Ryburn Valley High School

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Academy in Sowerby Bridge, West Yorkshire, England

Ryburn Valley High School

Address

St. Peters Avenue

Sowerby Bridge

West Yorkshire

HX6 1DF

England

Coordinates| 53°42′12″N 1°55′54″W﻿ / ﻿53.70330°N 1.93168°W﻿ / 53.70330; -1.93168
Information
Type| Academy
Motto| Strive to Excel
Established| 1959
Local authority| Calderdale
Department for Education URN| 141307 Tables
Ofsted| Reports
Chair of Governors| Sarah Hughes
Head teacher| Donna Watkins
Age| 11 to 18
Enrolment| 1,622

Ryburn Valley High School is a secondary school and sixth form located in the town of Sowerby Bridge, West Yorkshire, England. Originally built in the 1950s, it moved into a new building in 2005.

## History

[edit]

Ryburn Valley High School opened in February 1959 as Ryburn County Secondary Modern School. It was a new mixed secondary school representing the merger of Sowerby Bridge Girls' School and Sowerby Bridge Boys' School. The advent of the comprehensive system gave birth to the name Ryburn Valley High School in 1979. It has grown from 600 pupils in 1959 to almost 1500 in 2013.[1]

The new building was confirmed in 2001 and was built from 2004 to 2005. The pupils moved into the building after spring half term in 2005.

Ryburn Valley High School was awarded specialist status in Media Arts in 2004. In 2016, the first Ryburrn Academy Awards were held at the Victoria Theatre in Halifax

The school received a rating of Grade 2, 'Good', for overall effectiveness in its 2013 Ofsted inspection report.[2]

The school converted to academy status in September 2014.

## Television appearances

[edit]

During the spring of 2016, a local camera crew from the BBC used the school as a set piece for the crime/drama television series Happy Valley.[3]

In 2019, Ryburn Valley High School appeared in the CBBC show, Our School.[citation needed] This showed the journey of new Year 7 and 8's joining Ryburn Valley High School.

## Headteachers

[edit]

* 1959-1969 - Robert Miles
* 1969-1976 - John Widdows
* 1976-1978, 1986 - Morton Roberts
* 1978-1986 - William Nicholson
* 1986-1998 - Tony Thorne
* 1998 - Bridget Rickwood (Acting)
* 1999-2008 - Ian Adam[4]
* 2008-2013 - Honor Byford[5]
* 2013-2023 - David Lord[6]
* 2023-Present - Donna Watkins[7]

## Notable former pupils

[edit]

* Craig Fleming, former football player, and former captain of Norwich City Football Club.[8]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Ryburn Valley High – a class act for half a century", Halifax Courier. Retrieved 21 July 2013 Archived 27 December 2014 at the Wayback Machine
2. ^ "Ryburn Valley High School", Ofsted inspection report. Retrieved 21 July 2013
3. ^ "Calderdale & Happy Valley Filming Locations". visitcalderdale.com. Retrieved 4 March 2021.
4. ^ "Deputy steps up to fill retiring head teacher's shoes",Halifax Courier. Retrieved 21 July 2013
5. ^ "Headteacher to retire after thirty years", Halifax Courier. Retrieved 21 July 2013
6. ^ "Ryburn Valley High School", Rvhs.co.uk. Retrieved 21 July 2013
7. ^ "Ryburn Valley High School", Rvhs.co.uk. Retrieved 11 December 2023
8. ^ "Old boy makes it pitch-perfect!". Halifax Courier. 28 June 2005. Retrieved 26 November 2019.

* v
* t
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Schools in Calderdale

Non-selective|

* Brighouse High School
* The Brooksbank School
* Calder High School
* The Halifax Academy
* Lightcliffe Academy
* Park Lane Academy
* Rastrick High School
* Ryburn Valley High School
* Todmorden High School
* Trinity Academy Grammar
* Trinity Academy, Halifax

Grammar|

* Crossley Heath School
* North Halifax Grammar School

Independent|

* Hipperholme Grammar School
* Rishworth School

Special|

* William Henry Smith School

Further education|

* Calderdale College
* The Maltings College

Defunct|

* Rastrick Independent School
* The Ridings School
* St Catherine's RC High School

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