Burnage High School
Encyclopedia
Burnage Media Arts College (formerly Burnage High School) is an all-boys secondary school in Burnage
, Manchester
, England
.
for over 30 years before becoming a comprehensive school
in 1967, when most secondary schools in Manchester became comprehensives.
on the junction of Parrs Wood Road and Briarfield Road in Withington
. This site then became the lower school (for years 7 - 9) while the Burnage Lane site remained the upper school (for years 10 & 11 and the sixth form). This remained the case until 2000, when the lower and upper schools were amalgamated. All students are now based solely at the Burnage Lane site, which was expanded with a new building in 1999 and a new Sports Hall in 2001, though the school no longer has a sixth form. The lower school site on Parrs Wood Road was demolished following its closure and a new housing estate was built in its place.
In 2010, the school was reconstructed under the Building Schools for the Future
initiative which saw the original 1930s and 1950s buildings replaced by a new building. The 1999 building was refurbished and the Sports Hall (built in 2001) was also improved with a new gymnasium. On completion of the new main building, the old buildings were demolished and the grounds they once stood on were resurfaced to provide all-weather sports facilities.
, Levenshulme
, Longsight
, Rusholme
, Fallowfield
, Withington
, Hulme
, Ardwick
, and Burnage
itself. The majority of students live in Longsight, Levenshulme, Rusholme and Ardwick wards, which suffer from high levels of poverty, deprivation and crime. As mentioned in its 2010 OFSTED
report, over 90% of the school's students are from ethnic minorities, and over 64% are of South Asian heritage with more than 50% of all students speaking English as an additional language.
report was conducted in 2010 and rated the school as "Satisfactory" (Grade 3). This was a dip from the previous 2006 report in which the school was rated "Good" (Grade 2).
(DCSF) since 2001 are as follows:
Percentage of students achieving 5 or more GCSE A* - C results or equivalent (national average for each year in brackets):
Percentage of students achieving 5 or more A* - C including English and Maths (national average for each year in brackets):
In 2009, the school again made headline news when teacher Mohammed Sarwar was arrested after police had obtained evidence that he had been leading a double life as the mastermind behind a major local drugs gang who had a large-scale operation to deal cocaine
and cannabis
. Sarwar, who was known as "The Teacher" to his gang, had taught I.T.
at the school for seven years until his arrest. In April 2011, he was convicted and sentenced to 21 years in prison. After his arrest, staff at the school also found crib sheets
that Sarwar had drawn up to help his pupils cheat at their exams.
Burnage
Burnage is a neighbourhood of the city of Manchester, England. Historically a part of Lancashire it was included in the county of Greater Manchester in 1974. It is about south of Manchester city centre, bisected by the busy dual carriageway of Kingsway, part of the A34...
, Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
Grammar school
The school was founded in 1933 as Burnage Grammar School, situated on Burnage Lane. The school was expanded in the 1950s with the addition of a multi-storey building. It remained a selective grammar schoolGrammar school
A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and some other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching classical languages but more recently an academically-oriented secondary school.The original purpose of mediaeval...
for over 30 years before becoming a comprehensive school
Comprehensive school
A comprehensive school is a state school that does not select its intake on the basis of academic achievement or aptitude. This is in contrast to the selective school system, where admission is restricted on the basis of a selection criteria. The term is commonly used in relation to the United...
in 1967, when most secondary schools in Manchester became comprehensives.
Comprehensive school
In 1967, the school merged with Ladybarn Secondary School, a secondary modern schoolSecondary modern school
A secondary modern school is a type of secondary school that existed in most of the United Kingdom from 1944 until the early 1970s, under the Tripartite System, and was designed for the majority of pupils - those who do not achieve scores in the top 25% of the eleven plus examination...
on the junction of Parrs Wood Road and Briarfield Road in Withington
Withington
Withington is a suburban area of the City of Manchester, in Greater Manchester, England. It lies south of Manchester city centre, about south of Fallowfield, north-east of Didsbury, and east of Chorlton-cum-Hardy, near the centre-to-south edges of the Greater Manchester Urban Area; in the...
. This site then became the lower school (for years 7 - 9) while the Burnage Lane site remained the upper school (for years 10 & 11 and the sixth form). This remained the case until 2000, when the lower and upper schools were amalgamated. All students are now based solely at the Burnage Lane site, which was expanded with a new building in 1999 and a new Sports Hall in 2001, though the school no longer has a sixth form. The lower school site on Parrs Wood Road was demolished following its closure and a new housing estate was built in its place.
Media Arts College
In 2007, the school was given Media Arts College status and has since been renamed as Burnage Media Arts College. Despite this change, it remains an all-boys school for 11-16 year olds.In 2010, the school was reconstructed under the Building Schools for the Future
Building Schools for the Future
Building Schools for the Future is the name of the previous UK Government's investment programme in secondary school buildings in England. The program is very ambitious in its costs, timescales and objectives, with politicians from all English political parties supportive of the principle but...
initiative which saw the original 1930s and 1950s buildings replaced by a new building. The 1999 building was refurbished and the Sports Hall (built in 2001) was also improved with a new gymnasium. On completion of the new main building, the old buildings were demolished and the grounds they once stood on were resurfaced to provide all-weather sports facilities.
Admissions
The school draws pupils from various districts of Manchester, including DidsburyDidsbury
Didsbury is a suburban area of the City of Manchester, in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on the north bank of the River Mersey, south of Manchester city centre, in the southern half of the Greater Manchester Urban Area...
, Levenshulme
Levenshulme
Levenshulme is an urban area of the City of Manchester, in North West England. It borders Longsight, Gorton, Burnage, Heaton Chapel and Reddish, and is approximately halfway between Stockport and Manchester City Centre on the A6 road. The A6 bisects Levenshulme. The Manchester to London railway...
, Longsight
Longsight
Longsight is an area of Manchester, England, about south of the city centre. Its population is about 16,000.-History:Longsight has been known over the past for its gang related violence, similar to that of nearby Moss Side. Most of the violence came from tensions between 2 gangs; The Longsight...
, Rusholme
Rusholme
-Etymology:Rusholme, unlike other areas of Manchester which have '-holme' in the place name is not a true '-holme'. Its name came from ryscum, which is the dative plural of Old English rysc "rush": "[at the] rushes"...
, Fallowfield
Fallowfield
Ladybarn is the part of Fallowfield to the south-east. Chancellors Hotel & Conference Centre is used by the University of Manchester: it was built by Edward Walters for Sir Joseph Whitworth, as were the Firs Botanical Grounds.-Religion:...
, Withington
Withington
Withington is a suburban area of the City of Manchester, in Greater Manchester, England. It lies south of Manchester city centre, about south of Fallowfield, north-east of Didsbury, and east of Chorlton-cum-Hardy, near the centre-to-south edges of the Greater Manchester Urban Area; in the...
, Hulme
Hulme
Hulme is an inner city area and electoral ward of Manchester, England. Located immediately south of Manchester city centre, it is an area with significant industrial heritage....
, Ardwick
Ardwick
Ardwick is a district of the City of Manchester, in North West England, about one mile east of Manchester City Centre.By the mid-19th century Ardwick had grown from being a village into a pleasant and wealthy suburb of Manchester, but by the end of that century it had become heavily industrialised...
, and Burnage
Burnage
Burnage is a neighbourhood of the city of Manchester, England. Historically a part of Lancashire it was included in the county of Greater Manchester in 1974. It is about south of Manchester city centre, bisected by the busy dual carriageway of Kingsway, part of the A34...
itself. The majority of students live in Longsight, Levenshulme, Rusholme and Ardwick wards, which suffer from high levels of poverty, deprivation and crime. As mentioned in its 2010 OFSTED
Ofsted
The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills is the non-ministerial government department of Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Schools In England ....
report, over 90% of the school's students are from ethnic minorities, and over 64% are of South Asian heritage with more than 50% of all students speaking English as an additional language.
OFSTED Inspections
The school's latest OFSTEDOfsted
The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills is the non-ministerial government department of Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Schools In England ....
report was conducted in 2010 and rated the school as "Satisfactory" (Grade 3). This was a dip from the previous 2006 report in which the school was rated "Good" (Grade 2).
Academic performance
In the school's 2002 OFSTED report, it was noted that overall examination grades for students at the school in recent years were well below the national average. The school has had consistently improving GCSE results since 2001 (with the exception of 2005 when results dipped), though they remain well below the national average. GCSE performance results as published by the Department for Children, Schools and FamiliesDepartment for Children, Schools and Families
The Department for Children, Schools and Families was a department of the UK government, between 2007 and 2010, responsible for issues affecting people in England up to the age of 19, including child protection and education...
(DCSF) since 2001 are as follows:
Percentage of students achieving 5 or more GCSE A* - C results or equivalent (national average for each year in brackets):
- 2001: 23% (50%)
- 2002: 32% (52%)
- 2003: 38% (53%)
- 2004: 42% (54%)
- 2005: 35% (56%)
- 2006: 38% (58%)
- 2007: 40% (61%)
- 2008: 50% (65%)
Percentage of students achieving 5 or more A* - C including English and Maths (national average for each year in brackets):
- 2005: 27% (44%)
- 2006: 32% (45%)
- 2007: 28% (46%)
- 2008: 33% (48%)
- 2009: 40% (50%)
- 2010: 43% (54%)
Controversies
In September 1986, the school made headline news when 13 year old Asian pupil Ahmed Iqbal Ullah was fatally stabbed in the school playground by another 13 year old pupil, Darren Coulburn, in what was believed to be a racially motivated attack. The incident severely damaged the reputation of what was once a leading and well-respected school in the district, and launched the MacDonald Inquiry into racism in Manchester schools .In 2009, the school again made headline news when teacher Mohammed Sarwar was arrested after police had obtained evidence that he had been leading a double life as the mastermind behind a major local drugs gang who had a large-scale operation to deal cocaine
Cocaine
Cocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. The name comes from "coca" in addition to the alkaloid suffix -ine, forming cocaine. It is a stimulant of the central nervous system, an appetite suppressant, and a topical anesthetic...
and cannabis
Cannabis
Cannabis is a genus of flowering plants that includes three putative species, Cannabis sativa, Cannabis indica, and Cannabis ruderalis. These three taxa are indigenous to Central Asia, and South Asia. Cannabis has long been used for fibre , for seed and seed oils, for medicinal purposes, and as a...
. Sarwar, who was known as "The Teacher" to his gang, had taught I.T.
Information technology
Information technology is the acquisition, processing, storage and dissemination of vocal, pictorial, textual and numerical information by a microelectronics-based combination of computing and telecommunications...
at the school for seven years until his arrest. In April 2011, he was convicted and sentenced to 21 years in prison. After his arrest, staff at the school also found crib sheets
Cheat sheet
A cheat sheet or crib sheet is a concise set of notes used for quick reference. "Cheat sheet" may also be rendered "cheatsheet".Cheat sheets are so named because they may be used by students without the instructor's knowledge to cheat on a test...
that Sarwar had drawn up to help his pupils cheat at their exams.
Burnage High School for Boys
- Jason BeckfordJason BeckfordJason Neil Beckford is an English former footballer. His elder brother Darren also played professional football.-Playing career:...
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footballer - Wes BrownWes BrownWesley Michael "Wes" Brown is an English footballer who plays as a defender for Sunderland. Before joining Sunderland, Brown had spent his entire career at Old Trafford, having joined the Manchester United youth team in 1996...
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and EnglandEngland national football teamThe England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
footballer. - Aziz IbrahimAziz IbrahimAziz Ibrahim is a British musician. He was born in Longsight, Manchester to Pakistani parents. He is best known for his work as guitarist with Simply Red, The Stone Roses and their former vocalist Ian Brown in whose support band he regularly performs – both in the studio and live...
- Guitarist (worked with Simply RedSimply RedSimply Red were a British soul band that sold more than 50 million albums over a 25-year career. Their style drew influences from blue-eyed soul, new romantic, rock, reggae and jazz...
, the Stone RosesThe Stone RosesThe Stone Roses are an English alternative rock band formed in Manchester in 1983. They were one of the pioneering groups of the Madchester movement that was active during the late 1980s and early 1990s...
) - Brian Sterling-VeteBrian Sterling-VeteBrian Sterling-Vete is an English author, Guinness World Record Holder, motivational speaker, Award-Winning Film-Maker, TV presenter, stage, film and television actor, stunt performer, martial arts expert, and entrepreneur.-Background:Brian Sterling-Vete was born in the Rusholme and...
- author, Guinness World Record Holder, motivational speaker, film-maker, TV presenter, actor, and entrepreneur.
Burnage Grammar School for Boys
- Nick Anning, journalist
- Alan BadelAlan BadelAlan Fernand Badel was a distinguished English stage actor who also appeared frequently in the cinema, radio and television and was noted for his richly textured voice which was once described as "the sound of tears".-Early life:...
- stage, film and television actor - Roger ByrneRoger ByrneRoger William Byrne was an English footballer and captain of Manchester United F.C.. He died at the age of 28 in the Munich air disaster....
- Manchester UnitedManchester United F.C.Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
and EnglandEngland national football teamThe England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
footballer killed in the Munich air disasterMunich air disasterThe Munich air disaster occurred on 6 February 1958, when British European Airways Flight 609 crashed on its third attempt to take off from a slush-covered runway at Munich-Riem Airport in Munich, West Germany. On board the plane was the Manchester United football team, nicknamed the "Busby Babes",... - John Chesworth, Managing Director from 1980-2002 of Bodycote International
- Prof John Connell, Director from 1979-87 of Torry Research Station
- Michael Croft - Founder and Director of the National Youth TheatreNational Youth TheatreThe National Youth Theatre is a registered charity in London, Great Britain, committed to creative, personal and social development of young people through the medium of creative arts....
- Norman Foster, Baron Foster of Thames BankNorman Foster, Baron Foster of Thames BankNorman Robert Foster, Baron Foster of Thames Bank, OM is a British architect whose company maintains an international design practice, Foster + Partners....
- architect - Sir Ian Gibson, Chairman since 2008 of MorrisonsMorrisonsWm Morrison Supermarkets plc is the fourth largest chain of supermarkets in the United Kingdom, headquartered in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. The company is usually referred to and is branded as Morrisons formerly Morrison's, and it is part of the FTSE 100 Index of companies...
- John HuttonJohn Hutton (author)John Hutton is a British writer of crime and thriller novels. He was born in Manchester and educated at Burnage Grammar School and the University of Wales. He has been a teacher and a senior lecturer in English.- Bibliography :...
- Author - Donald Parr CBE - Chairman of the British Clothing Industry Association from 1987–91
- Sir Stephen SherbourneStephen SherbourneSir Stephen Sherbourne is a British Conservative who was Political Secretary for Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and Chief of Staff to Conservative leader Michael Howard...
CBE - Conservative political advisor - Prof Sir Roland Smith - former Chairman of Manchester UnitedManchester United F.C.Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
, British AerospaceBritish AerospaceBritish Aerospace plc was a UK aircraft, munitions and defence-systems manufacturer. Its head office was in the Warwick House in the Farnborough Aerospace Centre in Farnborough, Hampshire...
, House of FraserHouse of FraserHouse of Fraser is a British department store group with over 60 stores across the United Kingdom and Ireland. It was established in Glasgow, Scotland in 1849 as Arthur and Fraser. By 1891 it was known as Fraser & Sons. The company grew steadily during the early 20th century, but after the Second...
as well as served boards of the Bank of EnglandBank of EnglandThe Bank of England is the central bank of the United Kingdom and the model on which most modern central banks have been based. Established in 1694, it is the second oldest central bank in the world...
and The Equitable Life Assurance Society. - Mike SmithsonMike Smithson (politics)Mike Smithson is a writer, a Liberal Democrat politician and expert on betting on politics who in 2004 founded the website politicalbetting.com. Since January 2008 he has been the full-time editor of the site....
- Editor (since 2004) of Politicalbetting.comPoliticalbetting.comPoliticalbetting.com is one of Britain's political blogs. Run by Mike Smithson, a former BBC journalist, Liberal Democrat councillor and general election candidate, the site began in March 2004.... - David Thomas CBE LVO - Chief Executive of WhitbreadWhitbreadWhitbread PLC is a global hotel, coffee shop and restaurant company headquartered in Dunstable, United Kingdom. Its largest division is Premier Inn, which is the largest hotel brand in the UK with around 580 hotels and over 40,000 rooms. Its Costa Coffee chain has around 1,600 stores across 25...
from 1997–2004