Mitchell High School (Stoke-on-Trent)
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Mitchell High School was a
comprehensive school A comprehensive school typically describes a secondary school for pupils aged approximately 11–18, that does not select its intake on the basis of academic achievement or aptitude, in contrast to a selective school system where admission is res ...
located in Bucknall,
Stoke on Trent Stoke-on-Trent (often abbreviated to Stoke) is a city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Staffordshire, England, with an area of . In 2019, the city had an estimated population of 256,375. It is the largest settlement ...
, England.


Admissions

Situated in the east of Stoke-on-Trent in Townsend on the A52, it had a
catchment A drainage basin is an area of land where all flowing surface water converges to a single point, such as a river mouth, or flows into another body of water, such as a lake or ocean. A basin is separated from adjacent basins by a perimeter, the ...
from the communities of Bucknall,
Bentilee Bentilee is a housing estate in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England, between Hanley and Longton, and parallel with Fenton. History Built in the 1950s, Bentilee was at that time one of the largest estates in Europe, with around 4,500 propert ...
and Abbey Hulton and educates pupils of ages 11–16. before closure there were around 650 students on roll drawn from a community that has high levels of social deprivation."Mitchell High School"
, Ofsted, 19 January 2004
The headteacher appointed in 2007 was Paul Liddle. In 2009 the Mitchell High was the most improved National Challenge school in England. In 2010 Mitchell made further improvements with the school gaining 18% above FFTD targets for the % of students gaining 5 or more A*-C Grades inc English & Maths. In addition, the CVA placed the school in the top 5% of schools.


History


Grammar school

Hanley High School was a co-educational
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 ...
based in the centre of Stoke on Trent which opened under its name in 1905. In 1938, the girls moved to Thistley Hough High School for Girls. In 1940, because of mining subsidence, the school was moved and became a bi-lateral school from 1948 to 1953 with Chell Secondary Modern School (became Chell High School and closed in 1988). It moved to the outskirts of Stoke on the A52 in Bucknall in 1953.


Comprehensive

In September 1970 it became a co-educational
comprehensive school A comprehensive school typically describes a secondary school for pupils aged approximately 11–18, that does not select its intake on the basis of academic achievement or aptitude, in contrast to a selective school system where admission is res ...
for ages 12–16. The Mitchell High School, taking ages 11–16, was officially opened on 23 March 1990 by
Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester, (Richard Alexander Walter George; born 26 August 1944) is a member of the British royal family. He is the second son of Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester and Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester, as well ...
. The new school was formed by closing the Willfield High School on ''Lauder Place'' in
Bentilee Bentilee is a housing estate in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England, between Hanley and Longton, and parallel with Fenton. History Built in the 1950s, Bentilee was at that time one of the largest estates in Europe, with around 4,500 propert ...
in 1989. In the late 1990s it was one of the fifty lowest schools for GCSE results in England. In March 1998 the headmaster, Len Wild, was punched to the ground by three intruders. Debbie Sanderson was appointed as headteacher in 2000 and was appointed an OBE for improvements made in the school in 2005.


Merger

There had been a proposal since 2008 to merge the school with Edensor Technology College to produce an
Academy An academy ( Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy ...
at Adderley Green. Under the BSF proposals, the new Academy called Discovery Academy was formed in September 2011. The school was initially located over both former school sites until a new build was completed in 2013 at the old Willfield site.


Academic standards

The school has been awarded specialist Business and Enterprise College status.
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 ...
inspected the school during January 2004 and rated "The overall effectiveness of the school" as "''satisfactory''", point four on a seven-point scale. However, an evaluation of "''excellent''", point one on the scale, was given for: * "How well the school seeks and acts on pupils’ views" * "The quality of the school's links with the community" In a letter dated 13 November 2006, following a supplementary inspection, Ofsted assessed the "overall effectiveness" of ICT to be "''outstanding''".


Case study – 'Side by Side with parents'

In an innovative initiative to support pupils who were struggling to cope in class, the school invited parents to sit in with their children and found that the adults not only actively engaged in the lessons but obtained qualifications themselves. Professor
Alan Tuckett Sir Alan John Tuckett, (born 3 April 1948) is a British adult education specialist and campaigner. He was the Chief Executive of the National Institute of Adult Continuing Education (NIACE) from 1988 to 2011, and President of the International C ...
at the
National Institute of Adult Continuing Education National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ce ...
said "When adults and children learn together you get a surprising amount of behaviour change in young people, they pick up on the tone of commitment and seriousness that adults bring to their study. And the adults get the energy and pizzaz that young people bring to their learning."


Hansard

The school was listed in the
House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. ...
as being one of only 25 secondary schools in the UK that had no pupils taking a language course and, in 2006, as a school where no pupils at the end of KS4 were entered at
GCSE The General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) is an academic qualification in a particular subject, taken in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. State schools in Scotland use the Scottish Qualifications Certificate instead. Private sc ...
in
geography Geography (from Greek: , ''geographia''. Combination of Greek words ‘Geo’ (The Earth) and ‘Graphien’ (to describe), literally "earth description") is a field of science devoted to the study of the lands, features, inhabitants, and ...
."Languages"
House of Commons Hansard Written Answers, 6 March 2007


Notable former pupils


Hanley High School (co-educational grammar school)

* Prof
Ely Devons Ely Devons (29 July 1913 – 28 December 1967), an economist and statistician, was born in Bangor, Gwynedd North Wales, lived most of his life in Manchester and died after a long illness at St Thomas Hospital in London. He was survived by his ...
, economist, Professor of Economics from 1959 to 1965 at the
LSE LSE may refer to: Computing * LSE (programming language), a computer programming language * LSE, Latent sector error, a media assessment measure related to the hard disk drive storage technology * Language-Sensitive Editor, a text editor used ...
, Robert Ottley Professor of Economics from 1948 to 1959
Victoria University of Manchester The Victoria University of Manchester, usually referred to as simply the University of Manchester, was a university in Manchester, England. It was founded in 1851 as Owens College. In 1880, the college joined the federal Victoria University. Afte ...
, and Chief Statistician from 1941–5 at the Ministry of Aircraft Production * Prof
Samuel Devons Samuel Devons FRS (30 September 1914 – 6 December 2006) was a British physicist and science historian. Biography Devons, son of a Lithuanian immigrant, David Isaac Devons 1881-1926 and Edith Edelston from York 1891-1938 Sam was born in ...
, Professor of Physics from 1960 to 1985 at
Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...
, New York, and younger brother of Ely, and also worked at the Ministry of Aircraft Production (like his brother) during the war (as Senior Scientific Officer) on microwaves and radar * John Farnsworth, Chairman of the East Midlands Economic Planning Board from 1965 to 1972 *
Bernard Hollowood Albert Bernard Hollowood (3 June 1910 – 28 March 1981) was an English writer, cartoonist and economist. He was editor of the humorous weekly magazine ''Punch'' from 1957 to 1968. Life and career Born on 3 June 1910 at Burslem, Stoke-on-Tre ...
, economist, cartoonist, and Editor from 1957 to 1968 of ''
Punch Punch commonly refers to: * Punch (combat), a strike made using the hand closed into a fist * Punch (drink), a wide assortment of drinks, non-alcoholic or alcoholic, generally containing fruit or fruit juice Punch may also refer to: Places * Pun ...
'' * Dr John Houghton, aeronautical engineer, Director from 1971–9 of
Teesside Polytechnic , mottoeng = Deeds Not Words , established = 1930 – Constantine Technical College1969 – as Teesside Polytechnic 1992 – gained university status , type = Public , endowment = £0.23 m (2019/20) , chancellor ...
, and Principal from 1961 to 1970 of Constantine College of Technology (its predecessor) *
Frank Kearton, Baron Kearton Christopher Frank Kearton, Baron Kearton, , (17 February 1911 – 2 July 1992), usually known as Frank Kearton, was a British life peer in the House of Lords. He was also a scientist and industrialist and former Chancellor of the University of Ba ...
OBE, Chancellor from 1980 to 1992 of the
University of Bath (Virgil, Georgics II) , mottoeng = Learn the culture proper to each after its kind , established = 1886 (Merchant Venturers Technical College) 1960 (Bristol College of Science and Technology) 1966 (Bath University of Technology) 1971 (univ ...
* Reginald Joseph Mitchell ('R.J. Mitchell'), an aeronautical engineer who designed the
Supermarine Spitfire The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft used by the Royal Air Force and other Allied countries before, during, and after World War II. Many variants of the Spitfire were built, from the Mk 1 to the Rolls-Royce Grif ...
* Jacob Rich, Editor from 1931–6 of ''
The Jewish Chronicle ''The'' () is a grammatical Article (grammar), article in English language, English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite ...
'' * Prof Eric Ryder, Professor of English Law from 1959 to 1982 at
University College London , mottoeng = Let all come who by merit deserve the most reward , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £143 million (2020) , budget = ...
* Wilfred Scott, former managing director of
English Electric Computers English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...
, and involved in the building of the
ACE An ace is a playing card, die or domino with a single pip. In the standard French deck, an ace has a single suit symbol (a heart, diamond, spade, or club) located in the middle of the card, sometimes large and decorated, especially in the c ...
computer in 1947 *
Harriet Slater Harriet Slater CBE (''née'' Evans; 1903 – 12 October 1976) was a British Labour and Co-operative politician. Life and career Slater, ''née'' Evans, was born in Tunstall, Staffordshire, on 3 July 1903. Educated at Hanley High School and D ...
, Labour MP from 1953 to 1966 for Stoke-on-Trent North * Prof Robert Street, Vice-Chancellor from 1978 to 1986 of the
University of Western Australia The University of Western Australia (UWA) is a public research university in the Australian state of Western Australia. The university's main campus is in Perth, the state capital, with a secondary campus in Albany, Western Australia, Albany an ...


Hanley High School (boys' grammar school)

*
Ronnie Allen Ronald Allen (15 January 1929 – 9 June 2001) was an English international football player and manager. He was a professional footballer for nineteen years, between 1946 and 1964, making 638 appearances in the Football League, and scoring 2 ...
, footballer * Rev Nigel Collinson, President from 1996–7 of the
Methodist Conference The Methodist Church of Great Britain is a Protestant Christian denomination in Britain, and the mother church to Methodists worldwide. It participates in the World Methodist Council, and the World Council of Churches among other ecumenical ass ...
*
Jeff Kent Jeffrey Franklin Kent (born March 7, 1968) is an American former professional baseball second baseman. He played 17 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1992–2008 for the Toronto Blue Jays, New York Mets, Cleveland Indians, San Francis ...
, writer, musician and campaigner * Jon Moulton, venture capitalist who was managing director from
Alchemy Partners Alchemy Partners is a British private equity firm, which specialises in investing in distressed and undervalued or underperforming businesses and other special situations through debt and equity throughout Europe. Alchemy was founded in 1997 b ...
from 1997– * Prof
Harold Perkin Harold James Perkin (11 November 1926 – 16 October 2004) was a distinguished English social historian who was the founder of the '' Social History Society'' in 1976. Background Perkin was born in Hanley, Staffordshire of humble origins. He a ...
, historian * Selwyn Whalley, footballer * Prof David Wheeler, computer scientist, who invented the
subroutine In computer programming, a function or subroutine is a sequence of program instructions that performs a specific task, packaged as a unit. This unit can then be used in programs wherever that particular task should be performed. Functions may ...
, and the
Burrows–Wheeler transform The Burrows–Wheeler transform (BWT, also called block-sorting compression) rearranges a character string into runs of similar characters. This is useful for compression, since it tends to be easy to compress a string that has runs of repeated c ...
(used in
data compression In information theory, data compression, source coding, or bit-rate reduction is the process of encoding information using fewer bits than the original representation. Any particular compression is either lossy or lossless. Lossless compression ...
) in 1994, and Professor of Computer Science from 1978 to 1994 at the
University of Cambridge , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...
* Prof Ashley Woodcock OBE, Professor of Respiratory Medicine since 1988 at the
University of Manchester , mottoeng = Knowledge, Wisdom, Humanity , established = 2004 – University of Manchester Predecessor institutions: 1956 – UMIST (as university college; university 1994) 1904 – Victoria University of Manchester 1880 – Victoria Univer ...
* Nigel Bamford, former member and manager of
Discharge (band) Discharge are an English hardcore punk band formed in 1977 in Stoke-on-Trent, England. The band is known for influencing several sub-genres of extreme music and their songs have been covered by some of the biggest names in heavy metal and othe ...
*
Phil Bainbridge Philip Bainbridge, born on 16 April 1958 at Sneyd Green, Stoke-on-Trent, is a retired first-class cricketer who played for Gloucestershire and Durham. A right-handed middle order batsman and a right-arm medium pace bowler, Bainbridge was a membe ...
, former professional cricketer
Gloucestershire County Cricket Club Gloucestershire County Cricket Club is one of eighteen first-class county clubs within the domestic cricket structure of England and Wales. It represents the historic county of Gloucestershire. Founded in 1870, Gloucestershire have always ...
and
Durham County Cricket Club Durham County Cricket Club (rebranded as Durham Cricket in February 2019) is one of eighteen first-class county clubs within the domestic cricket structure of England and Wales. It represents the historic county of Durham. Founded in 1882, Du ...
* Peter J K Gibbs, Oxford Cricket Blue, Professional Cricketer (Derbyshire CCC), TV Screenwriter and Author


References


External links


Official site



Staffordshire history

Former school song

EduBase


News items




Proposed closure in 2010


{{Schools in Staffordshire Defunct schools in Stoke-on-Trent Educational institutions established in 1990 1990 establishments in England Educational institutions disestablished in 2011 2011 disestablishments in England