Longton High School was a school in
Longton Longton may refer to several places:
* Longton, Kansas, United States
* Longton, Lancashire, United Kingdom
* Longton, Staffordshire, United Kingdom
See also
* Longtan (disambiguation)
* Longtown (disambiguation) Longtown may refer to several plac ...
and later
Meir
Meir ( he, מֵאִיר) is a Jewish male given name and an occasional surname. It means "one who shines". It is often Germanized as Maier, Mayer, Mayr, Meier, Meyer, Meijer, Italianized as Miagro, or Anglicized as Mayer, Meyer, or Myer.Alfre ...
,
Staffordshire
Staffordshire (; postal abbreviation Staffs.) is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. It borders Cheshire to the northwest, Derbyshire and Leicestershire to the east, Warwickshire to the southeast, the West Midlands Cou ...
from 1760 to 2010.
History
The school was founded in 1760 with an
endowment from John Bourne and was known as the Longton Free School.
By 1763, enough money had been provided for the purchase of land and the construction of a school building,
on land near to St John's church in Longton.
In the 1820s, the trustees decided to merge the school with the nearby St John's
national school and the school lost its separate identity for some years.
The national school closed some time between 1859 and 1872
and the trustees of the Bourne estate decided to recreate the free school as a
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) ...
. The
Endowed Schools Act 1869
The Endowed Schools Act 1869 (32 & 33 Vict c 56) was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It was one of the Endowed Schools Acts 1869 to 1948. It was passed during William Ewart Gladstone’s first ministry, to restructure endowed gr ...
enabled the trustees to sell the old property and in 1885 a new school was built in Trentham Road, Longton.
Management of the Longton Endowed School passed in 1900 from the trustees to Longton Borough Council,
who placed it under the control of the headmaster of the nearby Sutherland Institute.
Now known as Longton High School, the school specialised as a science school supporting the local pottery industry, and for the first time since the national school days it was co-educational and admitted both girls and boys.
Up to the early 1930s, the school remained co-educational, and, together with
Hanley High School, was one of two high schools in the Stoke-on-Trent area. When
Brownhills Girls High School opened in the early 1930s and
Thistley Hough Girls High School opened in 1938, Longton High School no longer took in girls. It was run by the City of Stoke-on-Trent Education Committee and had around 700 boys with a three-form entry. Having outgrown the Trentham Road site, new premises were needed and in 1940 construction of a new building at Sandon Road,
Meir
Meir ( he, מֵאִיר) is a Jewish male given name and an occasional surname. It means "one who shines". It is often Germanized as Maier, Mayer, Mayr, Meier, Meyer, Meijer, Italianized as Miagro, or Anglicized as Mayer, Meyer, or Myer.Alfre ...
was commenced.
Due to the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, the school did not move into the new premises until 1947 as the new buildings had been requisitioned.
In 1963, the school moved from Sandon Road in Meir to a site in Box Lane, and took in girls in the first year as a co-educational 11–18
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 ...
.
Comprehensive
It became a comprehensive in September 1970, with an age range of 12–16. From April 1974 until 1997, it was administered by Staffordshire Education Committee.
The school gained specialist
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 i ...
status in 2007. In this time it was known as Longton High School and Arts College.
Closure
Stoke-on-Trent City Council
Stoke-on-Trent City Council is the local authority of Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England. As a unitary authority, it has the combined powers of a non-metropolitan county and district council and is administratively separate from the rest of ...
announced its plans for secondary education in 2008 as its response to the government's
Building Schools for the Future
Building Schools for the Future (BSF) was the name given to the British government's investment programme in secondary school buildings in England in the 2000s. The programme was ambitious in its costs, timescales and objectives, with politicia ...
programme. Under the plan, Longton High was designated as one of four secondary schools to be closed due to falling numbers of students. Despite a campaign to save the school the council did not alter the decision.
To mark the closing of the school in 2010, a time capsule was buried.
The students were transferred to
Sandon Business and Enterprise College. (Sandon High School was established in the Sandon Road site when Longton High moved to Box Lane.) Following the closure, the site was used by Sandon Business and Enterprise College until July 2011. On 18 December 2011, the main building was demolished and the rest of the site, except for the newish technology block, was cleared early in 2012.
Abbey hill school and performing arts college was built in 2014 leaving some buildings to be incorporated into the new school
Houses
The houses were called Astbury, Brindley, Bennett, Mitchell, Lodge, and Wedgwood, after notable local people, and a stained glass window depicting them was a feature at both the Sandon Road and Box Lane sites.
Later the houses became Ashley, Bourne, Cheshire and Macmillan.
Former teachers
*Samuel John Astbury (12 January 1871 – 16 January 1917), Head Teacher c1911.
*Sir
Emrys Evans
Sir David Emrys Evans (29 March 1891 – 20 February 1966) was a Welsh classicist and university principal.
Life
Evans, from Clydach, Glamorgan, was educated at Ystalyfera County School, before going on to University College, Bangor, and ...
(taught classics in 1918–9)
*Edward Haigh MA (Cantab) (1851-1931), Headmaster 1889-1900.
Notable alumni
Boys' grammar school
* Samuel John Astbury (26 June 1897 – 22 August 1968).
Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge
Sidney Sussex College (referred to informally as "Sidney") is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in England. The College was founded in 1596 under the terms of the will of Frances Sidney, Countess of Sussex (1531–1589), wife ...
, 1916–20; on staff of
N. Hingley & Sons, Ltd., Netherton Ironworks, Dudley, 1920–33, as Chief Metallurgist, Fellow
Royal Statistical Society
The Royal Statistical Society (RSS) is an established statistical society. It has three main roles: a British learned society for statistics, a professional body for statisticians and a charity which promotes statistics for the public good.
...
. Secretary to the
Institute of Petroleum
The Institute of Petroleum (IP) was a UK-based professional organisation founded in 1913 as the Institute of Petroleum Technologists. It changed its name to the Institute of Petroleum in 1938. The institute became defunct when it merged with the I ...
.
* Norman Frederick Astbury CBE, (1 December 1908 – 28 October 1987). Director from 1960–1973 of the
British Ceramic Research Association, and president in 1969–1970 of the British Ceramic Society. (Younger brother to William Astbury, below. Nephew of Samuel John Astbury, former head teacher of Longton High School c1911.)
*
William Astbury
William Thomas Astbury Fellow of the Royal Society, FRS (25 February 1898 – 4 June 1961) was an English physicist and molecular biology, molecular biologist who made pioneering X-ray crystallography, X-ray diffraction studies of biomolecule, b ...
, physicist and molecular biologist, Professor of Biomolecular Structure from 1945–1961 at the
University of Leeds
, mottoeng = And knowledge will be increased
, established = 1831 – Leeds School of Medicine1874 – Yorkshire College of Science1884 - Yorkshire College1887 – affiliated to the federal Victoria University1904 – University of Leeds
, ...
. (Elder brother to Norman Frederick Astbury, above)
* Prof
Geoffrey Boulton
Geoffrey Stewart Boulton (born 28 November 1940) is a British geoscientist, and Regius Professor Emeritus of the University of Edinburgh.
He was awarded the 2006 Lyell Medal, by the Geological Society.
He was awarded the 2011 James Croll Medal. ...
OBE,
Regius Professor of Geology and Mineralogy from 1986–2008 at the
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...
*
Cliff Brittle, Chairman 1996–1998 of the Rugby Football Union
* Sir
Arthur Bryan
Sir Arthur Bryan (4 March 1923 – 11 February 2011) was managing director of the Wedgwood pottery firm (now Waterford Wedgwood). He became the first non-Wedgwood family member to hold the post when he succeeded Josiah Wedgwood V in 1967. He ...
, Managing Director 1963–1985 (and Chairman 1968–1986) of
Wedgwood
Wedgwood is an English fine china, porcelain and luxury accessories manufacturer that was founded on 1 May 1759 by the potter and entrepreneur Josiah Wedgwood and was first incorporated in 1895 as Josiah Wedgwood and Sons Ltd. It was rapid ...
,
Lord Lieutenant of Staffordshire
This is a list of people who have served as lord lieutenant for Staffordshire. Since 1828, all lord lieutenants have also been custos rotulorum of Staffordshire.
Lord Lieutenants of Staffordshire
*Henry Stafford, 1st Baron Stafford 1559
*George ...
1968–1993 and President in 1970–1971 of the British Ceramic Manufacturers' Federation
*
Air Commodore Jack Frost
* Prof
John L. Jinks CBE, Professor of Genetics from 1985–1987 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 ...
, President 1981–1984 of the Genetical Society of Great Britain (now
The Genetics Society
The Genetics Society is a British learned society. It was founded by William Bateson and Edith Rebecca Saunders in 1919 and celebrated its centenary year in 2019. It is therefore one of the oldest learned societies devoted to genetics. Its membe ...
), who discovered that in-bred plants could be as good as those produced by
hybrid vigour
Heterosis, hybrid vigor, or outbreeding enhancement is the improved or increased function of any biological quality in a hybrid offspring. An offspring is heterotic if its traits are enhanced as a result of mixing the genetic contributions of ...
*
Murray Martin Murray Martin (27 January 1943 – 14 August 2007) was a British documentary and docudrama filmmaker. He was a founding and lifelong member of Amber Film & Photography Collective, with whom he made many films including ''Seacoal'' (1985), ''In Fadi ...
, documentary and docudrama filmmaker, co-founder of
Amber Film & Photography Collective
* Raymond Thompson CBE, chemist
* Prof
Charles Tomlinson
Alfred Charles Tomlinson, CBE (8 January 1927 – 22 August 2015) was an English poet, translator, academic, and illustrator.
He was born in Penkhull, and grew up in Basford, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire.
Life
After attending Longton High Sc ...
, poet,
Professor of English from 1982–1992 at the
University of Bristol
, mottoeng = earningpromotes one's innate power (from Horace, ''Ode 4.4'')
, established = 1595 – Merchant Venturers School1876 – University College, Bristol1909 – received royal charter
, type ...
Later co-educational grammar school
*
Robbie Earle
Robert Fitzgerald Earle MBE (born 27 January 1965) is an English-born Jamaican former international footballer who played as an attacking midfielder. He played 578 league games in senior club football, scoring 136 goals.
A former youth playe ...
, footballer
*
David Kidney
David Neil Kidney (born 21 March 1955) is a British Labour Party politician who was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Stafford from 1997 to 2010.
Early life
Kidney attended Pinewood Primary School in Meir (now the new Crescent Primary School), L ...
, Labour MP from 1997–2010 for
Stafford
Stafford () is a market town and the county town of Staffordshire, in the West Midlands region of England. It lies about north of Wolverhampton, south of Stoke-on-Trent and northwest of Birmingham. The town had a population of 70,145 in t ...
*
Steve Platt, Editor 1991–1996 of the ''
New Statesman
The ''New Statesman'' is a British political and cultural magazine published in London. Founded as a weekly review of politics and literature on 12 April 1913, it was at first connected with Sidney and Beatrice Webb and other leading members ...
''
Notes
References
{{authority control
Educational institutions established in 1760
1760 establishments in England
Educational institutions disestablished in 2010
Defunct schools in Stoke-on-Trent
Defunct grammar schools in England
2010 disestablishments in England