STOCKPORT SCHOOLS HISTORY
The school was established in 1888 and moved to its present site in 1938. In its time it has played many parts. In the 1880s Stockport was a hatting and cotton manufacturing town and education was provided by Stockport Sunday School and Mechanics Institutes. There were the old private grammar schools but the need was felt to have a technical school. As, it was felt, none of these classes was able to cope with the increasing technical demands of local industry. From 1884 local manufacturers and tradesmen agitated for some more advanced form of education for a Technical or Trade School. On 25 February 1887, Joseph Leigh, acting as Mayor convened a meeting, where Alderman Ephraim Hallam, proposed that to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Queen Victoria’s reign “That it is desirable to establish a Technical and Art School in this town, to enable its inhabitants to acquire that special teaching requisite, to maintain its position amongst the industrial towns of this country.” It was financed by subscription, then the Technical Instruction Act, 1889 allows the town to finance it on the rates.
The Stockport Technical School in 1888, on a site on Greek Street, mainly delivered Adult Education in the evenings, being empty during the day. In 1892 the building was gifted under covenant to Stockport Borough Council. In 1896, it was opened during the day to boys and girls- there were 100 pupils; this was the Stockport Technical Day School (The Tec) and it is this that has evolved into the school today. The Education Act 1902 (Balfour Act) regularised secondary schools, and ‘The Tec’ complied and was renamed the Stockport Municipal Secondary School.
The age of entry was lowered to 12 and fees were charged. In 1903 there were 250 boys and girls on roll. The school prepared students for ‘School Cert’. In September 1908 the number on roll was 304 (some 139 boys and 165 girls). Over half the girls left to become student teachers, the bulk of the boys going into local industry, commerce or the professions; some entering university later. Boys and girls were taught separately, and in 1910 the Greek Street School, (or extension) was built and occupied by the girls. The war interrupted.
In 1927 the school opened its sixth form allowing students to matriculate. Accommodation was very crowded. A new school for the boys was planned at Mile End. It opened in 1938, and was named Stockport School. The war interrupted, but on its conclusion the Education Act 1944 (Butler Act) reorganised secondary education. Stockport School was deemed a boys grammar school, and losing its comprehensive intake, it remained as such until comprehensivisation. The first comprehensive intake was in 1973, and the school became a 11–18 non-selective boys school.
Stockport School had the first language laboratory installed in a school in the north of England during the 1960’s, an innovation spearheaded by George MacDonald, Head of Spanish for over 20 years, after an arduous campaign for funding to the local council.
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A developing environment
Significant investment has allowed the school to develop enhanced teaching areas:
- Art Studios, refurbished Technology area and Library, a huge investment in ICT facilities, including interactive visualiser screens in all classrooms, ICT suites and mobile laptop devices.
- In 2010, a new building, dedicated to the Creative and Media and R.E.
- In 2012, additional new building works, comprising three new history classrooms and a Dance/ Drama Studio.
- In 2021, a new prefab build adding 8 new classrooms and joining the main school building to J block was opened. This replaced the 2 external modular classroom buildings.
- Modern sports complex including Sports Hall and Fitness Suite
- An excellent Drama studio, with 4D projection facilities and Music Block with recording studio and Music Technology Suite.
- Greenhouses and gardening area, refurbished Dining Room.
- Security fencing, electric gates and CCTV for the safety of the students.
Stockport School is recognised by others as a centre of excellence:
- Leading Edge School from 2005 to 2012: innovating and sharing good practice.
- Two national nominations for excellence in the ‘Innovation and Impact’ Leading Edge Award
- Artsmark Gold (four times awarded)
- Basic Skills Quality Mark (five times awarded) -first in Stockport
- Inclusion Quality Mark -first in Stockport
- Investors in People
- Leading Parent Partnership Award (LPPA)
- Centre of Exellence in Financial Education
- Young Carers Gold Award
- International Schools Award
- E-Twinning Award
- Inspiring IAG Award – Stage 2
- Duke of Edinburgh Awarding Centre
- The Prince`s Teaching Institute Award for MFL & Science
- Incorporated Society of Music (ISM)
- SSAT Leading Edge
Former Students
Peter Barkworth / 1929 – 2006
Attended Stockport School between 1940 and 1948
BAFTA TV Award for Best Actor 1975 and 1978.
Famous films include Where Eagles Dare, Patton, Manhunt, International Velvet and TV shows Telford’s Change, Winston Churchill, The Wilderness Years, Doctor Who, The Avengers and Colditz.
Good at work, hopeless at games, after he played the role of Macbeth, the producer rewarded the cast with a trip to see John Gielgud’s Hamlet at the Opera House, Manchester. Peter was duly impressed. Whilst at schoolhe appeared with the Frank H Fortescue weekly repertory company at the Hippodrome, Stockport in For What We are in 1942. (Year 8)His headmaster wanted him to go th university but Peter applied for the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and gained the Michelhill Scholarship.
Alan Gowling / 1942 – 2014
Attended Stockport School between 1960 – 1968
Started his football career at Manchester United 1966 – 1972. Played 87 times for United and is now the Secretary of the Manchester United Old Boys Association and summarises Bolton Wanderers games on BBC Radio Manchester.
Simon Stephens / 1970 – Present
Attended Stockport School 1982 – 1990
Award winning playwright.
Now artistic Associate at the Lyric Hammersmith.
He Reopened the Drama Studio in 2016 and it has been renamed the ‘Simon Stephens Studio’ to commemorate his achievements.
In 2017, Simon Stephens was appointed to a Professorship at the Manchester School of Writing, at Manchester Metropolitan University.
Awards and nominations include:
Port won the Pearson Award Best New Play 2001.
One Minute won Tron Theatre Awards Best New Play 2003
Olivier Award for Best New Play On the Shore of the Wide World 2005
Won Critics Award for Theatre Best New Play 2008
Nominated for Evening Standard Award – Best New Play – Punk Rock 2010
Nominated for TMA Award – Best New Play – Punk Rock 2010
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time won the Olivier Award for Best Play 2013 and the 2015 Tony Award for best play
Neil Trenell / 1982 – Present
Attended Stockport School 1993 – 1998
Creative Director and Founder of FIX8Group, Market Leaders in innovative event technical delivery, cutting edge audio visual production.
Rebecca Scholes / 1995 – Present
Attended Stockport School between 2006 – 2011
England RFU Under 20s
Taylor Harwood-Bellis / 2002 – Present
Attended Stockport School between 2013-2015
Taylor Harwood-Bellis is a footballer who recently signed a professional contract for Manchester City. In July 2019, at the age of 17, he played his first team debut while on the pre-season tour of Asia. He has also represented England at multiple age levels.
Taylor attended Stockport School between 2013-2015 before moving to St Bede’s College on a scholarship attached to Manchester City. Taylor continues to maintain a strong relationship with the school and has recently been back to meet some promising Year 7 & 8 footballers, handing over a signed England shirt in the process.
Most recently, Taylor Captained the England Under 21’s to win the European Under 21’s Championship for the first time in nearly 40 years.
Brian Rawlinson / 1931 – 2000
Attended Stockport School between 1943 – 1951
He was an English actor and writer for films and TV from the 1950s.
Rawlinson was born in Stockport, Cheshire. He appeared in several films (including several in the Carry On series) but was more frequently on television, a regular role being Robert Onedin in the BBC TV serial The Onedin Line. He also played character roles in many other TV programmes such as Coronation Street, The Baron, Z-Cars, Market in Honey Lane, The Bill, Heartbeat, Danger Man, Goodnight Sweetheart and Last of the Summer Wine, in which he played Cyril Gridley, which was his final appearance. He was also in the series The Buccaneers, playing Gaff Guernsey.
As a writer, Rawlinson wrote several plays, but was most involved in the mid-1970s BBC serial Churchill’s People, an adaptation based on Winston Churchill’s book A History of the English-Speaking Peoples, a heavily misconceived venture. He was later interviewed about his association with the series on TV Hell, a theme night that BBC Two ran in 1992 on bad television programmes.
He died in Exeter, Devon on 23 November 2000 aged 69.
Mike Little / 1962 – Present
Attended Stockport School between 1973 – 1978
Mike is a web developer who co-founded the free and open source web software WordPress along with American Matt Mullenweg.
In June 2013 Mike was awarded the SAScon’s “Outstanding Contribution to Digital” award for his part in co-founding and developing WordPress.
He is also the founder of zed1.com which provides WordPress development, training and consultancy.
Wayne McGregor CBE / 1970 – Present
Attended Stockport School between 1981 – 1988
Highly successful choreographer of contemporary modern dance. His work is highly distinctive in vocabulary of movement, for its integration of dance with film and visual art. Now artistic director of Random Dance Company at Sadlers Wells, Resident Choreographer of the Royal Ballet and amongst other works, he served as Movement Director for Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.
He has received a most impressive array of awards and has been nominated for the Laurence Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in Dance.
We would like to thank Wayne for his generous pledge to the Arts College Sponsorship which made the application possible.
Nathan Aspinall / 1991 – Present
Attended Stockport School 2002 – 2007
Nathan is an English darts player currently playing in Professional Darts Corporation events. He hails from Stockport, England having been a former student at Stockport School. He won the 2019 UK Open with a 170 checkout in the final leg against former World Champion Rob Cross.
Tom Odgen, Joe Donovan and Josh Dewhurst (The Blossoms)
Attended Stockport School between 2008 – 2013
Blossoms have come fourth in the BBC Music Sound Of 2016 new music list, which aims to showcase the rising stars to watch in the year ahead.
After playing with other bands Josh, Tom, Joe, Myles and Charlie decided to form Blossoms ten years ago. Their rehearsal room is based at the scaffolding yard belonging to bass player Charlie Salt’s granddad, in their hometown of Stockport.
In June 2019, Blossoms played a sell out headline gig at Edgeley Park, home to Stockport County F.C.
Kyle Ross, Daisy Norburn and Mitch Bancroft (Fuzzy Sun)
Attended Stockport School between 2010 – 2015
Kyle and Daisy formed Fuzzy Sun and the band have released music under Blossoms very own independent music label ‘Very Clever Records’
Fuzzy Sun were support to Blossoms’ Edgeley Park gig in 2019.
Daisy left the band in 2019 to persue a solo career.
Fuzzy Sun performed their last gig at Stockport Plaza on Thursday 14th September 2023.