Lymm High School
Encyclopedia
Lymm High School is an English
comprehensive school
, located in Lymm
, Warrington
, Cheshire
, of which the grammar school part had a history stretching back to the late 16th century. The school holds dual specialist Language College
and Sports College
status.
In 1900, a motion was made before the governors council to enable co-education. This was introduced in June 1902, with the first female students starting in the September.
The School remained unchanged on its Grammar School Lane site until, in 1945, Headteacher J. R. Canney, advised Cheshire County Council to purchase Oughtrington Hall
to be used as an annexe. The hall was used by junior forms from 1945 to 1957, when the whole school was transferred to the site, with the buildings in Grammar School Road becoming the site of the newly formed Lymm Secondary Modern School. The two institutions remained separate until their amalgamation under the Comprehensive system in the early 1980s. In 1994 the Grammar School Road buildings were sold and demolished to make way for housing.
In the 1990s and early 2000s a development programme saw much of the surrounding farmland being bought for playing fields, and many of the existing playing fields being built on. This programme reached its peak in 2002, with the opening of the new Sixth Form Building (the original Sixth Form Building, from the amalgamation in 1994 until 2002, being sited in the old stable block of the original Oughtrington Hall).
village, adjacent to the village Cricket Club in the grounds of Oughtrington Hall
, which houses the school library. In addition to the old hall and stables, there are 5 newer buildings (Blocks A, E, D, L, and S) which house the majority of the classrooms and specialist facilities. The Sixth Form Block (Block S) contains a large central room known as the hexagon, where the sixth form students gather in their study periods, break and lunch, but can double up as a formal gathering area when required, for both school and non-school purposes.
. This currently covers Lymm
, Thelwall
, High Legh
and Statham
, as well as parts of Grappenhall
, Little Bollington, Dunham Town
, and areas of Stockton Heath
. In recent years, this area has been dramatically reduced in size in response to the growing number of pupils, leading to an increase in the catchment area for nearby Bridgewater High School.
The new headteacher at Lymm High School, Angela Walsh, was commended in January 2009 for her ‘clear vision’ in maintaining the school’s excellent standards. She said: “I feel privileged to have joined this exceptional school, and our fantastic inspection results are thanks to the hard work and commitment of students, staff and parents.".
(named after key local families) being supplemented by a further five new ones (named after local stately homes). The original houses were Domville, Ridgeway, Warbuton and Watkin; the new halls are Arley
, Dunham
, Moreton
, Tatton
and Walton
. Each hall has an associated colour.
A 'sport colours' tie is awarded to pupils who demonstrate achievement in sport. The tie is the same as the normal tie but with an extra line through the strip of colour across the middle of the tie. The 'hall colours' tie is also awarded to pupils who have shown achievement for their hall. The tie is the same as the sport colours tie.
and rugby union
, but with marked success in football
, tennis
, and hockey
. In rugby, the school has won the Daily Mail Vase
along with the Under 15's Daily Mail Cup
in 2007. In rowing, the school regularly wins head of the river at a number of different regattas. Their Water Polo teams are also successful.
The school is a local 'sports hub' with on-site leisure facilities available for use by the general public. It is continually expanding the number of sports it offers - the last notable addition was boxing in 2007.
events
The Old Students Association tie is composed of alternate 1 inches (25.4 mm) diagonal stripes of dark green, dark blue, and white. The Old Students Association blazer is dark green, edged with an 1-inch-wide border of white cotton.
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...
comprehensive school
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...
, located in Lymm
Lymm
Lymm is a large village and civil parish within the Warrington borough of Cheshire, in North West England. Lymm was an urban district of Cheshire from 1894 to 1974. The civil parish of Lymm incorporates the hamlets of Booths Hill, Broomedge, Church Green, Deansgreen, Heatley, Heatley Heath, Little...
, Warrington
Warrington
Warrington is a town, borough and unitary authority area of Cheshire, England. It stands on the banks of the River Mersey, which is tidal to the west of the weir at Howley. It lies 16 miles east of Liverpool, 19 miles west of Manchester and 8 miles south of St Helens...
, Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
, of which the grammar school part had a history stretching back to the late 16th century. The school holds dual specialist Language College
Language College
Language Colleges were introduced in 1995 as part of the Specialist Schools Programme in the United Kingdom. The system enables secondary schools to specialise in certain fields, in this case, modern foreign languages...
and 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.
History
There is no clear date for the foundation of the school, but the earliest known reference to its existence dates from a Church Document in 1592, mentioning the 'Master of Lymm School'. In 1601, it was granted a royal charter and reconstituted as 'Lymm Grammar School' on its Damside site. It remained in this location for several hundred years, occupying some of the buildings which now make up St Mary's Church, until it was forced to sell its land in 1881 after a series of financial difficulties. The land was split into 11 lots, with 5 of them being purchased by G C Dewhurst, who was a member of the board of governors. In February 1882, he informed the board that he would give a different site near Higher Lane for a school and school house and would also pay for a road to be made to the site - Grammar School Road. An appeal was launched to raise the necessary funds for the construction of the buildings and a committee formed to co-ordinate the collection. Despite problems with the construction firm, the new buildings opened on 12 July 1885.In 1900, a motion was made before the governors council to enable co-education. This was introduced in June 1902, with the first female students starting in the September.
The School remained unchanged on its Grammar School Lane site until, in 1945, Headteacher J. R. Canney, advised Cheshire County Council to purchase Oughtrington Hall
Oughtrington Hall
Oughtrington Hall is a country house standing to the south of the settlement of Oughtrington and to the east of the village of Lymm, in Cheshire, England. It was built in about 1830 for Trafford Trafford. In 1862 it was bought by G. C. Dewhurst, a cotton manufacturer from Manchester. ...
to be used as an annexe. The hall was used by junior forms from 1945 to 1957, when the whole school was transferred to the site, with the buildings in Grammar School Road becoming the site of the newly formed Lymm Secondary Modern School. The two institutions remained separate until their amalgamation under the Comprehensive system in the early 1980s. In 1994 the Grammar School Road buildings were sold and demolished to make way for housing.
In the 1990s and early 2000s a development programme saw much of the surrounding farmland being bought for playing fields, and many of the existing playing fields being built on. This programme reached its peak in 2002, with the opening of the new Sixth Form Building (the original Sixth Form Building, from the amalgamation in 1994 until 2002, being sited in the old stable block of the original Oughtrington Hall).
Location
The school is located on Oughtrington Lane, towards the eastern side of LymmLymm
Lymm is a large village and civil parish within the Warrington borough of Cheshire, in North West England. Lymm was an urban district of Cheshire from 1894 to 1974. The civil parish of Lymm incorporates the hamlets of Booths Hill, Broomedge, Church Green, Deansgreen, Heatley, Heatley Heath, Little...
village, adjacent to the village Cricket Club in the grounds of Oughtrington Hall
Oughtrington Hall
Oughtrington Hall is a country house standing to the south of the settlement of Oughtrington and to the east of the village of Lymm, in Cheshire, England. It was built in about 1830 for Trafford Trafford. In 1862 it was bought by G. C. Dewhurst, a cotton manufacturer from Manchester. ...
, which houses the school library. In addition to the old hall and stables, there are 5 newer buildings (Blocks A, E, D, L, and S) which house the majority of the classrooms and specialist facilities. The Sixth Form Block (Block S) contains a large central room known as the hexagon, where the sixth form students gather in their study periods, break and lunch, but can double up as a formal gathering area when required, for both school and non-school purposes.
Entry
Entry is non-selective, and available to all those residing in the catchment areaCatchment area (human geography)
In human geography, a catchment area is the area and population from which a city or individual service attracts visitors or customers. For example, a school catchment area is the geographic area from which students are eligible to attend a local school...
. This currently covers Lymm
Lymm
Lymm is a large village and civil parish within the Warrington borough of Cheshire, in North West England. Lymm was an urban district of Cheshire from 1894 to 1974. The civil parish of Lymm incorporates the hamlets of Booths Hill, Broomedge, Church Green, Deansgreen, Heatley, Heatley Heath, Little...
, Thelwall
Thelwall
Thelwall is a suburban village in Warrington, North Cheshire, England, close to the Lymm junction of the M6.-Geography:Thelwall nowadays borders the villages of Lymm and Grappenhall, and , Latchford. It is also one of the two principal settlements of Grappenhall and Thelwall civil parish...
, High Legh
High Legh
High Legh is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. It lies six miles north west of Knutsford, seven miles east of Warrington and seventeen miles south west of Manchester City Centre....
and Statham
Statham
-Places:* Statham, Georgia in the United States* Statham, a hamlet in the civil parish of Lymm, part of the borough of Warrington, England, UK-People:* Alan Statham* Brian Statham* Harry Statham* Jason Statham, action film actor* Kyley Statham* Nick Statham...
, as well as parts of Grappenhall
Grappenhall
Grappenhall is a suburban village in Warrington, Cheshire, England. It is situated along the Bridgewater Canal, and forms one of the principal settlements of Grappenhall and Thelwall civil parish...
, Little Bollington, Dunham Town
Dunham Town
Dunham Town is a village in the civil parish of Dunham Massey in the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford, Greater Manchester, England. It was historically a part of Cheshire.- History :...
, and areas of Stockton Heath
Stockton Heath
Stockton Heath is a civil parish and suburban area of the Borough of Warrington in Cheshire, England. It is located to the north of the Bridgewater Canal and to the south of the Manchester Ship Canal, which divides Stockton Heath from Latchford and north Warrington...
. In recent years, this area has been dramatically reduced in size in response to the growing number of pupils, leading to an increase in the catchment area for nearby Bridgewater High School.
Ofsted Inspection
The school was judged to be "outstanding" in a 2008 Ofsted inspection.The new headteacher at Lymm High School, Angela Walsh, was commended in January 2009 for her ‘clear vision’ in maintaining the school’s excellent standards. She said: “I feel privileged to have joined this exceptional school, and our fantastic inspection results are thanks to the hard work and commitment of students, staff and parents.".
2009 Results
As GCSE Results where published on Thursday 27 August 2009, they saw Lymm High School gain its best results since becoming an all-ability school in the early 1980s with 97.7% of students gaining 5 or more A*-C grades..Halls
All students are members of a hall as well as of the school. 2-3 forms per yeargroup from year 7-13 go into each hall. The halls system was established in September 2002, with the original four housesHouse system
The house system is a traditional feature of British schools, and schools in the Commonwealth. Historically, it was associated with established public schools, where a 'house' refers to a boarding house or dormitory of a boarding school...
(named after key local families) being supplemented by a further five new ones (named after local stately homes). The original houses were Domville, Ridgeway, Warbuton and Watkin; the new halls are Arley
Arley Hall
Arley Hall is a country house in the village of Arley, Cheshire, England, about south of Lymm and north of Northwich. It is home to the owner, Viscount Ashbrook and his family. The house is a Grade II* listed building, as is its adjacent chapel. Formal gardens to the southwest of the hall...
, Dunham
Dunham Massey
Dunham Massey is a civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford, Greater Manchester, England. The parish includes the villages of Sinderland Green, Dunham Woodhouse and Dunham Town, along with Dunham Massey Park, formerly the home of the last Earl of Stamford and owned by the National Trust...
, Moreton
Little Moreton Hall
Little Moreton Hall is a moated 15th and 16th-century half-timbered manor house southwest of Congleton, Cheshire. It is one of the finest examples of timber-framed domestic architecture in England. The house is today owned by the National Trust. It has been designated by English Heritage as a...
, Tatton
Tatton Hall
Tatton Hall is a country house in Tatton Park near Knutsford, Cheshire, England . It has been designated as a Grade I listed building which is owned by the National Trust and administered in conjunction with Cheshire East Council.-History:...
and Walton
Walton Hall, Cheshire
Walton Hall is a country house in Walton, Warrington, Cheshire, England. It has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade II listed building. The hall and its surrounding garden and grounds are owned and administered by Warrington Borough Council....
. Each hall has an associated colour.
A 'sport colours' tie is awarded to pupils who demonstrate achievement in sport. The tie is the same as the normal tie but with an extra line through the strip of colour across the middle of the tie. The 'hall colours' tie is also awarded to pupils who have shown achievement for their hall. The tie is the same as the sport colours tie.
Sport
Lymm has a proud sporting history, primarily in rowingRowing (sport)
Rowing is a sport in which athletes race against each other on rivers, on lakes or on the ocean, depending upon the type of race and the discipline. The boats are propelled by the reaction forces on the oar blades as they are pushed against the water...
and rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
, but with marked success in football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
, tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
, and hockey
Hockey
Hockey is a family of sports in which two teams play against each other by trying to maneuver a ball or a puck into the opponent's goal using a hockey stick.-Etymology:...
. In rugby, the school has won the Daily Mail Vase
Daily Mail Vase
The Daily Mail vase is the annual English schools' rugby union cup competition. The semi-finals are now held at Broadstreet Rugby Club. The final is held at Twickenham Stadium. Competitions are held at the U18 and U15 age group levels...
along with the Under 15's Daily Mail Cup
Daily Mail Cup
The Daily Mail RBS Cup is the annual English schools' rugby union cup competition. The semi-finals are now held at Broadstreet Rugby Club. The final is held at Twickenham Stadium. Competitions are held at the U18 and U15 age group levels...
in 2007. In rowing, the school regularly wins head of the river at a number of different regattas. Their Water Polo teams are also successful.
The school is a local 'sports hub' with on-site leisure facilities available for use by the general public. It is continually expanding the number of sports it offers - the last notable addition was boxing in 2007.
Old Students Association
Old students of the school are known as 'Old Lymmians', with the 'Lymm Old Students Association' acting as their co-ordinating body. As of 2005, its primary tasks are communicating school related news through its thriving local and international membership, organising local events (Such as its regular rambling trips), raising money for the school, orchestrating reunions, and providing networkingSocial network
A social network is a social structure made up of individuals called "nodes", which are tied by one or more specific types of interdependency, such as friendship, kinship, common interest, financial exchange, dislike, sexual relationships, or relationships of beliefs, knowledge or prestige.Social...
events
The Old Students Association tie is composed of alternate 1 inches (25.4 mm) diagonal stripes of dark green, dark blue, and white. The Old Students Association blazer is dark green, edged with an 1-inch-wide border of white cotton.
Famous Old Lymmians
Notable Alumni of the School include:- Neil FairbrotherNeil FairbrotherNeil Fairbrother is a former English cricket player, named by his mother after her favourite player, the Australian cricketer Neil Harvey. He was educated at Lymm High School....
- cricketer - Maurice FlanaganMaurice FlanaganSir Maurice Flanagan, KBE is the founding CEO of Emirates and currently the Executive Vice-Chairman of The Emirates Group. He was born in 1928 in Leigh, Lancashire, England...
- founding CEO of the Emirates airline - D. J. FinneyD. J. FinneyDavid John Finney CBE is Professor Emeritus of Statistics at the University of Edinburgh. He was Director of the Agricultural Research Council's Unit of Statistics from 1954 to 1984 and a former President of the Royal Statistical Society and of the Biometric Society...
- Professor of Statistics, University of Edinburgh - Ruth LeaRuth LeaRuth Jane Lea is a British economist, who works in the financial sector and has also worked in the Civil Service, policy research bodies and the media....
- Conservative public policy researcher - David StrettleDavid StrettleDavid Strettle, , is an English rugby union player who plays on the wing for Saracens and England.- Biography :Strettle grew up in Thelwall, Cheshire, attending Lymm High School and playing for Lymm RFC. Strettle then went on to study at Sheffield Hallam University...
- England rugby player - Tim CurryTim CurryTimothy James "Tim" Curry is a British actor, singer, composer and voice actor, known for his work in a diverse range of theatre, film and television productions. He currently resides in Los Angeles, California....
- actor
External links
- Lymm High School - Official website.
- Old Students Association webpage