Established 1701, 1913 Headmaster Alan Porteous Ofsted Reports Number of students 1,250 | DfE URN 119809 Tables Phone +44 1706 234500 Founded 1701 Gender Mixed-sex education | |
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Location Glen RoadWaterfoot, RossendaleLancashireBB4 7BJEngland Motto Fide et Labore (through faith and hard work) Similar Haslingden High School, Alder Grange School, St Christoph CE High, Rochdale Sixth Form College, Fearns Community Sports Co Profiles | ||
Bacup and Rawtenstall Grammar School (BRGS) is a selective co-educational academy grammar school in Waterfoot, Rossendale, Lancashire, England. The school is named after the two main towns either side of Waterfoot, Bacup and Rawtenstall.
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History
Founded in the 18th century as Newchurch Grammar School, it opened its doors in 1701 on land bequeathed by a certain John Kershaw. The foundation stones for the current site were laid by the Mayors of Bacup and Rawtenstall on 1 July 1911. The school opened in 1913.
Admissions
The current headmaster is Alan Porteous, who replaced the former headmaster, Marc Morris, in 2012. Morris joined the school in April 2005, to replace the retiring Martyn Morris (not related), and moved to Hong Kong in July 2011, where he took the position of headteacher at Sha Tin College. Martyn Morris retired, after seventeen years in the helm in December 2004.
The school is attended by approximately 1250 students, split between the lower school (Years 7 to 11), which has approximately 150/180 pupils per year (in five or six groups of thirty pupils each) and the sixth form (Years 12 to 13) with 250 pupils per year (in separate groups).
Its status as a selective entry state school for years seven to eleven (aged 11 to 16) means that the school is vastly oversubscribed, with many children competing for each place by taking an entrance examination while in their final year of primary school. Entry to the sixth form is non selective, except for the condition of the student's having gained at least four grade B and four grade marks C, from their best eight GCSEs.
Music tuition
Every pupil will play a musical instrument in music lessons, but all pupils also have the choice to have lessons additionally. These lessons are with specialised teachers, who have practice rooms where they teach their musical category. (E.g. Drums, Brass, Woodwind, Voice.) These lessons are paid for - in private or in small groups of about two. Any pupil can choose this at any point in the year.
Academic performance
The school ranks high in British School league tables; recent figures can be viewed at the BBC's records
In September 2013 Trinity Mirror's ranking of state funded schools placed BRGS at 119th of 3,079 with a score of 76 out of a 100. It was rated as a 5 star school with the following attributes
Attainment: ☆☆ Teaching: ☆☆ Behaviour: ☆ Outcomes: ☆½
A unique ranking system, using 21 different measures, compiled from the latest publicly available data teacher ratio, attendance etc., was used to create this table rather than just results from GCSEs. Manchester Metropolitan University have supported this data as more comprehensive and useful for parents. The majority of students continue on to further education, the school has a long history of sending students to the Russell Group and Oxbridge Universities. [1] [2]