Tudor Grange Academy, Solihull

Location

Tudor Grange is situated in Tudor Grange Park, west of Solihull town centre, next to Alderbrook Secondary School (former Harold Malley Grammar School and Harold Cartwright Girls' Grammar School) and St. Peter's RC Secondary School. Solihull College is next-door to the east.

Grammar school

Tudor Grange Grammar School began as an entity at Lode Heath School, Lode Lane, in September 1951, with two mixed classes 1G1&1G2. The formative school continued with these temporary arrangements until the new boys' school in Dingle Lane was opened in September 1956, the official ceremony taking place on Tuesday 23 July 1957. The cost of building the new premises is reported to have been £176,445. Six hundred boys were taught at the school whose motto was 'Omnibus prodesse' - 'to be of service to all men'

In addition to the established Lode Heath School contingent, the new intake also included boys from Sharman's Cross Secondary Modern School. Subsequent entries were drawn from boys passing the 11+ exam together with a very small number passing a 13+ exam.

The original uniform of the school comprised a black blazer with school badge on the breast pocket, a white shirt, a school tie in stripes of black gold and silver, a black cap with school badge and black lace-up leather shoes. 1st and 2nd year boys wore grey shorts whilst older boys were allowed to wear grey flannel trousers. 6th formers wore a slightly more flamboyant tie whilst prefects wore a cap with a gold stripe.

The original Headmaster was Mr A. R. Munday, who later left to become Headmaster of the King's School, Chester, in 1964. He was followed as Headmaster by John Scandrett Millward, who in turn was followed in 1974 by Robert Fulton.

Amongst some of the masters at this time was mathematics teacher Mr Arthur Bowden, who had the enthusiasm to have a small astronomical observatory built in the grounds, although he also declared in 1958 that it was "mathematically impossible for any space-craft to leave the gravitational pull of the earth".

After the construction of the boys' school, a school for girls was built next door. The two schools had playing fields which shared a common boundary.

Comprehensive

In 2002 it was known as 'Tudor Grange Secondary School', and was a mixed 11-16 comprehensive school with a pupil roll of around 1250. Including both buildings from the girls' and boys' school (now known as Willow and Oak buildings), it was a technological college with high academic achievement.

Since then a new block dedicated to teaching the International Baccalaureate Diploma has been added together with a new sports hall allowing one of the two old gyms has been turned into a large classroom known as the 'Lead Lesson Suite' used as an exam room and for teaching large groups of pupils. In November 2009 the school was awarded Bronze award in the Eco-Schools programme which is run nationwide. The school also has a partnership school called Tudor Grange Academy Worcester, replacing Elgar Technology College.

The school became fully comprehensive in 1974, the year the County Borough of Solihull became the larger Metropolitan Borough of Solihull. In 1984, Solihull LEA looked at the possibility of returning to a selective system of schools (made possible because the 1976 Education Act was repealed in 1979), and making the school a grammar school. In September 1995, Tudor Grange became a Technology College and in September 2009 the school adopted a specialism in business and enterprise. In September 2010, it converted to become an Academy.

The school was classed as outstanding by OFSTED in 2006, and shares a partnership with the Tudor Grange Academy in Worcester.

Notable alumni