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The HISTORY of REDDITCH New Town

Comprehensive Schools

The Labour Government of the mid 1960’s required education authorities to draw up
plans to reorganise secondary education from Grammar/Secondary Modern Schools to
Comprehensive Schools. The County Education Authority was now faced with the problem
that the recently built Secondary Modern Schools were on sites which did not allow
expansion into Comprehensive Schools of 900 – 1000 places intended to cater for the
11-18 age groups. This requirement coincided with the town being designated a New
Town with all the implications of an influx of families into Redditch from Birmingham
and elsewhere in the coming years. There would need to be an additional school building
programme to accommodate the new arrivals.

After a period of consultation the County Council made the decision to reorganise on
comprehensive lines but on the less traditional pattern of First Schools (ages 5-9), Middle
Schools (ages 9-13) and High Schools (ages 13 – 18). This new system came into
operation between 1970 and 1972. This was to affect many children arriving from
Birmingham where the Two Tier System operated and meant that they often faced more
changes of school during their school life than might be considered desirable. This was
further complicated by the fact that some schools were not completed until after the

Bridley Moor school from Above.

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