Pelsall Comprehensive School was a secondary school located in

Pelsall Pelsall is a village in the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall, West Midlands, England. Forming part of the borough's border with Staffordshire, Pelsall is located 4 miles north of central Walsall, midway between the towns of Bloxwich and Brown ...

, an area of the

Metropolitan Borough of Walsall The Metropolitan Borough of Walsall is a metropolitan borough in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. It is named after its largest settlement, Walsall, but covers a larger area which also includes Aldridge, Bloxwich, Brownhills, ...

in the West Midlands of

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 opened in September 1963 as Pelsall Secondary Modern (serving pupils aged 11 upwards), becoming a 13–18 comprehensive school in September 1972 under a local reorganisation of education by

Aldridge Aldridge is an industrial town in the Walsall borough, West Midlands, England. It is historically a village that was part of Staffordshire until 1974. The town is from Brownhills, from Walsall, from Sutton Coldfield and from Lichfield. ...

Brownhills Brownhills is a town and former administrative centre in the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall, West Midlands, England. A few miles south of Cannock Chase and close to the large Chasewater reservoir, it is northeast of Walsall, a similar dista ...

council, which would be absorbed into the Walsall borough two years later. The age range was altered to 11–18 from September 1986, when Walsall MBC decided to abolish the three-tier system in the former Aldridge-Brownhills part of the borough and bring the area's schools into line with the rest of Walsall. A new Science block was added in the mid 1970s. Due to falling pupil numbers, The school closed in July 1994 after serving the community of Pelsall for 31 years. Eighteen months before its closure, the school suffered a tragedy when 13-year-old pupil Donna Cooper was killed by a speeding stolen car near the school on 6 January 1993. The driver of the car, 17-year-old Carl Sherwood from

Goscote Goscote was a wapentake in the county of Leicestershire, England; consisting of the north and north-west of the county. It was recorded in the Domesday Book, but as the wapentakes evolved to form hundreds, was split into East Goscote Hundred ...

, was found guilty of manslaughter later that year and sentenced to seven years in youth custody. His accomplice, 26-year-old

Blakenall Heath Blakenall Heath is a suburban village in the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall in the West Midlands County, England. It straddles the border of Walsall and Bloxwich. Historically the village was a part of Staffordshire. It was originally a rural a ...

man Nigel Button, received a -year sentence (later reduced by a year on appeal) for two charges of aggravated vehicle taking. Three other teenage occupants of the car received supervision orders. The buildings are now home to Rushall JMI School, Education Walsall offices and a teacher training centre. The playing fields have remained intact.

References

External links

History of the school
Defunct schools in Walsall Educational institutions established in 1963 1963 establishments in England Educational institutions disestablished in 1994 1994 disestablishments in England {{WestMidlands-school-stub