Rawthorpe High School

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Rawthorpe High School is a comprehensive school in Rawthorpe, Huddersfield, England controlled by Kirklees MBC. It has specialist status as a Arts College. The Headteacher is Joan Young and the Head of the Specialist Status is Helen Turnbull.

Originally Rawthorpe County Secondary Modern, the school was built circa 1952. The first Head was "Jack" Timewell who remained with the school until 1975.

Mr Timewell indicated unusual difficulties attendant in the school's establishment. One edge of the school's playing fields overlooks the Kilner Bank. In pre-war times the Kilner Bank had been a local beauty spot. Industrial activity in the Huddersfield's Leeds Road area, particularly wartime munitions production, had left the Kilner Bank (and the playing fields) contaminated with high concentrations of soil copper. Only the importing of grass able to tolerate high copper concentrations, from Canada, enabled the school to have large sports fields adjacent.

The contamination had destroyed most of the tree-life on the Kilner Bank and the school participated in an extensive re-planting program starting in the early 1970's.

The school had a sixth form, and entered pupils for the GCE A-level examinations whilst still a secondary modern. This continued until three local grammar schools began a phased-transition into sixth form colleges in 1973. Renamed Rawthorpe High School, it lost its own sixth form and became a comprehensive "feeder school". The school continued to enter pupils for the GCE O-level examinations, replacing the Associated Examination Board exams with the far more demanding northern universities Joint Matriculation Board papers in 1974.

The school has recently been included in the top 200 most improved state schools in England.

Rawthorpe educates pupils from 11 to 16 years, and has no sixth form.

[edit] Notable Alumni

[edit] References

  1. ^ "Lost years of the 'nice boy' who killed 25", David Sapsted and Duncan Gardham, Daily Telegraph, 16 July 2005
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