Haygrove School
Red brick building with central clock tower. In the foreground are plants and parked cars.
Address
Map
Durleigh Road

Bridgwater
,
Somerset
,
TA6 7HW

England
Coordinates51°07′23″N 3°01′21″W / 51.1230°N 3.0224°W / 51.1230; -3.0224
Information
TypeAcademy
MottoOpportunity, Endeavor, Achievement
SpecialistLanguage College
Department for Education URN136917 Tables
OfstedReports
Head teacherAaron Reid
GenderCo-educational
Age11 to 16
Enrolment1,106 as of 2012[1]
Houses  Bonnington
  Stephens
  Hargreves
  Mallory
Colour(s)Red, White, and Black
     
Websitehttp://www.haygroveschool.co.uk

Haygrove School is a co-educational secondary school in Bridgwater, Somerset, England, with 1,106 students aged between 11 and 16. It is located on Durleigh Road in Bridgwater.

History

The site was originally the Poplar School of Engineering And Navigation, then Dr Morgan's Grammar School For Boys, and finally Bridgwater Grammar School For Boys, before becoming Haygrove School in the 1970s when Somerset County Council implemented comprehensive schools.

Building Schools for the Future (BSF)

In the 2000s, Bridgwater was the first town in the South West level[2] to be selected for the UK government's Building Schools for the Future initiative, which aimed to rebuild and renew nearly every secondary school in England.[3] Within Bridgwater, Building Schools for the Future was to develop four secondary schools - Chilton Trinity Technology College, Robert Blake Science College, East Bridgwater Community School and Haygrove School - along with two special provision schools, Elmwood School and Penrose School, at an expected cost of around £100 Million.[4] However, in July 2010, several components of the scheme for Bridgwater schools were cancelled, including the plans for Haygrove School.

In early July 2011, the school became an academy. In 2017/18, the school became a Multi-Academy Trust.

Building safety issues

In 2020, as part of the Department for Education’s £3bn modular framework, set up to fast-track school construction projects, a new three-storey main school building was built at Haygrove School by Caledonian Modular,[5] to a design by HLM Architects.[6] In September 2022, a window collapsed, which prompted the school to close while safety inspections were carried out.[7]

In August 2023, the school was forced to find alternative accommodation because of safety fears following technical investigations in the building.[8] Similar problems had affected two other schools built by the same firm; education minister Nick Gibb said DfE inspectors had "identified issues that related to the structural integrity of the buildings, weakening its ability for example to withstand extreme events such as high winds or a big snowfall or indeed a collision from a vehicle."[9] The DfE blamed poor workmanship for the structural issues; the school had not been built in accordance with its design.[6] HLM had been involved with Haygrove School and Sir Frederick Gibberd College in Harlow, Essex. HLM said the firm had raised concerns with Caledonian's approach to the technical delivery of the designs; "Unable to resolve our differences, we parted company with Caledonian and the projects were delivered by others."[10]

In December 2023, the DfE confirmed that Haygrove School would be demolished and rebuilt.[11]

Exam performance

Percentage of students achieving 5+A*-C including English and Mathematics at GCSE level[12]

Percentage of students achieving 5+A*-C in any subject at GCSE level[12]

Notable pupils

References

  1. ^ "Haygrove School" (PDF). Ofsted. Retrieved 8 November 2015.
  2. ^ "Somerset Building Schools for the Future". Archived from the original on 6 February 2009. Retrieved 14 May 2009.
  3. ^ "Building Schools for the Future". Archived from the original on 28 April 2009. Retrieved 14 May 2009.
  4. ^ "Building Schools for the Future in Bridgwater". Archived from the original on 29 November 2013. Retrieved 14 May 2009.
  5. ^ Salter, Steven (10 July 2020). "Excitement at Haygrove as new school building takes shape". Bridgwater Mercury. Retrieved 23 August 2023.
  6. ^ a b Lowe, Tom (24 August 2023). "Government launches wider probe into Caledonian Modular after school closures". Building. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
  7. ^ Hill, Phil (5 September 2022). "Window collapse sparks safety fears at Haygrove School". Somerset County Gazette. Retrieved 23 August 2023.
  8. ^ Morby, Aaron (23 August 2023). "Second Caledonian Modular school told to close". Construction Enquirer. Retrieved 23 August 2023.
  9. ^ Aaron, Morby (24 August 2023). "Risk of collapse in 'high winds' shuts Caledonian Modular schools". Construction Enquirer. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
  10. ^ Weinfass, Iain (29 August 2023). "HLM walked off school projects being built by unsafe contractor". Architects' Journal. Retrieved 29 August 2023.
  11. ^ Morby, Aaron (5 December 2023). "Three Caledonian Modular-built schools to be demolished". Construction Enquirer. Retrieved 5 December 2023.
  12. ^ a b "Department for Children, Schools and Families". Retrieved 14 May 2009.

External links

Schools in Somerset1
Authority control databases
Categories