Bedford High School, Leigh

Bedford High School is a coeducational secondary school in the Bedford area of Leigh, Greater Manchester, England.

Bedford High School
Address
Map
Manchester Road

, ,
WN7 2LU

England
Coordinates53°29′37″N 2°29′26″W / 53.49373°N 2.49068°W / 53.49373; -2.49068
Information
TypeCommunity school
MottoTo care, to learn, to achieve
Established1976
Local authorityWigan
Department for Education URN106523 Tables
OfstedReports
HeadteacherPaul McCaffery
Staff150
GenderCoeducational
Age11 (year 7) to 16 (year 11)
Enrolment1,025 pupils
Website[1]

History

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Bedford High School was established in 1976 when the town's grammar schools were abolished by the 1976 Education Act. It was formed by merging Leigh Boys' Grammar School and neighbouring Manchester Road Secondary Modern School. The former grammar school buildings now form the upper school and the secondary modern buildings form the lower school. In 2003 the school gained specialist Business and Enterprise College status and opened a construction training facility in conjunction with the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB).[1]

Performance

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In 2008, 37% of pupils achieved five GCSE passes at grade A* to C including Mathematics and English, while 75% achieved five A* to C grades overall. These results were a significant improvement over 2007, when 29% of pupils achieved five GCSE passes at grade A* to C including Mathematics and English,[2][3] The school's Ofsted inspection in September 2004 stated that GCSE results were above that of similar schools.[1] The same Ofsted report rated the school as satisfactory with effective leadership and praised the school's relationship with the local community. It also highlighted issues with year 9 performance, the provision of modern languages and personal development, and the attitudes and behaviour of a number of boys in the school.[1]

Notable former pupils

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Leigh Grammar School

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Bedford High School

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  • Lisa Hession, murdered while a pupil at the school in 1984. Her sexually-motivated murder, which occurred behind Rugby Road in Leigh, has not been solved[4]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Inspection Report" (PDF). Ofsted. September 2004. Retrieved 18 February 2008. [dead link]
  2. ^ "Bedford High School". Education League Tables. BBC. Retrieved 18 February 2008.
  3. ^ "Secondary schools in Wigan: GCSE-level". Education League Tables. BBC. Archived from the original on 9 March 2008. Retrieved 18 February 2008.
  4. ^ "The case that haunts our chief reporter: The unsolved murder of Lisa Hession". Manchester Evening News. 4 January 2023. Retrieved 3 July 2023.
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