The St Lawrence Academy (formerly High Ridge School) is a coeducational Church of England secondary school with academy status, in Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire, England. The academy teaches GCSEs and BTECs, and has specialisms in sports and science.
History Grammar school Scunthorpe Grammar School opened in 1927.The History of Brigg Grammar School by F. Henthorn (PDF), at p. 68
A 34 year old senior English teacher, Mr Caine, killed himself, possibly accidentally, on 7 July 1964, being found by policeman James Martin.Scunthorpe Evening Telegraph Wednesday 8 July 1964, page 1Lincolnshire Echo Friday 10 July 1964, page 1Scunthorpe Evening Telegraph Saturday 11 July 1964, page 6
32 year old history teacher Geoffrey Stevenson was the Liberal candidate for Gainsborough in the 1966 general election, gaining around 6,000 votes.Gainsborough Evening News Tuesday 26 October 1965, page 1Lincolnshire Echo Wednesday 27 October 1965, page 10Retford News Friday 29 October 1965, page 11
It became a comprehensive, as High Ridge School, in 1968 when the Scunthorpe division of Lindsey turned comprehensive. The school lost its sixth form in 1968.
Comprehensive In August 1971 ten swimmers from the comprehensive school attempted a relay crossing of the English Channel.Grimsby Evening Telegraph Monday 16 August 1971, page 10
Technical staff, who were educated at the former Scunthorpe Grammar school, were killed in the notorious Flixborough explosion in June 1974, such as 27 year old Michael Skelton.Gainsborough Evening News Tuesday 4 June 1974, page 1
A community school administered by North Lincolnshire Council, High Ridge School converted to academy status on 1 September 2008 and was renamed The St Lawrence Academy. The school is sponsored by the Church of England Diocese of Lincoln.
In 2011 demolition of the old building began and construction started as part of the Building Schools for the Future programme. The new building was built by May Gurney and was completed in October 2013. The old hall is refurbished but still remains.
Headteachers Scunthorpe Grammar School John McIver from c. 1950 to 1968
High Ridge School Gerald Derek Fish, until around 1984,Retford News Friday 16 May 1975, page 21 he lived at Scotter,Grimsby Evening Telegraph Tuesday 20 April 1976, page 5 and he taught at Westcliffe Secondary Modern School in the 1950sScunthorpe Evening Telegraph Thursday 3 May 1956, page 7 Mrs Ann Marsh-Edwards, from November 1984;Scunthorpe Evening Telegraph Saturday 10 November 1984, page 3 in March 1996 she was diagnosed with ovarian cancerScunthorpe Evening Telegraph Saturday 20 June 1998Scunthorpe Evening Telegraph Saturday 14 June 1997 and died aged 53 on 15 November 1997Scunthorpe Evening Telegraph Tuesday 18 November 1997, page 6Scunthorpe Evening Telegraph Friday 21 November 1997, page 4 Eric Barker, from March 1996, the former deputy head, he retired at the end of May 1998 after 30 years at the school Scunthorpe Evening Telegraph Tuesday 19 May 1998, page 2 Karen Parsonage, from September 1998 until July 2008, the former deputy head, and a squash player, from ScotterRetford News Friday 5 February 1982, page 5 and an English teacher,Retford News Friday 29 January 1988, page 3 she had previously taught at the Havelock Comprehensive in GrimsbyGrimsby Evening Telegraph Saturday 7 December 1991, page 2
Notable alumni
High Ridge School Graham Beale CBE, Chief Executive from 2007 to 2015 of the Nationwide Building Society (attended the John Leggott College),Times Monday August 30, 2010, page 37 from 1970 to 1975 Neil Cox, former Premier League footballer
Scunthorpe Grammar School
Roy Axe, car designer with Chrysler Europe in the 1970s, designing the Talbot Horizon and Alpine, later working for Austin Rover Group in the late 1980s Prof Gordon Dougan FRS, Head of Pathogen Research at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute in Cambridgeshire John Peck (politician), can be seen in the film Saturday Night and Sunday Morning, who belonged to the Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB) David Plowright, CBE, television producer, younger brother of Joan, Controller of Programmes from 1969 to 1979 at Granada Television (which helped his brother-in-law) Dame Joan Plowright, actress, married to Laurence Olivier from 1961 to his death in July 1989 Major-General Dennis Shaw CB CBE, Head from 1975 to 1978 of the Commando Logistic Regiment Graham Taylor OBE, former manager from 1990 to 1993 of England Prof Stephen Westaby FRCS, Senior Cardiac Surgeon since 1986 at the John Radcliffe Hospital, and Professor of Biomedical Sciences since 2006 at the University of Wales
References
External links The St Lawrence Academy official website