Helsby High School
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
This article does not cite any references or sources. (December 2007) Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed. |
| Helsby High School | |
| Motto | Ut Tibi Sic Aliis (Do to others as you would wish to be done to yourself) |
| Established | 1894 |
| Type | Comprehensive School |
| Headteacher | Mr R Evans |
| Founder | Sir John Brunner, 1st Baronet |
| Specialism | Science College |
| Location | Chester Road Frodsham Cheshire WA6 0HY England |
| LEA | Cheshire |
| Ofsted number | 111440 |
| Students | 1403 |
| Gender | Coeducational |
| Ages | 11 to 18 |
| School colours | Bottle Green and Black |
| Website | http://www.school-portal.co.uk/Grouphomepage.asp?GroupId=33251 |
| Coordinates: | |
Helsby High School is a state secondary school on Chester Road in Helsby, Frodsham, for ages 11-18. The school performs well, and above average for the UK at both GCSE and at A level. Its A-level results are in the top ten percentile of comprehensives in the UK, and the third highest in Cheshire, after schools in Northwich and Tarporley.
Contents |
[edit] History
[edit] The Runcorn School
The history of Helsby High can be traced back to the 14th April 1894 when John Thomlinson Brunner MP, and partner in Brunner Mond one of the forerunners of ICI, laid the foundations of the school. In 1897 the school opened as Runcorn Institute School on Waterloo Street, Runcorn. In 1907 the school became the Runcorn Institute County Secondary School. The 1908 inspector's report shows a school with 133 pupils, mainly drawn from the Runcorn area, although several came in from Frodsham, Helsby and Ellesmere Port. The inspection team drew attention to the inconvenience of using a Technical Institute as an Academic Institute. They criticised the "foul gases that pass into the woodwork room" when a gas engine was running. The inspectors were hopeful that when the Runcorn-Widnes Bridge was completed, the site might increase in value for office purposes and a more suitable site could be found. In 1914, a further inspection declared the building unsuitable for a secondary school.
[edit] The War Years
By the 1930s, it was clear that the school could not continue on its existing site. Helsby was proposed as the new site for the local grammar school. Building work started in 1938 but was interrupted by the outbreak of war. In 1939, only the walls of the school were completed. In light of a shortage of building materials, the education committee were forced to seal off the girls' school. The boys' school was completed in 1940. In 1941, the buildings were requisitioned by the Ministry of Supply and became a hostel for munitions workers in Chester. There are no current records of any further uses during the war. In 1947, the buildings were de-requisitioned and in 1948, the Ministry of Education approved the reinstatement and completion of the buildings. In 1949, the boys' and girls' schools were completed and re-opened. In 1949, the schools were occupied by 350 boys and girls from the Runcorn County Grammar School and, in accordance with the Education Act 1944 became The County Grammar School for Boys' and The County Grammar School for Girls.
1940s until 1978.
In the 1950s and 1960s, the Helsby Schools were the main grammar schools in the Runcorn area, and the period was generally one of stability with a number of recorded highlights. In 1951, the Conservatives' victory in Helsby's mock election reflected the national result as Winston Churchill was returned as Prime Minister. In 1953, the Coronation year, the school took part in the 'Coronation Survey of Education in the Empire' which aimed to show that 'although methods of education and ways of life differ, we are united under our Queen in the British Empire and Commonwealth.'
[edit] Recent years
In the winter gales of 1966, the girls were sent home from school when strong gusts broke glass panels, rendering the building unsafe. In the 1960s and 1970s, as educational trends led towards comprehensive schooling for all, this meant a great deal of change on the horizon for the boys' and girls' grammar schools. In 1978, the two grammar schools were merged by the LEA, with support from the Governing Body (please see minutes of the Governing Body from the 1970s), into a single comprehensive school, to cover a similar area as the Grammar Schools.[1] By 1997, Helsby High School had emerged as one of the most successful schools in the county, based on both academic and non-academic activities.
In 2003 the school was awarded Specialist Science College status.
[edit] Subjects
At present, the school curriculum employs many different subjects. In Year 9, the three Sciences - Chemistry, Biology and Physics - are separated out (having been taught as a combined science course in Years 7 and 8). Other subjects include: English, Mathematics, French, History, Geography, Technology, Art, Music, Information Technology, Religious Studies, and PE.
Throughout the school, pupils are setted into eight sets - four in each half of the year group. In Year 9, class sizes are made smaller for the Sciences as three science courses are offered.
The school offers both French and German. The latter subject is taught from year eight onwards. Latin was offered as a subject until 1999 when lack of uptake led to its removal from the GCSE option list.
The subjects available for GCSE and/or A-Level include Business Studies, Economics, Electronics, Media Studies, Drama, Blacksmith, Government & Politics, Sociology and Psychology.
A central part to school life is its wide range of extra-curricular opportunities, including the Junior, Jazz and Senior Bands, Orchestra and Choirs, in addition to other musical ensembles and sports teams.
[edit] References
- ^ Please see minutes of the Board Of Governors throughout the 1970s
