Old Hall Comprehensive 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

Kimberworth Kimberworth is a suburb of Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England. It is located in the Metropolitan Borough of Rotherham, about 2.2 miles (3.5 km) north-west of Rotherham town centre and 4.7 miles (7.6 km) north-east of the City of Sh ...

Rotherham Rotherham () is a large minster and market town in South Yorkshire, England. The town takes its name from the River Rother which then merges with the River Don. The River Don then flows through the town centre. It is the main settlement of ...

South Yorkshire South Yorkshire is a ceremonial and metropolitan county in the Yorkshire and Humber Region of England. The county has four council areas which are the cities of Doncaster and Sheffield as well as the boroughs of Barnsley and Rotherham. In N ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. It merged with

Kimberworth Comprehensive School Kimberworth Comprehensive School was a comprehensive school in Rotherham, operating from 1914 to 2004. It merged with Old Hall Comprehensive School to form Winterhill School. History The institution opened in September 1914 as a school for 1 ...

to form

Winterhill School Winterhill School is a Mixed-sex education, mixed secondary school located in Kimberworth, Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England. The school was formed in 2004 by the merger of Old Hall Comprehensive School and the nearby Kimberworth Comprehensiv ...

in September 2004.

History

The school opened in the 1950s and moved into its own buildings in January 1959. It was originally a

secondary modern school A secondary modern school is a type of secondary school that existed throughout England, Wales and Northern Ireland from 1944 until the 1970s under the Tripartite System. Schools of this type continue in Northern Ireland, where they are usually ...

, but became a comprehensive school in 1966. The school's buildings were extended in 1973. It gained

Technology College In the United Kingdom, a Technology College is a specialist school that specialises in design and technology, mathematics and science. Beginning in 1994, they were the first specialist schools that were not CTC colleges. In 2008, there were 59 ...

status in 1998. Old Hall School ceased to exist under its old name as of September 2004 when the neighbouring Kimberworth Comprehensive School closed and all pupils transferred to Old Hall, now renamed

. Legally, Winterhill is the same entity as Old Hall, though Winterhill is generally considered to be a completely new school.

The school site

The school structure consisted of mostly

timber frame Timber framing (german: Holzfachwerk) and "post-and-beam" construction are traditional methods of building with heavy timbers, creating structures using squared-off and carefully fitted and joined timbers with joints secured by large wooden ...

buildings, constructed in the 1970s and linked by covered walkways intended to provide some protection from the elements for pupils making their way between classes. These were augmented in the 1990s by several temporary classrooms, needed to accommodate the rising numbers of pupils, before the school was eventually demolished to make way for the new

building. Before the

City Learning Centre A City Learning Centre is a facility in the United Kingdom which provides ICT-based learning opportunities for the pupils at the host school, for pupils at a network of surrounding schools and for the wider community. The centre aims to enhance ...

was opened the school had two assembly halls, known as the East Hall and the West Hall.

Academic performance

At the time of its closure, the school had around 130 staff members and around 1,200 pupils from between the ages of 11 and 16. The school had no

sixth form In the education systems of England, Northern Ireland, Wales, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago and some other Commonwealth countries, sixth form represents the final two years of secondary education, ages 16 to 18. Pupils typically prepare for A-l ...

, but many leaving pupils went on to study

A-levels The A-Level (Advanced Level) is a subject-based qualification conferred as part of the General Certificate of Education, as well as a school leaving qualification offered by the educational bodies in the United Kingdom and the educational aut ...

and other further qualifications at nearby colleges, principally

Thomas Rotherham College (Lest We Should Appear Ungrateful) , established = , closed = , type = 16–19 academy , religious_affiliation = , president = , head_label = Interim Principal , head = David Naisbitt , r_head_label = ...

and

Rotherham College of Arts and Technology Rotherham College (formerly Rotherham College of Arts and Technology shortened to RCAT) is a further education college in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England. It was established as Rotherham School of Science and Art in the 19th century. From ...

. At its best, examination results in

GCSEs 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 ...

and GNVQs at Old Hall were among the best in the area: in 2003 (the year before the school finally closed), 61% of pupils attained 5 or more A*-C grades or equivalent, compared to a national average of 53% and a local average of 45%.

Long March

A tradition in the school was the holding of a “Long March” each year, in which all pupils in the school took part in a sponsored walk to raise money for local and national

charities A charitable organization or charity is an organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being (e.g. educational, religious or other activities serving the public interest or common good). The legal definition of a cha ...

. Originally taking place around Kimberworth and Scholes. Derwent and

Ladybower Ladybower Reservoir is a large Y-shaped, artificial reservoir, the lowest of three in the Upper Derwent Valley in Derbyshire, England. The River Ashop flows into the reservoir from the west; the River Derwent flows south, initially through How ...

Reservoirs in the

Peak District The Peak District is an upland area in England at the southern end of the Pennines. Mostly in Derbyshire Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District National Park, the southe ...

, it was later moved to

Rother Valley Country Park The Rother Valley Country Park is a country park in the Metropolitan Borough of Rotherham, South Yorkshire, close to Rotherham's border with Sheffield and Derbyshire. It covers 3 square kilometres (740 acres), has four artificial lakes, recre ...

due to safety concerns. The tradition has been continued by pupils at

, to raise money for an astro-turf pitch.

Ofsted inspections

Between the commencement of

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 ...

inspections in September 1993 and the school's closure in August 2004, it underwent two full inspections:

References

External links

Description of Old Hall/Winterhill school at the time of its demolition

Fire on 26 July 2004
{{Schools in Rotherham Defunct schools in Rotherham Educational institutions disestablished in 2004 2004 disestablishments in England