Westhoughton High School

Westhoughton High School (WHS) is an 11–16 mixed, community secondary school in Westhoughton, Greater Manchester, England.

Westhoughton High School
Address
Bolton Road

Westhoughton
,
Greater Manchester
,
BL5 3BZ

England
Coordinates53°32′55″N 2°31′02″W
Information
Other nameWHS
TypeCommunity school
Local authorityBolton Council
Department for Education URN105252 Tables
OfstedReports
HeadteacherP Ottley-O'Connor (interim)[1]
GenderMixed
Age range11–16
Enrolment1,178 (2020)[2]
Capacity1,350[2]
Websitewww.westhoughton-high.org

History

A new soundproofed music room opened at the school in 1982 as part of a £750,000 extension.[3] In July 2010, Westhoughton High School was revealed as one of 27 schools across Greater Manchester that would no longer be rebuilt or upgraded, following the scrapping of the Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme by the government.[4] A new 3G all-weather pitch was constructed on an existing shale pitch at the school that was completed in May 2017, and was the first of three new pitches that was being developed as part of Bolton Council's £1.5 million capital funding. The school revised its curriculum from September 2017 to benefit from the new pitch, and be able to offer a programme of fixtures with local schools.[5]

Demand for places and extension

In February 2018, proposals were approved for Bolton Council to work with seven secondary schools in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton to increase its capacity due to an increasing demand for places. A six-week public consultation started in June 2018 to increase Westhoughton High's admission number from 230 to 270 in Year Seven from September 2018, that would see the school's total capacity increase from 1,150 to 1,350. A separate consultation would be held for a building extension with a planning application submitted to the council, and concerns were raised by parents over the lack of outdoor space for current students. In August 2018, it was announced that £2.4 million would be spent on expanding the school, however due to the demand for places the school had already began to admit higher numbers. A proposal was sent to the Executive Cabinet Member for Children Services to authorise the publication of a 'statutory notice' to increase places, and if approved, the admission number increase will take place in September.[6][7]

The funding was approved in August 2018 and the building extension was approved by the council's planning committee in December 2018, which involved a new two-storey classroom block being built on a field behind the school, and an existing smaller block being demolished; construction began in 2019. Councillors however warned it would not meet future demands and due to new developments in Westhoughton meant more places would need to be created.[8][9]

Notable alumni

Notable staff

References
  1. "Introduction and Ethos". Westhoughton High School. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
  2. "Westhoughton High School". Get information about schools. GOV.UK. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
  3. Anson, John (24 May 2020). "Pupils tune up in new music room at Westhoughton High School". This Is Lancashire. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
  4. "Revealed: The 27 local schools to lose out in rebuilding cuts". Manchester Evening News. 6 July 2010. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
  5. McIntyre, Alex (5 May 2017). "New 3G pitch at Westhoughton High School is completed". The Bolton News. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
  6. Roden, Rosalyn (15 June 2018). "Consultation to increase pupil capacity at Westhoughton High School". The Bolton News. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
  7. "Multi-million pound expansion plans for Westhoughton High School". The Bolton News. 13 August 2018. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
  8. Timan, Joseph (17 December 2018). "Westhoughton High School expansion 'not enough' to meet future demand". The Bolton News. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
  9. Vesty, Helena (3 June 2019). "£2.4m school expansion now under construction". The Bolton News. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.