- North Halifax Grammar School
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The North Halifax Grammar School 
Motto Living to learn, learning to live Established 1985 Type foundation grammar Religion mixed Headteacher Mr Graham Maslen Chair of Governors Mrs Jacqueline Kershaw Specialism Science and Languages Location Moorbottom Road
Illingworth, Halifax
West Yorkshire
HX2 9SU
EnglandLocal authority Calderdale DfE number ???/5400 DfE URN 107574 Ofsted Reports Students 1090 Gender Mixed Ages 11–18 Former name The Highlands School Website NHGS Coordinates: 53°45′20″N 1°52′58″W / 53.7556°N 1.8828°W
The North Halifax Grammar School (NHGS) is a grammar school, specialist science college and specialist languages college in Illingworth, Halifax, West Yorkshire, England. It is situated in the east of Illingworth, towards Holmfield and Holdsworth. Holy Trinity Church of England Senior School and St Catherine's Catholic High School (both faith schools) are very close to the school.
Contents
Admissions
The school has approximately one thousand students aged 11 to 18. NHGS works with Crossley Heath Grammar School to administer an admissions test, admitting 155 students each year through an entrance examination which consists of Verbal Reasoning, Mathematics and English tests. There are 155 places at 11+ stage for September 2010.[1] Admissions are also accepted at the 16+ stage, without a formal quota.[2]
History
The Princess Mary High School (also known as Halifax High School for Girls before 1931) had around 350 girls and was opened on 21 September 1931 by Mary, Princess Royal and Countess of Harewood.[3][4] It became known as the Princess Mary School in 1969 and was situated on Francis Street. When the school closed, there was a Service of Thanksgiving in July 1985 in Halifax Parish Church. The buildings became part of Percival Whitley College, then Halifax New College, which became Calderdale College when it combined with Halifax School of Integrated Arts. The former site is now to be redeveloped (knocked down).[5]
The Highlands School on Moorbottom Road had around 750 boys and girls. It was originally the Halifax Technical High School, which was formed in 1957 before its Moorbottom Road premises were completed and opened in May 1959 by the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Leeds. It had around 700 boys and girls and became the Highlands School in 1969.
Amalgamation
The North Halifax Grammar School was formed with the amalgamation of the Highlands School and the Princess Mary School with some current teachers working at one of these schools before the amalgamation. It was more a simple closure of the Princess Mary School than an amalgamation, with all teaching taking place at the Highlands site from 1987.
In 1999, the school became a foundation school, giving the governing body ownership of the buildings and site and more executive powers. After a long fundraising campaign, the school achieved Specialist Science College status in 2004, which funded the refurbishment and extension of existing laboratories and the construction of a new one.
Performance
The school consistently achieves highly, being one of only 19 secondary schools to be rated outstanding in its previous three inspections. The school also receives criticism, however, as it is one of the few "highly selective" schools in England taking just the top ten per cent of students.
Absence is low, with the Department for Education and Skills reporting the school's unauthorised absence rate negligible.
Sixth Form
The Sixth form is the largest in Calderdale, currently offering a large range of academic A-levels. In 2006, 449 A2 entries were made, with a 98.7% pass rate.
From 2009 the North Halifax Grammar School sixth form centre was built and finished for use. It is designed to give the sixth form more space around the school. This extended the common room and added six brand new classrooms.
Notable former pupils
See also: Category:People educated at North Halifax Grammar School- Emma Williams - actress
- Gary Fellows - Yorkshire cricketer
- Joe Tyler - skier
- Hannah Mayho - British Cycling's Olympic Academy Squad member
The Highlands School
- Julie Kirkbride - Conservative MP for Bromsgrove from 1997-2010, and former Daily Telegraph journalist
- Richard Leishman, Olympic swimmer at the 1992 Olympics - still holds the 100m Butterfly junior record for English schools, set in 1983[6]
The Princess Mary High School
- Phyllis Bentley OBE, novelist - wrote Inheritance
- Stella Robson, Chairman from 1998-2002 of the Northern Sinfonia, Mayor of Darlington from 2005-6
References
- ^ http://www.nhgs.co.uk/admissions/admission_11.asp
- ^ http://www.nhgs.co.uk/admissions/admission_16.asp
- ^ http://www.calderdale.gov.uk/wtw/search/controlservlet?PageId=Detail&DocId=100732 Halifax Girls' High School
- ^ http://www.calderdale.gov.uk/wtw/search/controlservlet?PageId=Detail&DocId=100297 Princess Mary's High School for Girls
- ^ http://www.halifaxcourier.co.uk/halifax-renaissance/The-future-of-education-in.4879846.jp Francis Street redevelopment
- ^ http://www.essa-schoolswimming.com/essarecords.htm ESSA swimming records
External links
Schools in Calderdale Comprehensive Brighouse High School · The Brooksbank School · Calder High School · Halifax High School · Hipperholme & Lightcliffe School · Park Lane High School · Rastrick High School · Ryburn Valley High School · Sowerby Bridge High School · St Catherine's Catholic High School · Todmorden High School · Trinity AcademyGrammar Crossley Heath School · North Halifax Grammar SchoolIndependent Hipperholme Grammar School · Rishworth SchoolCategories:- Schools in Halifax, West Yorkshire
- Science Colleges in West Yorkshire
- Language Colleges in England
- Grammar schools in Yorkshire
- Educational institutions established in 1985
- 1985 establishments in England
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