Morley High School
Encyclopedia
The Morley Academy is a co-educational comprehensive school
for pupils ages 11–19 in West Yorkshire
, England
. Morley
is situated 5 miles south-west of Leeds city centre
with a population of about 50,000. The school has approximately 1,400 students enrolled. The head teacher is John Townsley. The school is one of only four in the United Kingdom
to have been awarded the Investors in People Champions Award.
in 1975.
The school has had six different headteachers. During the First World War, pupils at Morley Grammar school raised £5,000 to pay for the correct uniform for struggling families within the school.
On 1 January 2011, Morley High School became The Morley Academy under the government's new academy programme. It is the only one in Morley eligible to get the status, due to it being the only one judged "outstanding" by Ofsted
.
awarded the school the Artsmark at the Silver level. The school was one of only three in Leeds
and of only thirteen in Yorkshire
to be so recognised. The Morley Academy is a Specialist Technology College
.
The introduction of the fingerprint system at Morley High School has also proved controversial, with some parents and pupils claiming they were forced into a fascist system not respecting their civil liberties.
The head teacher has also been accused of improving Ofsted results by hiding the more badly behaved pupils and deliberately setting up inspectors with prepared students.
found that the school was "satisfactory and improving". In its 2009 inspection, the school was granted the "Outstanding" grade by Ofsted.
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...
for pupils ages 11–19 in 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...
. Morley
Morley, West Yorkshire
Morley is a market town and civil parish within the metropolitan borough of the City of Leeds, in West Yorkshire, England. It lies approximately south-west of Leeds city centre. Together with Drighlington, Gildersome, Churwell, Tingley and East/West Ardsley, the town had a population of 47,579 in...
is situated 5 miles south-west of Leeds city centre
Leeds City Centre
Leeds city centre is the central business district of Leeds, England. It is within the Leeds Central parliamentary constituency, represented by Hilary Benn as MP since a by-election in 1999...
with a population of about 50,000. The school has approximately 1,400 students enrolled. The head teacher is John Townsley. The school is one of only four in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
to have been awarded the Investors in People Champions Award.
Historical background
The school was first established as Morley Secondary School on 4 July 1907, becoming Morley Grammar School in 1930. The first head teacher was John Robinson Airey (1868–1937) who was a nationally renowned mathematician. It became a mixed comprehensiveComprehensive 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...
in 1975.
The school has had six different headteachers. During the First World War, pupils at Morley Grammar school raised £5,000 to pay for the correct uniform for struggling families within the school.
On 1 January 2011, Morley High School became The Morley Academy under the government's new academy programme. It is the only one in Morley eligible to get the status, due to it being the only one judged "outstanding" by 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 ....
.
Artsmark
In July 2001, the Arts CouncilArts council
An arts council is a government or private, non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the arts mainly by funding local artists, awarding prizes, and organizing events at home and abroad...
awarded the school the Artsmark at the Silver level. The school was one of only three in Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
and of only thirteen in Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
to be so recognised. The Morley Academy is a Specialist Technology College
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...
.
Headteacher controversy
The head teacher, John Townsley, has proved controversial since taking over from Dr Roland Walker. On one hand, Ofsted claimed that the school has academically improved since his inception. Despite these improvements, a climate of fear and bullying has been reported within the school and also at Farnley Park High, where John Townsley is also a head teacher. In 2010, Farnley Park High took strike action over the issue.The introduction of the fingerprint system at Morley High School has also proved controversial, with some parents and pupils claiming they were forced into a fascist system not respecting their civil liberties.
The head teacher has also been accused of improving Ofsted results by hiding the more badly behaved pupils and deliberately setting up inspectors with prepared students.
Ofsted
In their 2006 inspection, OfstedOfsted
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 ....
found that the school was "satisfactory and improving". In its 2009 inspection, the school was granted the "Outstanding" grade by Ofsted.
School musical productions
- 2002 - West Side Story
- 2003 - The Little Shop of Horrors
- 2004 - Oliver
- 2005 - Jesus Christ Superstar
- 2006 - Scrooge
- 2007 - Romeo and Juliet
- 2008 - High School Musical
- 2009 - Sweeney Todd
- 2010 - Return To The Forbidden Planet
- 2011 - Les Misérables
Morley Grammar School
- Sir Edwin Bolland KCMG, Ambassador to Yugoslavia from 1980-2, and Bulgaria from 1973-6
- Herbert Heaton, historian
- Prof John Lakey, President of the International Radiation Protection Association from 1988–92, and of the Institution of Nuclear EngineersNuclear InstituteThe Nuclear Institute is the professional body representing nuclear professionals in the UK.It is a charity independent of the industry that promotes knowledge of nuclear energy amongst its members and the public and offers a route to professional qualification for those working in the sector,...
from 1988–90 - Prof Stephen Proctor, Professor of Haematology at Newcastle University since 1991
- Prof Derek Saunders CBE, Professor of Polymer Physics and Engineering at Cranfield UniversityCranfield UniversityCranfield University is a British postgraduate university based on two campuses, with a research-oriented focus. The main campus is at Cranfield, Bedfordshire and the second is the Defence Academy of the United Kingdom based at Shrivenham, Oxfordshire. The main campus is unique in the United...
from 1967–87, and President of the Plastics and Rubber Institute from 1990-1 and the Plastics Institute from 1983-5 (became part of the Institute of Materials, Minerals and MiningInstitute of Materials, Minerals and MiningThe Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining is a major UK engineering institution whose activities encompass the whole materials cycle, from exploration and extraction, through characterisation, processing, forming, finishing and application, to product recycling and land reuse...
in 1993) - Robert Stead CBE, Controller of the BBC NorthBBC NorthBBC North is a brand used by the BBC to mean any of the following.*The large BBC North region, centred on Manchester, that was active from the late 1920s until 1968....
region from 1958–69 - 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, chef, and President since 2004 of the Academy of Culinary Arts - Michael Whitlam CBE, Chief Executive of the RNIDRoyal National Institute for Deaf PeopleAction on Hearing Loss, formerly known as The Royal National Institute for Deaf People is a charitable organization working on behalf of the UK's 9 million deaf and hard of hearing people. The head office of RNID is in Islington, Central London . Its President is Lord Ashley of Stoke. The Chief...
from 1986–90, and Director General from 1991-9 of the British Red CrossBritish Red CrossThe British Red Cross Society is the United Kingdom branch of the worldwide impartial humanitarian organisation the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. The society was formed in 1870, and is a registered charity with over 31,000 volunteers and 2,600 staff. At the heart of their work...