The Hillcrest School

Infobox UK school
name = Hillcrest School and Community College


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established = 1960
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type = Comprehensive community school
religion = Secular
president =
head_label = Principal
head = April Garratt
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specialist = Arts CollegeTraining School
street = Simms Lane
city = Netherton
Dudley
county = West Midlands
country = England
postcode = DY2 0PB
LEA = Dudley
ofsted = 103863
staff =
enrollment = 848
gender = Co-educational
lower_age = 11
upper_age = 16
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website = http://www.hillcrest.dudley.gov.uk/
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The Hillcrest School and Community College is a secondary school located in Netherton, near Dudley, England.

The school was opened in about 1960 as one of two new secondary schools built in the expanding town. The other was Saltwells Secondary School. Both of these schools replaced a smaller pre-fabricated school in Halesowen Road which was known locally as "The Iron School". Saltwells in turn closed in 1986 to merge with an expanded Hillcrest, though it still does not have enough places to accommodate the town's entire secondary school age population. As a result, a significant number of pupils aged 11 to 16 living in Netherton have had to attend schools further afield including Heathfield Foundation Technology College in Cradley Heath and Castle High School in Dudley.

The school's current Principal is April Garratt who took over in Easter 2007. Prior to this the school was run by Dame Maureen Brennan, who became a Dame of the British Empire in December 2005 in recognition of her services to local education. She had been appointed as Principal of the school five years earlier, shortly after a damning OFSTED report which criticised the school for a catalogue of shortcomings, combined with a disappointing 17% of GCSE students attained 5 or more A-C grades. Standards have improved dramatically since Dame Brennan's arrival.