Codsall Community High School
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Codsall Community High School is a
coeducational 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 ...
upper school Upper schools in the UK are usually schools within secondary education. Outside England, the term normally refers to a section of a larger school. England The three-tier model Upper schools are a type of secondary school found in a minority ...
and
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 ...
located in
Codsall Codsall is a village and civil parish in the South Staffordshire district of Staffordshire, England. It is situated 5 miles northwest of Wolverhampton and 13 miles east-southeast of Telford. It forms part of the boundary of the Staffordshire-W ...
,
Staffordshire Staffordshire (; postal abbreviation ''Staffs''.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England. It borders Cheshire to the north-west, Derbyshire and Leicestershire to the east, ...
, England. It is located near to
Wolverhampton Wolverhampton ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands of England. Located around 12 miles (20 km) north of Birmingham, it forms the northwestern part of the West Midlands conurbation, with the towns of ...
. A total of 1017 pupils (including more than 300 sixth formers) attend the school.


History

Codsall High School was opened in May 1940, taking 126 pupils aged 11 and over from the village's school by St Nicholas Church. The school also took pupils from the neighbouring village of Bilbrook. After the war, the school expanded; by 1954, there were 728 children on the roll. An extension was opened in 1957, including the school's present Main Hall. A small swimming pool was constructed in the school's quadrangle in 1964, a roof was added in the 1970s. The school became an 11-18 Comprehensive in 1969; at the same time, headteacher George Gibbs retired and was replaced by Ron Mitson. A further extension was built in the early 1970s, and the school's catchment area expanded to include the village of
Pattingham Pattingham is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Pattingham and Patshull, in the South Staffordshire district, in the county of Staffordshire, England, near the county boundary with Shropshire. Pattingham is seven miles we ...
. Geoff Bate succeeded as headmaster in September 1972, at the same time that the school's capacity was reduced due to the entry age being increased from 11 to 13 as part of the introduction of three-tier education in the area. Original plans for a high school in
Perton Perton is a large estate and civil parish located in the South Staffordshire District, Staffordshire, England. It lies 3 miles to the south of Codsall and 4 miles west of Wolverhampton, where part of the estate is conjoined to the estate ...
were cancelled, and pupils travelled to
Codsall Codsall is a village and civil parish in the South Staffordshire district of Staffordshire, England. It is situated 5 miles northwest of Wolverhampton and 13 miles east-southeast of Telford. It forms part of the boundary of the Staffordshire-W ...
upon completing middle school, leading to a growth in pupil numbers. A community sports centre opened during the mid-1970s, refurbished using
National Lottery National Lottery may refer to: *National Lottery (Ireland), the state lottery of Ireland *National Lottery (United Kingdom), the lottery franchise in the United Kingdom *South African National Lottery, established in 2000 *A number of countries con ...
money from 2003. Mr Bate retired in 1994, replaced by Mr E. Liddy. A further extension was built around this time. The school's head until the end of the 2014-2015 academic year was Mrs Tunnicliffe, appointed in 2005. Mr Harding was appointed in 2015 and was the headteacher up until the end of the 2020-2021 academic year, and Mr. Maxfield was appointed in September 2022. The school is joined up with two local middle schools ( Bilbrook and
Perton Perton is a large estate and civil parish located in the South Staffordshire District, Staffordshire, England. It lies 3 miles to the south of Codsall and 4 miles west of Wolverhampton, where part of the estate is conjoined to the estate ...
) making it part of a federation of schools. In September 2004 it became the first to achieve
specialist school Specialist schools, also known as specialised schools or specialized schools, are schools which specialise in a certain area or field of curriculum. In some countries, for example New Zealand, the term is used exclusively for schools specialis ...
status in Maths and Computing and in 2013 was rated good by
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 ...
. In 2006, the school was found to contain asbestos in some classrooms. In 2014, the school’s minibus was involved in a crash that resulted in four children injured and three adults were hurt. In 2018, the yearly cost for
Perton Perton is a large estate and civil parish located in the South Staffordshire District, Staffordshire, England. It lies 3 miles to the south of Codsall and 4 miles west of Wolverhampton, where part of the estate is conjoined to the estate ...
students travelling by bus trebled to more than £600 resulting in protests.


Curriculum

Following the recognition of the school as a specialist in mathematics and computing, the school's focus shifted in the 2000s to the delivery of more ICT and computing courses, as well as vocational qualifications. However, Codsall Community High School offers a wide range of courses, and was the last comprehensive school in
South Staffordshire South Staffordshire is a local government district in Staffordshire, England. Its council is based in Codsall. Other notable settlements include Brewood, Cheslyn Hay, Coven, Essington, Featherstone, Four Ashes, Great Wyrley, Huntington, ...
still to offer classical subjects, including Classical Civilisation and
Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...
, however, these stopped being taught after the year of 2010. Academic attainment peaked in 2008 when the school achieved record results in
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 ...
exams with 72% of candidates receiving the top four grades, A*-C. Since then results have fallen steadily, In 2012, 62% of all pupils attained five GCSEs grade A* to C including English and mathematics. This is a decrease of six percentage points since 2011. A room for the Sixth Form was opened by
Sir Patrick Cormack Patrick Thomas Cormack, Baron Cormack, (18 May 1939 – 25 February 2024) was a British politician, historian, journalist and author. He served as a member of Parliament (MP) for 40 years, from 1970 to 2010. Cormack was a member of the Conse ...
in September 2008, named in memory of former headmaster Geoff Bate. Rock band
The Hoosiers The Hoosiers are an English pop rock band who were originally formed in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. The band consists of members Irwin Sparkes (lead vocals, lead guitar) and Alan Sharland (drums, percussion, vocals). Their first ...
visited the community project in October 2008 to support the students and the hard work that they had undertaken.Pupils Go Crazy for Hoosiers Special Gig
Express and Star, 22 October 2008 In 2009, Codsall Community High School extended their curriculum provision by becoming the first state school in the country to run a post-16 Football Academy. The scheme offers students, aged 16–18 years, the opportunity to study for nationally recognised qualifications whilst receiving high quality football coaching daily.


Notable alumni

*
Paul Tucker (banker) Sir Paul Tucker (born 24 March 1958) is a British central banker and author. He was formerly the Deputy Governor of the Bank of England, Deputy Governor of the Bank of England, with responsibility for financial stability, and served on the Bank' ...
, Former Deputy Governor of the Bank of England * Jim Lea - member of
Slade Slade are a rock band formed in Wolverhampton, England in 1966. They rose to prominence during the glam rock era in the early 1970s, achieving 17 consecutive top 20 hits and six number ones on the UK Singles Chart. The '' British Hit Singl ...
, perfected his electronic violin skills under the tutelage of Ron Williams *
Emma Reynolds Emma Elizabeth Reynolds (born 2 November 1977) is a British Labour Party (UK), Labour Party politician who has served as Economic Secretary to the Treasury and City Minister since January 2025. She was elected as Member of Parliament (United Ki ...
Labour Member of Parliament for
Wolverhampton North East Wolverhampton North East is a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election. It is represented by Sureena ...
and for Wycombe &
Economic Secretary to the Treasury The Economic Secretary to the Treasury is a junior ministerial post in HM Treasury, His Majesty's Treasury, ranked below the First Lord of the Treasury, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, the Paymaster General a ...
*
William Regal Darren Kenneth Matthews (born 10 May 1968), better known by the ring name William Regal, is an English retired professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he serves as the vice-president of Global Talent Development. He is also known for ...
-
WWE World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is an American professional wrestling promotion. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority-owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. A global integrated media and entertainment company, ...
Wrestler * Gareth Morgan -
Daily Star Sunday The ''Daily Star Sunday'' is a weekly tabloid newspaper published in the United Kingdom. It was launched as a sister title to the '' Daily Star'' on 15 September 2002. The ''Daily Star Sunday'' is published by Express Newspapers, which along wi ...
editor *
Christopher Sadler Christopher Sadler (born 1970) is a British people, British animator, director and writer. He is primarily known for his work on ''Wallace and Gromit'', ''Chicken Run'', ''Rex the Runt'', ''Cracking Contraptions'', ''Creature Comforts'' and ''Sh ...
- award-winning Animator Director for
Aardman Animations Aardman Animations Limited, known simply as Aardman, is a British animation studio based in Bristol, England, United Kingdom. It is known for films and television series made using stop motion and clay animation techniques, particularly those fe ...
who has worked on
Wallace and Gromit ''Wallace & Gromit'' is a British claymation comedy media franchise, franchise created by Nick Park and produced by Aardman Animations. The series centres on Wallace, a good-natured, eccentric, cheese-loving bachelor inventor, and Gromit, his ...
,
Chicken Run ''Chicken Run'' is a 2000 animated adventure comedy film directed by Peter Lord and Nick Park and written by Karey Kirkpatrick from an original story by Lord and Park. Produced by Pathé and Aardman Features in partnership with DreamWork ...
,
Cracking Contraptions ''Wallace & Gromit's Cracking Contraptions'' is a British series of ten ''Wallace & Gromit'' stop motion animations varying in length from 1 to 3 minutes. Each episode features one of Wallace's new inventions and Gromit's skeptical reaction to it. ...
,
Creature Comforts ''Creature Comforts'' is a British stop-motion comedy franchise originating in a 1989 animated short film of the same name. The film matched animated zoo animals with a soundtrack of people talking about their homes, making it appear as if the ...
and
Shaun the Sheep ''Shaun the Sheep'' is a British stop-motion animated silent children's television series which is produced by Aardman Animations. A spin-off in the '' Wallace & Gromit'' franchise, the series focuses on the adventures of Shaun, the eponymou ...
* Peter Baker - Golfer, and member of 1993
Ryder Cup The Ryder Cup is a biennial men's golf competition between teams from Europe and the United States, with hosting duties alternating between venues in Europe and the United States for each edition. The cup is named after the English businessman S ...
team. * Professor David Leigh FRS - Scientist and
Fellow A fellow is a title and form of address for distinguished, learned, or skilled individuals in academia, medicine, research, and industry. The exact meaning of the term differs in each field. In learned society, learned or professional society, p ...
of the
Royal Society The Royal Society, formally The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, is a learned society and the United Kingdom's national academy of sciences. The society fulfils a number of roles: promoting science and its benefits, re ...
, currently Sir Samuel Hall Chair of Chemistry at the
University of Manchester The University of Manchester is a public university, public research university in Manchester, England. The main campus is south of Manchester city centre, Manchester City Centre on Wilmslow Road, Oxford Road. The University of Manchester is c ...
*
Bernard O'Mahoney Bernard O'Mahoney (born 15 March 1960, Dunstable, Bedfordshire, England) is an English author, security detail, and former soldier. After taking control of security at a nightclub he became associated with Tony Tucker, a drug dealer who was shot ...
- Author


Sources

* ''The Story of Codsall and Bilbrook Schools'', Codsall and Bilbrook History Society, 1993


References


External links


CCHS Football Academy website

Official website
{{authority control South Staffordshire District Community schools in Staffordshire Upper schools in Staffordshire Educational institutions established in 1940 1940 establishments in England Codsall