Stretford Grammar School Explained

Stretford Grammar School
Coordinates:53.4437°N -2.2978°W
Type:Foundation grammar school
Head Label:Headteacher
Head:M. Mullins
Address:Granby Road
City:Stretford
County:Greater Manchester
Country:England
Postcode:M32 8JB
Local Authority:Trafford
Ofsted:yes
Urn:106368
Enrolment:754 (440 boys, 314 girls)
Gender:mixed
Lower Age:11
Upper Age:18
Website:http://www.stretfordgrammar.com

Stretford Grammar School is a grammar school located in Stretford, in the Trafford borough of Greater Manchester, England. It is located on a 15-acre plot in the heart of Stretford, Trafford.

Admissions

The school has a sixth form in addition to years 7 to 11. Almost two-thirds of the school's pupils are from minority ethnic backgrounds, and approximately 30% of all pupils have a first language other than English, significantly above the national average.[1]

History

The first head master was Albert Dakin. The first foundation stone of the school was laid on 1 July 1927. The building cost £40,745, and was built by Lancashire County Council. The boys' school opened on 12 September 1928, being officially opened on 23 October 1928 by Eustace Percy, 1st Baron Percy of Newcastle, and was on Great Stone Road west of Lancashire's cricket ground. The girls' grammar school was called Stretford Girls' High School on Herbert Street, and opened in 1923.

In January 1941 the site of the girls' school was destroyed by bombing. Nearby Trafford Park produced important materials for the war, not least Rolls-Royce Merlin engines made at Ford's factory. A new girls' school was built on a different site near Longford Park and south of Edge Lane (A5145): the former site was turned into playing fields. The school was administered by the Stretford Divisional Executive of the Lancashire Education Committee. From April 1974, it was administered by Trafford Metropolitan Borough Council.

Until its merger in 1986 with Stretford Grammar School for Boys, it had been known since 1960 as Stretford Grammar School for Girls (both schools changed their name at the same time). The site of the boys' grammar school then became Stretford High School, a community secondary school.

In 1988 there were plans to build a CTC on the boys' school site, which were dropped. At the time of the merger, six secondary schools closed in Trafford, with the loss of 4,500 school places.

Academic performance

Academically the school exam results are above national averages, with 92% of pupils achieving A*–C in at least five GCSEs (including English and Mathematics).[2] The school's value added score is below the local authority average.

In March 2009, Stretford became the first grammar school in the UK to be placed under special measures, following a damning Ofsted report,[3] which cited low level behaviour problems, inadequate teaching, and poor leadership and management.[1] The school had been assessed as "satisfactory" in its March 2006 Ofsted report,[4] and left Special Measures Status in March 2010. In 2012, two-thirds of students achieved the target of 5A/A* grades; a quarter of students achieved at least 10 grades at A/A*.

Notable former pupils

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Inspection Report Stretford Grammar School . . 9–10 February 2009 . 23 March 2009.
  2. News: Stretford Grammar School . . English School Tables 2008 . 23 March 2009 . 15 January 2009 . 30 March 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090330200916/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/bsp/hi/education/08/school_tables/secondary_schools/html/358_4025.stm . live .
  3. News: Grammar school fails inspection . . 23 March 2009 . 23 March 2009 . 25 March 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090325171957/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/7959129.stm . live .
  4. Web site: Inspection Report Stretford Grammar School . . 29 March 2006 . 15 May 2007.