coeducational
Mixed-sex education, also known as mixed-gender education, co-education, or coeducation (abbreviated to co-ed or coed), is a system of education where males and females are educated together. Whereas single-sex education was more common up to t ...
secondary school
A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' secondary education, lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) ...
Salford
Salford () is a city and the largest settlement in the City of Salford metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. In 2011, Salford had a population of 103,886. It is also the second and only other city in the metropolitan county afte ...
, England, opposite
Buile Hill Park
Buile Hill Park is a Grade II listed public park in Salford, Greater Manchester, England. Covering it is the largest public park in the city, as well as the second oldest after Peel Park. The park and mansion are owned by Salford City Council. ...
Visual Arts College
An Arts College, in the United Kingdom, is a type of specialist school that specialises in the subject fields of the performing, visual, digital and/or media arts. They were announced in 1996 and introduced alongside Sports Colleges to England ...
.
History
The school is over 100 years old in some parts, with the school owning a playing field with
Salford City College
Pendleton Sixth Form College is a further education college in Salford, Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county and combined authority, combined authority area in North West England, with a population of 2.8 million ...
in Pendleton, which is across the field to the north. It was known as Salford Grammar School until 1973, when its sixth form along with Pendleton High School for Girls was moved to Pendleton College, which is next door. The building had opened on 12 January 1956, being officially opened on 21 March 1956 by the Mayor of
Salford
Salford () is a city and the largest settlement in the City of Salford metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. In 2011, Salford had a population of 103,886. It is also the second and only other city in the metropolitan county afte ...
, G. H. Goulden. The school was renamed Buile Hill High School.
The school received an
Artsmark
Artsmark is the creative quality standard for schools and education settings, awarded by Arts Council England
Arts Council England is an arm's length non-departmental public body of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. It is ...
Gold Award in May 2006 and was renamed Buile Hill Visual Arts College. It is one of the few schools in the area with a fully working theatre and performance space.
The school's headteacher left the school in the summer of 2006 and was replaced by a 'super head'. The new headteacher, Mr. P. Fitzpatrick, was paid a larger-than-usual salary of £100,000 per year, and was contracted for two years to improve the school's results and ready the school for the move into its new buildings in 2008. However, Fitzpatrick failed to achieve the results that the council had been looking for, and in 2007 he was removed by mutual agreement after just two terms. In 2007 the school's results on the standard measure (% of pupils reaching 5 GCSEs at grades A*-C) jumped from 26% to 52%.
GCSE figure for 2007 rose from 26 per cent of pupils gaining 5 A* to C the previous year, to 52 per cent in 2007. The school's
contextual value added Contextual value added (CVA) is a statistic that was used by the government of the United Kingdom to assess the performance of schools. It was superseded by expected progress and then Progress 8
The statistic is intended to show the progress child ...
now stands at 999; the national average is 1,000.
The school underwent an
OFSTED
The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted) is a Non-ministerial government department, non-ministerial department of Government of the United Kingdom, His Majesty's government, reporting to Parliament of the U ...
inspection in October 2007 which described the school as satisfactory overall with elements of good.
The school was rebuilt on the adjacent field and completed in 2008. The new buildings were funded through the
Private Finance Initiative
The private finance initiative (PFI) was a United Kingdom government procurement policy aimed at creating "public–private partnerships" (PPPs) where private firms are contracted to complete and manage public projects. Initially launched in 199 ...
.
In March 2014, Edward Beetham, a former head of year and humanities teacher at the school, pleaded guilty to indecency with an 11-year-old pupil in the early 1990s. He was spared jail, but was subjected to a two-year community order, with a requirement to attend a sex offenders' programme. His defence barrister, Stuart Duke, told
Manchester Crown Court
Manchester Crown Court (Crown Square) is a Crown Court venue which deals with criminal cases at Crown Square in Manchester, England.
History
Until the 1940s, criminal court cases were heard at the Manchester Assize Courts. However, the assize ...
: "He has lost his good character. He has gone from being a genteel, retired schoolteacher playing petanque to somebody who will be monitored by the authorities – it has been absolutely devastating for this to come back and haunt him." When sentencing, Judge Patrick Field QC, told Beetham: "You developed and encouraged a relationship with (the victim) – this appears to me, at least in part, grooming behaviour, enabling you to lure him into your bedroom where you invited an undoubtedly bewildered child to beat you for your own sexual gratification."
Previously a community school administered by
Salford City Council
Salford City Council is the local authority of the City of Salford in Greater Manchester, England. It is a metropolitan borough council, one of ten in Greater Manchester and one of 36 in the metropolitan counties of England, and provides the majo ...
, in August 2016 Buile Hill Visual Arts College converted to academy status and was renamed Buile Hill Academy. The school is now sponsored by Consilium Academies.
Notable former pupils
*
Wes Butters
Wesley Paul Butters (born 4 May 1979, in Salford), is a radio broadcaster, formerly of BBC Radio 1, and writer.
Early life
Butters attended Buile Hill High School in Pendleton, Salford, and studied at the University of Salford between 1995 a ...
– TV and radio presenter.
* Gillian Doherty – author and editor of educational books for children, disability rights campaigner, founder of SEND action campaign group.
* Paul Lockitt – radio newsreader, who was named commercial radio's ''Newsreader of the Year'' at the Sky/IRN Radio Awards in 2012 for the fifth year having previously won the national award in 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2011
*
Michael Appleton
Michael Antony Appleton (born 4 December 1975) is an English professional football manager and former player. He is currently the head coach of Blackpool.
As a player, he operated as a midfielder, in a nine-year career that began in 1994 and e ...
– former player of Manchester United, Preston North End, West Bromwich Albion and current First Team Coach at Oxford United.
*Tom Short – comedian
Salford Grammar School
*
John Caine
John Caine (born in Salford, Lancashire, England) is an author and playwright who was appointed MBE in 1987 for his services to theatre.
Biography
Caine was educated at Salford Grammar School.
After national service as Lieutenant in Malaya, C ...
, MBE, FRSA, author ("A Nest of Singing Birds") and playwright ("Mister Lowry", "Reunion", "On the Knocker" )
* Rt Rev
Neville Chamberlain
Arthur Neville Chamberlain (; 18 March 18699 November 1940) was a British politician of the Conservative Party who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from May 1937 to May 1940. He is best known for his foreign policy of appeasemen ...
,
Bishop of Brechin
The Bishop of Brechin is the ecclesiastical head of the Diocese of Brechin or angus, Scotland, Angus, based at Dundee. Brechin Cathedral, Brechin is a parish church of the established (presbyterian) Church of Scotland. The diocese had a long-es ...
from 1997 to 2005
*
Albert Finney
Albert Finney (9 May 1936 – 7 February 2019) was an English actor. He attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and worked in the theatre before attaining prominence on screen in the early 1960s, debuting with '' The Entertainer'' (1960) ...
is a five times
Academy Award
The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...
-nominated English actor
*
Michael Fidler
Michael M. Fidler (10 February 1916 – 5 September 1989) was a British Conservative Party politician.
Fidler was Member of Parliament (MP) for Bury and Radcliffe from 1970 until the October 1974 general election, when he lost his seat to Lab ...
Independent Television Commission
The Independent Television Commission (ITC) licensed and regulated commercial television services in the United Kingdom (except S4C in Wales) between 1 January 1991 and 28 December 2003.
History
The creation of ITC, by the Broadcasting Act ...
from 1991 to 1996
* Prof Norman Haycocks, Professor of Education at the
University of Nottingham
The University of Nottingham is a public university, public research university in Nottingham, United Kingdom. It was founded as University College Nottingham in 1881, and was granted a royal charter in 1948. The University of Nottingham belongs t ...
from 1946 to 1973
*
Mark Hendrick
Sir Mark Phillip Hendrick (born 2 November 1958) is a British Labour and Co-operative politician. He has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Preston since a by-election in 2000. Hendrick was previously elected to the Central Lancashire sea ...
is the
Labour Co-operative
Labour and Co-operative Party (often abbreviated Labour Co-op; cy, Llafur a'r Blaid Gydweithredol) is a description used by candidates in United Kingdom elections who stand on behalf of both the Labour Party and the Co-operative Party.
Candidat ...
Member of Parliament for Preston since 2000
* Dr David Hessayon OBE, gardener, Chairman of the British Agrochemicals Association from 1980 to 1981
*
Peter Hook
Peter Hook (born Woodhead; 13 February 1956) is an English musician, best known as the bassist and co-founder of the rock bands Joy Division and New Order. Hook often used the bass as a lead instrument, playing melodies on the high strings wi ...
and
Bernard Sumner
Bernard Sumner (born 4 January 1956) is an English singer, musician, songwriter, and record producer. He is a founding member of the bands Joy Division, New Order, and Electronic. Sumner was an early force in several areas, including the post ...
of
Joy Division
Joy Division were an English rock band formed in Salford in 1976. The group consisted of vocalist Ian Curtis, guitarist/keyboardist Bernard Sumner, bassist Peter Hook and drummer Stephen Morris.
Sumner and Hook formed the band after attend ...
Ralph Kohn
Sir Ralph Kohn FRS FMedSci FBPhS (9 December 1927 – 11 November 2016) was a British medical scientist, recipient of the Queen's Award for Export Achievement for his work in the pharmaceutical industry.
Early life
Sir Ralph was born in Leip ...
, pharmacist
*
Mike Leigh
Mike Leigh (born 20 February 1943) is an English film and theatre director, screenwriter and playwright. He studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) and further at the Camberwell School of Art, the Central School of Art and Design ...
, film director who joined the
Royal Shakespeare Company
The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs over 1,000 staff and produces around 20 productions a year. The RSC plays regularly in London, St ...
as an assistant director in 1967. He later achieved lasting fame for plays such as
Nuts in May
''Nuts in May'' is a television film devised and directed by Mike Leigh, filmed in March 1975, and originally broadcast as part of the BBC's ''Play for Today'' series on 13 January 1976. It is the comical story of a nature-loving and rather sel ...
and for his films including the Palme d'Or at the
Cannes Film Festival
The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films o ...
and five
Academy Award
The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...
nominations. His latest film (2018) was ''
Peterloo
The Peterloo Massacre took place at St Peter's Field, Manchester, Lancashire, England, on Monday 16 August 1819. Fifteen people died when cavalry charged into a crowd of around 60,000 people who had gathered to demand the reform of parliamen ...
''
* Eddie Maguire scriptwriter who wrote "Ray's A Laugh" (with Ted Ray) for the BBC among other successes
* Abraham Moss,
Mayor of Manchester
This is a list of the Lord Mayors of the City of Manchester in the North West of England. Not to be confused with the Directly elected Greater Manchester Mayor.
The Current and 124th Lord Mayor is Cllr Donna Ludford, Labour who has served Sin ...
from 1953 to 1954, and former President of the YHA
* John Pitt-Brooke CB, Director-General Secretariat at the
Ministry of Defence
{{unsourced, date=February 2021
A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is an often-used name for the part of a government responsible for matters of defence, found in states ...
since 2006
* James Porter CBE, Director General of the
Commonwealth Institute
The Commonwealth Education Trust is a registered charity established in 2007 as the successor trust to the Commonwealth Institute. The trust focuses on primary and secondary education and the training of teachers and invests on educational pro ...
Westhoughton
Westhoughton ( ) is a town and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, southwest of Bolton, east of Wigan and northwest of Manchester.David Quinn is a British bird artist. He won the 1987 Bird Illustrator of the Year Award of the British Birds magazine
* Harold Riley, artist, born 1934
* John Maurice Shaftesley OBE, journalist
* Ernest Sinnott, Chairman of the South Eastern Electricity Board from 1966 to 1974, and President of the International Project Finance Association (IPFA) from 1956 to 1957
* Capt Richard Spencer, Conservative MP for St Helens from 1931 to 1935
* Prof
Leeds Metropolitan University
Leeds Beckett University (LBU), formerly known as Leeds Metropolitan University (LMU) and before that as Leeds Polytechnic, is a public university in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It has campuses in the city centre and Headingley. The univ ...
from 1994 to 2003, and Vice-Chancellor of the
University of North London
The University of North London (UNL) was a university in London, England, formed from the Polytechnic of North London (PNL) in 1992 when that institution was granted university status. PNL, in turn, had been formed by the amalgamation of the No ...
from 1992 to 1993
* Staff Sergeant
Jim Wallwork
Staff Sergeant James Harley Wallwork DFM (21 October 1919 – 24 January 2013) was a British soldier and a member of the Glider Pilot Regiment who achieved notability as the pilot of the first Horsa glider to land at Pegasus Bridge in t ...
(1919-2013), first Allied soldier on French soil on 6 June 1944, after being catapulted through the windscreen of a
Horsa glider
The Airspeed AS.51 Horsa was a British troop-carrying glider used during the Second World War. It was developed and manufactured by Airspeed Limited, alongside various subcontractors; the type was named after Horsa, the legendary 5th-century c ...
, when taking part in the effort to capture the Caen canal and Orne river bridges.
* Ken Wilson, writer EFL (English as a Foreign Language) books, with sales of over 450,000,000 in China. Born 1947