Lathom High School is a coeducational secondary school and specialist technology college located in Skelmersdale in the English county of Lancashire.[1][2] Following an amalgamation of two former schools Tawd Vale and West Bank High, Lathom High was officially opened in November 1988 by Jack Straw MP.

Lathom High School
Address
Map
Glenburn Road


,
WN8 6JN

England
Coordinates53°33′41″N 2°47′32″W / 53.56125°N 2.79215°W / 53.56125; -2.79215
Information
TypeFoundation school
EstablishedSeptember 1988
Local authorityLancashire
SpecialistTechnology
Department for Education URN119774 Tables
OfstedReports
HeadteacherPaul Livesley
GenderCoeducational
Age11 to 16
Enrolment599 as of January 2023
Websitehttp://lathomhighschool.org/

It is a foundation school administered by Lancashire County Council.[3] The school offers GCSEs, OCR Nationals and NVQs as programmes of study for pupils.

History

edit

Lathom High School was founded in September 1988 following the closure of Tawd Vale High School in August 1988,[4] at which point the school was renamed as Lathom High School, residing on the same site.[5] The decision to close the former schools was made in November 1986 by Lancashire's District Education Liaison Committee, in a move that was expected to anger parents, particularly those closer to Ormskirk. Headteacher of Tawd Vale, Geoff Burnett, presented his own case study which suggested that it was not viable to have three county secondary schools in Skelmerdale, noting that teachers at both schools had accepted the idea of a merger. It was recommended that further protection was needed by way of restricting the intake of schools in Ormskirk and Up Holland to a five-form entry of 150 pupils, down from 180.[6]

The new school opened following the merger between Tawd Vale and West Bank High School, with the amalgamation approved in February 1988 by Education Secretary Kenneth Baker due to falling pupil numbers across both schools. Prior to opening, improvement works totalling £250,000 were carried out.[7] The naming of the school was approved by the governing body in March 1988.[8] The official opening took place on 10 November 1988 by Jack Straw MP, then Shadow Secretary of State for Education.[9]

Notable alumni

edit

References

edit
  1. ^ "Lathom High School".
  2. ^ "Home". www.lathomhighschool.org. Retrieved 27 December 2021.
  3. ^ "Lathom High School : A Technology College - GOV.UK". Get-information-schools.service.gov.uk. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
  4. ^ "Tawd Vale High School: Establishment Details". Gov.uk. Retrieved 20 March 2022.
  5. ^ "Tawd Vale High School, Skelmersdale". Lancashire.gov.uk. Retrieved 20 March 2022.
  6. ^ "Schools' move will anger parents". The Ormskirk Advertiser. 27 November 1986. p. 1.
  7. ^ "Baker Approves Merger". Liverpool Echo. 11 February 1988. p. 12.
  8. ^ "New high school". The Ormskirk Advertiser. 3 March 1988. p. 3.
  9. ^ "School opener". The Ormskirk Advertiser. 10 November 1988. p. 3.
  10. ^ "Manager Owens impressed with goal quality". Liverpool Echo. 19 February 1997. p. 61.
edit