Holgate School was a

state school State schools (in England, Wales, Australia and New Zealand) or public schools (Scottish English and North American English) are generally primary or secondary educational institution, schools that educate all students without charge. They are ...

Barnsley, South Yorkshire Barnsley () is a market town in South Yorkshire, England. As the main settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley and the fourth largest settlement in South Yorkshire. In Barnsley, the population was 96,888 while the wider Borough has ...

, England. It was closed in 2012, when it was merged with The Kingstone School to form

Horizon Community College Horizon Community College is a co-educational secondary school located in Barnsley, South Yorkshire, England, on the A628. The school was formed in 2012 from a merger of Holgate School and The Kingstone School. The school relocated to a new ...

. After Holgate closed, it was demolished and the site was turned into a car park for

Admissions

The school was awarded the status of Sports College in 2005 for its attention to sporting achievements.

History

Holgate School was founded in 1546 in Hemsworth by

Robert Holgate Robert Holgate (1481/1482 – 1555) was Bishop of Llandaff from 1537 and then Archbishop of York (from 1545 to 1554). He recognised Henry VIII as head of the Church of England. Although a protege of Thomas Cromwell, 1st Earl of Essex, Holga ...

, the Archbishop of York. In 1888 it was re-organised and moved to Barnsley, South Yorkshire."Holgate School Sports College Barnsley: General Information", Schools Net
/ref> The

grammar school A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching Latin, but more recently an academically oriented secondary school ...

had around 850 boys and moved to its present site in 1912. The school has now closed due to the conjoining of the two Barnsley schools Holgate and Kingstone, coming together to form Horizon Community College. In January 1981,

Michael Parkinson Sir Michael Parkinson (born 28 March 1935) is an English broadcaster, journalist and author. He presented his television talk show '' Parkinson'' from 1971 to 1982 and from 1998 to 2007, as well as other talk shows and programmes both in the U ...

said that ''Barnsley Grammar School was to his education what

myxomatosis Myxomatosis is a disease caused by ''Myxoma virus'', a poxvirus in the genus '' Leporipoxvirus''. The natural hosts are tapeti (''Sylvilagus brasiliensis'') in South and Central America, and brush rabbits (''Sylvilagus bachmani'') in North A ...

was to rabbits''.

Comprehensive

In 1978 it became a fully co-educational comprehensive school, having first admitted its first comprehensive first year intake in 1973. The sixth form went soon after, in 1980.

Academic performance

It got GCSE results under the England average but about average for Barnsley. Like all schools in Barnsley, except the

Barnsley Academy Barnsley Academy is a secondary school in Barnsley, South Yorkshire, England. The school opened in September 2006. The school has academy status, sponsored by United Learning. Ofsted judgements As of 2021, the school's most recent inspecti ...

, it had no sixth form, with A levels taken at

Barnsley College Barnsley College is a further education college just outside the town centre of Barnsley, England. It has several campuses, including the SciTech Digital Innovation Centre and The Electric Theatre. The college provides A Levels, apprenticesh ...

Notable alumni

Sam Nixon Sam Nixon is an English singer and television presenter. He came third on the ''Pop Idol'' television series in 2003 and is now one half of the duo Sam & Mark, with the other being Mark Rhodes. Early life He was originally a catering stude ...

- a UK pop singer and

television presenter A television presenter (or television host, some become a "television personality") is a person who introduces, hosts television show, television programs, often serving as a mediator for the program and the audience. Nowadays, it is common for ...

Azeem Rafiq Azeem Rafiq ( ur, عظیم رفیق; born 27 February 1991) is a British Asian cricketer who played professionally in England for Yorkshire County Cricket Club. A right arm off-spin bowler, Rafiq played for the county between 2008 and 2014 and 20 ...

, cricketer

Barnsley and District Holgate Grammar School

* Frank Atkinson CBE, Director from 1970 to 1987 of Beamish Museum, President from 1974 to 1975 of the Museums Association * Denis Barker, former BP executive *

Frederick Woodward Branson Frederick Woodward Branson, FIC, FCS (6 March 1851 – 30 November 1933) was a British chemist, glassblower, instrument maker and X-ray pioneer. He worked with Jacob Bell & Co a chemist who reformed the profession, location Oxford Street London ...

, X-ray pioneer * Sir Stuart Burgess CBE, Chairman from 1995 to 2004 of

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Dave Burland Dave Burland (born 12 July 1941, Barnsley, West Riding of Yorkshire, England) is an English folk singer and guitarist. A former policeman, he has been performing in English folk clubs since 1968 and has been described by ''The Guardian'' as havi ...

, folk singer *

Donald Chapman, Baron Northfield William Donald Chapman, Baron Northfield (25 November 1923 – 18 April 2013) was a British Labour politician. Career Chapman was educated at Barnsley Grammar School and Emmanuel College, Cambridge, where he graduated with a degree in econo ...

, Labour MP from 1951 to 1970 for Birmingham Northfield * Prof Norman Chapman, G. F. Grant Professor of Chemistry from 1956 to 1992 at the

University of Hull The University of Hull is a public research university in Kingston upon Hull, a city in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It was founded in 1927 as University College Hull. The main university campus is located in Hull and is home to the Hull ...

* Prof Gordon Cherry, Professor of Urban and Regional Planning from 1976 to 1991 at the

University of Birmingham , mottoeng = Through efforts to heights , established = 1825 – Birmingham School of Medicine and Surgery1836 – Birmingham Royal School of Medicine and Surgery1843 – Queen's College1875 – Mason Science College1898 – Mason Univers ...

* Prof John Coyne CBE, Vice Chancellor from 2004 to 2015 of the

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, Chairman since 2017 of

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* Prof

Donald Davie Donald Alfred Davie, FBA (17 July 1922 – 18 September 1995) was an English Movement poet, and literary critic. His poems in general are philosophical and abstract, but often evoke various landscapes. Biography Davie was born in Barnsley, ...

, poet * Brian Fieldhouse, Chief Executive from 1990 to 1995 of

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County Council *

Brian Glover Brian Glover (2 April 1934 – 24 July 1997) was an English actor and writer. He worked as a teacher and professional wrestler before commencing an acting career which included films, many roles on British television and work on the stage. His ...

, actor * Michael Green, Controller from 1986 to 1996 of

BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history from the BBC' ...

, and Chairman from 1990 to 1995 of the

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Jimmy Greenhoff James Greenhoff (born 19 June 1946) is an English former footballer. He was a skilful forward and although capped five times at under-23 level, once as an over-age player, he never played for the full side, and is labelled as the finest Englis ...

, and his brother

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, footballers * Prof

Alan Hall Alan Hall FRS (19 May 1952 – 3 May 2015) was a British cell biologist and a biology professor at the Sloan-Kettering Institute, where he was chair of the Cell Biology program. Hall was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1999. Early li ...

FRS, Director of Cell Biology from 2006 to 2015 at the

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, Chief Executive from 1998 to 2007 of

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plc, and founded

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in 2000 * Sir Ronald Holroyd FRS, former ICI executive, President in 1965 of the

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* Flight Sergeant David Horsfall (16 April 1920 - 17 May 1943), who flew on the

Dambusters Raid Operation Chastise or commonly known as the Dambusters Raid was an attack on German dams carried out on the night of 16/17 May 1943 by 617 Squadron RAF Bomber Command, later called the Dam Busters, using special "bouncing bombs" developed by ...

as a Flight Engineer in Lancaster AJ-A with pilot

Squadron Leader Squadron leader (Sqn Ldr in the RAF ; SQNLDR in the RAAF and RNZAF; formerly sometimes S/L in all services) is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence. It is also ...

Dinghy Young Squadron Leader Henry Melvin "Dinghy" Young, (20 May 1915 – 17 May 1943) was a bomber pilot in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve during the Second World War. Early life Young was born in Belgravia, London, to Henry George Melvin Young, ...

DFC; the aircraft was the fourth to bomb the

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, but was hit by flak when returning near the Dutch coast at Castricum aan Zee; he is buried at

Bergen Bergen (), historically Bjørgvin, is a city and municipality in Vestland county on the west coast of Norway. , its population is roughly 285,900. Bergen is the second-largest city in Norway. The municipality covers and is on the peninsula of ...

General Cemetery *

Eric Illsley Eric Evlyn Illsley (born 9 April 1955) is a former British Labour politician who was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Barnsley Central from 1987 until 2011. He was a Labour Party representative until suspended from the party after being char ...

, Labour MP from 1987 to 2011 for

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, convicted of fraud in the

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* Tom Johnson, footballer *

John Malcolm Major-General Sir John Malcolm GCB, KLS (2 May 1769 – 30 May 1833) was a Scottish soldier, diplomat, East India Company administrator, statesman, and historian. Early life Sir John Malcolm was born in 1769, one of seventeen children of Ge ...

, actor *

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, Director of Pro Cricket at Yorkshire CCC,

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and England cricketer * Sir

, broadcaster and journalist *

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* Paul Quinn, lead guitarist of

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* William Rayner, novelist * Neil Rhodes, Chief Constable from 2012 to 2017 of

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in the soap opera ''

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'' from 1978 to 2004 * Denis Roberts, former Managing Director at the

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, and Chairman from 1981 to 1985 of the

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, rugby union player * Prof Harry Rothwell, Professor of History from 1945 to 1968 at the

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* Rev Canon Geoffrey Shaw, Principal from 1979 to 1989 at

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* William Taylor CBE, Conservative MP from 1950 to 1964 for

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* Howard Thackstone, Chief General Manager from 1962 to 1966 of

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* Norman West, Labour MEP from 1984 to 1998 for Yorkshire South * David Woodhall CBE, Chief Executive from 1982 to 1992 of the Commission for New Towns (became

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) * George Wright (bishop), Anglican Bishop of Sierra Leone

Former teachers

Peter Dews (director) Peter Dews (26 September 1929, Wakefield, Yorkshire, England – 25 August 1997) was an English stage director. Born and educated in Wakefield, Yorkshire he then took an M.A. at University College, Oxford. After two years teaching history he ...

, theatre director (taught 1952-3) * Joseph Soar MBE, Organist and Master of the Choristers from 1952 to 1954 at St David's Cathedral (taught Music from 1904 to 1915)

References

;Notes ;Footnotes

External links

EduBase
{{Schools in Barnsley Defunct schools in Barnsley 1546 establishments in England Educational institutions established in the 16th century 2012 disestablishments in England Educational institutions disestablished in 2012