Philips High School is a

community A community is a social unit (a group of people) with a shared socially-significant characteristic, such as place, set of norms, culture, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given g ...

secondary school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., b ...

Whitefield, Greater Manchester Whitefield is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Bury, Greater Manchester, England. It lies on undulating ground above the Irwell Valley, along the south bank of the River Irwell, southeast of Bury, and northwest of Manchester. Prestwic ...

, England.

History

The school's origins lie in the history of Stand Grammar School. The grammar school was founded in 1688 under the will of Henry Siddall and had close connections with the Unitarian Chapel on Ringley Road, Stand, Whitefield. Indeed, so strong was this connection that, in the 18th century, it was a school of choice in the north-west for parents from dissenting families who did not want to send their children to

Anglican Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...

schools. In the early years of the 20th century, the governors ran into financial difficulties. In 1908, the Lancashire Education Committee (LEC) assumed responsibility for its management. The Committee purchased of land on Church Lane, Whitefield, from the

Earl of Derby Earl of Derby ( ) is a title in the Peerage of England. The title was first adopted by Robert de Ferrers, 1st Earl of Derby, under a creation of 1139. It continued with the Ferrers family until the 6th Earl forfeited his property toward the en ...

and built a new school, which was opened on 6 September 1913 by

Alderman An alderman is a member of a Municipal government, municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law with similar officials existing in the Netherlands (wethouder) and Belgium (schepen). The term may be titular, denotin ...

J. R. Ragdale. Some believe

Robert Clive Robert Clive, 1st Baron Clive, (29 September 1725 – 22 November 1774), also known as Clive of India, was the first British List of governors of Bengal Presidency, Governor of the Bengal Presidency. Clive has been widely credited for l ...

had links with the school in his early years. Accounts suggest that the Old Standians’ Association began attempts to link Clive to the school some time around 1907. Sir Colvin Bayley (the grandson of Clive’s uncle) stated at a school event that he had been informed Clive had attended the school, prior to living in Hope Hall in Eccles. However, this link has been queried, as even as Bayley admitted, there is no mention of it in any records. Despite this, the Old Standians' Association erected a bronze statue and named one of the school's houses in his honour in 1913. As a condition of the takeover by the LEC, the school began to admit girls but, in 1937, a separate school—Stand Grammar School for Girls—was opened on Higher Lane, with Grace Lobjoit as the first headmistress. The town of Whitefield became part of the new

Metropolitan Borough of Bury The Metropolitan Borough of Bury is a metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester in England. It is north of Manchester, to the east of Bolton and west of Rochdale. The borough is centred around the town of Bury, Greater Manchester, Bury but also ...

on 1 April 1974. Both the boys' and the girls' schools flourished until 1979, when the borough council decided to adopt the

comprehensive education Comprehensive may refer to: * Comprehensive layout, the page layout of a proposed design as initially presented by the designer to a client. *Comprehensive school A comprehensive school is a secondary school for pupils aged 11–16 or 11–18, th ...

system. The boys' and girls' schools were merged as Philips High School, a

co-educational Mixed-sex education, also known as mixed-gender education, co-education, or coeducation (abbreviated to co-ed or coed), is a system of education where males and females are educated together. Whereas single-sex education was more common up to ...

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 ...

, on the Higher Lane site. The former boys' school building on Church Lane became a

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 ...

college, which in turn was later absorbed into

Bury College Bury College is a further education college located within the Borough of Bury, in Greater Manchester, England. The college offers A-Levels, BTECs and diplomas. Overview Bury College is a further education college providing qualifications f ...

. The Church Lane buildings were demolished in 2001.

The campus

The school sits on an campus in a suburban residential area, adjoining the grounds of the local golf club and close to Philips Park, Prestwich. The site includes of playing fields. In addition to the 1937 main building, there is a sports hall, which is also open to public after school hours. The sports centre has been refurbished, including updating of the gymnasium, and there are three all-weather pitches. In the summer of 2010, a new development in the centre of the building, Lobjoit Court, provided additional ICT facilities; there are now over 400 networked computers in the school. The school hall is equipped with a stage and lighting desk.

Curriculum

Philips High School is a ''maths and computing college''. Pupils study a core curriculum of English, mathematics, ICT and the sciences. General science is the norm in

Key Stage 3 Key Stage 3 (commonly abbreviated as KS3) is the legal term for the three years of schooling in maintained schools in England and Wales normally known as Year 7, Year 8 and Year 9, when pupils are aged between 11 and 14. In Northern Ireland the ...

, whilst pupils in

Key Stage 4 Key Stage 4 (KS4) is the legal term for the two years of school education which incorporate GCSEs, and other examinations, in maintained schools in England normally known as Year 10 and Year 11, when pupils are aged between 14 and 16 by August 31 ...

may study three separate disciplines;

biology Biology is the scientific study of life and living organisms. It is a broad natural science that encompasses a wide range of fields and unifying principles that explain the structure, function, growth, History of life, origin, evolution, and ...

chemistry Chemistry is the scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a physical science within the natural sciences that studies the chemical elements that make up matter and chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules a ...

and

physics Physics is the scientific study of matter, its Elementary particle, fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge whi ...

. In addition, pupils study at least one MFL (

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

) and a range of subjects including geography, history, RS, music, art, PE and DT. Pupils in Year 11 are entered for a range of

GCSE 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 ...

examinations and BTEC courses. The latter includes a small number of students who attend courses at

hairdressing A hairdresser is a person whose occupation is to cut or style hair in order to change or maintain a person's image. This is achieved using a combination of hair coloring, haircutting, and hair texturing techniques. A hairdresser may also be r ...

and

engineering Engineering is the practice of using natural science, mathematics, and the engineering design process to Problem solving#Engineering, solve problems within technology, increase efficiency and productivity, and improve Systems engineering, s ...

Extra curricular

Sport

Pupils participate in both interhouse competitions and extramural fixtures, and the school participates in Bury Schools’ Sports Association. Sports available both as part of the curriculum and as extra curricular activities include

Association football Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

Rugby football Rugby football is the collective name for the team sports of rugby union or rugby league. Rugby football started at Rugby School in Rugby, Warwickshire, England, where the rules were first codified in 1845. Forms of football in which the ball ...

hockey ''Hockey'' is a family of List of stick sports, stick sports where two opposing teams use hockey sticks to propel a ball or disk into a goal. There are many types of hockey, and the individual sports vary in rules, numbers of players, apparel, ...

netball Netball is a ball sport played on a rectangular court by two teams of seven players. The primary objective is to shoot a ball through the defender's goal ring while preventing the opposing team from shooting through their own. It is one of a ...

and

cross country running Cross country running is a sport in which teams and individuals run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain such as dirt or grass. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and soil, earth, pass through woodlands and ope ...

. In the summer term, there are boys and girls

track and field Track and field (or athletics in British English) is a sport that includes Competition#Sports, athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name used in North America is derived from where the sport takes place, a ru ...

athletics meetings,

cricket Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball game played between two Sports team, teams of eleven players on a cricket field, field, at the centre of which is a cricket pitch, pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two Bail (cr ...

and

rounders Rounders is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams. Rounders is a striking and fielding team game that involves hitting a small, hard, leather-cased ball with a wooden, plastic, or metal bat that has a cylindrical end. The players score b ...

matches, as well as

badminton Badminton is a racquet sport played using racket (sports equipment), racquets to hit a shuttlecock across a net (device), net. Although it may be played with larger teams, the most common forms of the game are "singles" (with one player per s ...

gymnastics Gymnastics is a group of sport that includes physical exercises requiring Balance (ability), balance, Strength training, strength, Flexibility (anatomy), flexibility, agility, Motor coordination, coordination, artistry and endurance. The movem ...

and

dance Dance is an The arts, art form, consisting of sequences of body movements with aesthetic and often Symbol, symbolic value, either improvised or purposefully selected. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...

The arts

Non-sporting activities include art, maths, key board,

Minecraft ''Minecraft'' is a 2011 sandbox game developed and published by the Swedish video game developer Mojang Studios. Originally created by Markus Persson, Markus "Notch" Persson using the Java (programming language), Java programming language, the ...

, philosophy,

programming Program (American English; also Commonwealth English in terms of computer programming and related activities) or programme (Commonwealth English in all other meanings), programmer, or programming may refer to: Business and management * Program m ...

and robotics clubs. The school has a variety of musical groups, including a

rock band ''Rock Band'' is a series of rhythm games first released in 2007 and developed by Harmonix. Based on their previous development work from the Guitar Hero, ''Guitar Hero'' series, the main ''Rock Band'' games have players use game controllers mod ...

, and a choir.

Notable former pupils

Stand Grammar School

Samuel Bourn Samuel Bourn (1714–1796) was an English Dissenter minister. Bourn was the third Samuel Bourn and a second son of Samuel Bourn the Younger, and his wife, Hannah Harrison, a widow, née Hannah Taylor of Kendal. He was educated at Stand gramma ...

(1714—1796);

dissenting minister A dissenter (from the Latin , 'to disagree') is one who dissents (disagrees) in matters of opinion, belief, etc. Dissent may include political opposition to decrees, ideas or doctrines and it may include opposition to those things or the fiat of ...

of Rivington and notable preacher. *

John Seddon John Seddon is a United Kingdom, British occupational psychologist and author specializing in organizational change within the service industry. He is the founder and managing director of Vanguard, a Consulting firm, consultancy firm establishe ...

(1719–1769); dissenting minister at

Cross Street Chapel Cross Street Chapel is a Unitarian church in central Manchester, England. It is a member of the General Assembly of Unitarian and Free Christian Churches, the umbrella organisation for British Unitarians. History The Act of Uniformity 1662 ...

Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...

and religious controversialist. * Sir George Philips Bt MP (1766—1847); Industrialist and politician; related to the Philips family, after whom the school is named. *

John Edward Taylor John Edward Taylor (11 September 1791 – 6 January 1844) was an English business tycoon, editor, publisher and member of The Portico Library, who was the founder of the ''Manchester Guardian'' newspaper in 1821. It was renamed in 1959 '' ...

(1791–1844); journalist and newspaper editor; founder of ''The Manchester Guardian'' * Sir Joseph Latham CBE; deputy chairman of the NCB * Sir Robert Southern (1907-1999), general secretary of the

Co-operative Union Co-operatives UK is a British co-operative federation described as "the central membership organisation for co-operative enterprise throughout the UK". It was founded in 1870 as the Co-operative Central Board, changing its name to the Co-opera ...

, 1950-1992 * Professor Geoffrey Bullough (1901—1982); professor of English

Stand Grammar School for Boys

* John Spencer (1935–2006); professional snooker player who won the World Professional title at his first attempt and was the first winner at the

Crucible Theatre The Crucible Theatre, or simply The Crucible, is a theatre in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, which opened in 1971. Its name refers to crucible steel, which was developed in Sheffield in 1740 and drove the industrialisation of the city. ...

, the inaugural winner of the Masters and Irish Masters, and the first player to make a 147 break in competition. *

Norman McVicker Norman Michael McVicker (4 November 1940 – 19 November 2008) was an English cricketer. Having failed to establish himself with either Lancashire or Derbyshire, where he had trialled, McVicker initially played county cricket at minor count ...

(1940-2008), first-class cricketer * Howard Jacobson (born 1942); novelist and Booker Prize winner *

Mark E. Smith Mark Edward Smith (5 March 1957 – 24 January 2018) was an English singer-songwriter. He was the lead vocalist, lyricist and only constant member of the post-punk group the Fall. Smith formed the band after attending the June 1976 Sex Pistol ...

(1957–2018); musician; lead singer of the Fall * Jack Howland CBE; honoured for contributions to the IT industry

Philips High School

* Jon Ashworth (born 1978); Labour MP for

Leicester South Leicester South is a constituency, recreated in 1974, represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament from 2024 by Shockat Adam. It had been held from 2011 by Jonathan Ashworth of the Labour Co-op Party (which denotes he is a member o ...

Robert Largan Robert Largan (born 29 May 1987) is a British Conservative Party politician who was the Member of Parliament (MP) for High Peak from 2019 to 2024. He served as Assistant Government Whip from October 2022 until July 2024. Early life and car ...

(born 1987);

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

MP for High Peak *

Jamie Lomas James Lomas (born 21 April 1975) is an English actor, known for his soap opera roles as Warren Fox in ''Hollyoaks'' and Jake Stone in ''EastEnders''. Early life Jamie Lomas was born on 21 April 1975 in Manchester. Career Before joining ''Ho ...

(born 1975); actor, best known for his role as

Warren Fox Warren Fox is a fictional character from the British soap opera ''Hollyoaks'', portrayed by Jamie Lomas. The character and casting were announced on 12 May 2006, and Warren made his first appearance on 26 June. He was introduced as an old acqua ...

in the

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. It is state-owned enterprise, publicly owned but, unlike the BBC, it receives no public funding and is funded en ...

soap ''

Hollyoaks ''Hollyoaks'' is a British soap opera which originally began airing on Channel 4 on 23 October 1995. It was created by Phil Redmond, who had previously conceived the soap opera ''Brookside (TV series), Brookside''. From 2005 to 2023, episodes h ...

'' *

Bugzy Malone Aaron Daniel Davies (born 20 December 1990), known professionally as Bugzy Malone, is a British rapper and actor from Manchester, England. Malone has been described as one of the key artists instigating a "grime revival" moving the UK urban ...

(born 1990); Grime Artist, MC/Rapper *

Charley Webb Charlene Joanne Webb (born 26 February 1988), commonly known as Charley Webb, is an English actress. From 2002 to 2021, she portrayed the role of Debbie Dingle in the ITV soap opera ''Emmerdale''. In 2014, she was nominated for Best Female ...

(born 1988); actress; plays the role of

Debbie Dingle Debbie Dingle (also Jones and Barton) is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera ''Emmerdale'', played by Charley Webb. Webb has taken maternity leave three times, with the first time being in 2010, and the second in 2016, with ...

in the ITV soap ''

Emmerdale ''Emmerdale'' (known as ''Emmerdale Farm'' until 1989) is a British television soap opera that is broadcast on ITV (TV network), ITV. The show is set in Emmerdale (known as Beckindale until 1994), a List of fictional towns and villages, fict ...

'' * Isobel Steele (born 2000); actress; plays the role of Liv Flaherty in the ITV soap ''Emmerdale''

References

{{authority control Secondary schools in the Metropolitan Borough of Bury Community schools in the Metropolitan Borough of Bury Whitefield, Greater Manchester