Angela Webster

1  Academies are independent, state-funded schools, which receive their funding directly from central government, rather than through a local authority. The day-to-day running of the school is with the head teacher or principal, but they are overseen by individual charitable bodies called academy trusts and may be part of an academy chain. These trusts and chains provide advice, support, expertise and a strategic overview. They control their own admissions process and have more freedom than other schools to innovate.

2  The 1944 Education Act introduced free, compulsory secondary schools for those aged 11 to 15. Implementation of the Act was subject to the constraints of a post-war economy. A secondary modern school was a type of secondary school that once existed throughout England, Wales and Northern Ireland, from the 1950s. Secondary modern schools were designed for the majority of pupils between 11 and 15. Those who achieved the highest scores in the 11-plus exam were allowed to go a selective grammar school which offered education beyond 15. The minimum school leaving age was raised to 16 in 1972.

3  Comprehensive schools were introduced in the 1970s, so there was no selection for schools. Not only was there a change in the type of secondary schools, the minimum school leaving age was raised to 16 in 1972, and there was an increased number of children in Redditch. Thus there was a need for more school buildings.

4  As there were fewer children in Redditch at this time, one less secondary school was needed. Reorganisation of secondary education took place in 2001.

5  Redditch in 2016 is one of the few areas of the country where the three-tier system of first, middle and high schools still exists. Students attend first school from the age of 4 or 5, middle school from the age of 9, and secondary school/high school at the age of 13. Other areas of Worcestershire adopted this system at the same time as Redditch, in the 1970s, 

6  The Standard, Friday December 11, 2015

Redditch Senior Schools - A History

Notes:

Redditch is one of the few area in the country to have a 3-tier education system.  One of the reasons for this was that the designation of Redditch as a new town in 1964, with the planned quadrupling of the population, placed unprecidented demans on the education system.  In order to react swiftly a combination of existing schools and new schools was planned distribution the school population over more schools rather than building large schools.

The senior schools in the three tier system therefore took pupils from 13/14 to 16/17 years of age, year 9, 10 & 11.

This summary of the senior schools in Redditch has been produced by Angela Webster, a former teacher, who has studied and written extensively about Education in Redditch

The County High School was a grammar school that opened in 1929. The main school buildings off Easemore Road opened in 1932. It remained a grammar school after the 1944 Education Act. It became a comprehensive school in 1974, and was renamed the Abbey High School. In 2001 the Abbey High School was closed and reopened as Trinity High School and Sixth Form Centre. On 1st August 2011 Trinity became an Academy.(1)

Bridley Moor County Secondary School, in Bridley Moor Road, opened in 1952, the first purpose-built secondary modern school for those who failed to pass the 11+ examination for grammar school.(2) It became a comprehensive school with sixth form in 1974 and was renamed Bridley Moor High School.(3) The school closed on 31 August, 2001.(4)

St Bede's RC (Roman Catholic) Secondary School in Holloway Lane, [1958?] became a middle school in 1974 when St Augustine's RC High School was opened in the same year in Stonepits Lane, Hunt End. St Augustine's converted to academy status on 1 July 2014.

Lodge Farm County Secondary School, Studley Road opened in 1955. When comprehensive schools were introduced, the building housed the Lodge Farm Middle School.

Leys High School in Woodrow Drive was built in 1974 as comprehensive school without a sixth form. It became Kingsley College with a sixth form on 1 September 2001 when high school provision was reorganised. It became Tudor Grange Academy Redditch in April 2014. It departed from the Redditch three-tier system with high school provision for 13-16/18 year olds, by taking students from the age of 11 years.(5)

Arrow Vale High School in Green Sward Lane started as a comprehensive school with sixth form, serving the eastern side of Redditch. The oldest buildings date from 1976 when the school was founded. It became a RSA (Royal Society of Arts) Academy on 5 September 2011.

Ridgeway County Secondary School was in Evesham Road, Astwood Bank. When comprehensive schools were introduced, the school closed and the building housed the new Ridgeway Middle School. In 2015 the school opted to develop back into a secondary school, with pupils entering when 11. As the Tudor Grange Academy had this system it would have left the Ridgeway school as little more than a two form centre of learning.(6) It became a secondary school in September 2016 and is now known as Ridgeway Academy.

Walkwood County Secondary School was in Feckenham Road. When comprehensive schools were introduced, the building housed the new Walkwood Middle School (Church of England).