Ellowes Hall School

Ellowes Hall Sports College is a comprehensive secondary school with Sports College status situated on Stickley Lane in Lower Gornal, Dudley, West Midlands, England.

It provides education for pupils aged 11 to 18 years (with the older pupils being sixth formers. The headteacher is Mr Andrew Griffiths, who was appointed in September 2004.

History

It was built by Sedgley Urban District Council in 1964 near the Ellowes Hall stately home (which was demolished that year), to replace a smaller secondary school at nearby Redhall, but since 1966 has existed within the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley.

When the school opened, it did not have sixth form facilities and the leaving age for all pupils was 16 years. In 1972, the age of pupils starting the school was increased to 12 in order to comply with the LEA's decision to increase the secondary school starting age; however, the starting age reverted to 11 in 1990. In 1993, the school became grant-maintained, only to return to Dudley LEA's control in 1998. By this date, a new classroom block and library had been constructed, and the main hall had been refurbished.

The headteacher is Mr Andrew Griffiths, a History teacher and former Deputy Headteacher. He was appointed headteacher in 2004, following the departure of Mr Stephen Byatt. Mr Byatt's predecessor was Mr Norman Smith, who had been at the school for some 20 years up to his retirement on medical grounds in 1999. He was a popular figure in the local community and his initials "N.R.S" are still marked on the school gates.

Location

The school serves the villages of Lower Gornal and Gornal Wood, where the majority of the school's pupils live. A lesser number of pupils are from the Upper Gornal area, while some are from over the border in Dudley on the Milking Bank housing estate that was mostly developed during the 1980s.

Ellowes Hall is located on the Stickley Estate, which is predominantly made up of pre-war council housing built by Sedgley UDC, though many homes have been bought off the council under the right-to-buy scheme. The estate is situated just to the north-west of Lower Gornal village centre, and is approximately two miles from the centres of nearby towns Sedgley and Dudley.

The majority of pupils starting at Ellowes are former pupils of, Roberts Primary, Red Hall Primary, Straits Primary and Milking Bank Primary School, though a handful of pupils have been taken in from schools including Cotwall End and - until its closure in 2006 - Sycamore Green.

OfSTED

The latest OfSTED report praises the new leadership team for addressing the dramatic decline in standards and deteriorating behaviour under the previous Head. [http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/reports/103/103871.pdf]

[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/bsp/hi/education/05/school_tables/secondary_schools/html/332_5401.stm Academic performance] remains below the LEA and national averages, but shows marked improvement: in 2005, 41% of students obtained 5 or more good GCSEs (A*-C) compared with 32 and 33% in the previous two years. In contrast, in the 2005/6 academic year, this percentage rose to 57%, showing the school's fast progress - this is now in line with the national average and above the government's target standard for secondary schools. OfSTED criticized the Sixth Form provision as inadequate (against a national average of 278, Ellowes Sixth Form students achieved an average of 130 points in 2005). However, recent OfSTED reports praise the Sixth Form for improvements, especially the increase in achievement of A-C grades at 'A' level to around 46%.

The leadership of the new Headteacher, OfSTED found, has won the support of the pupils and staff. The school's positive ethos is praised, and OfSTED reports that the school's successful pursuit of Sports College status has added to this. Teaching is "good"; overall education is "satisfactory".

The Headteacher, Mr. Andrew Griffiths, has seen a turnaround in academic quality and student grades. In 2004, the year that Mr. Stephen Byatt resigned, the GCSE (A*-C) pass rate was 32%. In 2006, under the current headteacher, the pass rate increased to 57%, well above both the national average and the standard expected by national government. This placed it ahead of Sedgley's two other secondary schools - Dormston and High Arcal.

Drama productions

The school is known for its dramatic productions, such as "Fiddler on the Roof", "Les Miserables" and most recently "Oliver".

Drama productions take place in the performing arts suite, which was built in 1999 at a cost of £200,000.

External links

* [http://www.ellowes.dudley.gov.uk School website]
* [http://www.ellowes.dudley.gov.uk/tour/index. 'Virtual tour' of school campus]