Castle Hall Academy (formerly Castle Hall School) is a mixed 11–16

Academy An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosop ...

Mirfield Mirfield () is a town and civil parish in Kirklees, West Yorkshire, England. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, it is on the A644 road between Brighouse and Dewsbury. At the 2011 census it had a population of 19,563. Mirfield ...

West Yorkshire West Yorkshire is a metropolitan and ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and Humber Region of England. It is an inland and upland county having eastward-draining valleys while taking in the moors of the Pennines. West Yorkshire came into exis ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

. The school has been awarded specialist

Language College Language Colleges were introduced in 1995 as part of the specialist schools programme (SSP) in the United Kingdom. The system enabled secondary schools to specialise in certain fields, in this case, modern foreign languages. Schools that succe ...

status. 174 pupils at age 11 are taken in annually. Preference is given to those who live within the catchment area.

Possible school closure plans overturned in January 2010

In September 2008, the local authority decided on a plan to overhaul education in North Kirklees. This plan would see the permanent closure of the school and the remainder of its pupils merging with pupils at the Mirfield Free Grammar. An action group made up of parents and local residents calling itself R.E.A.C.H. (Retain Education at Castle Hall) was quickly formed to campaign against the controversial proposal. Groups dedicated to saving the school also exist on the social networking sites Facebook and Twitter. At a meeting in

Dewsbury Town Hall Dewsbury Town Hall is a Victorian town hall that stands in front of the old marketplace in the centre of Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, England. It is a Grade II listed building. History The site chosen for the town hall had previously been occupied ...

on 1 April 2009, the decision to close was delayed and referred back to Kirklees Council's Cabinet for review. On 19 June 2009 Kirklees Council are expected to publish the statutory notice of closure for Castle Hall and the statutory notice of proposal (planning) for the expansion of Mirfield Free Grammar School. Protesters have planned a large public demonstration to take place around the school on that date.Mirfield Reporter Article Hands-on bid to save Castle Hall
These plans were overturned on 12 January 2010 by Schools Adjudicator, Canon Richard Lindley. The school is no longer due to close. The GCSE results of 2009 were the best in the school's recent history with 73% of pupils achieving at least 5 A*-C. This ranked Castle Hall as the best non-selective state school in

Kirklees Kirklees is a local government district of West Yorkshire, England, governed by Kirklees Council with the status of a metropolitan borough. The largest town and administrative centre of Kirklees is Huddersfield, and the district also includes ...

. The school is a popular and oversubscribed academy.

References

External links

Castle Hall Academy WebsiteR.E.A.C.H. - Retain Education at Castle Hall Website
{{authority control Academies in Kirklees Secondary schools in Kirklees