Ridgeway High School, Birkenhead
History and rebuild
Ridgeway was built in the 1970s as a two-storey building with a single-storey gymnasium. In the 1990s, an extension was added to the existing building to accommodate the school's language programs. At that point, Ridgeway could hold 825 pupils. In 2013, the school was selected by the Education and Skills Funding Agency to be 1 of 12 northwest schools to be rebuilt over the next several years. The £12m rebuild was finished in late 2017.
In 2009, Ridgeway was slated to be absorbed into Birkenhead Park School along with Park and Rock Ferry High Schools. Wirral Council eventually scratched Ridgeway off the list of schools to combine after pushback from parents. This decision was stopped by parents.
Demographics
The majority of Ridgeway students are White British; about 58% of pupils are boys and 42% are girls. 46% are eligible for free school meals.
In 2021, with 99 school staff, the teacher to pupil ratio was 1 teacher for every 13 students.
GCSE
In 2016, Ridgeway achieved a 70% A* to C score; 100% scored A* to C in performing arts; and 70% of students achieved at least one GCSE. In 2018, 55% achieved 9-4 grades in maths; 68% in English; 69% achieved 9-4 grades in computer science, 67% in religion, 93% in drama, 62% in English literature.
Awards and rankings
In 2021, the Guardian Schools Guide scored Ridgeway's pupil attendance at a 10 out of 100 points. Poor attendance has been an issue for several years. The two most recent inspections were in 2017 and 2021 and Ofsted rated them as "requires improvement." Their 2007 and 2010 inspections were "Outstanding" but their 2013 inspection dropped to "Good." Pauline Roberts, who was headteacher for four years, resigned in 2013 for "personal reasons." She was lauded by parents as the one responsible for drastically improving Ridgeway and were worried that the school, which achieved "Outstanding" during her time there, would regress.
In 2018, the PE department won the School Communication Award from the ECHO School Awards and in 2021, Ridgeway was shortlisted alongside St. James', Wade Deacon, and Hope Academy in the category "Outstanding commitment to sport & physical activity in secondary schools" for the annual Educate Awards.
References
- ^ "Headteacher's welcome". Retrieved 27 September 2021.
- ^ "Establishment: Ridgeway High School". GOV.UK. n.d. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
- ^ "Morgan Sindall starts on its twelfth northwest school". The Construction Index. 24 May 2016. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
- ^ Jackson, Nick (27 September 2017). "Archbishop of York launches school after £12m rebuild". The Business Desk. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
- ^ Manning, Craig (23 January 2015). "Green light for Ridgeway School's multi-million pound redevelopment". Wirral Globe. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
- ^ Murphy, Liam (21 August 2012). "Headteacher suspended from Merseyside school Ridgeway High". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
- ^ Marles, Leigh (27 November 2009). "Ridgeway High School reprieved as boys-only academy plan is dropped". Wirral Globe. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
- ^ Seneviratne, Anne (20 October 2015). "No formal designation monitoring inspection of Ridgeway High School". Ofsted. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
- ^ "Ridegeway High School". Locrating. n.d. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
- ^ "Ridgeway High School". The Guardian Schools Guide. 23 August 2021. Archived from the original on 4 November 2021. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
- ^ Murphy, Catherine (25 August 2016). "RECAP: GCSE results day 2016". Wirral Globe. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
- ^ Jones, Lauren (23 August 2018). "AS IT HAPPENED: Wirral GCSE results day 2018". Wirral Globe. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
- ^ "Ridgeway High School". Ofsted. 2017. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
- ^ Grimsditch, Lee (10 July 2021). "These are the 35 Merseyside secondary schools rated 'inadequate' or 'requiring improvement'". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
- ^ Murphy, Liam (23 April 2013). "Ridgeway High School head Pauline Roberts steps down 'for personal reasons'". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
- ^ "Ridgeway High headteacher steps down". Wirral Globe. 23 April 2013. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
- ^ Breslin, Maria (26 June 2018). "Meet the amazing winners of the 2018 ECHO Schools Awards". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
- ^ Manning, Craig (15 October 2021). "Five Wirral schools shortlisted for Educate Awards 2021". Wirral Globe. Retrieved 3 November 2021.