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Holgate School is a specialist "School of arts"^[1] in Hucknall, Nottinghamshire, England, a former mining community north of Nottingham. The school has a centre for deaf students and the sixth form serves both of the secondary schools in Hucknall.^[4] A carved stone cross called a Khatchkar was placed in the school by the Armenian government in thanks for the Lord Byron School which was built in Leninakan (now Gyumri) in Armenia following their 1988 earthquake.^[5] The carving was replaced in 2004.

Background

The school was not complete in 1955 but the first students attended that year. The school was named after Annie Elizabeth Holgate who had been a teacher but had entered local politics and she became chair of the local education committee. She married Henry and her son was to be a noted mathematician and rise to head Grey College in Durham.^[6] Two other schools in Hucknall are named after Ms Holgate.

In 1968, whilst the school was a secondary modern school the former headmistress was charged and found guilty of theft and fraud. She pleaded guilty to a number of charges including spending £38 pounds that the students had collected for charity.^[7]

The school had been in special measures due to its poor leadership, behaviour and performance in November 2004^[8] and it was reported that parents were to take legal action against the school for not dealing with bullying effectively.^[9][10]. In February 2005, the head teacher resigned and a new head was seconded, initially for a period of one year, from Bramcote Park Business & Enterprise School.

The school was reassesed as "Satisfactory" and was then assessed as "Good" in 2008, although it was noted that the improvement in teaching was not yet reflected in the results and the governing body was "satifactory".^[4] In 2007 the school successfully attained recognition as a school of Arts^[8] and in 2008 took on an Artist in residence, Neil Heath, to inspire the students.^[9]

The sixth form did not attract as many students as it should and did not score so well in the recent inspection compared with the main school, although this was recognised in future plans.^[4]

Linked schools

The schools identified as feeders to Holgate are: Edgewood Primary and Nursery, Beardall Street Primary and Nursery School, Broomhill Junior, Annie Holgate Junior, Leen Mills Primary, Bestwood Village Hawthorne Primary and Nursery and Hillside Primary and Nursery.^[3]

Catering

The original Khatchkar that was presented to the school which is now attached to the church in Hucknall.

Like many schools in Britain, Holgate has been trying to improve the quality of its school meals provision especially as part of a reduction in childhood obesity. However it is notable that the schools menu was singled out for comment in the Brunei Times,^[11] but the menu's are available online.^[12] The menu of the school also made the British press after the school banned take-away food and saw healthy school dinner take-up rise by two hundred per cent in six months.^[13]

Khatchkar and twinning

The school is unusual in having a Khatchkar in its grounds. A Khatchkar is a traditional carved cross which has been used in Armenia since the thirteenth century. The original Khatchkar was placed in the school by the Armenian government in thanks for the Lord Byron School which was built in Leninakan (now Gyumri) in Armenia following their 1988 earthquake at Spitak^[5] and opened by Margaret Thatcher.^[14] There was a good partnership between the schools largely due to the influence of the rector, Fred Green, from the local St Mary Magdelene church where Lord Byron is buried. The original Khatchkar was installed on 5 November 1991 in a ceremony attended by Kenneth Clarke the then Minister for education.^[15] The original stone was irretrievably damaged by vandals in 2000. Fortunately the Armenian government not only replaced it but also caused the original to be erected at the church.^[5] The new stone by the original stonemason was installed in 2004 in memory of the rector and his belief that the damage should be seen as a strengthening of faith. It was thought that the original stone may have been damaged by football fans who confused Armenia with Albania.^[14]

References