a pre-Second World War British Standard for domestic AC power plugs and sockets that is also the precursor of current Indian and South African plug standards. This plug is also used in Singapore to a limited extent...
, then his Belling electrical company would become a market leader in cooking equipment, and is still made by Glen DimplexGlen DimplexGlen Dimplex is an Irish-based consumer electrical goods firm. It is the world's largest electrical heating business and holds significant market positions in the domestic appliance industry worldwide...
. - Sir Herbert ReadHerbert ReadSir Herbert Edward Read, DSO, MC was an English anarchist, poet, and critic of literature and art. He was one of the earliest English writers to take notice of existentialism, and was strongly influenced by proto-existentialist thinker Max Stirner....
(1893-1968) - Renowned art critic & historian, poet, anarchist and author of over 60 books. He is the father of the novelist Piers Paul ReadPiers Paul ReadPiers Paul Read, FRSL is a British novelist and non-fiction writer.-Background:Read was born in Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire...
.
Former teachers
- Robin Pedley, history teacher at the Crossley and Porter School from 1943-6, and champion of comprehensive schoolComprehensive schoolA 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...
s who developed the three-tierThree-tier educationThree-tier education refers to those structures of schooling, which exist in some parts of England, where pupils are taught in three distinct school types. A similar experiment was also trialled in Scotland....
model of education which was mostly implemented first in LeicestershireLeicestershireLeicestershire is a landlocked county in the English Midlands. It takes its name from the heavily populated City of Leicester, traditionally its administrative centre, although the City of Leicester unitary authority is today administered separately from the rest of Leicestershire...
(and largely abandoned in 2008). His 1963 book, The Comprehensive School was widely read and had implications for the UK education system.