Pool Hayes Academy is a mixed

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) ...

and

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 ...

located in

Willenhall Willenhall is a market town situated in the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall, in the West Midlands, England, with a population taken at the 2011 census of 28,480. It is situated between Wolverhampton and Walsall, historically in the county of St ...

, in the

West Midlands West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sun sets on the Earth. Etymology The word "west" is a Germanic word passed into some ...

of England. It is one of the biggest secondary schools in 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, ...

Buildings

Construction of the school began in the early 1960s. Pool Hayes Farm was levelled and a nearby pool plus Pool Hayes Colliery were filled in to make way for the school. Patricks Lane was renamed 'Pool Hayes Lane' and was redeveloped in 1965. The school itself was opened in 1964 around the same time as construction of the surrounding areas (including housing), was still in progress. During 2006 the school came under partial redevelopment. The original 40-years old wooden windows were removed and replaced by new PVC framed windows. The I.T block was also redeveloped along with the tennis court, plus automatic doors replaced the original 60s wooden ones in the reception area. The maths section was altered as part of the redevelopment, with the two original doors either side being bricked over and replaced with a main door, which faces the grassy area.

School performance and inspection judgements

As of 2022, the school's most recent inspection by

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 ...

was in 2022, with a judgement of Good.

Headteachers

* First: Harold Chamings * Second: Ian Lancaster * Third: Peter Mitchell * Fourth: Jim Clarke, retired 2013 * Fifth: Matthew Allman, 2013 to 2016 * Sixth: Luke Baker, 2016 to 2018 * Seventh: Ms P. Harris, 2018 to 2021 * Eighth: Mr T. McDowall, 2021 to 2022 * Current: Mr A. Lawrence

Specialist status

In September 2006, Pool Hayes was designated a

Specialist Status Specialist schools in the United Kingdom (sometimes branded as specialist colleges in England and Northern Ireland) are schools with an emphasis or focus in a specific specialised subject area, which is called a specialism, or alternatively in t ...

as an

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 ...

which brought an increase in resources to support Drama, Music Technology and Creative Technology. This Specialist Status also carries with it the challenge of raising standards in those subjects throughout the school.

Academisation

Previously administered by

Walsall Metropolitan Borough Council Walsall Council, formerly Walsall Metropolitan Borough Council was created in 1974 to administer the newly formed Metropolitan Borough of Walsall. Walsall Metropolitan Borough Council was assessed by the Audit Commission in 2008 and judged to ...

, in February 2016 Pool Hayes Arts and Community School was converted to academy status, and was renamed Pool Hayes Academy. The school is now part of the Academy Transformation Trust, but continues to coordinate with Walsall Metropolitan Borough Council for admissions.

Notable former pupils

* Mark Davies, footballer with

Wolverhampton Wanderers Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club (), commonly known as Wolves, is a professional football club based in Wolverhampton, England, which compete in the . The club has played at Molineux Stadium since moving from Dudley Road in 1889. The club's ...

and

Bolton Wanderers Bolton Wanderers Football Club () is a professional football club based in Horwich, Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in . The club played at Burnden Park for 102 years from 1895 after moving from their original home at Pike's ...

References

External links

Official School Website
{{authority control Secondary schools in Walsall Academies in Walsall Specialist arts colleges in England