Report on High Tunstall School

Abstract

High Tunstall School is one of six secondary schools in Hartlepool, to the north west of England. Hartlepool is a town which is at a transitional stage of attempting to diversify employment opportunities, having suffered from the demise of heavy industry. The school has been established since 1973 and is situated on a pleasant site which is on the outskirts of Hartlepool to the north west of the town centre. Within the catchment area of the school there is a mixture of old and new housing which includes both private and council accommodation. Approximately one-sixth of the pupils live outside the recognised admission zone mainly in areas of relatively low socio-economic standing. The school is a mainstream comprehensive, with students between the ages of eleven and sixteen years (Appendix A). Pupils come from seven feeder schools, which are Eldon Grove Primary School, West Park Primary School, Jesmond Road Primary School, Throston Primary School, Elwick Primary School, Hart Primary School and Lynnfield Primary School. Standardized tests on entry indicate that the intake is skewed to slightly below average ability. The school has a mixed student population of about 1100. The proportion of pupils eligible for a free meal is approximately fifteen percent. Currently there are about ten pupils with statements of special educational needs. The school employs a total staff of sixty-two, made up of a head teacher, a deputy head teacher, two senior teachers and the teaching staff. The pupil to teacher ratio is 17.8 is to one. The average teaching group size is 23.3. The school benefits from strong links with the adjacent special school, Thornhill School. Statistics show that at the end of Year 11, most of High Tunstall School students continue to further their studies at the Hartlepool College of Further Education or one of the other Sixth Form institutions spread throughout Hartlepool.