Ellowes Hall School
Encyclopedia
Ellowes Hall Sports College is a comprehensive
secondary school with Sports College
status situated on Stickley Lane in Lower Gornal, Dudley
, West Midlands
, England
.
It provides education for pupils aged 11 to 18 years, with the older pupils being sixth formers
. The headteacher is Mr Andrew Griffiths, who was appointed in September 2004.
Council in 1964 near the Ellowes Hall
stately home (which was demolished that year), to replace a smaller secondary school at nearby Redhall, but since 1966 has existed within the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley
.
In September 1972, the age of pupils starting the school was increased to 12 in order to comply with the LEA's decision to increase the secondary school starting age.
In September 1975, the school's status changed to comprehensive and a sixth form was added, making it a 12-18 school.
However, the school was reorganised to an 11-16 comprehensive in September 1990 as most of the remaining sixth forms in the Dudley borough were replaced with expanded facilities at further education colleges.
In September 1993, the school became grant-maintained, only to return to Dudley LEA's control in 1998. By this date, a new classroom block and library had been constructed, and the main hall had been refurbished. A performing arts block was opened in 1999.
Just after the school became grant maintained, the governors seized the opportunity to restore sixth form facilities to the school and the new sixth form opened in September 1995.
http://www.ellowes.dudley.gov.uk/home.asp
In 2004, the school gained specialist sports status.
The headteacher is Mr Andrew Griffiths, a History teacher and former Deputy Headteacher. He was appointed headteacher in 2004, following the departure of Mr Stephen Byatt. Mr Byatt's predecessor was Mr Norman Smith, who had been at the school for some 20 years up to his retirement on medical grounds in 1999. He was a popular figure in the local community and his initials "N.R.S" are still marked on the school gates.
In 2008, Ellowes became the highest ranking of the three Sedgley secondary schools in GCSE examinations for the very first time when an impressive 63% of pupils finished their compulsory education with 5 or more grades at C or above including English and Mathematics. This placed Ellowes as the fifth highest of the Dudley borough's 21 secondary schools. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/bsp/hi/education/09/school_tables/secondary_schools/html/332_gcse_lea.stm Its success continued in 2010 with 90% of students gaining 5 or more grades at C and above with 66% including English and Mathematics.
on the Milking Bank housing estate that was mostly developed during the 1980s.
Ellowes Hall is located on the Stickley Estate, which is predominantly made up of pre-war council housing built by Sedgley UDC, though many homes have been bought off the council under the right to buy scheme
. The estate is situated just to the north-west of Lower Gornal village centre, and is approximately two miles from the centres of nearby towns Sedgley
and Dudley
.
The majority of pupils starting at Ellowes are former pupils of, Roberts Primary, Red Hall Primary, Straits Primary and Milking Bank Primary School
, though a handful of pupils have been taken in from schools including Cotwall End
and - until its closure in 2006 - Sycamore Green.
, Oliver!
, The Sound of Music
, Les Misérables
, and most recently Sweeney Todd.
Drama productions take place in the performing arts suite, which was built in 1999 at a cost of £200,000.
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...
secondary school with Sports College
Sports College
Sports Colleges were introduced in 1997 as part of the Specialist Schools Programme in the United Kingdom. The system enables secondary schools to specialise in certain fields, in this case, PE, sports and dance. Schools that successfully apply to the Specialist Schools Trust and become Sports...
status situated on Stickley Lane in Lower Gornal, Dudley
Dudley
Dudley is a large town in the West Midlands county of England. At the 2001 census , the Dudley Urban Sub Area had a population of 194,919, making it the 26th largest settlement in England, the second largest town in the United Kingdom behind Reading, and the largest settlement in the UK without...
, West Midlands
West Midlands (county)
The West Midlands is a metropolitan county in western central England with a 2009 estimated population of 2,638,700. It came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972, formed from parts of Staffordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire. The...
, 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...
.
It provides education for pupils aged 11 to 18 years, with the older pupils being sixth formers
Sixth form
In the education systems of England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, and of Commonwealth West Indian countries such as Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Belize, Jamaica and Malta, the sixth form is the final two years of secondary education, where students, usually sixteen to eighteen years of age,...
. The headteacher is Mr Andrew Griffiths, who was appointed in September 2004.
History
It was built as a secondary modern school by Sedgley Urban DistrictSedgley Urban District
Sedgley Urban District was a local authority which was created in 1894 from half of the manor of Sedgley ....
Council in 1964 near the Ellowes Hall
Ellowes Hall
Ellowes Hall was a stately home located in Sedgley, Staffordshire . It was built in 1821 in parkland near Lower Gornal village as the home of wealthy local ironmonger John Fereday and his family. Over the next 100 years or more, successive different wealthy owners lived in the house...
stately home (which was demolished that year), to replace a smaller secondary school at nearby Redhall, but since 1966 has existed within the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley
Metropolitan Borough of Dudley
The Metropolitan Borough of Dudley is a metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It was created in 1974, and is made up of the towns of Dudley , Stourbridge , Halesowen, Brierley Hill, Amblecote, Sedgley and Coseley...
.
In September 1972, the age of pupils starting the school was increased to 12 in order to comply with the LEA's decision to increase the secondary school starting age.
In September 1975, the school's status changed to comprehensive and a sixth form was added, making it a 12-18 school.
However, the school was reorganised to an 11-16 comprehensive in September 1990 as most of the remaining sixth forms in the Dudley borough were replaced with expanded facilities at further education colleges.
In September 1993, the school became grant-maintained, only to return to Dudley LEA's control in 1998. By this date, a new classroom block and library had been constructed, and the main hall had been refurbished. A performing arts block was opened in 1999.
Just after the school became grant maintained, the governors seized the opportunity to restore sixth form facilities to the school and the new sixth form opened in September 1995.
http://www.ellowes.dudley.gov.uk/home.asp
In 2004, the school gained specialist sports status.
The headteacher is Mr Andrew Griffiths, a History teacher and former Deputy Headteacher. He was appointed headteacher in 2004, following the departure of Mr Stephen Byatt. Mr Byatt's predecessor was Mr Norman Smith, who had been at the school for some 20 years up to his retirement on medical grounds in 1999. He was a popular figure in the local community and his initials "N.R.S" are still marked on the school gates.
In 2008, Ellowes became the highest ranking of the three Sedgley secondary schools in GCSE examinations for the very first time when an impressive 63% of pupils finished their compulsory education with 5 or more grades at C or above including English and Mathematics. This placed Ellowes as the fifth highest of the Dudley borough's 21 secondary schools. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/bsp/hi/education/09/school_tables/secondary_schools/html/332_gcse_lea.stm Its success continued in 2010 with 90% of students gaining 5 or more grades at C and above with 66% including English and Mathematics.
Location
The school serves the villages of Lower Gornal and Gornal Wood, where the majority of the school's pupils live. A lesser number of pupils are from the Upper Gornal area, while some are from over the border in DudleyDudley
Dudley is a large town in the West Midlands county of England. At the 2001 census , the Dudley Urban Sub Area had a population of 194,919, making it the 26th largest settlement in England, the second largest town in the United Kingdom behind Reading, and the largest settlement in the UK without...
on the Milking Bank housing estate that was mostly developed during the 1980s.
Ellowes Hall is located on the Stickley Estate, which is predominantly made up of pre-war council housing built by Sedgley UDC, though many homes have been bought off the council under the right to buy scheme
Right to buy scheme
The Right to buy scheme is a policy in the United Kingdom which gives tenants of council housing the right to buy the home they are living in. Currently, there is also a right to acquire for the tenants of housing associations...
. The estate is situated just to the north-west of Lower Gornal village centre, and is approximately two miles from the centres of nearby towns Sedgley
Sedgley
Sedgley is an urban village within the West Midlands county of England. Historically a part of Staffordshire, Sedgley was formerly an ancient manor composed of several smaller villages, including Gornal, Gospel End, Woodsetton, Ettingshall, Coseley and Brierley...
and Dudley
Dudley
Dudley is a large town in the West Midlands county of England. At the 2001 census , the Dudley Urban Sub Area had a population of 194,919, making it the 26th largest settlement in England, the second largest town in the United Kingdom behind Reading, and the largest settlement in the UK without...
.
The majority of pupils starting at Ellowes are former pupils of, Roberts Primary, Red Hall Primary, Straits Primary and Milking Bank Primary School
Milking Bank Primary School
Milking Bank is a state primary school in the West Midlands of England. It is located in the Milking Bank area of Dudley, being situated in the west of the town towards the border with Sedgley. Operating a two-form entry system, it caters for boys and girls aged 3–11...
, though a handful of pupils have been taken in from schools including Cotwall End
Cotwall End Primary School
Cotwall End Primary School is a primary school for boys and girls in Sedgley, West Midlands, England. There are approximately 420 pupils on the school roll. The school's head teacher is Mrs Nicole Anderton.-History:...
and - until its closure in 2006 - Sycamore Green.
Overall effectiveness of the school
Achievement
Leadership and management
Drama productions
The school is known for its dramatic productions, such as Fiddler on the RoofFiddler on the Roof
Fiddler on the Roof is a musical with music by Jerry Bock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, and book by Joseph Stein, set in Tsarist Russia in 1905. It is based on Tevye and his Daughters by Sholem Aleichem...
, Oliver!
Oliver!
Oliver! is a British musical, with script, music and lyrics by Lionel Bart. The musical is based upon the novel Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens....
, The Sound of Music
The Sound of Music
The Sound of Music is a musical by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II and a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. It is based on the memoir of Maria von Trapp, The Story of the Trapp Family Singers...
, Les Misérables
Les Misérables (musical)
Les Misérables , colloquially known as Les Mis or Les Miz , is a musical by Claude-Michel Schönberg, based on the novel of the same name by Victor Hugo....
, and most recently Sweeney Todd.
Drama productions take place in the performing arts suite, which was built in 1999 at a cost of £200,000.