High Arcal School

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High Arcal School is situated in Sedgley, West Midlands, England. It was opened in 1961 as a grammar school and became comprehensive in 1978.

On its opening, the school provided education for pupils aged 11 to 18 years, but the starting age increased to 12 in 1972 to conform which Dudley LEA's decision to increase the secondary school starting age. The starting age reverted to 11 for the 1990-1991 academic year, coinciding with the closure of the sixth form.

Pupils are divided into four groups known as "houses"; these are Attingham, Himley, Boscobel and Wightwick, all of which take their names from local stately homes. The houses compete in both physical and academic events. competing in sports such as cricket, football and rugby.

The majority of pupils enrolling at the school are former pupils at Bramford Primary School, Foxyards Primary School, Hurst Hill Primary School and, until its closure in 2006, Sycamore Green Primary School.

The school's current head teacher is Mrs Jo Manson, who took the position on a temporary basis in August 2006 following the resignation of Mr Jeffrey Williams, who quit after being fined at Wolverhampton Crown Court following a conviction for kerb-crawling. He had been head at the school for more than a decade prior to this incident, and had seen a major turnaround in the school's fortunes since the departure of previous head teacher Mr John Gerrish.

The highlight of the school's recent uprise in fortunes came in 2002, when it came highest of Sedgley's three secondary schools in the GCSE tables for the first time in more than a decade. Further success came in 2006, when High Arcal came seventh out of the borough's 22 schools - ahead of 12th placed Dormston and 14th placed Ellowes. Its rising standards have attracted a growing number of pupils from areas which previously attracted a much lower intake.

The school also takes much pride in its continued good performance in competitions against other schools, in various sporting competitions.

The school endured a tragedy in August 2007 when 14-year-old pupil Stephanie Faulkner died after suffering an anaphylactic shock. A subsequent inquest revealed that the fatal shock was caused by a nut allergy which had been aggrevated by a chicken tikka masala.[1] A series of funraising events have since taken place at the school and a memorial garden is set to be erected in Stephanie's memory.

[edit] Timeline

September 1961 - High Arcal Grammar School is opened to serve as the first grammar school for the Sedgley and Coseley areas. Education is provided for pupils aged 11 to 18 years.
April 1966 - Control of High Arcal Grammar School passes to Dudley Council due to Sedgley Urban District Council being absorbed into Dudley.
September 1972 - As with other schools in the County Borough of Dudley, the starting age for pupils at High Arcal is increased from 11 to 12 years.
September 1978 - High Arcal Grammar School becomes The High Arcal School due to a transition to Comprehensive status.
July 1990 - High Arcal's Sixth Form centre closes after 29 years.
September 1990 - As with all other schools in the Dudley borough, the school's starting age decreases from 12 to 11.
September 2002 - Sixth form facilities return to High Arcal for the first time in more than a decade, with a new sixth form being opened at the school by Dudley College.
August 2006 - Mr Jeffrey Williams resigns as headteacher after more than 10 years in the role, having been fined at Wolverhampton Crown Court for kerb crawling. His successor is Mrs Jo Manson, previously a deputy head at the school.
August 2007 - Pupil Stephanie Faulkner, 14, dies after suffering an allergic reaction to a Chicken Tikka Massala at an Indian restaurant in Tipton.