Greenhead College

Greenhead College is a sixth form college, and former grammar school, located in Huddersfield, in the county of West Yorkshire, England. The current principal is Simon Lett. With over 2300 students, it is a large sixth form college, attracting students from as far afield as Wakefield, Manchester, Barnsley, Bradford, Leeds, Halifax, Wetherby and even Wales. It is located next to Greenhead Park which is one of the largest parks in Huddersfield.[2]

Greenhead College
College logo
Address
Greenhead Road

Huddersfield
,
West Yorkshire
,
HD1 4ES

England
Coordinates53°38′49″N 1°47′31″W
Information
TypeSixth form college
Established1980
Local authorityKirklees
Department for Education URN130538 Tables
OfstedReports
ChairRoger Bryant
PrincipalSimon Lett
Deputy PrincipalMo Bunter
Staff100 (approx.)
GenderCoeducational
Age16 to 19
Enrolment2300[1]
Colour(s)Green & Gold
Websitehttp://www.greenhead.ac.uk

Reputation

The college topped both The Guardian and The Independent's A level college league tables in 2006.[3] It came fourth in 2007[4] and sixth in 2008.[5] It was also the Sunday Times's Sixth Form College of the Year, 2014-15.[6] 2019 will see 45 students heading to Oxford or Cambridge University[7]

Subject choices

Students usually study 3 subjects at A level. The college is quite flexible with respect to courses being studied, with a proportion of students studying 4 A Levels as long as they meet the required criteria (an average of an A grade at GCSE). There are over 30 different subjects for students to study.[8]

Admissions

Students from partnership feeder schools are given priority for places at the college, and are required to obtain a minimum of GCSE grades 4 in Maths and English language in addition to three GCSE grade 6s to gain a place at the college. Students usually need to get a B grade in the subjects they are wanting to take.[9]

Current partner schools are All Saints Catholic High School, Newsome High School, Almondbury High School and Language College, Colne Valley High School, North Huddersfield Trust School, Holmfirth High School, Honley High School, King James's School, Moor End Technology College, Netherhall Learning Campus, Royds Hall School and Salendine Nook High School.[10]

Students from other schools are considered based on their mock GCSE results, a one-to-one interview and the availability of subject places, this after partner school students have been taken into consideration. Students from the Calderdale secondary schools, including The Brooksbank School, The Crossley Heath School and North Halifax Grammar School, can be accepted through the application process. In 2005, then-principal Martin Rostron said he believed the college has been criticised for selecting only the best students, which he denied, saying that Greenhead took those of all abilities.[9][11]

Campus
The wall art of the science block at Greenhead College

The Greenhead College campus is located on one site, near the centre of Huddersfield, directly next to Greenhead park. The campus is fairly small in comparison with the number of students enrolled - however, it manages to effectively provide provision for a multitude of subjects taught.

The college has approximately 8 main buildings, all of which are internally linked. Each building represents a subject or a group of similar subjects. On 26 May 2004, the college officially opened a new building on the campus, the Conway Building. The building was dedicated to the former principal, Dr Kevin Conway.[12]

The college has a small football field on site and a small hockey field. Two tennis courts were replaced in early 2012 to make way for a new maths and science building, opened by the Duke of Kent. Many enrichments[13] (extra curricular activities) offered by the college are done off campus due to the lack of outdoor space owing to the proximity to Huddersfield town centre.

The infamous statue situated on the side of the Science Building, in the adjacent picture, has recently changed location to outside the newly constructed Rostrom Building. College legend has it that on the eve of results day 2015 the metal woman, also known as The Silent Student, moved on her own free will. Her rusty feet remain on the side of the Science Building; she has since regenerated new feet. By 2025 she is expected to move once again.

Redevelopment

In 2008 Ryder Architecture were commissioned to draw up plan for a new project with would provide a series of new buildings which were linked to the existing buildings via a central atrium hub. These buildings provided educational classrooms as well as various support and ancillary accommodation. The existing site was constrained with several existing buildings which would have caused a complex phased construction process. It was estimated that the project would cost approximately £15 million.

In December 2008 a report examining the feasibility of the project was approved by the College. An application was submitted to the Learning and Skills Council in July 2009 with construction works commencing January 2010 for a duration of 2 years. Unfortunately LSC funding was not received and the project was placed on hold until alternative funding could be sourced.[14]

Staff

There are currently around 100 teaching staff to cater for the large number of students, in addition to the canteen staff, IT technicians, lab technicians and caretakers who also serve in the college.

Hierarchy

The College Principal is Simon Lett, who is supported by vice principals, Mo Bunter, David Greenwood and Christine Milsom. In addition there are subject heads and then finally the subject teachers and assistants.

Extracurricular activities

Greenhead is well praised for its enrichment programmes which encourages pupils to partake in extracurricular activities designed to build students character, their personal, sporting and social interests and prepares them more effectively both for higher education and future employment. It was first introduced in 1990. Its most recent praise was from Ofsted in 2011 from their spot check report.[15]

Enrichment is mandatory for student to undertake, this encourages pupils to partake supporting the programs success. There are a huge variety of courses for students to choose form including The Duke of Edinburgh's Award, sports, music and drama, information technology, voluntary services and The World Challenge; additionally students are free to start new courses on the proviso they can gain enough support for them. In 2011 a total of 79 different courses were available to students including 22 different sporting activates such as badminton, basketball, cycling, football (men and women’s), rugby (men and women’s), judo and squash and 9 different music groups.[16] Taster sessions are provided so that students can make informed decisions.[17]

As part of the enrichment program, pupils must undertake one week of PaWS (Projects and Work Shadowing) in their first year. Work shadowing placements include medical, political, scientific and language based jobs, usually at a senior level within the respective companies. If a pupil does not wish to do work shadowing, many projects, from circus skills to mathematical art, are available.

Awards

Notable alumni
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References
  1. "About Greenhead College". Archived from the original on 1 January 2011. Retrieved 9 December 2010.
  2. "Greenhead College". Ofsted. 2004. Archived from the original on 3 December 2007. Retrieved 2 November 2006.
  3. "A-levels 2006: colleges". The Guardian.
  4. "School Exam Results: Summer 2007". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 June 2009.
  5. "School Exam Results: Summer 2008". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 June 2009.
  6. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 December 2014. Retrieved 30 December 2014.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  7. "Examiner Live: Huddersfield and West Yorkshire news and sport". www.examinerlive.co.uk. Retrieved 26 February 2019.
  8. "Subjects We Offer". Greenhead College. Archived from the original on 17 January 2009. Retrieved 6 January 2009.
  9. "Entry Requirements". Greenhead College. Archived from the original on 31 July 2012.
  10. "Greenhead College Admissions". Greenhead College. Archived from the original on 31 July 2012. Retrieved 9 December 2010.
  11. "Reasons to be cheerful". The Independent. 13 January 2005. Archived from the original on 14 July 2012. Retrieved 5 December 2007.
  12. "College Newsletter No. 82". Greenhead College website. Archived from the original on 21 July 2011. Retrieved 9 December 2010.
  13. "Greenhead College Enrichments". Greenhead College. Archived from the original on 28 December 2008. Retrieved 30 December 2008.
  15. "Ofsted 2011–12 best practice survey: supporting college students to progress and achieve" (PDF). Ofsted.gov.uk. Retrieved 9 September 2017.
  17. "Enrichment - Course List". Greenhead College. Archived from the original on 31 January 2011. Retrieved 8 September 2010.
  18. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 4 May 2006. Retrieved 24 January 2006.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  19. "Huddersfield says farewell to Capt Lisa Head". The Huddersfield Daily Examiner. 7 May 2011. Retrieved 7 May 2011.
  20. "Dr Judy Hirst MA, DPhil, FRS". www.greenhead.ac.uk. Retrieved 16 August 2020.
  21. "Judy Hirst FRS | MRC Mitochondrial Biology Unit". www.mrc-mbu.cam.ac.uk. Retrieved 16 August 2020.
  22. "Huddersfield-born recorder player Jill Kemp heads out on US tour". The Huddersfield Daily Examiner. 20 March 2009. Retrieved 9 February 2016.
  23. "Jonathan Le Billon". IMDb. Retrieved 9 February 2016.
  24. "Tonight's the night as Janine gets her big TV break". The Huddersfield Daily Examiner. 24 February 2005. Retrieved 9 February 2016.
  25. "Huddersfield's Kearnan Myall gets England RU call". The Huddersfield Daily Examiner. 29 May 2013. Retrieved 9 February 2016.
  26. "Huddersfield's Matt Roberts now BBC Moto GP star". The Huddersfield Daily Examiner. 13 April 2009. Retrieved 9 February 2016.
  27. "The House I Grew Up In, featuring Mona Siddiqui". BBC Radio 4. 13 August 2008. Retrieved 13 August 2008.
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