Urmston Grammar (known as Urmston Grammar School until September 2010), is a co-educational
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 ...
in
Urmston
Urmston is a town in Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, which had a population of 41,825 at the 2011 Census. Historically in Lancashire, it is southwest of Manchester city centre. The southern boundary is the River Mersey, with Stretford ...
, Greater Manchester, England. It is an
academy
An academy ( Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy ...
located within the
Trafford
Trafford is a metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England, with an estimated population of 235,493 in 2017. It covers Retrieved on 13 December 2007. and includes the area of Old Trafford and the towns of Altrincham, Stretford, Ur ...
Local Authority
Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of public administration within a particular sovereign state. This particular usage of the word government refers specifically to a level of administration that is both geographically-loca ...
area, though not controlled by it.
History
Founded in 1929, Urmston Grammar was initially co-Ed but in the early 60s a new Urmston Grammar School for Boys was built due to overcrowding at Newton Road. Later the two schools rejoined with Urmston Grammar School for Girls to become one again. Since then the school has developed various new buildings and facilities. These include the Reading Room, the Theatre and the Fitness Suite as well as a state of the art Music Room which was opened by
George Fenton
George Richard Ian Howe (born 19 October 1949), known professionally as George Fenton, is an English composer. Best known for his work writing film scores and music for television, he has received five Academy Award nominations, several Ivor No ...
. The school offers a secure environment with access to the very latest facilities, including cloud access and campus wide WiFi. Urmston Grammar was awarded specialist
Science College
Science Colleges were introduced in 2002 as part of the now defunct Specialist Schools Programme in the United Kingdom. The system enabled secondary schools to specialise in certain fields, in this case, science and mathematics. Schools that suc ...
status in 2004 and later, in 2007 it was awarded High Performing Specialist College status, and as from April 2008
Language College
Language Colleges were introduced in 1995 as part of the specialist schools programme (SSP) in the United Kingdom. The system enabled secondary schools to specialise in certain fields, in this case, modern foreign languages. Schools that successf ...
status as a second specialism. Urmston Grammar School converted to academy status as of September 2010, where it was 1 of the first 32 schools to convert, since then it has been known as Urmston Grammar. In the English Baccalaureate the school appeared 55th in the list of state schools in England.
Academic performance
The majority of the school's pupils go on to higher education; in the 2005 academic year, 90% went on to university.
Urmston Grammar's most recent Ofsted report (2008) graded the school as "outstanding".
In GCSE, 60% of all examinations sat were awarded either A/A* grade in 2010 which increased to 63% in 2014 and has been roughly at this level since. 2013 Urmston Grammar achieved 80% in the Baccalaureate.
In A-level the school generally achieves 60% A*-B, which increases roughly by 1% year-on-year with 2017 Urmston Grammar students recording their highest number of A*-A grades. In 2011 the school was placed 89th in The Guardian 'Top 100 Selective Schools' and in 2012 was placed 86th in
The Independent
''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...
'The Top 100 Selective Schools at A-level'.
Extra-curricular activities
The school has a range of extra-curricular activities including sport, music, drama and science-related clubs and activities such as debating. Café Scientifique gives students the chance to discuss science-related topics; it is the longest running
Café Scientifique
Café Scientifique currently exists in more than 60 towns and cities across the United Kingdom and world-wide. It was the idea of Duncan Dallas, from Leeds, who was impressed by the Café Philosophique session he saw in France. Café Scientifiqu ...
programme in the UK.
The school has a rooftop greenhouse and a Biology Garden.
Pupils have the opportunity to make residential visits at home and abroad.
Notable former pupils
*
Air Vice-Marshal
Air vice-marshal (AVM) is a two-star air officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force. The rank is also used by the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence and it is sometimes u ...
Steven Chisnall
CB, Station Commander of
RAF Halton
Royal Air Force Halton, or more simply RAF Halton, is one of the largest Royal Air Force stations in the United Kingdom. It is located near the village of Halton near Wendover, Buckinghamshire. The site has been in use since the First World W ...
1998–99
* William Hall, Professor of Nuclear Engineering 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 ...
1959–86 and pioneer of the
British nuclear power industry
*
Stephen Hesford
Stephen Hesford (born 27 May 1957) is a British Labour politician and barrister who served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Wirral West from 1997 to 2010.
Early life
Born in Lowton St Mary's, near Leigh, Lancashire, Hesford was educated at ...
, MP
*
Paul Honeyford
Paul Honeyford (born Manchester, 1958) is an English biographer and writer who has worked on a number of music- and sport- related works. He has often worked with Dave Heaven, a musician, on a variety of musical and design projects.
Honeyford's b ...
, biographer and linguist
*
Keith Hopwood
Keith Hopwood (born 26 October 1946) is an English pop and rock musician, singer-songwriter, composer, businessman and record producer, who served as the rhythm guitarist and backing vocals for the 1960s pop band, Herman's Hermits. Hopwood als ...
, guitarist with
Herman's Hermits
Herman's Hermits are an English beat, rock and pop group formed in 1964 in Manchester, originally called Herman and His Hermits and featuring lead singer Peter Noone. Produced by Mickie Most, the Hermits charted with number ones in the UK a ...
*
Judy Loe
Judith Margaret Loe (born 6 March 1947) is an English actress. She was married to actor Richard Beckinsale until his death in 1979, and later married director Roy Battersby. She is the mother of actress Kate Beckinsale, and the stepmother of Ka ...
, actress & mother of
Kate Beckinsale
Kathrin Romany Beckinsale (born 26 July 1973) is an English actress and model. After some minor television roles, her film debut was ''Much Ado About Nothing'' (1993) while a student at the University of Oxford. She appeared in British costume ...
*
Ray Lowry
Ray Lowry (28 August 1944 – 14 October 2008) was an English cartoonist, illustrator and satirist, possessing a highly distinctive style and wit. He contributed to ''The Guardian'', ''Private Eye'', ''Punch'', ''Tatler'' and ''NME'', among man ...
, cartoonist, illustrator and satirist
* Sir
Patrick Russell, high court judge and Lord Justice
*
Matthew Kelly
Matthew Kelly (born David Allan Kelly, 9 May 1950) is an English actor and presenter. Having been trained as a theatre actor, he first came to public prominence as a television presenter of ITV light entertainment shows such as ''Game for a L ...
, TV personality and host of
Stars in Their Eyes
''Stars in Their Eyes'' is a British television talent series, based on Joop van den Ende's Dutch format ''Soundmixshow''. It featured a singing contest in which members of the public impersonate showbiz stars.
The show premiered on 21 July 1 ...
.
*
Paul Stenning
Paul David Stenning (born 12 June 1976) is an English author, ghostwriter and poet. He has written twenty-nine books, of fiction, non-fiction, poetry and biography. The best-known of his books is ''The Robert Pattinson Album'', a biography of R ...
, biographer and ghostwriter
*
Thomas Brady, professional rugby union player for
Leicester Tigers
Leicester Tigers (officially Leicester Football Club) are a professional rugby union club based in Leicester, England. They play in Premiership Rugby, England's top division of rugby.
The club was founded in 1880 and since 1892 plays its hom ...
, formerly with
Sale Sharks
Sale Sharks is a professional rugby union club from Greater Manchester, England. They play in Premiership Rugby, England's top division of rugby.
Originally founded in 1861 as Sale Football Club, now a distinct amateur club, they adopted the n ...
* Adam Brown, radio presenter at
Radio X
*
Patrick Larley
Patrick Larley (born 1951) is a British composer.
Biography
He was born in Frodsham, Cheshire, England and lived at Fearnhead in Warrington. Patrick is the third of the four children of Ian A. and Helen Dunsmuir/Larley:
Larley studied organ ...
, composer
* Steve Taylor, lecturer and author
References
{{Authority control
Grammar schools in Trafford
Academies in Trafford
*