Witton Park High School
Witton Park High School is a secondary school with academy status in the west of Blackburn.
| Witton Park High School | |
|---|---|
| Address | |
| |
Buncer Lane , , BB2 6TD | |
| Coordinates | 53°44′38″N 2°30′36″W |
| Information | |
| Type | Academy |
| Motto | Garlic Bread for all |
| Established | 1883/1968 |
| Department for Education URN | 140879 Tables |
| Headteacher | Madeline Mcann |
| Staff | 70 teachers, 45 other staff |
| Gender | Coeducational |
| Age | 11 to 16 |
| Enrolment | 1040 |
| Capacity | 1075 |
| Website | http://www.wittonparkschool.co.uk |
Witton park is a high school with academy status for children aged 11–16. It is within the boundary of Witton Country Park, to the west of Blackburn. A levels are taken at Blackburn College or St. Mary's College, Blackburn. It has GNVQ courses in Business, Art and Design Technology. In each year there are ten or eleven forms, mostly with the same number of students.
History
It was originally called Blackburn High School for Girls, a grammar school. It was first at Spring Mount on Preston New Road from 1883, then moved to Crosshill. It moved to Buncer Lane (B6447) in 1961 and became a comprehensive in 1968, when it merged with Witton Park Secondary Modern School, which was next-door, the combined school was then housed in two separate buildings, known as the North and South wings.
Under the Building Schools for the Future plans, in January 2011 Balfour Beatty started to construct a new school building close to the South wing on what had originally been a tennis court and a school playing field.
In 2014 the school converted to an academy, becoming independent from Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council.[1]
Academic performance
The most recent Ofsted report rated the School as 'Good'[2]
Notable former pupils
Blackburn High School for Girls
- Dr Valerie Caton, Ambassador to Finland since 2006
- Prof Patricia Easterling, Regius Professor of Greek at the University of Cambridge from 1994-2001
- Kathleen Ferrier CBE, contralto, and the Kathleen Ferrier Awards were named after her
Witton Park High School
- Mohsin and Zuber Issa, billionaire businessmen, co-founders of EG Group[3]
References
- Cruces, Emma (8 May 2014). "Blackburn school now an academy". Lancashire Telegraph. Newsquest (North West). Retrieved 8 May 2014.
- "Witton Park Ofsted Report". Ofsted. 14 October 2016. Retrieved 14 October 2016.
- Neate, Rupert (2 October 2020). "New Asda owners Mohsin and Zuber Issa - the Blackburn billionaire brothers". The Guardian. Retrieved 2 October 2020.