Burnage High School

Infobox UK school
name = Burnage High School For Boys
established = 1933
approx =
c_approx =
type = Community High School
religion = Non-Denominational
head = Ian Fenn
specialist = Media Arts
city = Manchester
country = England
LEA = Manchester City Council
staff = 55
enrollment = 1040
gender = Male
lower_age = 11
upper_age = 16
motto = "achieving excellence"
colours = Black, blue, gold, white
website = http://www.burnage.manchester.sch.uk

Burnage High School is an all-boys secondary school in Burnage, Manchester, England. The school is also a specialist Media Arts College.

History

The school was founded in 1927 as Burnage Grammar School. Timber for the woodworking classes was chosen by Mr Todd in 1927 and the valuable remaining timber (some worth over 200 pounds a cubic foot)was destroyed by the builders during re-development. For many years it was a selective grammar school, later becoming a comprehensive school in 1964. Eight of the Manchester United Football team killed in 1958 Munich Air Disaster came from Burnage Grammar including the then captain (Roger Byrne). Black armbands were worn that day by all the school. Many of the members of the TocH rugby club originated at the school which had an excellent record in the field of sports and education.The school draws pupils from various districts of Manchester, including Didsbury, Levenshulme, Longsight, Rusholme, Fallowfield, Withington, Hulme, Ardwick, and Burnage itself. According to its 2006 OFSTED report [ [http://www.eventsoft.co.uk/default.asp?contentID=528| Burnage High School 2006 OFSTED report] ] , the school has a very high proportion of students from ethnic minority groups, and over 50 % of its students are of South Asian and British Muslim heritage owing to the schools multi-ethnic catchment area and a preference for single-sex education.

Before it was amalgamated with Ladybarn Secondary School (on Briarfield Rd) in 1964 under an edict of the Greater Manchester Council, the school had been based on Burnage Lane. The lower and upper schools were amalgamated in 2000 and are now based solely at the Burnage Lane site, which has been extensively expanded. The lower school site on Briarfield Rd was demolished following its closure and a new housing estate was built in its place.

Controversy

In September 1986, the school made headline news when 13 year old Asian pupil Ahmed Iqbal Ullah was fatally stabbed in the school playground by another 13 year old pupil, Darren Coulburn, in what was believed to be a racially motivated attack. The incident severely damaged the reputation of what was once a leading and well-respected school in the district, and launched the MacDonald Inquiry into racism in Manchester schools ["Murder in the Playground: Report of the Macdonald Inquiry into Racism and Racial Violence in Manchester Schools", Ian McDonald, New Beacon Books (ISBN-13: 978-1872417004)] . The school has made considerable progress in rehabilitating its image in recent years.

Notable Alumni

*Professor Sir Roland Smith - Former Chairman of Manchester United Football Club, British Aerospace, House of Fraser as well as served boards of the Bank of England and The Equitable Life Assurance Society. [ [http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_20031124/ai_n12733092 Obituary:Professor Sir Roland Smith | Independent, The (London) | Find Articles at BNET.com ] ]
*Norman Foster, Baron Foster of Thames Bank - One of the leading British architects of the United Kingdom and in the world. [ [http://www.burnage.manchester.sch.uk/campus.htm Burnage High School for Boys - Manchester UK ] ]
*Alan Badel - stage, film and television actor
*Michael Croft - Founder and Director of the National Youth Theatre. [ [http://www.burnage.manchester.sch.uk/campus.htm Burnage High School for Boys - Manchester UK ] ]
*Wes Brown - Manchester United and England Footballer. [ [http://www.burnage.manchester.sch.uk/campus.htm Burnage High School for Boys - Manchester UK ] ]
*Roger Byrne - Manchester United and England footballer killed in the Munich air disaster
*Aziz Ibrahim - Noted Guitarist (worked with Simply Red, the Stone Roses)

References