Misplaced Pages

#560439

47-587: Ashton (Church of England) Middle School was a middle school in Dunstable , Bedfordshire, England, under the Central Bedfordshire Local Education Authority. Intake came from lower schools in the town and surrounding villages. The majority of graduates moved up to one of the upper schools in the town: All Saints Academy , Queensbury Academy or Manshead School In August 2014 Central Bedfordshire Council made

94-429: A ball court for the children. The school had a house system named after four English cathedrals. Competition between the houses included a sports day, swimming gala and merit marks, and football, hockey, cricket, rugby, tag rugby and athletics (long jump, high jump, javelin, shot put and track events). The school garden was rebuilt as a memorial to a former year 8 student, Hayley Spokes. A section 5 Ofsted inspection

141-523: A change to a three-tier model of middle schools, as the minister had already requested a review of the age of transfer to secondary schools as part of the Plowden enquiry into Children and their primary schools . The Plowden report published in 1967 encouraged the development of middle schools for students aged 8 to 12, developing from existing junior schools . The law required that all schools were classified as either primary or secondary depending on

188-404: A matrons office, a library, the main hall and school chapel. The "B" block was primarily for the new intake form classes. The "C" block was multipurpose but included science labs and design-technology rooms. The "D" block was used for history, geography and music teaching; and the "E" block contained lockers and storage. Other facilities included an astroturf pitch, PE block with an indoor gym, and

235-500: A measure that was only followed through by a few LEAs such as the Cambridgeshire Village Colleges , Leicestershire Community Colleges and Coventry , Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire community schools. Anglican schools were continued, but brought under increased state funding and control. Every state-funded school was required to begin the day with a nondenominational religious prayer. This clause

282-471: A middle school from September 2025 becoming an 11-18 school while Glendale Middle School, Berwick Middle School and Tweedmouth Middle School will all close in 2026. Many authorities in regions of England previously had middle schools, with either local areas or whole counties since reverting to the more traditional two-tier model. These are listed briefly by region. Norfolk closed its last middle schools - which were deemed primary - in 2008. Suffolk began

329-481: A middle school with age range 9-16. Northumberland County Council began a process of closing middle schools across the authority in 2006. This was discontinued as a universal policy following funding difficulties but middle schools have continued to close, merge into all through academies or change to primaries with 27 Northumberland middle schools having ceased to be middle schools since 2006 and four more closures approved: James Calvert Spence College - will cease to be

376-605: A more equitable funding system to localities and to different school sectors. The act renamed the Board of Education as the Ministry of Education , giving it greater powers and a bigger budget. While defining the school leaving age as 15, it granted the government the power to raise the age to 16 "as soon as the Minister is satisfied that it has become practicable", though the change was not implemented until 1973. It also brought in

423-446: A new system for setting teacher salaries. One of the results of the act was to increase the openness of secondary schools to girls and the working class , educating and mobilising them. Another result was that the percentage of children attending higher education tripled from 1% to 3%. The act provided both for nursery schools and Further Education programmes through community colleges, offering education for both children and adults,

470-502: A number of middle schools which covered the 10-14 age range, alongside others which were for Key Stage 3 students (11-14). The last of the middle schools closed in 2017. Nottinghamshire formerly had a three tier system around Newark-on-Trent and in Mansfield , with the latter closing in 2001. The London Borough of Harrow closed its middle deemed primary schools in 2011. The London Borough of Merton had about 14 middle schools for

517-657: Is also known as the Butler Act after the President of the Board of Education , R. A. Butler . Historians consider it a "triumph for progressive reform," and it became a core element of the post-war consensus supported by all major parties. The Act was repealed in steps with the last parts repealed in 1996. The basis of the Education Act 1944 was a memorandum entitled Education After the War (commonly referred to as

SECTION 10

#1732797322561

564-715: Is now a new development of 113 homes and apartments. A large proportion of the site was demolished, including C Block, B Block, Boiler house and swimming pool changing areas (Later were the Site Agents office and ICT Office). Middle Schools in England The number of middle schools , including combined schools for children aged between 5 and 12, reached a peak of over 1400 by 1983. In 2019 there were 107 middle schools remaining in England, operating in just 14 local authority areas. Middle schools were permitted by

611-623: The Education Act of 1944 . The move, pushed forward by Alec Clegg , then Chief Education Officer of the West Riding of Yorkshire County Council, was initially part of a process to introduce comprehensive schools in secondary education. Clegg proposed a model of middle schools for students aged 9 to 13, crossing the traditional divide at age 11 as early as 1960, with the scheme fully implemented in September 1969. Earlier moves by

658-506: The Education Act of 1964 , which made additional arrangements to allow for schools which crossed the traditional primary-secondary threshold at age 11. Notably, these changes did not define a new type of school, but rather permitted a variation on existing schemes, while providing for regulations which allowed the Secretary of State to determine whether such schools should be treated as primary or secondary. This had not been provided for in

705-403: The unitary authority , operated by Bedfordshire County Council until April 2009. Following consultation in the summer of 2009 the authority intended to re-introduce two-tier provision from 2013, closing all middle schools by 2015. However, on 7 July 2010, it was announced that the change from 3-tier to 2-tier "would be scrapped"; the reason given being cuts in government funding to schools made by

752-467: The "Green Book") which was compiled by Board of Education officials and distributed to selected recipients in June 1941. The President of the Board of Education at that time was Butler's predecessor, Herwald Ramsbotham ; Butler succeeded him on 20 July 1941. The Green Book formed the basis of the 1943 White Paper , Educational Reconstruction which was itself used to formulate the 1944 act. The purpose of

799-630: The 117-pupil Glendale Middle School in Northumberland , to the 1000-pupil Biggleswade Academy in Biggleswade , Bedfordshire . In the table below, the URN refers to the unique reference number for each school, linking to its page on the Ofsted website. Also from the table below, it can be seen that middle deemed primary schools have now been almost completely abolished across England. Schools in

846-469: The 1944 act, provided free school milk to all children under 18 in maintained schools from August 1946. In 1968 Edward Short , the Labour Secretary of State for Education and Science , withdrew free milk from secondary schools for children over eleven. His successor, Conservative Margaret Thatcher withdrew free school milk from children over seven in 1971, earning her the nickname "Thatcher,

893-453: The 1967 Plowden Report . At the time of closing, it was one of fewer than 200 middle schools in England . In August 2014 Central Bedfordshire Council made the decision to close Ashton Middle School in 2016. The council claims that falling pupil numbers are making the school financially unviable, however the Church of England Diocese of St Albans is currently consulting on whether to appeal

940-507: The 1990s. Hampshire inherited middle schools from Southampton City authority which had gone wholly three-tier in 1970 (one of the first two authorities to do so). The schools reverted to the traditional model in the 1990s. Isle of Wight middle schools closed in 2011. Kent 's last three middle schools (on the Isle of Sheppey) closed in 2009. The Hoo Peninsula middle schools were reorganised in 1994. Milton Keynes ' system of middle schools

987-418: The 9-13 age range, which were converted to deemed-primary (8-12) schools in the 1990s. These schools reverted to primary use by 2002. The three authorities with existing middle schools (Newcastle, Northumberland, North Tyneside) all closed several middle schools since 1999. A number of towns such as Hexham and Berwick-upon-Tweed still have middle schools. Buckinghamshire 's last middle schools closed in

SECTION 20

#1732797322561

1034-485: The Anglican church schools became voluntary aided which entitled them to enhanced state subsidies whilst retaining autonomy over admissions, curriculum and teacher appointments; Roman Catholic schools also chose this option. The legislation was enacted in 1944, but its changes were designed to take effect after the war, thus allowing for additional pressure groups to have their influence. Paul Addison argues that in

1081-584: The Coalition Government. One Middle School closed in 2011 and two more closed in 2014. In July 2015, the borough council announced its intention to support schools in the introduction of a borough-wide move to two-tier provision. As a result, all but one middle school reorganised as primary or secondary by 2019. Poole Borough Council closed all of its middle-deemed-primary schools in August 2013. Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council became

1128-708: The Plowden report. However, from that time onwards, the number of middle schools fell each year. The introduction of the National Curriculum with set Key Stages aligned with the old primary/secondary model further affected the numbers of schools, with a quarter of middle schools closing in the five years after its introduction. Issues of falling rolls, and queries raised about the academic progress of students in three-tier systems led to further closures. In 2019 there were 107 middle schools remaining in England, operating in 14 local authority areas, ranging from

1175-535: The Raising of the School-Leaving Age) a building programme to provide 'hut'-style accommodation to meet the additional educational demand. The Education Act 1944 made it a duty of local education authorities to provide school meals and milk. The authority could remit the charge for the meal in cases of hardship. The Provision of Free Milk Regulations 1946 ( SR&O 1946 /1293), made under section 49 of

1222-476: The act as an expression of " One Nation Conservatism " in the tradition attributed to Disraeli , which called for paternalism by the upper class towards the working class. Butler later wrote in his 1971 memoirs that the 1944 act, like those of 1870, 1902 and 1918, did not “sweep the board clean” but rather “established a financial framework” within which local authorities could conduct such policies as were appropriate for their region. The name “elementary school”

1269-532: The act was to address the country's educational needs amid demands for social reform that had been an issue before the Second World War began. The act incorporated proposals developed by leading specialists in the 1920s and 1930s such as R. H. Tawney and William Henry Hadow . The text of the act was drafted by Board of Education officials including Griffiths G. Williams, William Cleary, H. B. Wallis, S. H. Wood, Robert S. Wood, and Maurice Holmes. There

1316-408: The age range of students. By 1970, over 100 middle deemed secondary schools were in operation with around 30 deemed primary schools. The number of middle schools, including combined schools for children aged between 5 and 12, rose continuously over the next decade, reaching a peak of over 1400 such schools by 1983, with the primary model rapidly overtaking the secondary following the publication of

1363-484: The borough of Poole . Wiltshire closed its last middle schools in 2005. Aldridge-Brownhills , Staffordshire (now West Midlands) - includes the towns of Aldridge and Brownhills as well as the villages of Pelsall and Streetly . Adopted 9–13 middle schools in 1972 (normally on different sites to 5-9 first schools) and retained this system until 1986, when the traditional age ranges were re-established. The authority had been merged into Walsall (which always had

1410-405: The boroughs of North Warwickshire , Nuneaton and Bedworth and Rugby – adopted 5–8 first schools and 8–12 middle schools in 1972 and retained this system until 1996, when it reverted to the traditional ages of transfer (which had always applied in the south of the county). Bradford closed its middle schools between 1998 and 2002, having been the home of the first purpose-built middle school in

1457-546: The closure. The closure of the school is part of a reorganisation of schooling in Dunstable which is expected to ultimately lead to closure of three middle schools in the area. However the school closed at the end of the Summer term in 2016. The school had five buildings, the "A" block being the largest and oldest, situated parallel to Watling Street , mainly used for maths and French lessons and secretary duties. It also housed

Ashton Middle School - Misplaced Pages Continue

1504-447: The country. Kirklees local authority closed three middle schools in 2012. North Yorkshire 's two middle schools (at Ingleton and Settle) closed in 2012. Leeds and Wakefield previously operated on the three-tier system before reverting during the 1990s. Education Act 1944 The Education Act 1944 ( 7 & 8 Geo. 6 . c. 31) made major changes in the provision and governance of secondary schools in England and Wales. It

1551-401: The decision to close the school in 2016. Ashton's main building and grounds began as Dunstable Grammar School , founded by Frances Ashton in 1728 and built in 1887. It officially took on its middle school name and status in 1973. Bedfordshire changed from a two-tier school system to a three-tier system (lower, middle and upper) in 1972, the concept of middle schools originally being mooted in

1598-513: The end, the act was widely praised by Conservatives because it honoured religion and social hierarchy, by Labour because it opened new opportunities for working class children, and by the general public because it ended the fees they had to pay for secondary education. State primary education had been free since the Education Act 1891 ; even after 1944 certain older grammar schools—the direct grant grammar schools —continued to charge fees but also admitted state pupils on scholarships. Butler designed

1645-467: The expanded college in the town, while the town gained a fourth secondary school with the conversion of a former middle school into an 11-16 school. Sutton Coldfield (which was in Warwickshire until 1974) adopted 5-8 first schools and 8–12 middle schools in 1972 and did so for 20 years before reverting to 5-7 infant and 7-11 junior schools in 1992. Northern Warwickshire (the area covered by

1692-543: The local authority in Leicestershire had seen the introduction of two-tier secondary schools for students aged 11 to 14, and 14 to 18 as early as the late 1950s. The 1964 Act was followed in July 1965 by Circular 10/65 from the then Labour government requesting that local education authorities put forward plans to introduce comprehensive schools in their areas. However, the circular offered only limited support for

1739-501: The process of closing its middle schools in 2006, having reduced its numbers from a high of 40 schools, with the final two schools closing several years after the others in 2023. The only middle school in Cambridgeshire (which fed into Bedfordshire upper schools) closed in 2018. Northamptonshire closed its middle schools in and around Northampton in 2002, with its final two middle schools closing in 2015. Leicestershire had

1786-523: The same site or within the same umbrella as 5-8 first schools) and retained this system until 1990, when the traditional age ranges were re-established. This coincided with a major reorganisation in the borough which saw sixth form facilities largely concentrated in further education colleges rather than secondary schools, as well as several secondary schools being closed or merged. Halesowen , West Midlands (formerly Worcestershire ) - adopted 9–13 middle schools in 1972 and retained this system after 1974 when

1833-440: The school to be "satisfactory and improving, with good features". It was announced in 2014 that three local schools were to close. Ashton Middle School being one of the three. In that time school pupil numbers diminished to less than a class full during its final days. Ashton Middle School officially closed its doors and ceased to be a school on 31 August 2016. The site is now called "Ashton Grove". The site of Ashton Middle School

1880-432: The successor Local Education Authority in 2019. Schools in the unitary authority , operated by Bedfordshire County Council until April 2009. Some locality groups, such as schools in Dunstable, have undergone local re-organisations to remove middle schools. The local authority supports the principle of moving to primary and secondary provision. A new school is proposed to open at Great Park, Gosforth in 2020, which will be

1927-444: The town was absorbed into the borough of Dudley (see above) along with Stourbridge (which, along with Kingswinford , always used the traditional age ranges). Was one of the first local authorities to abolish middle schools when in 1982 the traditional age ranges were re-established. This reorganisation also saw the town's three secondary schools serving the 13-18 age range become 11-16 schools, with sixth form facilities concentrated at

Ashton Middle School - Misplaced Pages Continue

1974-539: The traditional age ranges) in 1974. [99] Bewdley and Kidderminster , Worcestershire - adopted 9–13 middle schools in 1972, and the whole area retained this system after 1974 when the two boroughs merged to form Wyre Forest district council . The system was maintained until 2007, when the traditional age ranges were re-established throughout the area. Dudley , West Midlands (formerly Staffordshire) - incorporating towns of Dudley , Sedgley , Coseley and Brierley Hill . Adopted 8–12 middle schools in 1972 (some on

2021-523: Was a desire to keep the churches involved in education but they could not afford to modernise without government help. By negotiation with the Archbishop of Canterbury , William Temple (1881-1944), and other religious leaders, a majority of the Anglican church schools became voluntary controlled and were effectively absorbed into the state system in return for funding. The act also encouraged non-sectarian religious teaching in secular schools. A third of

2068-405: Was abolished as implying that the poorer children who tended to attend such schools would receive an inferior education. The Act ended the traditional all-age (5-14) elementary sector, enforcing the division between primary (5–11 years old) and secondary (11–15 years old) education that many local authorities had already introduced. It abolished fees on parents for state secondary schools. It brought

2115-515: Was amended by the Education Reform Act 1988 , which specified that the act of worship should be of a 'broadly Christian nature' unless such a message was deemed to be inappropriate for a particular school or group of children. The amendment also specified that the act of worship could now take place in classes, rather than the previous system of conducting worship in assemblies. The act was supported by HORSA (Hutting Operation for

2162-432: Was carried out and the report published on 16 March 2011. In the report the school was deemed "inadequate" by education watchdog Ofsted. The report stated "Significant improvement is required in relation to the progress of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and the use of assessment to provide individual pupils with appropriate guidance, challenge and support." The Ofsted inspection of March 2012 found

2209-660: Was converted to primary schools in 2008. Oxfordshire closed its last middle-deemed-primary schools in Oxford in 2003. West Sussex closed middle schools in Crawley in 2004, Adur in 2007, Midhurst & Petworth in 2009 and Worthing in 2015. Its last middle school closed in 2017. Devon closed its only middle schools, in Exeter, in 2005. Dorset has closed a number of middle schools, including four which closed in 2013, as well as fourteen middle-deemed-primary schools which closed in

#560439