Pool Hayes Arts and Community School
Encyclopedia
Pool Hayes Arts and Community School is one of the biggest secondary school
s in the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall
.
It is located on Castle Drive in the Pool Hayes suburb of Willenhall
which is part of Walsall Borough in the West Midlands
. Construction begain in the early 1960s, the predesessing Pool Hayes Farm was levelled and a nearby pool plus Pool Hayes Colliery were filled in to make way for progress. Patricks Lane was renamed 'Pool Hayes Lane' and was redeveloped in 1965. The school itself was opened in 1964 around the same time as construction of the surrounding areas (including housing), was still in progress. The first headteacher was Harold Chamings (who died in December 2005), the current headteacher is Jim Clarke.
During 2006 the school came under partial redevelopment. The original 40 year old wooden windows were removed and replaced by new PVC framed windows. The I.T block was also redeveloped along with the tennis court, plus automatic doors replaced the original 60's wooden ones in the reception area. The maths section was altered as part of the redevelopment, with the two original doors either side being bricked over and replaced with a main door, which faces the grassy area. New signposts and other changes were also added.
In September 2006, Pool Hayes was designated a Specialist Status as an Arts College
which brought a big increase in resources to support exciting developments in Drama, Music Technology and Creative Technology in school. This Specialist Status also carries with it the challenge of raising standards in those subjects throughout the school.
In the summer of 2007 in July Pool Hayes held its first annual rockfest at the Robin 2 club in Bilston
. This is a music festival which is mainly focused around rock and metal. This is done through the school's programme rock school which is based on the movie 'School Of Rock
' which starred Jack Black
. One of the top performers who came out of the first night was Elliot Morris and his band mate Carl who get their own mention in the Express and Star newspaper for their rendition of snow patrol "Chasing Cars
".
The following annual rockfest for Pool Hayes in 2008 was on the 9th of July, it was a huge hit with the community around Pool Hayes and around Bilston. The events is growing ever popular each year and is organised by Mark Rowley. The head of music at Pool Hayes, Mrs S Dufty, is also involved in the event. She also organises other musical events for the school such as The French concert, which brings all the schools departments together for a celebration of French culture and traditions. Plus the Christmas concert which always proves to be popular with students and teachers.
Pool Hayes also have their own Concert Band and Choir. Over Christmas 2008 there was a mini tour organised for the concert band and choir by Mrs S Dufty, the purpose of this is to get younger generations more interested in music and instruments. One of the schools they visited was Jane Lane Primary School in Bentley, Willenhall.
Phil Hickman has now taken over post as the Head of music and is keeping previous traditions set in place by Stephany Dufty in place
Secondary school
Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age, takes place...
s in the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall
Metropolitan Borough of Walsall
The Metropolitan Borough of Walsall is a local government district in the Black Country part of the West Midlands, England, with the status of a metropolitan borough. It is named after its largest settlement, Walsall, but covers a larger area which also includes the towns of Aldridge, Brownhills,...
.
It is located on Castle Drive in the Pool Hayes suburb of Willenhall
Willenhall
Willenhall is a town in the Black Country area of the West Midlands of England, with a population of approximately 40,000. It is situated between Wolverhampton and Walsall, historically in the county of Staffordshire...
which is part of Walsall Borough in the West Midlands
West Midlands (county)
The West Midlands is a metropolitan county in western central England with a 2009 estimated population of 2,638,700. It came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972, formed from parts of Staffordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire. The...
. Construction begain in the early 1960s, the predesessing Pool Hayes Farm was levelled and a nearby pool plus Pool Hayes Colliery were filled in to make way for progress. Patricks Lane was renamed 'Pool Hayes Lane' and was redeveloped in 1965. The school itself was opened in 1964 around the same time as construction of the surrounding areas (including housing), was still in progress. The first headteacher was Harold Chamings (who died in December 2005), the current headteacher is Jim Clarke.
During 2006 the school came under partial redevelopment. The original 40 year old wooden windows were removed and replaced by new PVC framed windows. The I.T block was also redeveloped along with the tennis court, plus automatic doors replaced the original 60's wooden ones in the reception area. The maths section was altered as part of the redevelopment, with the two original doors either side being bricked over and replaced with a main door, which faces the grassy area. New signposts and other changes were also added.
In September 2006, Pool Hayes was designated a Specialist Status as an 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...
which brought a big increase in resources to support exciting developments in Drama, Music Technology and Creative Technology in school. This Specialist Status also carries with it the challenge of raising standards in those subjects throughout the school.
Music
Due to the special status, the school has received music as well as other creative subjects that have been greatly improved and focused on.In the summer of 2007 in July Pool Hayes held its first annual rockfest at the Robin 2 club in Bilston
Bilston
Bilston is a town in the English county of West Midlands, situated in the southeastern corner of the City of Wolverhampton. Three wards of Wolverhampton City Council cover the town: Bilston East and Bilston North, which almost entirely comprise parts of the historic Borough of Bilston, and...
. This is a music festival which is mainly focused around rock and metal. This is done through the school's programme rock school which is based on the movie 'School Of Rock
School of Rock
School of Rock, also called The School of Rock, is a 2003 American musical comedy film directed by Richard Linklater, written by Mike White, and starring Jack Black...
' which starred Jack Black
Jack Black
Jack Black , is an American actor and musician, notably of Tenacious D.Jack Black may also refer to:* Jack Black , late 19th - early 20th Century author and hobo* Jack Black , drummer for 1970s UK punk band The Boys...
. One of the top performers who came out of the first night was Elliot Morris and his band mate Carl who get their own mention in the Express and Star newspaper for their rendition of snow patrol "Chasing Cars
Chasing Cars
"Chasing Cars" is the second single from Snow Patrol's fourth album, Eyes Open. It was recorded in 2005 and released on 6 June 2006 in the US and 24 July 2006 in the UK as the album's second single....
".
The following annual rockfest for Pool Hayes in 2008 was on the 9th of July, it was a huge hit with the community around Pool Hayes and around Bilston. The events is growing ever popular each year and is organised by Mark Rowley. The head of music at Pool Hayes, Mrs S Dufty, is also involved in the event. She also organises other musical events for the school such as The French concert, which brings all the schools departments together for a celebration of French culture and traditions. Plus the Christmas concert which always proves to be popular with students and teachers.
Pool Hayes also have their own Concert Band and Choir. Over Christmas 2008 there was a mini tour organised for the concert band and choir by Mrs S Dufty, the purpose of this is to get younger generations more interested in music and instruments. One of the schools they visited was Jane Lane Primary School in Bentley, Willenhall.
Phil Hickman has now taken over post as the Head of music and is keeping previous traditions set in place by Stephany Dufty in place