Ecclesfield School

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Academy in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England

Ecclesfield School

Address

Chapeltown Road

Sheffield

South Yorkshire

S35 9WD

England

Coordinates| 53°27′12″N 1°27′58″W﻿ / ﻿53.45343°N 1.46607°W﻿ / 53.45343; -1.46607
Information
Type| Academy
Motto| Together we achieve.
Established| 1931
Department for Education URN| 145191 Tables
Ofsted| Reports
Head teacher| Richard Walkden[1]
Age| 11 to 16[1]
Enrolment| 1681[1]
Capacity| 1750
Houses| Turing, Nightingale, Franklin, Rowling, Churchill
Colour(s)| Red  , Amber
Website| Ecclesfield School

Ecclesfield School is a coeducational secondary school with academy status situated on Chapeltown Road (A6135) between Chapeltown and Ecclesfield, South Yorkshire in the East Ecclesfield district of Sheffield, England. It is for ages 11-16\. It has about 1,750 pupils, making it the largest school in Sheffield.

## History

[edit]

Ecclesfield School opened as "Ecclesfield Grammar School" in 1931. Its foundation was largely due to the efforts of Lady Mabel Smith, a Labour councillor on the West Riding County Council, and daughter of Earl Fitzwilliam. Lady Mabel was Chairman of the School Governors from 1931 to her death in 1951.

The school was designed in 1939 by Frederick MacManus, an Irish born architect working for (Sir) John Burney, Tait & Lorne architects of London.[2]

In 1931 Ecclesfield Grammar School provided for three streams of 30 pupils, increased to five in 1952 with an annual intake of 150 and a total number on roll of 800; by this time 2,500 pupils had been admitted. Following integration with Hunshelf pupil intake increased further. Total pupil numbers during the 36 years the school operated as a grammar school was approximately 4,450, and approximately 10,000 since it became a comprehensive.

Major extensions to the school were made in 1952-53, including Lady Mabel Hall, kitchens and classrooms, and separate science and craft blocks. Further building undertaken during the 1960s included a sports hall with changing rooms and a multi-story classroom block, with the gymnasium from the previous building converted into a library. Concurrently, a separate Hunshelf School was built on part of the playing fields.

During the 1950s new entrants were allocated to forms according to surname alphabetical order, and were allotted to a "house", Strafford, Brontë, Fairfax or Priestley, for weekly assembly and competitive sports.

In 1967 the School became Ecclesfield Comprehensive School after amalgamating with Hunshelf Secondary Modern School, and served the areas of Ecclesfield, Chapeltown, Hoyland, Elsecar, High Green, Bradfield, Stannington, Grenoside, Oughtibridge and Wharncliffe Side, on the southern boundary of the West Riding of Yorkshire between Sheffield and Barnsley. Initially, it remained separate from Hunshelf School, but the two schools later amalgamated to form an enlarged Ecclesfield Comprehensive, run by Sheffield City Council.[3]

Again, major building work took place in the school in the early 21st century, as the Priory, Wharncliffe and Cowley blocks were built (often shortened to just P, W, and C) as well as the new canteen and car park. It was here where the school gained its 'Specialist in visual and performing arts' status. On 1 April 2014, the school converted to academy status.

## Drama

[edit]

The school has drama and music studios, and a theatre with tiered seating and lighting system. Productions include musicals and serious dramas. Ecclesfield School teachers Paul O'Farrell and Ben Smithard wrote and directed the play Exit Stage Left which was performed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in July & August 2012, and was well-reviewed in the local Sheffield Star.[4] The play won the Yorkshire music and drama award. They have also directed musicals and plays which take place in the school's Lady Mabel Hall annually.[5]

## Academic performance

[edit]

At GCSE, the school performs below average for Sheffield LEA. In a report from 2017 the school achieved "Inadequate" in its Ofsted Report.[6]

## Notable former pupils

[edit]

This article's list of alumni may not follow Wikipedia's verifiability policy. Please improve this article by removing names that do not have independent reliable sources showing they merit inclusion in this article AND are alumni, or by incorporating the relevant publications into the body of the article through appropriate citations. (October 2022)

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* Jamie Cook, guitarist with the Arctic Monkeys
* Karl Ley, bomb disposal expert, awarded the George Medal
* James Lomas, actor
* Steve Peat, mountain biker
* Jordan Ramos, sprinter and tumbling (gymnastics)
* Billy Sharp, professional footballer
* Simon Stainrod

### Ecclesfield Grammar School

[edit]

See also: Category:People educated at Ecclesfield Grammar School

* Chris Baines, environmentalist, writer and broadcaster 1958-65
* Joanna Constantinidis, potter[7]
* Barry Hines, author
* David Merry CMG, High Commissioner to Botswana from 2001–05
* Frank Newby, structural engineer, designed the Skylon for the Festival of Britain and the aviary for London Zoo
* Donald Pleasence, actor
* Sheila Sherwood, long-jumper, won the silver in the 1968 Mexico Olympic Games

## Former teachers

[edit]

* Christopher Price, Labour MP from 1966-70 for Birmingham Perry Barr, and brother of Helen Jackson (Labour MP for Sheffield Hillsborough from 1992-2005)

## See also

[edit]

* Education in Sheffield

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c "Get Information about Schools". Ecclesfield School. Gov.UK. Retrieved 10 October 2022.
2. ^ "DSA Building/Design Report – Ecclesfield Town Modern School". Dictionary of Scottish Architects. Retrieved 22 April 2022.
3. ^ "History | Grenoside Reading Room". www.grenosidereadingroom.co.uk. Retrieved 8 June 2017.
4. ^ Dunnn, David. "REVIEW: Exit Stage Left, Lady Mabel Theatre". The Star. Retrieved 27 March 2019.
5. ^ "Sheffield performers take on Edinburgh Fringe | Sheffield Unchained". www.sheffieldunchained.co.uk. Archived from the original on 7 October 2017. Retrieved 8 June 2017.
6. ^ "Head says school 'devastated' by inadequate Ofsted rating". The Star. Retrieved 8 June 2017.
7. ^ Whiting, David (2004). "Constantinidis [née Connell], Joanna". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/74451. ISBN 978-0-19-861412-8. Retrieved 5 January 2021. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)

## External links

[edit]

* Ecclesfield School
* Ecclesfield School Virtual Community

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Schools in Sheffield

Primary|

* Hillsborough Primary School
* Hinde House 2-16 School
* Oasis Academy Don Valley
* St Theresa's Catholic Primary School
* Watercliffe Meadow Community Primary School

Secondary|

* All Saints Catholic High School
* The Birley Academy
* Bradfield School
* Chaucer School
* Ecclesfield School
* Fir Vale School
* Firth Park Academy
* Forge Valley School
* Handsworth Grange Community Sports College
* High Storrs School
* Hinde House 2-16 School
* King Ecgbert School
* King Edward VII School
* Meadowhead School
* Newfield Secondary School
* Notre Dame High School
* Oasis Academy Don Valley
* Outwood Academy City
* Parkwood E-ACT Academy
* Sheffield Park Academy
* Sheffield Springs Academy
* Silverdale School
* Stocksbridge High School
* Tapton School
* UTC Sheffield City Centre
* UTC Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park
* Westfield School
* Yewlands Academy

Independent|

* Birkdale School
* Sheffield High School
* Westbourne School

FE & sixth form|

* Chapeltown Academy
* Longley Park Sixth Form
* Sheffield College

Defunct|

* Abbeydale Grange School
* Attercliffe Academy
* Frecheville Comprehensive School
* Myers Grove School
* Sheffield Central Technical School
* Sheffield Collegiate School
* Sheffield Grammar School
* Tapton Mount School
* Wesley College

Authority control databases

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* ISNI
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* United States

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