Balderstone Technology College was a school in the Balderstone district of the Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale in Greater Manchester, England.
| Balderstone Technology College | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Address | |
 | |
Queen Victoria Street , , OL11 2HJ | |
| Coordinates | 53°36′01″N 2°08′59″W / 53.60028°N 2.14964°W |
| Information | |
| Type | Grammar School Technology College |
| Motto | "Dare and you will prevail" |
| Established | 1953 (as Rochdale Grammar School for Boys) |
| Closed | 31 August 2010 |
| Local authority | Rochdale MBC |
| Specialist | Technology |
| Department for Education URN | 105836 Tables |
| Headteacher | Mr Paul Wright Mr Nigel Jepson |
| Staff | 150 |
| Gender | Mixed |
| Age | 11 to 16 |
| Enrolment | 785 |
| Former name | Rochdale Grammar School & Balderstone Community School |
| Website | www |
Location
editIt was situated near the junction of Queensway (A664) and Oldham Road (A671) between Balderstone and Kirkholt. It was in the parish of St Mary, Balderstone.[1][2]
History
editGrammar school
editThe school was once called Rochdale Grammar School for Boys, formerly known as Rochdale Municipal High School for Boys on Church Lane. It was administered by Rochdale Education Committee, and moved to Queen Victoria Street in 1953 at a cost of £180,000. A grammar school had been founded in 1565 in Rochdale by Matthew Parker, then Archbishop of Canterbury. There was also Rochdale Grammar School for Girls on Falinge Road, becoming Falinge Park High School.[3]
Comprehensive
editIt became a comprehensive in 1969 - the Balderstone High School, then Balderstone Community School in 1972 for boys and girls aged 14–18. In 1992 it became a high school for boys and girls aged 11–16. In 1999 it gained Technology College status.
The school closed on 31 August 2010 as a result of the Building Schools for the Future program. The school merged with Springhill High School and formed a new school called Kingsway Park High School. The building was used to host Kingsway Park High School until 2012 when a new building was built on the former Springhill High School site, Turfhill Road.[4]
Alumni
edit- Fusilier Conrad Cole, youngest British soldier to die in the Gulf War on 26 February 1991 aged 17, when nine British soldiers of the 3rd Battalion of the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers were killed by an American missile fired from an A-10 which hit a Warrior tracked armoured vehicle.[5]
Rochdale Grammar School
edit- James Diggle, Professor of Greek and Latin at Queens' College, University of Cambridge since 1995[6]
- Sir Leslie Fowden, Director from 1973–86 of the Rothamsted Experimental Station
- Glynn Boyd Harte, artist [7]
- Sir Peter Ogden, businessman who founded Computacenter in 1981 and Dealogic in 1983[8]
- Sir Joseph Pilling, KCB, Identity Commissioner since 2009, and Director General from 1991–92 of HM Prison Service
- Cyril Smith MP[9]
- John Taylor, Lecturer in Greek and Latin Language at University of Manchester since 2015[10]
References
edit- ^ Saint Mary Church, Balderstone Archived 8 September 2010 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 1 August 2010.
- ^ Parish Church of St Mary, Balderstone. Retrieved 1 August 2010.
- ^ "Education in Rochdale. Early Education. Rochdale Grammar School". link4life.org. 18 July 2011. Archived from the original on 18 July 2011.
- ^ Details of the new school (Kingsway Park HS) Archived 27 September 2011 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 20 May 2011
- ^ Wilkinson, Damon (21 February 2020). "Soldier killed in Gulf War to have road named after him on estate". Manchester Evening News.
- ^ Millett, Paul; Oakley, S. P.; Thompson, R. J. E. (2011). "Ratio Et Res Ipsa: Classical Essays Presented by Former Pupils to James Diggle on His Retirement". Cambridge Classical Journal. Cambridge Classical Journal Supplements. 36. Cambridge Philological Society: 1. doi:10.2307/j.ctv12fw8jh.
- ^ "Glynn Boyd Harte". Daily Telegraph.
- ^ "Knighthood for hero of poor but bright kids". Manchester Evening News. 25 April 2005.
- ^ "Profile: Cyril Smith". BBC News. 27 April 2014.
- ^ "University of Manchester Department of Classics, Ancient History, Archaeology and Egyptology People". University of Manchester. University of Manchester. Retrieved 19 July 2023.