The Grangefield Academy

The Grangefield Academy (formerly known as Grangefield School and Technology College) is a secondary school with academy status situated in the heart of the borough of Stockton on Tees, located on Oxbridge Avenue, Grangefield, Stockton-on-Tees, England.

Following an Ofsted inspection in December 2012, the school was placed in "Special Measures" under the Education Act 2005 because it was failing to provide an acceptable standard of education and the persons responsible for leading, managing and governing the school were not demonstrating the capacity to secure the necessary improvements in the inadequate achievements of pupils, quality of teaching, standards of behaviour, and managerial leadership. Subsequently the school had visits from Her Majesty's Inspectorate, some of which have deemed that the school was making reasonable progress, but the final inspection in 2013 determined that the school was not making enough progress towards the removal of special measures.^[2] The school undertook formal consultation about plans to re-establish itself as an Academy sponsored by Northern Education Trust, a Department for Education approved charity, and the conversion was finalised in early 2014.^[3]

Overview

The Grangefield Academy is located in extensive school fields, adjacent to the town ring road and opposite the Stockton Cricket Club Ground. The attractive and substantial main buildings date from the early 1950s and comprised Grangefield Boys’ and Grangefield Girls’ Grammar Schools which stood next to one another. Modern additions include a Sports Hall, Library and Technology Block. The original brick, sandstone and Cumberland slate buildings face out over the playing fields and are constructed around four well-planted quadrangles, providing a distinctive and stimulating learning environment. Many areas of the school have been extensively refurbished; a new extension for the Design and Technology block was completed in 2005. The school field and grounds provide 11 tennis courts, 2 football pitches, 2 rugby pitches, 2 hockey pitches and 2 artificial cricket wickets. There has been substantial investment in ICT over the last few years. There are fully equipped ICT suites used exclusively by ICT (6 rooms), Mathematics, Modern Languages and Humanities. There are also many other subject areas with in-class ICT provision, including Art, Music, Design and Technology and Science. Many curriculum areas have access to interactive whiteboards and data projectors. The facilities are greatly enhanced through the Grangefield Media Centre, providing state of the art ICT facilities, which is located on the school site. Plans are in development to rebuild the academy. Plans for a new building feature a large sports hall, activity studio, drama studio, main hall and dining hall.^[4]

History

The school dates back to 1896, originating as the Stockton Higher Grade School. However the current site is the former Grangefield Grammar School, which opened in the present buildings on 2 November 1951. Prior to this, from 1944, it was in different buildings as the Stockton Secondary Grammar School, and before that, as Stockton Secondary School from 1906. The boys' and girls' lessons were taught separately, with separate heads of school. It became unified as comprehensive and co-educational in 1973, and called The Grange Comprehensive School, until 1985.^[5]

Hardwick Secondary Modern School, founded in 1963, became Sheraton Comprehensive School in 1973. This merged with The Grange Comprehensive School in 1985 to become Grangefield School. The current institution does not have a sixth form. Grangefield is an established co-educational comprehensive school of around 1200 students aged 11–16, and had been a specialist Technology College from 1999 to 2013.

Academic performance

The school has recently been in the lowest 20% quintile amongst similar schools nationally.^[6] In 2012, 40% of pupils attained five GCSEs grade A* to C including English and mathematics. This is a decrease of 10 percentage points since 2011. In 2012, 48% of pupils attained grade A* to C in English (EBacc). This is a decrease of 23 percentage points since 2011. In 2012, 42% of pupils achieved expected progress in English. This is a decrease of 30 percentage points since 2011. In 2012, 51% of pupils attained grade A* to C in mathematics (EBacc). This is a decrease of three percentage points since 2011. In 2012, 47% of pupils achieved expected progress in mathematics. This has not changed since 2011. In 2012, 46% of pupils attained grade A* to C in science (EBacc). This is a decrease of 33 percentage points since 2011.

Notable former pupils

Stockton Secondary School

• Alderman Sir Charles William Allison CBE, JP, Honorary Freeman of the Borough 1956
• William Arthur Bone, combustion engineer, and Professor of Chemical Technology at Imperial College London from 1912–36
• Air Vice-Marshal John Embling CBE DSO
• Horace Maybray King, Baron Maybray-King, Labour MP for Southampton Test from 1950-5 and Southampton Itchen from 1955–71 and Speaker of the British House of Commons from 1965–71
• Lieutenant Colonel Ken Scott
• Peter Smithson, architect
• Prof Keith Stewartson, Goldsmid Professor of Mathematics at University College London from 1964–83
• Sir Maurice Sutherland, Leader of Cleveland County Council from 1973-7
• Barry Unsworth, novelist

Grangefield Grammar School

• Pat Barker CBE, author who wrote the historical novel Regeneration, and wife of zoologist David Barker
• Hugh Cameron, cyclist
• James Gaddas, actor
• Charlie Gillett, musicologist, radio presenter and writer
• Raymond and John Gill, founders of ACM Instruments
• David Ingman CBE, Chairman of the British Waterways Board from 1987–93
• Len Porter, Chief Executive of the Rail Safety and Standards Board since 2003
• Sir Ridley Scott, film director
• Tony Scott, film director
• Bruce Thomas, bassist in The Attractions
• Prof David Webb, Professor of Finance at the LSE, and Director since 1991 of the Financial Markets Group Research Centre
• Dr Richard Chesser, Lead Curator of Music at the British Library since 2007
• Kate Pyne, Chief Technical Historian at the Atomic Weapons Establishment, Aldermaston, Berks. Died 20 June 2015

External links

• Grangefield Academy website
• EduBase
• Old pictures of the former school
• The Old Stocktonians Association with school transition history

References