High Arcal School
 | |
| Motto | Wisdom & Service |
|---|---|
| Established | 1961 |
| Type | Academy |
| Headteacher | Mrs Joanna Mary Manson |
| Specialism |
Science Applied Learning |
| Location |
High Arcal Drive Sedgley Dudley West Midlands DY3 1BP England Coordinates: 52°32′01″N 2°06′34″W / 52.5336°N 2.1095°W |
| Local authority | Dudley |
| DfE URN | 137705 Tables |
| Ofsted | Reports |
| Students | 1213 |
| Gender | Coeducational |
| Ages | 11–16 |
| Houses | Attingham, Himley, Boscobel, Wightwick |
| Publication | The Arcalian (former grammar school) |
| Website | High Arcal School |
High Arcal School is a secondary school in the West Midlands of England. It is situated in the Sedgley area of the Dudley Metropolitan Borough and has academy and specialist science college status. It was opened in 1961 as a grammar school and became comprehensive in 1975.
The school is located between the A457 (Tipton Road) and the A459 (Dudley Road) in Woodsetton, to the east of Sedgley.
Admissions
High Arcal was originally a grammar school for 11-18 year olds in the Sedgley and Coseley areas who had passed the 11 plus examination, but is now a comprehensive school. After nearly two decades serving the 12-18 age range, it was reorganised to form an 11-16 school.
History
The school opened in September 1961 as a grammar school to serve the urban districts of Sedgley and Coseley. The catchment area altered substantially in September 1966, when the bulk of the districts were absorbed into Dudley; a significant portion of Coseley was merged into Wolverhampton and West Bromwich, and removed from the school's catchment area.
The school's age range was altered to 12-18 from September 1972, and its status changed from grammar to comprehensive in September 1975.
The school's sixth form closed in July 1990 as part of further reorganisation by Dudley Council, and from September that year the age range was altered to 11-16, with 11-year-olds being re-admitted to High Arcal after 18 years as a 12+ school. Since then, places at the school have been obtainable to pupils living in Tipton (just beyond Dudley's boundary in Sandwell, where the secondary transfer age has always been 11 years), and the school has consequently become a popular choice for children living in Tipton, particularly in the Tipton Green area.
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 14 years, and had seen a major turnaround in the school's fortunes since the retirement of previous head teacher Mr John Gerrish in December 1992, who in turn succeeded the foundation headmaster Mr John Ardern. He had taught at a school in Shropshire for several years prior to becoming head of High Arcal, having once been a subject teacher at High Arcal.
A highlight of the school's recent rise in fortunes came in 2006, when High Arcal came seventh out of the Dudley borough's 22 schools in the GCSE results league tables. Its rising standards have attracted a growing number of pupils from areas which previously attracted a much lower intake. The school's GCSE results are at the England average.
Houses
The school population is divided into a house system, currently consisting of four houses named after local stately homes.
The original house names were named after local landmarks Abbey, Beacon, (Sedgley Beacon,) Castle (Dudley Castle) and Priory (Dudley Priory) .The 1970s saw the houses renamed to reflect local hills: Clee (Clee hills), Malvern ( Malvern Hills Worcestershire), Wenlock, (Wenlock Edge) and Wrekin (The Wrekin Shropshire).. They were changed again in the 1990s to the current names:
The houses compete in both physical and academic events, competing in sports such as cricket, football and rugby.
Feeder schools
The majority of pupils enrolling at High Arcal are former pupils at Bramford Primary School, Foxyards Primary School, Hurst Hill Primary School and Cotwall End Primary School. Sycamore Green Primary School was also a feeder school until its closure in 2006. High Arcal has also been a popular school for former Tipton Green Junior School pupils since 1990.
Sport
The school also takes much pride in its continued good performance in competitions against other schools, in various sporting competitions.
Stephanie Faulkner Tragedy
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 aggravated by a chicken tikka masala. A series of fundraising events have since taken place at the school and a memorial garden is set to be erected in Stephanie's memory.
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 1975 - 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 - High Arcal re-opens to 11 year olds as part of a local education reorganisation.
- December 1992 - Head teacher Mr John Gerrish retires.
- January 1993 - Mr Jeffrey Williams, a former teacher at the school, returns to take on the role of head teacher.
- 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 nearly 14 years. His successor is Mrs Jo Manson, previously a deputy head at the school.
Alumni
- Andrew Griffiths MP, Conservative politician
- Prof Clive Holes, Khalid Bin Abdullah Al-Saud Professor for the Study of the Contemporary Arab World at the University of Oxford since 1997
- Ian Powell, Chairman of PricewaterhouseCoopers (UK) since July 2008
- Chris Wood (1970-77), Deputy British Ambassador to China 2009-2012, Director British Trade and Cultural Office, Taiwan 2013-present
- Lorely Burt M.P. [nee Lorely Jane Baker] (Politician) Liberal Democrat M.P.Solihul. (attended High Arcal 1966 - 1971)