Crompton House Church of England Academy

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Crompton House crest

Introduction

Crompton House, Church of England Secondary School, is a mixed gender voluntary aided comprehensive school and sixth form for 11 - 18 year olds, and is located in the High Crompton area of Shaw and Crompton, in Lancashire, England.

It currently has approximately 1200 students and 100 teachers.

It was founded in 1927 by a rich landlord's daughter and the house was donated to the Church of England to be used as a school. The school has expanded over the years as its reputation and achievments have gone from strength to strength. The school is now partly state-funded but mainly voluntary funded by donations, events, and some money is given from the Diocese of Manchester.

The school has long been a Church of England school and pupils are required to attend church in order to be admitted to the school.

History

Crompton House, much like Crompton Hall, was originally a primary dwelling of the Crompton family - a family whom since the Norman Conquest, had a majority land ownership of Shaw and Crompton.

Following the death and subsequent dissipation of the Crompton family line, Crompton House was donated in 1926 by Miss Mary Crompton and her cousin, Mrs Anne Ormerod on the grounds it would become a school with a strong Christian ethos.

The Dean of Manchester, Dr. Hewlett Johnson, declared open the new Higher Grade Church School to be known as Crompton House School on 29 September and the first twenty five pupils were admitted on 1 October. From the beginning its relatively small size enabled the care of every child to be the concern of all the teaching staff.

Now a co-educational Voluntary Aided Comprehensive day school catering for about 1200 pupils with an established sixth form, that same care remains the guiding spirit of the school community.

Over the years additions have been made to the original buildings. These include a separate Year 11 Block, Modern Craft Building, new Science Laboratories and new Sixth Form Accommodation. A new block of classrooms and Science Laboratories was officially opened in October 1994.

More Recently, A block of 10 new class rooms has been opened. A drama studio has also been built. This is due to the schools "Performing Arts School" status.

The principal aim of the school is to provide within the context of the Anglican faith an opportunity for all pupils to develop their full potential both in terms of academic achievement and of personal and social development. It is hoped that at the end of their time with us, the young men and women from Crompton House will take their place in society as well educated, balanced, creative and caring individuals.

Whilst this is a Church of England school, when available the school will also offer places to children from other Christian denominations, such as Methodists. Although due to the popularity of the school, this is increasingly unlikely. The official position of the school however is to believe strongly that a Christian school exists to serve the needs of the local, and wider communities.

The school is a Post-Graduate Teacher Training Centre, and since September 1998 has Beacon Status.

Main Staff

The current headteacher is Bill Grundy.

The deputy headteacher is Elsie Tough.

And 4 assistants: Jim Upton, Charles Whitehead, Tim Cullinan and Karl Newell

There are around 100 members of general staff, including teachers, learning support assistants and special needs co-ordinators.

Other notable staff

John Lees - Music Technician and guitarist and vocalist of seminal prog rock band Barclay James Harvest

Pastoral Care

Crompton House uses a Form system to group students. There are 7 forms from year 7-11 which are Clegg, Cocker, Crompton, Lees, Ormerod, Ridley and Selwyn. In the 6th form, there is also a form called Ballard.

These form names have historical significance for Crompton House as they are surnames of individuals who have contributed to the creation of Crompton House as a school.

Timetable

The timetable for lessons at Crompton House are timetables in fortnightly cycles, named 'Red' and 'Green' week.

Lessons are one hour long and there are five in a day. Break takes place for 15 minutes at 11.10am and dinner is from 12.25pm to 1.25pm.

Subjects

Crompton House offers a broad range of subjects, with options available both at G.C.S.E. level and again at A-Level should a student remain in to the sixth form.

Physical Education - A compulsory subject from year 7-11. Up until year 9, pupils have 3 sessions a week of P.E, but in year 10 an 11, those not choosing it for GCSE have 1 lesson a week.

I.C.T, Textiles, Resistant Materials, Food Technology, Graphics - These 'technology' subjects are rotated in term cycles from year 7-9. At this point, students are required to choose one to study at GCSE.

English - A compulsory subject from year 7-11. Combined english is studies until year 10, where it is divided into literature and language. The work of William Shakespeare is studied in years 7,8 and 9, along with a number of literary texts.

Mathematics - A compulsory subject from year 7-11. All students are required to take GCSE Mathematics.

Science - A compulsory subject from year 7-11. All students are required to take GCSE Science, and in years 10 and 11 it is taught separately in Physics, Chemistry and Biology.

Geography - A compulsory subject from year 7-9. Geogrpahy can be taken as an option choice to study at GCSE. Next year (2007) the geography department is running a trip to iceland which is open to all pupils taking geograpy at GCSE and A level

History - A compulsory subject from year 7-9. History can be studied at GCSE as an option. The history course has various trips to venues such as the Leeds Armouries and Wigan Pier.

Music - A compulsory subject from year 7-9. There is an option of taking music at GCSE level, although it is not a very popular option, requiring great musical skill and knowledge.

Sociology - Another relatively unpopular choice, sociology is an option at GCSE level.

Psychology - Similar to sociology, psychology is a relatively unpopular option choice at GCSE.

Sixth Form

Crompton House has its own sixth form, which itself performs at a high national standard. A majority of pupils in the sixth form at Crompton House have continued from the compulsory education there. However, around 40 pupils from other schools in the surrounding area come to the sixth form each year. These pupils are from a number of religious denominations, unlike years 7-11.

There are a number of subjects available at AS-Level and A-level to study at Crompton House. These are:

Art, Biology, Business Studies, Chemistry, Design Technology, Drama, Economics, English Combined, English Language, English Literature, Geography, History, ICT, Mathematics, Music, Physics, Psychology, Sociology, Travel and Tourism,

Annual Events

Founders Day - 29th September. Celebrates the founding of the school in 1926 by Mary Crompton and her cousin Anne Ormerod.

Speech Night - End of November, The annual collection and awards given out for the last years A Level students. Prizes are given for outstanding acheivments and excellence in subjects.

Charity Gig - Varies, A charity rock gig for St Frances House childrens hospice in Manchester. A number of school bands take part in order to raise funds. The last one (March 3rd 2006) raised over £300. Bands that have taken part in the gigs include:

Fiona and Me
Backlash
Wrong
The Falls

Notable/Famous Past Students

• Glamour model Michelle Marsh
• Rochdale born actress Anna Friel

External Links

http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/reports/105/105740.pdf - Ofsted report