The Oldershaw Academy
| Established | 1920 |
|---|---|
| Type | Academy |
| Headteacher | Mr S J Peach |
| Founder | Dr. John Oldershaw |
| Location |
Valkyrie Road Liscard, Wallasey Wirral CH45 4RJ England  Coordinates: 53°25′21″N 3°02′57″W / 53.422591°N 3.049146°W |
| Local authority | Wirral |
| DfE number | ???/4067 |
| DfE URN | 136895 Tables |
| Ofsted | Reports |
| Students | 743 |
| Gender | Co-educational |
| Ages | 11–18 |
| Former name | Oldershaw Grammar School |
| Website | Oldershaw School |
Oldershaw Academy is a secondary school located in the Liscard area of Wallasey, England and is a specialist Business and Enterprise College.
History
Grammar school
Dr. John Oldershaw founded the school in 1920, and it opened on 11 September 1920. Extensions to the school were opened on 4 June 1926. The first headteacher was Mr. H.G. Mayo, M.A. It was administered by the County Borough of Wallasey. By 1968 it had 700 pupils. Wallasey Grammar School was a separate establishment based on Withens Lane, which moved to Leasowe in 1967 and is now the Wallasey School.
Comprehensive
Initially having separate sections for boys and girls, with segregated teaching except for 'A' Level courses, Oldershaw became a comprehensive school in 1968, initially retaining the name of Oldershaw Grammar School although for ages 13–18.
The school then included four 'houses': Durham, York, Lancaster and Chester. Prior to this the houses of the boys' grammar school were defined as colours: Blue, Gold, Red and Green whilst the girls' high school houses were Oak, Fir, Beech and Elm.
Wirral Education Authority rationalised their middle school system in 1982, and added an extra year to primary schools (Now referred to as Year 6) and two years into secondary schools (Years 7 and 8). To accommodate these two extra years Olderhaw was expanded to include a Lower School (Opening in September in 1982), under K. R. M. Williams, at the site of the old St. Hilda's School in Ormond Street; it was later moved to the same site as the main school in time for the autumn term of 2000, and the Lower School site was demolished to make way for new housing.
The current forms of the school are Fir, Oak, Cedar, Maple, Poplar and Elm although in recent years Poplar has been replaced in favour of the form Beech. The current headteacher is Steven John Peach, who has been at the school for several years.
The school has just undergone major developments. The original sixth form building was demolished to make way for a brand new building. With this new building came a new uniform. The new uniform was designed to give Oldershaw a clear identity within the local community.
The Oldershaw Academy
In late 2011 The Oldershaw School became an academy, it is the only academy in Wallasey.
Notable past pupils
Oldershaw Grammar School
- Prof M. C. Bradbrook, Professor of English from 1965-76 of the University of Cambridge, and Mistress of Girton College, Cambridge from 1968–76
- Dickie Davies, television presenter, World of Sport
- Air Vice-Marshal John Feesey AFC, Station Commander from 1986-88 of RAF Wittering and Commander from 1989-91 of the Allied Air Forces Central Europe (AAFCE)
- Fred Jarvis, General Secretary from 1975-89 of the National Union of Teachers (NUT), and President from 1952-54 of the National Union of Students (NUS)
- Dr Charles Suckling CBE, chemist who first synthesised Halothane, the main general anaesthetic gas (until recently) from 1956 until the 1980s, when working at the General Chemical Division of ICI in 1951