The Education Act of 1944

The plans for post-war secondary education in Britain aimed to remove the inequalities which remained in the system. The proportion of 'free places' at grammar schools in England and Wales increased from almost a third to almost half between 1913 and 1937. However, when poorer children were offered free places, parents often had to turn them down owing to the extra costs involved.

The Education Act of 1944^[2] was steered through Parliament by the Education Minister, R.A. Butler, and was followed by a similar Act for Scotland in 1945. The Act provided free secondary education for all pupils.

The Construction of the new County Secondary School

Lancashire Education Committee commissioned the construction of this new purpose-built county secondary school on a plot of land between Wentworth Road and Chatsworth Road, abutting Swinton Golf Course, in a well-established residential area of Eccles, called Ellesmere Park. This 1943 aerial photograph illustrates the plot on which the school was built.

This modern building, probably of traditional construction, but possibly built of the then-currently successful, CLASP Consortium of Local Authorities Special Programme modular system-build, was opened in 1957 under the name: Ellesmere Park County Secondary School.

By the time of the 1968 intake the raising of the school leaving age to 16 had been implemented and the school was renamed, Ellesmere Park Secondary Modern School. The original buildings had been extended and comprised the original school block, a link corridor running along the length of the main Assembly Hall, access to which was afforded by a double-doors, leading from the Admin Corridor and access to the Dining Hall, to the large Gymnasium with associated shower blocks and storage facilities. In addition, there were two sets of wooden pre-fabricated classrooms, possibly of Hill’s modular construction of the HORSA – p19, item49 initiative of the 1940s.

The playing fields spanned the remaining land towards Swinton Golf Club. To the other side of the main school building, was a small extension comprising the entrance and administrative block, a staff car park and a playing field, on which there was a small track and where rounders was frequently played in the summer. The main quadrangle spanned from the pedestrian entrance on Wentworth Road to the link corridor and down the front elevation of the first pre-fab and cycle sheds, where at this level, the playing fields commenced. To the side of this quad, raised above and accessed via steps cut into a steep grass bank near the school gate, were four tennis courts, set in the bend of Wentworth Road, backing onto the council estate.

To the rear elevations of the first pre-fab, cycle sheds and the front elevation of the further, second wooden pre-fab, was a second quadrangle, abutting the rear elevation of the gymnasium sited at right-angles to the pre-fabs. To the far end of this quadrangle was a secondary access road onto Chatsworth Road on the opposite side of the school entrance on Wentworth Road. The access road continued round the side elevation of the Gymnasium, along the length of the outer elevation of the Assembly Hall and across to the Dining Room and Kitchen.

Across this road and opposite the quadrangle and Gymnasium were two more modular buildings, albeit more modern in construction, which were then referred to as the Sixth Form Blocks, but which were previously known as ROSLA units (raising of the school leaving age). Sixth-years were allowed access to Chatsworth Road rather than walking round to the other entrance on Wentworth Road.

Secondary Modern School

Prior to the 1968 intake, the school-name had changed to Ellesmere Park Secondary Modern School; and comprised pupils aged from 11 years to those in their 16th year. Until 1971/2 there was a sixth-form at Ellesmere Park Secondary Modern School, but following the building of Eccles Sixth Form College at the bottom of Chatsworth Road in Ellesmere Park (just down the road from the secondary modern school) the sixth-year pupils would join others from the neighbouring schools: Eccles Grammar, Winton Secondary Modern and Wardley Grammar schools and take their further education tuition, including, A-levels, there. A number of teachers from Eccles and Wardley grammar schools transferred to either Ellesmere Park Secondary Modern School, or the new Eccles Sixth Form College.

In September 1973 Ellesmere Park Secondary Modern School, opened for the first time, as a comprehensive school with a new name: Ellesmere Park High School. For a number of years, this school had two sites: the Monton Building, aka former-Eccles Grammar; and the Eccles Building, aka the current and former Ellesmere Park Secondary Modern School.

Grammar school

The Monton Building, formerly known as Eccles Grammar School was the first secondary school built by Lancashire County Council after the 1902 Education Act. The foundation stone was laid by county education committee chairman, County Ald. Sir Henry Fleming Herbert, in 1910, and the first intake of about 95 pupils, most of whom were over 12, arrived on Sept. 18, 1911.

The original building was on Park Road in Monton, at the top of Hawthorn Avenue.^[3]

This building was still used during the 1980s for first- and second-year secondary pupils and was then demolished to make way for housing.

The grammar school's magazine was called the Essayan.^[4]

The Eccles Building, the former Ellesmere Park Secondary Modern School on Wentworth Road housed the third-, fourth- and fifth-years, until the closing of the ’’Monton building’’. It is this building which became a comprehensive school in 1973 becoming known as Ellesmere Park High School.

Ellesmere Park High School became Wentworth High School in 1987 and was extended in 1990.

The school was renamed Ellesmere Park High School in September 2014 and moved.^[5]

Academy

Previously a community school administered by Salford City Council, in July 2017 Ellesmere Park High School converted to academy status. The school is now sponsored by Consilium Academies.

Wentworth High School

• Linzey Cocker, actress
• Joe Duddell, composer

Ellesmere Park High School (1973–87)

• Andy Crane, TV and radio presenter, does the weekday afternoon slot on BBC Radio Manchester

Eccles Grammar School

• Sidney Clarke (priest), Chaplain-in-Chief from 1930-33 of the RAF
• Bryce Fulton, full back for Plymouth Argyle F.C.
• Nicholas Higham FRS, mathematician
• Debbie Horsfield, TV writer who wrote Making Out, and the adaptation for the Poldark (2015 TV series)
• Elgar Howarth, brass band conductor
• Tom Neil DFC (1920-2018), Battle of Britain pilot
• Tony Warren MBE, creator of Coronation Street