Allerton Grange School 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 ...
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 '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...
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 ...
located in
Moortown, Leeds
Moortown is an affluent suburb of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England in the LS17 and LS8 postcode district. It is a civil parish and sits in the Moortown ward of Leeds City Council in the north east of the city.
It is situated between Roundhay ...
,
West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a metropolitan and ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and Humber Region of England. It is an inland and upland county having eastward-draining valleys while taking in the moors of the Pennines. West Yorkshire came into exi ...
, England. The school has around 1,500 pupils.
History
Allerton Grange was established in 1953 in response to the natural increase in the number of school-aged children following the Second World War. It was built on part of the site of Allerton Grange - a medieval grange which was part of the Kirkstall Abbey estate. The grange itself no longer exists and housing has been erected on the site.
The original buildings were built in the 1950s (Middle School) and 1960s (High School) and equipped with a
swimming pool
A swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, paddling pool, or simply pool, is a structure designed to hold water to enable Human swimming, swimming or other leisure activities. Pools can be built into the ground (in-ground pools) or built ...
and full size
athletic track. In 1992 the two schools merged into one secondary modern school, which continued to use the buildings of the previous schools until a new school building was completed in 2009 as part of the
Building Schools for the Future
Building Schools for the Future (BSF) was the name given to the British government's investment programme in secondary school buildings in England in the 2000s. The programme was ambitious in its costs, timescales and objectives, with politicia ...
programme.
The demolition of the old school buildings was completed in 2010.
Uniform
The school uniform consists of black shoes, grey tailored trousers or skirt, a white shirt and a navy blue blazer with the school emblem. Students wear a tie (navy and light blue for lower school, navy and red for upper school) and may also wear a grey jumper.
School Emblem and Motto
The school emblem consists of the Yorkshire Rose
The White Rose of York (Latinised as ''rosa alba'', blazoned as ''a rose argent'') is a white heraldic rose which was adopted in the 14th century as a heraldic badge of the royal House of York. In modern times it is used more broadly as a s ...
and the year 1953, which is when the school was established. The school motto, as created by staff and agreed by students and parents, is 'Aspire, Grow, Succeed'.
Ofsted
The school was last inspected in January 2020 and was judged as a school with an Ofsted rating of 'good'.
Controversy
Just before a weekend of rallies held in support of the Palestinian people in May 2021, headteacher Mike Roper made a speech in an assembly requesting that the Palestinian Flag
The flag of Palestine ( ar, علم فلسطين) is a tricolor of three equal horizontal stripes (black, white, and green from top to bottom) overlaid by a red triangle issuing from the hoist. This flag is derived from the Pan-Arab colors and ...
not be displayed around the school, as some people view it as a symbol of terrorism. This was recorded by a pupil on a mobile phone. It went viral on the internet causing sit down protests in other schools across England, and by parents.Leeds City Council
Leeds City Council is the local authority of the City of Leeds in West Yorkshire, England. It is a metropolitan district council, one of five in West Yorkshire and one of 36 in the metropolitan counties of England, and provides the majority of ...
issued a letter of apology a week later.
Notable former pupils
* David Batty
David Batty (born 2 December 1968) is an English former professional footballer who played as a defensive midfielder.
Batty played for Leeds United, Blackburn Rovers and Newcastle United. Whilst with Leeds he was part of the team that won the ...
, former midfield player for Leeds United F.C.
Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire in England. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of England's football league system, and plays its home matches at Elland R ...
* Jonathan Cainer
Jonathan Cainer (18 December 1957 – 2 May 2016) was a British astrologer. He wrote astrological predictions six days a week for the ''Daily Mail,'' and forecasts for three Australian newspapers: the '' Sydney Daily Telegraph'', the '' Melbo ...
, ''Daily Mail
The ''Daily Mail'' is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper and news websitePeter Wilb"Paul Dacre of the Daily Mail: The man who hates liberal Britain", ''New Statesman'', 19 December 2013 (online version: 2 January 2014) publish ...
'' astrologer (left with no O-levels
The O-Level (Ordinary Level) is a subject-based qualification conferred as part of the General Certificate of Education. It was introduced in place of the School Certificate in 1951 as part of an educational reform alongside the more in-depth ...
), started at the ''International Times
''International Times'' (''it'' or ''IT'') is the name of various underground newspapers, with the original title founded in London in 1966 and running until October 1973. Editors included John "Hoppy" Hopkins, David Mair ...
''
* Brian Deane
Brian Christopher Deane (born 7 February 1968) is an English football coach and former player. His most recent managerial position was as the manager of the Norwegian side Sarpsborg 08.
During his playing career, he played as forward from 19 ...
,Caleb Folan
Caleb Colman Folan (born 26 October 1982) is a former professional footballer who played as a striker. Born in England, he represented the Republic of Ireland in international football, qualifying through grandparents on his maternal side from ...
, former Hull City A.F.C.
Hull City Association Football Club is a professional football club based in Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England, that compete in the . They have played home games at the MKM Stadium since moving from Boothferry Park in 2002. The club's t ...
, footballer
* Damien Hirst
Damien Steven Hirst (; né
Brennan; born 7 June 1965) is an English artist, entrepreneur, and art collector. He is one of the Young British Artists (YBAs) who dominated the art scene in the UK during the 1990s. He is reportedly the United Kingd ...
Siemens
Siemens AG ( ) is a German multinational conglomerate corporation and the largest industrial manufacturing company in Europe headquartered in Munich with branch offices abroad.
The principal divisions of the corporation are ''Industry'', ''E ...
UK
* Richard Naylor
Richard Alan Naylor (born 28 February 1977) is an English former footballer who played as a centre-back.
Naylor started his career at Ipswich Town, where he played as a striker up until he was moved to centre-back by Joe Royle in 2002; he c ...
, former centre-back for Ipswich Town F.C.
Ipswich Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Ipswich, Suffolk, England. They play in League One, the third tier of the English football league system.
The club was founded in 1878 but did not turn profession ...
* John Peacock, footballer
* John Porter (musician), music producer for The Smiths
The Smiths were an English rock band formed in Manchester in 1982. They comprised the singer Morrissey, the guitarist Johnny Marr, the bassist Andy Rourke and the drummer Mike Joyce. They are regarded as one of the most important acts to eme ...
Notable former staff
* Henry Patterson (Jack Higgins
Henry "Harry" Patterson (27 July 1929 – 9 April 2022), commonly known by his pen name Jack Higgins, was a British author. He was a best-selling author of popular thrillers and espionage novels. His novel '' The Eagle Has Landed'' (1975) so ...
), who wrote '' The Eagle Has Landed''
Notes
References
External links
History of Palestine Shanty
on the Independent.
{{authority control
Community schools in Leeds
Secondary schools in Leeds
1953 establishments in England
Educational institutions established in 1953