The Grange School and Sports College

The Grange School and Sports College (simply referred to as The Grange) was an 11–18 mixed, community secondary school and sixth form in Warmley, Gloucestershire, England.[2] It closed in 2016.

The Grange School and Sports College
Address
Tower Road North

Warmley
,
Gloucestershire
,
BS30 8XQ

England
Coordinates51.457°N 2.480°W / 51.457; -2.480
Information
Other nameThe Grange
TypeCommunity school
MottoHanding on academic and sporting excellence
Closed2016 (2016)
Local authoritySouth Gloucestershire Council
SpecialistSports College
Department for Education URN109322 Tables
OfstedReports
HeadteacherTimothy Byford[1]
GenderMixed
Age range11–18
Capacity1,317[1]
Websitewww.thegrangeschool.net

History

Closure

In January 2014, South Gloucestershire Council was consulting parents on ceasing admissions to new students from September 2015 and closing it on 31 August 2016. The school was placed into special measures following its Ofsted inspection in April 2013 where it was criticised for "not offering an acceptable standard of education". As a result, various options were explored including amalgamating it with a neighbouring school and sponsorship as a stand-alone academy but was ruled out following "extensive discussion and consultation". It was hoping to bid for funding for a studio school on the site that would open in September 2015.

The school also faced financial challenges due to falling rolls and its ageing buildings that were in poor condition. Year Seven and Eight students would be transferred to new schools while those studying for GCSEs would complete their studies at the school. Its future would be finalised by June 2014[3][4][5] however in April 2014, the consultation was paused based on legal advice and its closure delayed by a year. No decisions on its future were made until the consultation had closed and a new consultation would be launched over the coming months.[6]

South Gloucestershire Council’s Children & Young People Committee voted to close the school in December 2014 despite pleas from parents, pupils and teachers to keep it open. This paves the way for a studio school, which will be known as Digitech Studio School, to open in September 2015 in a refurbished block on the site that was earmarked for the school. It would be run by the Cabot Learning Federation with a proposed £4 million new building that would be built on the site and students were being invited to apply for places. The Department for Education said the closure of the school was a precondition for the studio school opening.[7][8]

A statutory notice was published in January 2015 to give the public a last chance to comment with the final decision being made in March 2015. The school also had a surplus of around 600 places and repair works totalling more than £10 million.[9] The Digitech Studio School opened as planned[10] and The Grange closed a year earlier than expected, at the end of the 2016 school year following an announcement in February 2016.[11]

Future

In March 2018, it was announced that South Gloucestershire Council will be undertaking a masterplan exercise to shape the future of the site with a first draft later in the year, which will set out a range of options for the local people, before a further round of consultation by early 2019. As there is a shortage of school places in the Warmley and Kingswood areas, the school site was identified as a possible location for a new primary school. The council was also in discussions with Homes England at developing affordable housing in the area but were "open to other alternative developments".[12]

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References
  1. "The Grange School and Sports College". Get information about schools. GOV.UK. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
  2. "The Grange School and Sports College". The Grange School and Sports College. Archived from the original on 8 September 2013. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
  3. "Grange School in Warmley expected to close". BBC News. 16 January 2014. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
  4. "Grange School at centre of fierce political storm". The Week In. 22 January 2014. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
  5. "Grange School in Warmley set to be closed". BBC News. 23 January 2014. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
  6. "Year's reprieve for 'failing' Grange School and Sports College in Warmley". BBC News. 24 April 2014. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
  7. "Death knell for the Grange School in Warmley". The Week In. 11 December 2014. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
  8. Rath, Marc (22 December 2014). "Students invited to apply for places at £4m 'studio school'". Bristol Post. Archived from the original on 10 January 2015. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
  9. "Grange School closure due to be rubberstamped next week amid calls for an inquiry". The Week In. 1 March 2015. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
  10. "Studio School opens its doors to first students". Newsroom. South Gloucestershire Council. 2 September 2015. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
  11. "Forty-one people to lose their jobs when school closes a year earlier than expected". ITV News. 2 February 2016. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
  12. Yong, Michael (20 March 2018). "New primary school and homes planned for former Grange School site in Warmley". Bristol Post. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
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