High Storrs School (Sheffield)
Encyclopedia
High Storrs is a secondary comprehensive school
on the south-western outskirts of Sheffield
in South Yorkshire
, England
.
in the Performing Arts
, with a second specialism in Maths and Computing
. Headteacher Ian Gage took up post in January 2010.
It is situated in Ecclesall
, accessed via the A625
.
in the centre of Sheffield, and re-located to its present site at High Storrs in 1933. The association for former pupils retains this historical connection in its name, the Old Centralians.
On 11 July 1978, an aerobatics pilot (Philip Meeson, who now owns Jet2
, a British aerobatics champion) gave a display above the school; he had chosen the wrong school, as it was Newfield Secondary School
he had been asked to perform for.
In 1993, rivalry with the Notre Dame High School
led to battles in Endcliffe Park
with knives and iron bars. It led to the death of a High Storrs pupil, 17 year old Grant Jackson (18 November 1975 – 30 April 1993), who was killed with a 2 foot-long bayonet by 14 year old Errol Donaldson. Grant Jackson had not gone to the park knowing a battle had been arranged. He was kicked on the ground and knifed three times with the bayonet. He died of shock and haemorrhaging
soon after in the Royal Hallamshire Hospital
. The murderer, who initially claimed manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility
, received a life sentence at Sheffield Crown Court on 24 November 1994. The murderer had boasted about the stabbing the next day, and when the police found the bayonet in his room, had claimed he was keeping it for a friend and denied knowledge of the battle. After release he would be later involved in the death of a 22 year old Sheffield young mother in a hit and run incident on 29 August 2009 in Beauchief
.
On 28 June 2008 an event was held to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the school on its present site, with past pupils invited back to the school.
Mr Chapman stepped down suddenly after Easter 2009. The acting headteacher has been Roisin Paul, who is now on maternity leave. Her permanent replacement is Mr Ian Gage who has been in place since January 2010.
, Lyceum
, Merlin and Montgomery. Sixth form students are also attached to a vertical form for organisational and mentoring purposes; typically three sixth formers are attached to one form.
. This is above both the Local Authority average of 40.8% and the national average of 47.6%.
The average points score for AS and A2 Level students was 675.8, below the national average of 739.8.
It gets above-average GCSE results and A-levels at the England average.
programme, with £2 million being spent on ICT equipment. Preparatory work on the field ready for the new temporary teaching rooms began in July 2008. Demolition of the 1960s extensions to the north of the school was completed in November 2008, and the project is scheduled for completion in 2011.
Due to the school's Grade II listed status, only the interior of the main school building can be refurbished, with the exterior remaining almost unchanged. A new extension will be built at the north end of the building to replace the old dining rooms, school hall and performing arts block, whilst a second extension will be built at a later date to replace the 1960s additions at the south end of the 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...
on the south-western outskirts of Sheffield
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
in South Yorkshire
South Yorkshire
South Yorkshire is a metropolitan county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It has a population of 1.29 million. It consists of four metropolitan boroughs: Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham, and City of Sheffield...
, 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...
.
Admissions
High Storrs has a Sixth Form and is a specialist Arts CollegeArts College
Arts Colleges were introduced in 1997 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, the performing, visual and/or media arts...
in the Performing Arts
Performing arts
The performing arts are those forms art which differ from the plastic arts insofar as the former uses the artist's own body, face, and presence as a medium, and the latter uses materials such as clay, metal or paint which can be molded or transformed to create some physical art object...
, with a second specialism in Maths and Computing
Mathematics and Computing College
Mathematics and Computing Colleges were introduced in England in 2002 as part of the Government's Specialist Schools Programme which was designed to raise standards in secondary education. Specialist schools focus specifically on their chosen specialism but must also meet the requirements of the...
. Headteacher Ian Gage took up post in January 2010.
It is situated in Ecclesall
Ecclesall
Ecclesall Ward—which includes the neighbourhoods of Bents Green, Ecclesall, Greystones, Millhouses, and Ringinglow—is one of the 28 electoral wards in City of Sheffield, England. It is located in the southwestern part of the city and covers an area of 9.4 km2. The population of...
, accessed via the A625
A625 road
The A625 is a rural road which runs through north Derbyshire and the Peak District. First named Ecclesall Road, it begins at the Moore Street roundabout in Sheffield and runs southwesterly towards Hathersage after a change in name to Hathersage Road...
.
Central Technical School
The school opened on 10 March 1880 as the Central Higher Grade SchoolSheffield Central Technical School
The former Sheffield Central Technical School was housed in the collection of buildings now called Leopold Square in the city centre of Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England...
in the centre of Sheffield, and re-located to its present site at High Storrs in 1933. The association for former pupils retains this historical connection in its name, the Old Centralians.
Grammar school
The building housed two separate grammar schools from the 1940s to 1968: High Storrs Grammar School for Boys, and High Storrs Grammar School for Girls. It was administered by the Sheffield Education Committee. The buildings were improved in the early 1960s.Comprehensive
These were merged into a single comprehensive school, starting in September 1969 with around 1,600 boys and girls.On 11 July 1978, an aerobatics pilot (Philip Meeson, who now owns Jet2
Jet2.com
Jet2.com Limited is a British low-cost airline based at Leeds Bradford Airport, England. It operates services from eight UK bases to 54 destinations. The airline also offers contract charter and air cargo services. Its main base and headquarters is at Leeds Bradford Airport, with smaller bases at...
, a British aerobatics champion) gave a display above the school; he had chosen the wrong school, as it was Newfield Secondary School
Newfield Secondary School
Newfield Secondary School is a comprehensive school for 11–16 year olds. It is situated in the south of Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, in the area of Norton Lees. There are around 900 students at the school.- Physical aspects of the school :...
he had been asked to perform for.
In 1993, rivalry with the Notre Dame High School
Notre Dame High School (Sheffield)
Notre Dame High School in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, was established in the 1850s by the Sisters of Notre Dame, a religious order.-Admissions:The school has a Catholic ethos and caters for children from all over the city and further afield...
led to battles in Endcliffe Park
Endcliffe Park
Endcliffe Park is a large park in the city of Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The park was opened in 1887 to commemorate the Jubilee of Queen Victoria.Endcliffe Park comprises parkland as well as woodland...
with knives and iron bars. It led to the death of a High Storrs pupil, 17 year old Grant Jackson (18 November 1975 – 30 April 1993), who was killed with a 2 foot-long bayonet by 14 year old Errol Donaldson. Grant Jackson had not gone to the park knowing a battle had been arranged. He was kicked on the ground and knifed three times with the bayonet. He died of shock and haemorrhaging
Bleeding
Bleeding, technically known as hemorrhaging or haemorrhaging is the loss of blood or blood escape from the circulatory system...
soon after in the Royal Hallamshire Hospital
Royal Hallamshire Hospital
The Royal Hallamshire Hospital is a general and teaching hospital located in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. It is in the city's West End, facing Glossop Road and close to the main campus of University of Sheffield and the Collegiate Crescent campus of Sheffield Hallam University...
. The murderer, who initially claimed manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility
Diminished responsibility in English law
In English law, diminished responsibility is one of the partial defences that reduce the offence from murder to manslaughter if successful . This allows the judge sentencing discretion, e.g. to impose a hospital order under section 37 Mental Health Act 1983 to ensure treatment rather than...
, received a life sentence at Sheffield Crown Court on 24 November 1994. The murderer had boasted about the stabbing the next day, and when the police found the bayonet in his room, had claimed he was keeping it for a friend and denied knowledge of the battle. After release he would be later involved in the death of a 22 year old Sheffield young mother in a hit and run incident on 29 August 2009 in Beauchief
Beauchief and Greenhill
Beauchief and Greenhill ward—which includes the districts of Batemoor, Beauchief, Chancet Wood, Greenhill, Jordanthorpe, and Lowedges—is one of the 28 electoral wards in City of Sheffield, England. It is located in the southern part of the city and covers an area of...
.
On 28 June 2008 an event was held to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the school on its present site, with past pupils invited back to the school.
Mr Chapman stepped down suddenly after Easter 2009. The acting headteacher has been Roisin Paul, who is now on maternity leave. Her permanent replacement is Mr Ian Gage who has been in place since January 2010.
Houses
Recently, the traditional "Key Stage" system was radically changed to the Vertical System, where instead of year groups, there are houses with ten forms to each house. The forms of thirty have six pupils of every year (not including sixth form) in each. This system is meant to reduce bullying and encourage friendships with pupils of different ages. The four houses are named after the main four theatres in Sheffield: CrucibleCrucible Theatre
The Crucible Theatre is a theatre built in 1971 and located in the city centre of Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. As well as theatrical performances, it is home to the most important event in professional snooker, the World Snooker Championship....
, Lyceum
Lyceum Theatre (Sheffield)
-History:Built in 1897 following a traditional proscenium arch design, the Lyceum is the only surviving theatre outside of London designed by the famous theatre architect W.G.R. Sprague and the last example of an Edwardian auditorium in Sheffield...
, Merlin and Montgomery. Sixth form students are also attached to a vertical form for organisational and mentoring purposes; typically three sixth formers are attached to one form.
Exam pass rate
In 2008 63% of pupils who took GCSE exams achieved the standard of 5 A*–C grades, including Maths and EnglishEnglish studies
English studies is an academic discipline that includes the study of literatures written in the English language , English linguistics English studies is an academic discipline that includes the study of literatures written in the English language (including literatures from the U.K., U.S.,...
. This is above both the Local Authority average of 40.8% and the national average of 47.6%.
The average points score for AS and A2 Level students was 675.8, below the national average of 739.8.
It gets above-average GCSE results and A-levels at the England average.
Sixth form
From September 2009, the school was going to offer the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma however the new head teacher Ian Gage scrapped the ideas and the school no longer offers the IB, becoming the first comprehensive in Sheffield to do so.School renovation
Almost £27 million has been allocated for a complete refurbishment and remodelling of the school under the Government's Building Schools for the FutureBuilding 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...
programme, with £2 million being spent on ICT equipment. Preparatory work on the field ready for the new temporary teaching rooms began in July 2008. Demolition of the 1960s extensions to the north of the school was completed in November 2008, and the project is scheduled for completion in 2011.
Due to the school's Grade II listed status, only the interior of the main school building can be refurbished, with the exterior remaining almost unchanged. A new extension will be built at the north end of the building to replace the old dining rooms, school hall and performing arts block, whilst a second extension will be built at a later date to replace the 1960s additions at the south end of the school.
Former teachers
- Veronica HardstaffVeronica HardstaffVeronica Mary Hardstaff is a British politician, who has served as a City councillor in Sheffield and in the European Parliament...
, Labour MEP from 1994–9 for Lincolnshire and Humberside SouthLincolnshire and Humberside South (European Parliament constituency)Prior to its uniform adoption of proportional representation in 1999, the United Kingdom used first-past-the-post for the European elections in England, Scotland and Wales...
(taught French and German at the girls' school from 1963–6)
Notable alumni
- Nicholas Matthew, squash player
- Jessica-Jane ClementJessica-Jane ClementJessica-Jane Clement is a British glamour model, actress and TV presenter.-Education:...
, television presenter - Tom EllisTom Ellis (actor)Tom Ellis is a Welsh actor best known for playing Dr. Oliver Cousins in the BBC soap opera EastEnders and Detective Sergeant Sam Speed in a Life on Mars parody on the The Catherine Tate Show...
, actor - Andrew Hawley, actor
- Jane Irving, GMTVGMTVGMTV was the national Channel 3 breakfast television contractor, broadcasting in the United Kingdom from 1 January 1993 to 3 September 2010. It became a wholly owned subsidiary of ITV plc. in November 2009. Shortly after, ITV plc announced the programme would end...
presenter - Anna LaurenAnna LaurenAnna Lauren is a British actress.She has appeared in Dalziel and Pascoe as Katie Donovan, but her first role was in Casualty playing Linda Carson....
, actress - Jack LesterJack LesterJack William Lester is an English professional footballer, currently playing for English Football League One side Chesterfield. He plays either as a striker or an attacking midfielder...
, footballer - Chloe NewsomeChloe NewsomeChloe Newsome is an English actress who is best known for playing the role of Vicky McDonald in the long-running ITV soap opera Coronation Street.-Career:...
, actress - Kyle WalkerKyle WalkerKyle Andrew Walker is an English footballer who plays as a defender for Tottenham Hotspur and England.-Early life:Walker was born in Sheffield and grew up in the Sharrow district of the city...
, Tottenham Hotspur footballer
High Storrs Grammar School for Girls
- Judith BinghamJudith BinghamJudith Bingham is a British composer and mezzo-soprano singer.Born in Nottingham in 1952 and educated at High Storrs Grammar School for Girls in Sheffield, she attended the Royal Academy of Music , where her teachers were Malcolm MacDonald, Eric Fenby, Alan Bush and John Hall , and Jean...
, composer - Janet Brown, Chief Executive since 2007 of the Scottish Qualifications AuthorityScottish Qualifications AuthorityThe Scottish Qualifications Authority is a non-departmental public body responsible for accreditation and awarding. It is partly funded by the Education and Lifelong Learning Directorate of the Scottish Government, employing 750 staff, based in Glasgow and Dalkeith...
, and Managing Director from 2000–7 of Scottish EnterpriseScottish EnterpriseScottish Enterprise is a sponsored non-departmental public body of the Scottish Government which encourages economic development, enterprise, innovation and investment in business... - Pauline Cox, headteacher since 1994 of Tiffin Girls' SchoolTiffin Girls' SchoolThe Tiffin Girls' School is an all girls grammar school located in Kingston upon Thames, south-west London, England. The school lies in over nine acres on the east side of Richmond Road.-History:...
- Stella GreenallStella GreenallStella Margaret Greenall was an education activist and adviser to the United Kingdom government...
, involved in the introduction of student grants in 1962
High Storrs Grammar School for Boys
- David Allford CBEOrder of the British EmpireThe Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
, architect - Prof John Anderson, Professor of Dental Prosthetics from 1964–82 at the University of DundeeUniversity of DundeeThe University of Dundee is a university based in the city and Royal burgh of Dundee on eastern coast of the central Lowlands of Scotland and with a small number of institutions elsewhere....
- Joseph AshtonJoseph Ashton (politician)Joseph William Ashton OBE , usually known as Joe Ashton, is a British Labour Party politician who was known for his defence of the rights of Labour Members of Parliament against the demands of the left-wing of the party to subject them to mandatory reselection.-Early career:Ashton was born and...
OBE, Labour MP from 1968–2001 for BassetlawBassetlaw (UK Parliament constituency)Bassetlaw is a parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.-Boundaries:... - Prof Eric Bradford, Professor of Dentistry from 1959–85 at the University of BristolUniversity of BristolThe University of Bristol is a public research university located in Bristol, United Kingdom. One of the so-called "red brick" universities, it received its Royal Charter in 1909, although its predecessor institution, University College, Bristol, had been in existence since 1876.The University is...
- Kenneth Brooksbank DSC, Chief Education Officer of Birmingham from 1968–77
- Prof Robert Buchanan OBE, Professor of the History of Technology from 1990–5 at the University of BathUniversity of BathThe University of Bath is a campus university located in Bath, United Kingdom. It received its Royal Charter in 1966....
- Prof Edward Clegg, Regius Professor of Anatomy from 1976–89 at the University of AberdeenUniversity of AberdeenThe University of Aberdeen, an ancient university founded in 1495, in Aberdeen, Scotland, is a British university. It is the third oldest university in Scotland, and the fifth oldest in the United Kingdom and wider English-speaking world...
, and President from 1988–9 of the Anatomical Society of Great Britain and Ireland, and Chairman from 1988–92 of the Society for the Study of Human Biology - Jacob Ecclestone, President from 1979–80 of the National Union of JournalistsNational Union of JournalistsThe National Union of Journalists is a trade union for journalists in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. It was founded in 1907 and has 38,000 members. It is a member of the International Federation of Journalists .-Structure:...
(NUJ) - Prof Harold Egglestone, Professor of Mathematics from 1958–66 at Bedford College (London)
- Prof Timothy Evans, Professor of Intensive Care Medicine since 1996 at Imperial College School of MedicineImperial College School of MedicineThe Imperial College School of Medicine is the medical school of Imperial College London in England, and one of the United Hospitals....
- Peter GlossopPeter GlossopPeter Glossop was an English baritone who was the only Englishman to have sung Verdi's great tragic baritone roles at La Scala, Milan...
, opera singer - Steve HeighwaySteve HeighwayStephen Derek "Steve" Heighway is a former footballer who was part of the hugely successful Liverpool team of the 1970s.-Life and playing career:...
, footballer - Paul HeineyPaul HeineyPaul Heiney has been a radio broadcaster or television reporter in the United Kingdom for over thirty years.-Early life:...
, BBC reporter - Very Rev Alfred JowettAlfred JowettThe Very Rev Alfred Jowett was Dean of Manchester in the last third of the 20th Century.Born on 29 May 1914, educated at High Storrs and St Catharine's College, Cambridge and ordained in 1945, he began his career at St John the Evangelist, Goole...
, Dean of ManchesterDean of ManchesterThe Dean of Manchester is based in Manchester, England and is the head of the Chapter of Manchester Cathedral. The current Dean is The Very Reverend Rogers Govender.-List of Deans of Manchester:* William Herbert 1840–1847...
from 1964–83 - Jeff RawleJeff RawleJeff Rawle is a British actor, perhaps best known for playing the long-suffering George in the news-gathering sitcom Drop the Dead Donkey...
, actor - Geoffrey Schild CBE, Director of the National Institute for Biological Standards and ControlNational Institute for Biological Standards and ControlThe National Institute for Biological Standards and Control is a global leader in the field of biological standardisation. It is a centre of the UK Health Protection Agency . It is responsible for developing and producing over 90% of the biological international standards in use around the world...
from 1985–2002