Unsworth Academy
| Unsworth Academy | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
 | |
| , England | |
| Information | |
| Type | Community school |
| Motto | "Inspire, Challenge, Excel" |
| Established | 1970 |
| Local authority | Bury |
| Department for Education URN | 105363 Tables |
| Ofsted | Reports |
| Academy Principal | Mrs Sue Armstrong |
| Deputy Academy Principal | Mr Alex Fair |
| Gender | Co-educational |
| Age | 11 to 16 |
| Enrolment | 903 pupils (approx.) |
| Website | http://castlebrookhighschool.co.uk |
Unsworth Academy, formerly known as Castlebrook High School, is a comprehensive school located in Unsworth, in the Metropolitan Borough of Bury, Greater Manchester, England.
A newly appointed Mrs S Armstrong is the new Academy Principal, who started in May 2017.
Unsworth Academy is also a part of the Shaw Education Trust.
History
The school opened in September 1971 and was originally called Unsworth Comprehensive School. Its initial enrollment was 146 pupils. In 1983, the school merged with Whitefield High School (aka Albert Road) and was renamed Castlebrook High School.
In 2015, Mr Settle who was a classroom assistant at Castlebrook High School was arrested for grooming a boy, aged 13. Mr Settle created fake Facebook accounts to pretend to be a 18 year old boy called James and a 13 year old boy called Matthew. Mr Settle was arrested for 18 months and has been put on the sex offenders list for 10 years.
Intake and catchment
It has a wide-ranging catchment area with some pupils travelling from central Manchester or neighbouring Bury and Salford. Some even come from as far as Bolton.
Possible closure
Throughout 2006, along with several other schools in the wider Bury borough, it had been under a sustained threat of closure. It is believed that there will be 2,000 fewer high school pupils in Bury, so Bury Council wanted to close two high schools in the area. It was possible that Castlebrook would amalgamate with nearby Philips High School, or that either Castlebrook or Philips will be closed.[1]
As of 2014[update], 806 pupils attend the school.[2]
In 2016, the school was deemed inadequate by Ofsted (The number of pupils attaining 5 GCSEs (including English and Maths) at grade A*-C in 2014 was below the national average.[3] ), as a result, the Shaw Education Trust took Castlebrook under their wing. There is however, a new building proposed, which is due to begin in January 2018 and accept students around May 2019 if all work is completed on time.
As of 2017, 903 pupils approx. attend the school.
Talent of the school
The school has been known for its great musical and theatrical ability and has staged many productions, musicals and musical, from Hobson's Choice, My Fair Lady, West Side Story and most recently in 2006 one of the first, if not the first, comprehensive school to perform the musical Thoroughly Modern Millie. The school has also been known to create its own musicals and stage them themselves, for example in the year 2001 the school staged a production (musical) called Sold Out which was written by the performing arts staff of the school.
In 2017 Little Shop of Horrors was performed by the pupils of Castlebrook High School, with a sell out 2 of the 3 nights the show was performed.
The school's GCSE results have been improving greatly over the last few years; with 61% of pupils achieving 5 A*-Cs in 2008, up to 76% in 2009 and to 80% in 2010, the highest the school has ever achieved.[4]
As of latest Castlebrook gets the highest GCSE results in the Construction BTEC course in England.
Notable former pupils
- Alex Hargreaves
- Gemma Atkinson, former Hollyoaks actress and TV personality.
- Trevor Sinclair, former Manchester City and England footballer.
- David Ball, Rotherham United footballer.
- Warren Hegg, former England cricketer.
- Jodie Gibson, England Netball athlete. Gold medalist.
References
- ^ Schools facing axe by 2015 are named – News. Prestwich Advertiser. Retrieved on 2016-02-09.
- ^ Castlebrook High School. Ofsted. Retrieved 23 February 2016.
- ^ http://reports.ofsted.gov.uk/inspection-reports/find-inspection-report/provider/ELS/105363
- ^ GCSE/KS4 Results 2015 Archived 2011-01-26 at the Wayback Machine. Castlebrook High School