Bedford High School, Leigh

Bedford High School

Motto	To care, to learn, to achieve
Established	1976
Type	Community school
Headteacher	Mrs Helen Phillips
Location	Manchester Road Bedford, Leigh Greater Manchester WN7 2LU England Coordinates: 53°29′37″N 2°29′26″W / 53.49373°N 2.49068°W
Local authority	Wigan
DfE URN	106523 Tables
Ofsted	Reports
Students	1,025 pupils
Gender	Coeducational
Ages	11–16
Website	www.bedford.wigan.sch.uk

Bedford High School is a comprehensive school for boys and girls in the Bedford area of Leigh, Greater Manchester, England.

History

Bedford High School was established in 1976 when the town's grammar schools were abolished by the 1976 Education Act. It was formed by merging Leigh Boys´ Grammar School and neighbouring Manchester Road Secondary Modern School. The former grammar school buildings now form the upper school and the secondary modern buildings form the lower school. In 2003 the school gained specialist Business and Enterprise College status and opened a construction training facility in conjunction with the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB).^[1]

Performance

In 2008, 37% of pupils achieved five GCSE passes at grade A* to C including Mathematics and English, while 75% achieved five A* to C grades overall. These results were a significant improvement over 2007, when 29% of pupils achieved five GCSE passes at grade A* to C including Mathematics and English,^[2][3] The school's Ofsted inspection in September 2004 stated that GCSE results were above that of similar schools.^[1] The same Ofsted report rated the school as satisfactory with effective leadership and praised the school's relationship with the local community. It also highlighted issues with year 9 performance, the provision of modern languages and personal development, and the attitudes and behaviour of a number of boys in the school.^[1]

Notable former pupils

Leigh Grammar School

• Sir Alan Battersby, BP Professor of Organic Chemistry from 1969-92 at the University of Cambridge
• George Henry Bolsover CBE, Director from 1947-76 of the School of Slavonic and East European Studies
• Prof William Bradley, Professor of Colour Chemistry from 1948-63 at the University of Leeds
• Sir Peter Maxwell Davies CBE, conductor and composer and President since 1983 of the Schools Music Association; Master of the Queen's Music from 2004
• Prof Sir David Gwynne Evans CBE; Director, National Institute for Biological Standards and Control (NIBSC) 1972-6; President, Society for General Microbiology 1972-75; Professor of Bacteriology and Immunology 1961-71 at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine; Director 1971-2 Lister Institute of Preventive Medicine
• Meredith Evans, Professor of Physical Chemistry from 1949-52 at the University of Manchester
• Robert Forbes CBE, pianist and conductor, Principal from 1929-53 of the Royal Manchester College of Music (now the Royal Northern College of Music), and President from 1938-39 of the Incorporated Society of Musicians
• Eric Hassall CBE, Director, 1994-2001, British Geological Survey Board; President 1997-99 Institute of Mining Engineers
• Cyril Hope OBE, CMaths, BSc, FIMA [Director Midland Mathematics Experiment, Head of Maths at Worcester College of Education 1953-1976]
• Prof Robin Leatherbarrow, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Scholarship, Research & Knowledge Transfer) at Liverpool John Moores University. Previously professor of Biological and Biophysical Chemistry at Imperial College London, holding roles including Head of Research, Head of Chemical Biology Section, Deputy Head of Department, Acting Head of Department and Dean for the Faculty of Natural Sciences.
• Sir John Lennard-Jones KBE FRS, theoretical chemist and physicist, first John Humphrey Plummer Professor of Theoretical Chemistry, University of Cambridge 1932-1953; second principal of the University College of North Staffordshire (now Keele University)
• Prof Basil Lythgoe, Professor, 1953-78, Organic Chemistry at the University of Leeds
• James Maines CB, Director General from 1988-95 of Guided Weapons and Electronic Systems at the Ministry of Defence
• Prof Michael Newton, Professor 1984-2001 of Pharmaceutics at the School of Pharmacy, University of London
• Sir David Phillips, Chief Constable, 1993-2003, Kent Police
• Rev Eric Shegog, Head, Religious Broadcasting, 1984-1990, IBA
• Pete Shelley (Peter McNeish), singer, songwriter and guitarist, and leader of the Buzzcocks.
• Prof John Speakman RSE FRSA FMedSci Chair in Zoology. Institute of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Professor of Energetics Research University of Aberdeen 1000 Talents Professor and Novo Nordisk Great Wall Professor. Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Beijing, China.
• Prof John Speakman CBE, Professor of Textile Industries from 1939-63 at the University of Leeds
• John Wallwork CBE, Chairman of the Press Association from 1973-74, President of the Newspaper Society from 1977-78 and Managing Director from 1972-82 of Northcliffe Newspapers Group

References

1. "Inspection Report" (PDF). Ofsted. September 2004. Retrieved 2008-02-18.
2. "Bedford High School". Education League Tables. BBC. Retrieved 2008-02-18.
3. "Secondary schools in Wigan: GCSE-level". Education League Tables. BBC. Archived from the original on 9 March 2008. Retrieved 2008-02-18.

External links

• Official website
• EduBase
• Ofsted reports for Bedford High School
• BBC Education league tables entry for Bedford High School (2007)