LEA Walsall Chairperson Councillor D. Anson Age range 11-19 Phone +44 1922 720741 | Ofsted number 104246 Gender Co-educational School roll 918 | |
Address primley avenue, alumwell, Walsall WS2 9UA, United Kingdom Similar Alumwell, West Walsall E‑ACT Ac, Alumwell Infant School, Blue Coat CE Academy, Ormiston Sandwell Communi | ||
Alumwell Business and Enterprise College converted to academy status in 2012 and became West Walsall E-ACT Academy.
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Alumwell Business and Enterprise College was in the Alumwell/Pleck area of Walsall, about a mile west of the town centre. It also took pupils from Birchills and further afield.
A comprehensive school, it had Business and Enterprise College status since September 2003.
The head teacher was Mr. A. E. Hubble, B.Ed., NPQH.
History
The school was opened, on land owned by the Earl of Bradford, in September 1971 as Wilfred Clark Comprehensive, an 11-18 school formed by the amalgamation of four secondary modern schools. It was the first school in Walsall to be designed with out-of-hours community users in mind: a vision of the then Director of Education, Mr. R. D. Nixon, which, for a time, brought visits from education officers from all over England. Since September 1974, and prior to its present appellation, it has been known as the Alumwell Comprehensive School, (briefly) Alumwell Community School, and the Alumwell School. The annexe in Scarborough Road (used for years 7 and 8, and some year 9 subjects) was closed in July 1991 due to a decline in pupil numbers, and taken over by Walsall College (WALCAT).
Its first headteacher, until 1974, was Mr. Leslie Cox. His successor was Mr. Eugene M. Hughes, who served the school for 18 years until 1992, when he was succeeded by Miss Susan M. Bradford, who served the school for a similarly long period before leaving in December 2009 having gained a number of quality marks for the school, in particular, Investors in People.
In September 2012, Alumwell Business and Enterprise College converted to Academy status, becoming West Walsall E-ACT Academy.
Campus
The school had extensive sports facilities including a football/athletics field, eight tennis courts, a heated swimming pool, a gym and squash court, a large Astroturf and, a significantly large sports hall. It also had a theatre. The Business Centre provided conferencing facilities as well as courses for people in the local community.
There was to have been substantial rebuilding as a result of the school's participation in Building Schools for the Future, but this fell through following the general election of 2010.
However, a new building opened on the site in 2012 called the Innovation Centre. This is a borough-wide training centre for careers in Health and Social Care, Science, and Public Service, and is also used by the college for some Sixth Form lessons, such as Psychology and Law.
Curriculum
The curriculum was recently undergoing changes of emphasis, for example towards teaching for competencies in years 7 and 8 (known as Opening Minds).