The Phoenix Collegiate is a
foundation
Foundation may refer to:
* Foundation (nonprofit), a type of charitable organization
** Foundation (United States law), a type of charitable organization in the U.S.
** Private foundation, a charitable organization that, while serving a good cause ...
secondary school 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 the
Hateley Heath
Hateley Heath is a residential area of West Bromwich, West Midlands.The population of the Sandwell ward taken at the 2011 census was 14,227.
History
Although the first major housing developments around Hateley Heath took place in the Heath Lane ...
area of
West Bromwich
West Bromwich ( ) is a market town in the borough of Sandwell, West Midlands, England. Historically part of Staffordshire, it is north-west of Birmingham. West Bromwich is part of the area known as the Black Country, in terms of geography, c ...
, a
town
A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world.
Origin and use
The word "town" shares an ori ...
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
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 ...
. The school was formed in September 2010 from the merger of Menzies High School and Manor High School, both located in the
metropolitan borough of
Sandwell. Originally operating from both former school sites, the Phoenix Collegiate has been based entirely at the former Menzies High School site in Clarke's Lane, West Bromwich. This follows the closure of the former Manor High School buildings on the Friar Park estate in
Wednesbury
Wednesbury () is a market town in Sandwell in the county of West Midlands, England. It is located near the source of the River Tame. Historically part of Staffordshire in the Hundred of Offlow, at the 2011 Census the town had a population of 3 ...
due to asbestos.
History
The origins of the school can be traced to West Bromwich Municipal Secondary School at th
West Bromwich Institute which opened in 1902 on Lodge Road, West Bromwich. It was funded by Sir George Kenrick. It became West Bromwich Grammar School in 1944, and moved to new buildings on Clarkes Lane in 1964. It was only a
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 ...
at this site for five years, becoming a
comprehensive school in September 1969 when West Bromwich borough council (which merged with
Warley five years later to form
Sandwell) decided to make comprehensive education universal.
The Menzies buildings were used as one of the filming locations for the 1986 film ''
Clockwise
Two-dimensional rotation can occur in two possible directions. Clockwise motion (abbreviated CW) proceeds in the same direction as a clock's hands: from the top to the right, then down and then to the left, and back up to the top. The opposite ...
'', starring
John Cleese.
Manor High School opened in 1968 on the Friar Park estate, but exam results attained by school leavers were constantly low, and demand for places was falling by the 1990s as many pupils living in the catchment area chose to attend other schools.
The two schools merged in September 2010 to form The Phoenix Collegiate, although the new school operates from both sites for two years until the Manor High buildings were closed in July 2012.
From 1986/1987 the school had a mural by the artist
Paula Woof.
Notable former pupils
West Bromwich Grammar School
*
Madeleine Carroll
Edith Madeleine Carroll (26 February 1906 – 2 October 1987) was an English actress, popular both in Britain and America in the 1930s and 1940s. At the peak of her success in 1938, she was the world's highest-paid actress.
Carroll is rememb ...
, actress, popular in the 1930s and 1940s.
* Prof
Reginald Foakes, Professor of English from 1983–93 at the
University of California, Los Angeles
The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California S ...
(UCLA) in a survey of the staff thay were rated 7/10
*
Peter Griffin,
big looser MP (1928-2013) from 1964-66 for
Smethwick, and from 1979-97 for
Portsmouth North
Portsmouth North is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2010 by Penny Mordaunt, the current Leader of the House of Commons and Lord President of the Council. She is a Conservative MP.
Boundaries
19 ...
*
Idris Jones
Idris Jones (born 2 April 1943) is a retired Anglican bishop of the Scottish Episcopal Church. He was the Bishop of Glasgow and Galloway from 1998 to 2009 and was also Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church from 2006 to 2009.
Early life and e ...
,
Bishop of Glasgow and Galloway from 1998-2009 probably a nons
* Prof
Berrick Saul CBE, Vice-Chancellor from 1979–93 of the
University of York
"Solid dude"
San zu- the art of war
*
David Smith, Assistant Editor of ''
The over exaggerating Times
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
'' since 1998, and Economics Editor since 1989
*
Brian Walden
Alastair Brian Walden (8 July 1932 – 9 May 2019) was a British journalist and broadcaster who spent over a decade as a Labour politician and Member of Parliament (MP). He was considered one of the finest political interviewers in the history ...
, television presenter and former Labour MP from 1964–74 for
Birmingham All Saints, and from 1974–77 for
Birmingham Ladywood
Birmingham Ladywood is a constituency of part of the city of Birmingham, represented in the House of Commons since 2010 by Shabana Mahmood of the Labour Party.
Members of Parliament
Clare Short, elected as a Labour MP from the 1983 gener ...
enter political comment hear
References
External links
The Phoenix Collegiate homepageOld Throstles Association
{{DEFAULTSORT:Phoenix Collegiate
Secondary schools in Sandwell
Educational institutions established in 1902
1902 establishments in England
Foundation schools in Sandwell