Thistley Hough Academy is a

coeducational Mixed-sex education, also known as mixed-gender education, co-education, or coeducation (abbreviated to co-ed or coed), is a system of education where males and females are educated together. Whereas single-sex education was more common up to t ...

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) ...

located in the village of

Penkhull Penkhull is a district of the city of Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England, part of Penkhull and Stoke electoral ward, and Stoke Central parliamentary constituency. Penkhull is a conservation area, and includes Grade II listed buildings suc ...

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 ...

, Staffordshire, England. The school was built in 1938 as a girls' grammar school, housed in a classical

Art Deco Art Deco, short for the French ''Arts Décoratifs'', and sometimes just called Deco, is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design, that first appeared in France in the 1910s (just before World War I), and flourished in the Unite ...

building. The old building has since been demolished and a new £15,000,000 school has been constructed. In September 2011, the new building's opening ceremony took place. The new building was opened in May 2013 by the Chairman of Stoke City Football Club,

Peter Coates Peter Coates (born 13 January 1938) is an English businessman, the co-founder of bet365, and the chairman of Stoke City Football Club. He has been listed as the 25th-richest person in British football. He founded Stadia Catering in the 1960s an ...

Admissions

Admissions are non-selective. Students can be of any religion or none, and the school does not provide religious instruction. Though the school was initially a girls' school, the school now admits male pupils.

History

The school was first opened in 1938. The current academy colours, green and purple, date from the school's inception as 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 ...

for girls. The first headmistress, Miss Bamber, was a member of the

suffragette A suffragette was a member of an activist women's organisation in the early 20th century who, under the banner "Votes for Women", fought for the right to vote in public elections in the United Kingdom. The term refers in particular to members ...

movement. Local pottery companies donated pieces of pottery for the school's reception area. The pottery is still displayed in the school library today.

Site

In the 1970s, the school was expanded. The new section cost £2 million. In 1994, the school was refurbished. In 2013, the new buildings were constructed as part of the government's Schools for the Future Sceme. The site of the demolished old school was converted into parking space and sports facilities. The school was reopened under head teacher Holly Hartley.

Robert Haines

In 2014, former ex-head teacher Robert Haines jailed for 16 months for 8 child sex offences. He had been suspended in 2012 as allegations came to light, and admitted his offences in the Stoke-on-Trent crown court.

Local Community

Abnormally high amounts of students are excluded from schools in the school's county. Despite the high cost at £5000 per pupil, in the 2018/2019 academic year 185 pupils were excluded from Staffordshire schools. Pupils are most often excluded from secondary schools, and were transferred from their last school with unaddressed "complex learning and behavioural needs". There has often been complaints about pupils' "anti-social" behaviour in the local area. In 2019, increased numbers of local police were sent to patrol the school and its immediate surrounding area.

Uniform

Pupils are made to wear a plain grey jumper. Headphones are not allowed on school premises.

Notable alumni

Neil Morrissey Neil Anthony Morrissey (born 4 July 1962) is an English actor. He is known for his role as Tony in ''Men Behaving Badly''. Other notable acting roles include Deputy Head Eddie Lawson in the BBC One school-based drama series '' Waterloo Road'', ...

- actor

Thistley Hough Girls' School

Chris Keates Christine Mary Keates (born 10 October 1951) is a British trade unionist. Early life Keates grew up in Stoke-on-Trent and attended Thistley Hough Girls' School, a girls' grammar school now called Thistley Hough Academy, before studying Archaeolo ...

, General Secretary since 2004 of the

NASUWT The NASUWT is a TUC-affiliated trade union representing teachers, including headteachers, throughout the United Kingdom. The early years 1919–1976; breakaway and the formation of a new union The origins of the NASUWT can be traced back to ...

References

News items

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Students should feel very proud , This is Staffordshire
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:* This is Staffordshire:
7,000 tons of rubble add up to end of era , This is Staffordshire
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:* This is Staffordshire

External links

Official website

Ofsted inspection reports
{{authority control Secondary schools in Stoke-on-Trent Academies in Stoke-on-Trent