The Kingsway Academy (formerly Wallasey School) was 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) ...

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

Leasowe Leasowe () is a village in the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral in Merseyside, England. Historically within Cheshire (ceased to be in 1974), Leasowe was part of the old County Borough of Wallasey. It is now within the Leasowe and Moreton East War ...

in the

English county The counties of England are areas used for different purposes, which include administrative, geographical, cultural and political demarcation. The term "county" is defined in several ways and can apply to similar or the same areas used by each ...

Merseyside Merseyside ( ) is a metropolitan county, metropolitan and ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North West England, with a population of List of ceremonial counties of England, 1.38 million. It encompasses both banks of the Merse ...

. Wallasey Grammar School in the Wirral area was first constructed on St George's Road. A picture was painted by Victorian artist John Henry Robinson (1852-1922) of the first school building, and another by Harold Hopps (1879-1967) In 1876 it moved to Withens Lane. It moved again to a site purchased from the Navy in 1911, moving its former premises on Flag Field. The site once occupied by the now defunct grammar school is now occupied by Liscard Primary School. A Technical College was opened next door in 1963. The grammar moved to Leasowe in 1967, and later became Wallasey Comprehensive School. Previously a community school administered by

Wirral Metropolitan Borough Council Wirral Metropolitan Borough Council, or simply Wirral Council, is the local authority of the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral in Merseyside, England. It is a metropolitan district council, one of five in Merseyside and one of 36 in the metropolit ...

, Wallasey School converted to academy status in February 2015. However the school had already been renamed The Kingsway Academy in September 2014. On 3 July 2017 it was confirmed by the school that it would close down in August 2018. The Kingsway Academy then officially closed on 31 August 2018.

Notable former pupils

Wallasey Grammar School

* Brooke Benjamin FRS, physicist, known for nonlinear differential equations *

Peter Benson (actor) Peter Henry Benson (3 April 1943 – 6 September 2018) was a British actor, best known for his role as Bernie Scripps in the popular ITV television series '' Heartbeat'', a police drama set in the fictional Yorkshire village of Aidensfield duri ...

* Robert Campbell (art gallery director) *

Arthur Christiansen Arthur Robin Christiansen (27 July 1904 – 27 September 1963) was a British journalist, and editor of Lord Beaverbrook's newspaper the '' Daily Express'' from 1933 to 1957. Christiansen was born in Wallasey, Cheshire to Louis Niels Chris ...

, editor from 1933 to 1957 of the ''

Daily Express The ''Daily Express'' is a national daily United Kingdom middle-market newspaper printed in tabloid format. Published in London, it is the flagship of Express Newspapers, owned by publisher Reach plc. It was first published as a broadsheet i ...

'' *

Alan Clarke Alan John Clarke (28 October 1935 – 24 July 1990) was an English television and film director, producer and writer. Life and career Clarke was born in Wallasey, Wirral, England. Most of Clarke's output was for television rather than cinema, ...

, television and film director, who directed the 1987 film ''

Rita, Sue and Bob Too ''Rita, Sue and Bob Too'' is a 1987 British comedy-drama film directed by Alan Clarke, set in Bradford, West Yorkshire about two teenaged schoolgirls who have a sexual fling with a married man. It was adapted by Andrea Dunbar, based on two of ...

'' *

William Crampton William George (Bill) Crampton (5 May 1936 – 4 June 1997) was a British vexillologist. His chief legacy, the Flag Institute, has hundreds of members in the UK and overseas. He was recognised as Britain's foremost authority on flags by governme ...

vexillologist Vexillology ( ) is the study of the history, symbolism and usage of flags or, by extension, any interest in flags in general.Smith, Whitney. ''Flags Through the Ages and Across the World'' New York: McGraw-Hill, 1975. Print. The word is a synth ...

(flags) *

Fred Jarvis Frederick Frank Jarvis CBE (8 September 1924 – 15 June 2020) was a British trade union leader. He was President of the National Union of Students (NUS) from 1952 to 1954 and General Secretary of the National Union of Teachers (NUT) from 197 ...

, trade union leader *

Albert Edward Litherland Albert Edward "Ted" Litherland (born 12 March 1928, in Wallasey, UK) is a nuclear physicist, known for his pioneering work in accelerator mass spectroscopy (AMS). Education and career Litherland earned a BSc in 1949 and a PhD in 1955 from the ...

FRS FRSC, physicist *

Neil McKechnie Neil McKechnie (28 April 1939 – 6 June 2006) was a British swimmer. He competed in two events at the 1956 Summer Olympics. He also represented England and won a bronze medal in the medley relay at the 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth ...

, swimmer in the 400m freestyle at the

1956 Summer Olympics The 1956 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVI Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, from 22 November to 8 December 1956, with the exception of the equestrian events, whi ...

in Melbourne *

Fred Perry Frederick John Perry (18 May 1909 – 2 February 1995) was a British tennis and table tennis player and former world No. 1 from England who won 10 Majors including eight Grand Slam tournaments and two Pro Slams single titles, as well ...

, tennis player (briefly in 1920) *

Major-General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

Freddie Plaskett Major-General Frederick Joseph Plaskett CB MBE (23 October 1926 – 1 September 2018) was a British soldier who was later chief executive of the British Road Haulage Association until 1988 and colonel commandant of the Royal Corps of Transport T ...

CB MBE, Director-General from 1981 to 1988 of the

Road Haulage Association The Road Haulage Association Ltd (RHA) is a private company limited by guarantee dedicated to the interests of the road haulage industry. It is the only trade association in the United Kingdom dedicated solely to road haulage. As a trade associ ...

Graham Stark Graham William Stark (20 January 1922 – 29 October 2013) was an English comedian, actor, writer and director. Early life The son of a purser on transatlantic liners,

, actor, notably as policemen in ''

The Pink Panther ''The Pink Panther'' is an American media franchise primarily focusing on a series of comedy-mystery films featuring an inept French police detective, Inspector Jacques Clouseau. The franchise began with the release of the classic film '' The Pi ...

'' films *

Cyril Taylor (doctor) Cyril Taylor (9 March 1921 – 11 December 2000) was a medical doctor in general practice and politician in Liverpool. He was born in New Brighton to orthodox Jewish parents. The family changed their name from Zadesky to reflect his father's prof ...

, pioneered NHS health centres, and President from 1980 to 1989 of the

Socialist Health Association The Socialist Health Association (SHA, called the Socialist Medical Association before May 1981) is a socialist medical association based in the United Kingdom. It is affiliated to the Labour Party as a socialist society. History The Social ...

* Sir

Malcolm Thornton Sir George Malcolm Thornton (born 3 April 1939) is a British Conservative politician who served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Liverpool Garston from 1979 to 1983, and for Crosby from 1983 to 1997. Education He was educated at Wallasey G ...

, Conservative MP from 1979 to 1983 for Liverpool Garston, and from 1983 to 1997 for

Crosby Crosby may refer to: Places ;Canada *Crosby, Ontario, part of the township of Rideau Lakes, Ontario *Crosby, Ontario, a neighbourhood in the city of Markham, Ontario ;England *Crosby, Cumbria *Crosby, Lincolnshire *Crosby, Merseyside ** Crosby (U ...

(replacing

Shirley Williams Shirley Vivian Teresa Brittain Williams, Baroness Williams of Crosby, (' Catlin; 27 July 1930 – 12 April 2021) was a British politician and academic. Originally a Labour Party Member of Parliament (MP), she served in the Labour cabinet from ...

) * Victor Tindall CBE, rugby union international, and later Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology from 1972 at the University of Manchester * Prof Robert Williams FRS, chemist, won the

Royal Medal The Royal Medal, also known as The Queen's Medal and The King's Medal (depending on the gender of the monarch at the time of the award), is a silver-gilt medal, of which three are awarded each year by the Royal Society, two for "the most important ...

in 1995 * Sir

Alan Herries Wilson Sir Alan Herries Wilson (2 July 1906 – 30 September 1995), was a British mathematician and industrialist. He was educated at Wallasey Grammar School and at Emmanuel College, Cambridge, obtaining a BA degree in mathematics in 1926. His graduate ...

FRS, mathematician, Chairman from 1963 to 1973 of

Glaxo GSK plc, formerly GlaxoSmithKline plc, is a British multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology company with global headquarters in London, England. Established in 2000 by a merger of Glaxo Wellcome and SmithKline Beecham. GSK is the tent ...

, and President from 1963 to 1964 of the

Institute of Physics The Institute of Physics (IOP) is a UK-based learned society and professional body that works to advance physics education, research and application. It was founded in 1874 and has a worldwide membership of over 20,000. The IOP is the Physica ...

Peter Worsley Peter Maurice Worsley (6 May 1924 – 15 March 2013) was a noted British sociologist and social anthropologist. He was a major figure in both anthropology and sociology, and is noted for introducing the term ''Third World'' into English. H ...

, sociologist who coined the term ''

Third World The term "Third World" arose during the Cold War to define countries that remained non-aligned with either NATO or the Warsaw Pact. The United States, Canada, Japan, South Korea, Western European nations and their allies represented the " First ...

'', and Professor of Sociology from 1964 at the

University of Manchester , mottoeng = Knowledge, Wisdom, Humanity , established = 2004 – University of Manchester Predecessor institutions: 1956 – UMIST (as university college; university 1994) 1904 – Victoria University of Manchester 1880 – Victoria Univer ...

References

External links

The Kingsway Academy official website

Wallasey Grammar School

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kingsway Academy Defunct schools in the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral 2018 disestablishments in England Educational institutions disestablished in 2018

Notable former pupils

Wallasey Grammar School

See also

References

Further reading

External links