Kettlethorpe High School

Community school in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England
53°38′48″N 1°29′53″W / 53.6467°N 1.4980°W / 53.6467; -1.4980InformationTypeCommunity schoolMottoLabor Omnia Vincit (Work Conquers All)Established1965 (1965)Local authorityWakefieldDepartment for Education URN108271 TablesOfstedReportsHead teacherTudor GriffithsGenderMixedAge11 to 16Enrolment1,646 as of November 2023[update]Capacity1,660Websitekettlethorpehigh.co.uk
Kettlethorpe High School Community Learning Centre; Main entrance in Kettlethorpe High School grounds.

Kettlethorpe High School (KHS) is a mixed secondary school with specialist status for maths and computing in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England. It provides for children ages 11–16, with a comprehensive admissions policy, and in November 2023 had an enrolment of 1,646 pupils.[1]

Qur'an controversy

In February 2023, the school suspended four Year 10 pupils for causing minor damage to the pages of a personal copy of the Qur'an by dropping it accidentally. While there were rumours of deliberate damage, a school investigation finding there was no "malicious intent".[2] The Free Speech Union wrote a letter demanding that West Yorkshire Police expunge the hate incident record against the four boys.[3] The mother of one autistic boy said that he had stopped eating due to death threats, and Home Secretary Suella Braverman expressed concern at the police involvement in the matter. Humanists UK alleged that the school took severe disciplinary action because of religious pressure.[4]

Gareth Mellor controversy

On 7 November 2023, Gareth Mellor was convicted for possession of indecent images of children.[5]

Gareth Mellor was formally the assistant headteacher at Kettlethorpe High School and the Designated Safeguarding Lead at the school, part of his duties was to protect children at the school from sexual abuse.[6]

Whilst Gareth Mellor admitted under interview to having searched the names of pupils at the school online, no evidence of sexual abuse of pupils at the school was found.

Whilst Kettlethorpe High School is clear that no safeguarding concerns were raised about Gareth Mellor during his time at Kettlethorpe High School, students did raise concerns online about Gareth Mellor.[7] Some parents have alleged that safeguarding concerns raised, resulted in their children being placed in isolation as a result.[8]

Notable people

  • Philippa Thomas, British television journalist, is an ex-pupil of the school.[9][failed verification]
  • Stuart Lancaster, England International Rugby Coach, was a PE teacher at the school.
  • Claire Cooper, actress, starred in Hollyoaks.[10]
  • Chris Chester, ex-rugby league player for Halifax, Wigan Warriors, Hull F.C. and coach of Hull Kingston Rovers and Wakefield Trinity.[11]
  • Amy Garcia, BBC Look North newsreader.[12]
  • Gareth Mellor, Convicted sex offender and former Designated Safeguarding Lead at Kettlethorpe High School.

References

  1. ^ "Kettlethorpe High School - GOV.UK".
  2. ^ "Four Wakefield pupils suspended after Quran damaged at school". BBC News. 25 February 2023. Retrieved 2 March 2023.
  3. ^ Hamilton, Fiona (1 March 2023). "'Pupils who damaged Quran should have records wiped'". The Times. Retrieved 2 March 2023.
  4. ^ Soteriou, Emma (1 March 2023). "Police record 'hate incident' after autistic boy drops Quran in school corridor". LBC. Retrieved 2 March 2023.
  5. ^ "Former Wakefield assistant headteacher Gareth Mellor avoids jail for accessing thousands of indecent child images". Wakefield Express. 8 December 2023.
  6. ^ "Assistant headteacher Gareth Mellor admits child sex offences". Leeds Live. 8 December 2023.
  7. ^ "Kettlethorpe High-School". 22 February 2019.
  8. ^ "Pupils claim they were 'punished' for reporting inappropriate behaviour of assistant head". 8 December 2023.
  9. ^ "Access all areas: Philippa Thomas, BBC World Service News Presenter". The Access Project. 9 June 2020. Retrieved 19 January 2021.
  10. ^ Turton, Victoria (2 July 2013). "Wakefield's Claire Cooper up for another award for Hollyoaks role". Wakefield Express. Retrieved 17 May 2019.
  11. ^ "Kettlethorpe High Become Player Development Centre". Wakefield Trinity. Wakefield Trinity. 16 January 2018. Retrieved 1 May 2022.
  12. ^ Marshall, Lucy (6 April 2022). "BBC Look North Amy Garcia's life from cute family to cruise ship singer". LeedsLive. Retrieved 5 January 2023.

External links

Media related to Kettlethorpe High School at Wikimedia Commons

  • Official website
Authority control databases Edit this at Wikidata
  • ISNI


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