| Established | 31 May 1940 |
|---|---|
| Type | Comprehensive secondary school |
| Headteacher | Mrs M.E. Tunnicliffe |
| Specialism | Mathematics and Computing |
| Location | Elliotts Lane Codsall Staffordshire WV8 1PQ England |
| Local authority | Staffordshire County Council |
| Staff | 100 |
| Students | 1300 |
| Gender | Co-educational |
| Ages | 13–18 |
| Houses | Java, Vector, Matrix and Oberon |
| Website | www.cc-hs.com |
Codsall Community High School is a school in Codsall, Staffordshire, England. In September 2004 it became the first to achieve specialist school status in Maths and Computing and in 2011 was rated to be OUTSTANDING by Ofsted. It is a comprehensive school for pupils aged 13-18 in a large village in South Staffordshire, near Wolverhampton. A total of 1300 pupils (including more than 300 Sixth-Formers) attend the school.
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Codsall High School was opened in May 1940, taking 126 pupils aged 11 and over from the village's school by St Nicholas's Church. The school also took pupils from the neighbouring village of Bilbrook. After the war, the school expanded; by 1954, there were 728 children on the roll. An extension was opened in 1957, including the school's present Main Hall. A small swimming pool was constructed in the school's quadrangle in 1964; a roof was added in the 1970s.
The school became an 11-18 Comprehensive in 1969; at the same time, headteacher George Gibbs retired and was replaced by Ron Mitson. A further extension was built in the early 1970s, and the school's catchment area expanded to include the village of Pattingham.
Geoff Bate succeeded as headmaster in September 1972, at the same time that the school's capacity was reduced due to the entry age being increased from 11 to 13 as part of the introduction of three-tier education in the area.
Original plans for a high school in Perton were cancelled, and pupils travelled to Codsall upon completing middle school, leading to a growth in pupil numbers. A community sports centre opened during the mid-1970s, refurbished using National Lottery money from 2003.
Mr Bate retired in 1994, replaced by Mr E. Liddy. A further extension was built around this time. The school's current head is Mrs M.E. Tunnicliffe, appointed in 2005.
Following the recognition of the school as a specialist in mathematics and computing, the school's focus shifted in the 2000s to the delivery of more ICT and computing courses, as well as vocational qualifications. However, Codsall Community High School offers a wide range of courses, and was the last comprehensive school in South Staffordshire still to offer classical subjects, including Classical Civilisation and Latin, however, these were stopped being taught of 2010.
The school received negative local press in 2003 following anti-social behaviour by its pupils. The most widely reported cases were of pupils using the 535 bus service towards Wolverhampton vandalising the bus, assaulting the driver, and letting off fireworks on a bus.[1]
In 2008, the school achieved record results in GCSE exams, 72% of candidates received the top four grades, A*-C.[2]
A room for the Sixth Form was opened by Sir Patrick Cormack in September 2008, named in memory of former headmaster Geoff Bate. Rock band The Hoosiers visited the community project in October 2008 to support the students and the hard work that they had undertaken.[3]
In 2009, Codsall Community High School extended their curriculum provision by becoming the first state school in the country to run a post-16 Football Academy. The scheme offers students, aged 16-18 years, the opportunity to study for nationally recognised qualifications whilst receiving high quality football coaching daily.