Ridgeway High School, Birkenhead

Ridgeway High School
Ridgeway following the 2017 rebuild
Address
Noctorum Avenue Birkenhead Metropolitan Borough of Wirral , Merseyside , CH43 9EB England
Coordinates	53°22′48″N 3°04′31″W
Information
Type	Foundation school
Established	1974
Local authority	Wirral
Department for Education URN	105097 Tables
Ofsted	Reports
Head teacher	Gavin Sterry[1]
Staff	99 (2021)
Gender	Co-educational
Age	11 to 16
Enrolment	826 (2021)
Houses	Kolbe, Teresa, King
Colour(s)	Navy blue and red
Website	www.ridgeway.wirral.sch.uk

Ridgeway High School is a co-educational, comprehensive school in Noctorum, Birkenhead, on the Wirral Peninsula in England.[2] The school caters for pupils between the ages of 11 and 16, from within the Local Authority area of the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, primarily Noctorum, Prenton, and Oxton.[3][2]

History and rebuild

Ridgeway was built in the 1970s as a two-storey building with a single-storey gymnasium.[3][4] In the 1990s, an extension was added to the existing building to accommodate the school's language programs.[3][4] At that point, Ridgeway could hold 825 pupils.[5] 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.[3] The £12m rebuild was finished in late 2017.[4]

In 2009, Ridgeway was slated to be absorbed into Birkenhead Park School along with Park and Rock Ferry High Schools.[6] Wirral Council eventually scratched Ridgeway off the list of schools to combine after pushback from parents.[7] This decision was stopped by parents.[6]

Demographics

The majority of Ridgeway students are White British;[8] about 58% of pupils are boys and 42% are girls.[9] 46% are eligible for free school meals.[2]

In 2021, with 99 school staff, the teacher to pupil ratio was 1 teacher for every 13 students.[10]

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.[11] 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.[12]

Awards and rankings

In 2021, the Guardian Schools Guide scored Ridgeway's pupil attendance at a 10 out of 100 points.[10] Poor attendance has been an issue for several years.[8] The two most recent inspections were in 2017 and 2021 and Ofsted rated them as "requires improvement."[13][14] Their 2007 and 2010 inspections were "Outstanding" but their 2013 inspection dropped to "Good."[8] Pauline Roberts, who was headteacher for four years, resigned in 2013 for "personal reasons."[15] 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.[15][16]

In 2018, the PE department won the School Communication Award from the ECHO School Awards[17] 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.[18]

References

1. "Headteacher's welcome". Retrieved 27 September 2021.
2. "Establishment: Ridgeway High School". GOV.UK. n.d. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
3. "Morgan Sindall starts on its twelfth northwest school". The Construction Index. 24 May 2016. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
4. Jackson, Nick (27 September 2017). "Archbishop of York launches school after £12m rebuild". The Business Desk. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
5. Manning, Craig (23 January 2015). "Green light for Ridgeway School's multi-million pound redevelopment". Wirral Globe. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
6. Murphy, Liam (21 August 2012). "Headteacher suspended from Merseyside school Ridgeway High". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
7. Marles, Leigh (27 November 2009). "Ridgeway High School reprieved as boys-only academy plan is dropped". Wirral Globe. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
8. Seneviratne, Anne (20 October 2015). "No formal designation monitoring inspection of Ridgeway High School". Ofsted. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
9. "Ridegeway High School". Locrating. n.d. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
10. "Ridgeway High School". The Guardian Schools Guide. 23 August 2021. Archived from the original on 4 November 2021. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
11. Murphy, Catherine (25 August 2016). "RECAP: GCSE results day 2016". Wirral Globe. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
12. Jones, Lauren (23 August 2018). "AS IT HAPPENED: Wirral GCSE results day 2018". Wirral Globe. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
13. "Ridgeway High School". Ofsted. 2017. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
14. Grimsditch, Lee (10 July 2021). "These are the 35 Merseyside secondary schools rated 'inadequate' or 'requiring improvement'". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
15. Murphy, Liam (23 April 2013). "Ridgeway High School head Pauline Roberts steps down 'for personal reasons'". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
16. "Ridgeway High headteacher steps down". Wirral Globe. 23 April 2013. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
17. Breslin, Maria (26 June 2018). "Meet the amazing winners of the 2018 ECHO Schools Awards". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
18. Manning, Craig (15 October 2021). "Five Wirral schools shortlisted for Educate Awards 2021". Wirral Globe. Retrieved 3 November 2021.