Westfield School, Sheffield
| Westfield School | |
|---|---|
Westfield School | |
| Location | |
Eckington Road Sothall , S20 1HQ England | |
| Coordinates | 53°20′11″N 1°20′31″W / 53.3365°N 1.342°W |
| Information | |
| Type | Academy |
| Established | 1957 |
| Local authority | City of Sheffield |
| Trust | Chorus Education Trust |
| Department for Education URN | 145562 Tables |
| Ofsted | Reports |
| Headteacher | Gaynor Jones[1] |
| Staff | 98 (fte) |
| Gender | Mixed |
| Age | 11 to 16[1] |
| Enrolment | 1327[1] |
| Capacity | 1350[1] |
| Website | www |
Westfield School is a mixed secondary school located in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. On 1 December 2018 it joined Chorus Education Trust, a local multi-academy trust founded by Silverdale School in Sheffield.[2] The school was a specialist Sports College but removed this title from the name in June 2013. It serves an area on the south east edge of Sheffield where many people work in service industries and where levels of prosperity range from above to below average.[3]
History
Eckington Grammar School
Westfield School is the successor to Eckington County Secondary School which opened in 1930 in Halfway, which was then in Derbyshire. It became Eckington Grammar School in the early 1940s.
Comprehensive school
Westfield Comprehensive School came into existence in 1957 as the first comprehensive school in Derbyshire. There were two sites, a new site on Westfield Crescent (53°20′N 1°22′W / 53.33°N 1.36°W) in Mosborough and the existing Eckington Grammar School, which became the Lower School. Frank Rollinson, who had been appointed headmaster of the Grammar School in 1953, oversaw its conversion into a comprehensive school.
In 1967 Sheffield extended its administrative boundaries to include Mosborough. After peaking at just under 2000 in 1977, Westfield's roll declined in the 1980s and the lower school at Halfway was demolished in 1989.[4]
On 1 December 2018, Westfield joined Chorus Education Trust, led by Silverdale School in Sheffield.[5] A new headteacher, Joe Birkbeck, was appointed. As of 2026, the headteacher is Gaynor Jones.[1]
New building
Westfield School campus, on Westfield Crescent in Mosborough, was closed in December 2006, and the new building opened in January 2007. Westfield Secondary School is one of four schools under the Sheffield Schools Private finance initiative project. Kier Managed Services Ltd were awarded the 25-year contract for the facilities management of the school, as part of the PFI project.[6] The new school, situated on Eckington Road behind the Waterthorpe Supertram Stop in Sothall, is roughly two miles from its predecessor. On 1 May 2007, the new school campus was officially opened by Gordon Brown MP, who, at the time, was Chancellor of the Exchequer. He released a net of balloons to mark the opening of the school.[7]
The Vikki Orvice Library
The new school building included a library but this was converted into a ICT suite. In October 2019 this was converted back into a library, which was opened by children's author and comedian, David Baddiel. The library is named after sports journalist and former Westfield student, Vikki Orvice.[2]
Academic performance
Like most secondary schools in Sheffield, it does not have a sixth form, but Westfield students have priority access into Silverdale School sixth form (part of Chorus Education Trust).[8]
In 2014, the school received an Ofsted judgement of Requires Improvement. As of 2026, the most recent inspection was in 2023, also with a judgement of Requires Improvement.[9]
Notable former pupils
Eckington Grammar School
- Air Vice-Marshal Eric Plumtree CB OBE DFC became Station Commander RAF Leuchars 1959–61
Westfield School
- Neil Warnock – Football Manager
- Katie Summerhayes – Freestyle Skier & Olympian
- Kyle McFadzean – Footballer
- Callum McFadzean - Footballer
- Ellie Roebuck – Footballer for England and Man City
- Vikki Orvice – sports journalist
- Oliver Arblaster - Footballer
- Scott Pollock - Football
- Harold Cartwright - Cricketer
References
- ^ a b c d e "Westfield School". Get Information about Schools. Gov.UK. Retrieved 17 February 2026.
- ^ a b "Westfield School". Chorus Trust. Retrieved 19 July 2020.
- ^ "Westfield School – Ofsted". Ofsted. Retrieved 21 July 2009.
- ^ "History of Mosborough – David English". Archived from the original on 28 September 2007. Retrieved 5 February 2007.
- ^ "Westfield School - Chorus Education Trust". Retrieved 17 February 2026.
- ^ "Sheffield Schools PFI3 – Official opening of Westfield School by Gordon Brown MP – Kier Project Investment Company News, Developments, Kier Group plc". kier.co.uk. Archived from the original on 22 July 2011. Retrieved 18 July 2009.
- ^ "Finance Minister 'trapped' in net of balloons". China Daily. Retrieved 29 January 2020.
- ^ "Silverdale Sixth Form". Westfield Secondary School. Retrieved 19 July 2020.
- ^ Appleyard, Julian (2023). "Inspection of Westfield School". Ofsted. Retrieved 17 February 2026.