Castle High School (Dudley) - History Time Line

History Time Line

• December 1985 - Dudley MBC announces plans for a merger of The Dudley School and at least one smaller secondary school to form a new secondary school by the end of the decade. Blue Coat and Gilbert Claughton Schools are believed to be part of the plan for a new school.
• October 1988 - Following three years of speculation, it is confirmed that the town's main Dudley School will merge with The Blue Coat School with effect from September next year. The plans are part of a major reorganisation of schools in the borough which are also expected to see two secondary school closures within the next two years, along with the secondary transfer age being reduced from 12 to 11. The reorganisation of the school will also see the end of its sixth form largely due to its falling popularity; there will be no intake of new sixth formers for the 1989/90 academic year, although the current lower sixth will be able to complete their A-level studies at the school.
• April 1989 - It is confirmed that the new school will be called Castle High, a name chosen by the Dudley School and Blue Coat School pupils.
• September 1989 - Castle High School opens on a merger of The Dudley School and The Blue Coat School, making use of the Dudley School buildings but with the oldest two year groups of Blue Coat pupils remaining at the Blue Coat site for a year. Some of the former Sir Gilbert Claughton School pupils also join the school.
• July 1990 - Castle High's sixth form centre closes.
• September 1990 - the school's starting age is reduced from 12 to 11 in accordance with a borough-wide reduction in the transition age between primary and secondary school. Also starting the school are some former pupils of the closed Mons Hill School, which also supplies Castle High with some of its former staff. Construction of a new classroom block is incomplete, meaning that pupils will be taught in mobile classrooms for some lessons in the meantime. Castle High is now a single-site school within the old Dudley School buildings following the closure of the Blue Coat annex.
• June 1991 - a new classroom block is completed at Castle High School.
• September 1995 - another new building is completed, meaning that the old Girls High School buildings are now redundant.
• October 1995 - the expanded Castle High School is officially opened.
• January 1996 - the former Dudley Girls High School buildings, which until recently were part of Castle High, are demolished and the site re-used as a public car park.
• June 2008 - Plans are unveiled for Castle High School to become an academy sponsored by the Oasis Community Learning Trust.
• March 2009 - Plans for the academy to be developed are scrapped.
• May 2012 - Matthew Bullas a PE teacher was suspended due to pending investigations on his alligations of having indecent images of children on his home comupter system, more than 100,000 images were downloaded onto his personal laptop.