Old Hall Comprehensive School was a

comprehensive school A comprehensive school is a secondary school for pupils aged 11–16 or 11–18, that does not select its intake on the basis of academic achievement or aptitude, in contrast to a selective school system where admission is restricted on the basis ...

located in

Kimberworth Kimberworth is a suburb of Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England. It is located in the Metropolitan Borough of Rotherham, about 2 miles (3.5 km) north-west of Rotherham town centre and 5 miles (7.6 km) north-east of Sheffield. Until 19 ...

Rotherham Rotherham ( ) is a market town in South Yorkshire, England. It lies at the confluence of the River Rother, South Yorkshire, River Rother, from which the town gets its name, and the River Don, Yorkshire, River Don. It is the largest settlement ...

South Yorkshire South Yorkshire is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It borders North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the north, the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north-east, Lincolnshire ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

. It merged with Kimberworth Comprehensive School to form Winterhill School in September 2004.

History

The school opened in the 1950s and moved into its own buildings in January 1959. It was originally a

secondary modern school A secondary modern school () is a type of secondary school that existed throughout England, Wales and Northern Ireland from 1944 until the 1970s under the Tripartite System. Secondary modern schools accommodated the majority (70–75%) of pupil ...

, but became a comprehensive school in 1966. The school's buildings were extended in 1973. It gained

Technology College In the United Kingdom, a Technology College is a specialist school that specialises in design and technology, mathematics and science. Beginning in 1994, they were the first specialist schools that were not CTC colleges. In 2008, there were 598 ...

status in 1998. Old Hall School ceased to exist under its old name as of September 2004 when the neighbouring Kimberworth Comprehensive School closed and all pupils transferred to Old Hall, now renamed Winterhill School. Legally, Winterhill is the same entity as Old Hall, though Winterhill is generally considered to be a completely new school.

The school site

The school structure consisted of mostly

timber frame Timber framing () and "post-and-beam" construction are traditional methods of building with heavy Beam (structure), timbers, creating structures using squared-off and carefully fitted and Woodworking joints, joined timbers with joints secure ...

buildings, constructed in the 1970s and linked by covered walkways intended to provide some protection from the elements for pupils making their way between classes. These were augmented in the 1990s by several temporary classrooms, needed to accommodate the rising numbers of pupils, before the school was eventually demolished to make way for the new Winterhill School building. Before the City Learning Centre was opened the school had two assembly halls, known as the East Hall and the West Hall.

Academic performance

At the time of its closure, the school had around 130 staff members and around 1,200 pupils from between the ages of 11 and 16. The school had no

sixth form In the education systems of Barbados, England, Jamaica, Northern Ireland, Trinidad and Tobago, Wales, and some other Commonwealth countries, sixth form represents the final two years of secondary education, ages 16 to 18. Pupils typically prepa ...

, but many leaving pupils went on to study

A-levels The A-level (Advanced Level) is a subject-based qualification conferred as part of the General Certificate of Education, as well as a school leaving qualification offered by the educational bodies in the United Kingdom and the educational ...

and other further qualifications at nearby colleges, principally

Thomas Rotherham College Thomas Rotherham College is a college for 16 to 19-year-olds, founded in 1967, in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England. History Grammar school The college has its origins in Rotherham Grammar School (founded 1483), whose buildings it took over ...

and

Rotherham College of Arts and Technology Rotherham College (formerly Rotherham College of Arts and Technology shortened to RCAT) is a further education college in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England. It was established as Rotherham School of Science and Art in the 19th century. From ...

. At its best, examination results in

GCSEs The General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) is an academic qualification in a range of subjects taken in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, having been introduced in September 1986 and its first exams taken in 1988. State schools ...

and GNVQs at Old Hall were among the best in the area: in 2003 (the year before the school finally closed), 61% of pupils attained 5 or more A*-C grades or equivalent, compared to a national average of 53% and a local average of 45%.

Long March

A tradition in the school was the holding of a “Long March” each year, in which all pupils in the school took part in a sponsored walk to raise money for local and national

charities A charitable organization or charity is an organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being (e.g. educational, religious or other activities serving the public interest or common good). The legal definition of a cha ...

. Originally taking place around Kimberworth and Scholes. Derwent and

Ladybower Ladybower Reservoir is a large Y-shaped, artificial reservoir, the lowest of three in the Upper Derwent Valley in Derbyshire, England. The River Ashop flows into the reservoir from the west; the River Derwent flows south, initially through H ...

Reservoirs in the

Peak District The Peak District is an Highland, upland area in central-northern England, at the southern end of the Pennines. Mostly in Derbyshire, it extends into Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Staffordshire, West Yorkshire and South Yorkshire. It is subdivi ...

, it was later moved to

Rother Valley Country Park The Rother Valley Country Park is a country park in the Metropolitan Borough of Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England, close to Rotherham's border with Sheffield and Derbyshire. It covers 3 square kilometres (750 acres) and has four artifici ...

due to safety concerns. The tradition has been continued by pupils at Winterhill School, to raise money for an astro-turf pitch.

Ofsted inspections

Between the commencement of

Ofsted The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted) is a non-ministerial department of His Majesty's government, reporting to Parliament. Ofsted's role is to make sure that organisations providing education, training ...

inspections in September 1993 and the school's closure in August 2004, it underwent two full inspections:

References

External links

Description of Old Hall/Winterhill school at the time of its demolition

Fire on 26 July 2004
{{Schools in Rotherham Defunct schools in Rotherham Educational institutions established in the 1950s 1950s establishments in England Educational institutions disestablished in 2004 2004 disestablishments in England