Abbeydale Grange School was a mixed comprehensive school in

Sheffield Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire a ...

, England, established in 1958 and closed after the 2009/10 academic year, after being listed amongst the schools with the worst GCSE examination results.

Admissions

The school was set in a green site off

Abbeydale Road Abbeydale Road and its continuation Abbeydale Road South together are an arterial main road and bus route in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The road begins at a junction with London Road near the former Royal Hotel public house. As Abbeyd ...

(part of the A621), a short bus journey from Sheffield city centre. It served both the local area and the wider city community.

Upper school

The Upper School was north of the Lower School site. Former Abbeydale Grange Upper School - geograph

Lower school

The Lower School site closed in July 2010, and was adjacent, to the south of the Upper School site.

Redevelopment

After the School was closed the site was cleared, and in 2016 it was announced that a new housing development was to be constructed on the former lower school land.

History

Grammar school

The school originated in 1958 as Abbeydale Boy's Grammar School. At its start the school had a strong academic reputation. The building of this school had begun in 1956 and was the replacement for Nether Edge Grammar School which had been founded in 1927. This school originated in 1966, a replacement for Nether Edge Grammar school for boys. It became Abbeydale Grange Comprehensive School in 1969 The school became a mixed school at that time by joining with Abbeydale Grammar school for girls.

Comprehensive

It became a comprehensive in 1969. The school closed in 2010 because of the low exam results.

Notable alumni

* Sebastian Coe (Now Baron Coe, of Ranmore), multi-gold medal-winning Olympic athlete and former chair of the UK Olympic Committee *

Kevin Davies Kevin Cyril Davies (born 26 March 1977) is an English former professional footballer who played as a striker for Chesterfield, Southampton, Blackburn Rovers, Millwall, Bolton Wanderers and Preston North End. He managed Southport in the 201 ...

English football Association football is the most popular sport in England, where the first modern set of rules for the code were established in 1863, which were a major influence on the development of the modern Laws of the Game. With over 40,000 association f ...

player who is currently a

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

* Mukhtar Mohammed, Middle-distance runner *

Gerald Phiri Gerald Phiri (born 6 October 1988) is a Zambian sprinter who participates in 60 metre, 100 metre and 200 metre events in both indoor and outdoor events. He began competing in athletics while in school and continued his career at Texas A&M Unive ...

, Zambian 100 m sprinter who qualified for the semi-finals of the London 2012 Olympic Games *

Si Spencer Si Spencer (1961 – 16 February 2021)Si Spencer, 1961-2021
at ''

, television dramatist and graphic novelist

Abbeydale Boys' Grammar School

Paul Blomfield Paul Christopher Blomfield (born 25 August 1953) is a British politician who has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Sheffield Central since 2010. A member of the Labour Party, he was a Shadow Minister for Exiting the European Union f ...

, Labour MP since 2010 for Sheffield Central * Dr Peter Briggs OBE, chief executive from 1990 to 2002 of the British Association for the Advancement of Science (since 2009 known as the

British Science Association The British Science Association (BSA) is a charity and learned society founded in 1831 to aid in the promotion and development of science. Until 2009 it was known as the British Association for the Advancement of Science (BA). The current Chie ...

), and principal from 2002 to 2009 of Southlands College, Roehampton * Sir

Keith Povey Sir Keith Povey, QPM (born 30 April 1943) was Chief Inspector of Constabulary from 2002 until 2005. Povey was educated at Abbeydale Grammar School and the University of Sheffield. Povey joined Sheffield City Police in 1962. His early service in ...

HM Chief Inspector of Constabulary His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS), formerly Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC), has statutory responsibility for the inspection of the police forces of England and Wales, and since ...

from 2002 to 2005, chief constable from 1993 to 1997 of Leicestershire Constabulary * Peter Wheeler, chemical engineer

Abbeydale Girls' Grammar School

* Sue Biggs, chief executive since 2010 of the

Royal Horticultural Society The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), founded in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London, is the UK's leading gardening charity. The RHS promotes horticulture through its five gardens at Wisley (Surrey), Hyde Hall (Essex), Harlow Carr (Nor ...

(RHS) * Lorna Binns, watercolour artist *

Valerie Howarth, Baroness Howarth of Breckland Valerie Georgina Howarth, Baroness Howarth of Breckland, (born 5 September 1940) is a British politician and a member of the House of Lords, sitting as a crossbencher. She was made an OBE in the 1999 Birthday Honours, she was created a life pee ...

OBE, founder director from 1987 to 2001 of ChildLine * Margaret Spurr OBE, president from 1985 to 1986 of the

Girls' Schools Association The Girls' Schools Association (GSA) is a professional association of the heads of independent girls' schools. It is a constituent member of the Independent Schools Council. History The GSA can trace its history back to the Association of Headm ...

, and a governor from 1993 to 1998 of the BBC

Nether Edge Grammar School

* Sir Leslie Fletcher

DSC DSC may refer to: Academia * Doctor of Science (D.Sc.) * District Selection Committee, an entrance exam in India * Doctor of Surgical Chiropody, superseded in the 1960s by Doctor of Podiatric Medicine Educational institutions * Dalton State Col ...

, chairman from 1989 to 1994 of Westland Group and from 1992 to 1995 of the

Rank Organisation The Rank Organisation was a British entertainment conglomerate founded by industrialist J. Arthur Rank in April 1937. It quickly became the largest and most vertically integrated film company in the United Kingdom, owning production, distrib ...

* Jack Smith, artist * Bob Stirling, rugby player * Prof Charles Tottle, professor of medical engineering from 1975 to 1978 at the

University of Bath (Virgil, Georgics II) , mottoeng = Learn the culture proper to each after its kind , established = 1886 (Merchant Venturers Technical College) 1960 (Bristol College of Science and Technology) 1966 (Bath University of Technology) 1971 (univ ...

, professor of metallurgy from 1959 to 1967 at the University of Manchester * Thomas Ward, artist

Abbeydale Secondary Modern School

Bill Michie William Michie (24 November 1935 – 22 September 2017) was a British politician. He was Labour Member of Parliament for Sheffield Heeley from 1983 to 2001, when he stood down. He was a member of the Socialist Campaign Group of MPs and of th ...

, Labour MP from 1983 to 2001 for Sheffield Heeley

Former teachers

* Susan Horner, director of curriculum from 2009 to 2010 at the QCA, now the

Qualifications and Curriculum Development Agency The Qualifications and Curriculum Development Agency (QCDA) was a charity, and an executive non-departmental public body (NDPB) of the Department for Education. In England and Northern Ireland, the QCDA maintained and developed the National ...

(English teacher from 1974 to 1979) * Eileen Stamers-Smith, headmistress from 1984 to 1985 of Malvern Girls' College (taught English at the girls' grammar school from 1952 to 1957) Abbeydale Grange Lower School - geograph

Abbeydale Grange Lower School - geograph

References

External links

Ofsted Report
{{Schools in Sheffield Defunct schools in Sheffield Educational institutions established in 1958 1958 establishments in England Educational institutions disestablished in 2010 2010 disestablishments in England