Benton Park School
| Benton Park School | |
|---|---|
 Benton Park School in 2009 | |
| Address | |
 | |
Harrogate Road , , LS19 6LX England | |
| Coordinates | 53°51′21″N 1°40′58″W / 53.8558°N 1.6829°W |
| Information | |
| Type | Community school |
| Established | 11 March 1961 |
| Local authority | Leeds City Council |
| Department for Education URN | 108083 Tables |
| Ofsted | Reports |
| Headteacher | Nicholas Skilton |
| Gender | Coeducational |
| Age | 11 to 18 |
| Enrolment | 1,496 as of February 2023[update] |
| Website | http://www.bentonpark.org.uk |
Benton Park School is a coeducational secondary school and sixth form located in Rawdon, West Yorkshire, England. Formerly a technology college, it has over 1,400 students.
Status and awards
[edit]The school achieved Beacon status in 1998.[1] The school gained Technology College status in 2002, after the head teacher advertised in Private Eye for sponsorship for the Technology College application[2]
Awards received include Sportsmark Award, Artsmark Gold and International School Award.[1]
History
[edit]
Benton Park school was built in the grounds of old Benton Park house. The school was established by Joseph Riley in 1838 and by 1851 he had 33 boys in residence. His son John was also a teacher there.[3] In the 1860s it was bought by the Milligan family for use as a private home and was not used as an educational establishment until Littlemoor School utilized the premises as a senior department from 1951 until 1957 when the building was demolished.
The new school was built in contemporary brutalist style by Sir John Burnet, Tait and Partners in the late 1950s and early 1960s, being formally opened by Lord ST. Oswald on Saturday 11 March 1961.[4] In 2015, the Yorkshire Evening Post published an investigation into the risks posed by asbestos in the structure of the main school building.[5] Consequently, in February 2019, Leeds City Council approved a £20 million project to rebuild the school, citing the poor condition of some of the school buildings.[6] Building for the project began in June 2020.[7] The new school building opened to students on 3 November 2021[8] and demolition of the old building began in March 2022.[9]
Notable alumni
[edit]- Anna Blyth, member of Great Britain Cycling team and past British Track Champion.[10]
- Elizabeth Keates, actress.[citation needed]
- David Miliband, former UK Foreign Secretary and MP for South Shields.[11]
- Billy Pearce, comedian (Known then as Stephen Cookson).[12]
- Oliver Wainwright, architecture and design critic for The Guardian.[13]
- Joe Tasker, YouTuber and CBBC presenter.[14]
- George Webster, Cbeebies presenter and Down syndrome activist.[15]
- Ranjodh Bains, award-winning software developer recognised by the UK Government's Department for Education.[16]
- Adam Reed, entrepreneur and philanthropist recognised in Forbes magazine's 30 under 30.[17]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Prospectus 2006" Archived 14 April 2010 at the Wayback Machine, Benton Park Technology College
- ^ Cassidy, Sarah (9 June 2001). "School head advertises in 'Private Eye' for sponsors". The Independent. Archived from the original on 2 December 2008. Retrieved 19 August 2007.
- ^ "Benton Park House 1875". Airborough Historical Society. Retrieved 20 November 2014.
- ^ "Benton Park School Invitation". Airborough Historical Society. Archived from the original on 15 December 2014. Retrieved 20 November 2014.
- ^ "Leeds School's Health and Safety Failings Exposed". The Yorkshire Evening Post. 14 December 2015. Retrieved 23 March 2017.
- ^ Beecham, Richard (13 February 2019). "£20m revamp of Benton Park School gets green light". LeedsLive. Retrieved 25 February 2020.
- ^ "New build updates". Benton Park School. Retrieved 6 September 2020.
- ^ "@BentonParkSch Twitter Status". Twitter. Benton Park School. Retrieved 18 May 2022.
- ^ Hazlegreaves, Steph (7 March 2022). "Leeds Benton Park School demolition underway". Planning, BIM & Construction Today. Retrieved 18 May 2022.
- ^ "Talking to Talent Team Star Rider, Anna Blyth". British Cycling. 11 February 2005. Archived from the original on 26 August 2005. Retrieved 19 August 2007.
- ^ "David Miliband: George Osborne and David Cameron are just updated Thatchers in trousers". Daily Mirror. 25 June 2010. Archived from the original on 10 October 2014. Retrieved 10 October 2014.
- ^ McIntyre, Annette (16 July 2010). "Billy Pearce wants to reunite Benton Park class of 66". Ilkley Gazette. Retrieved 23 March 2017.
- ^ Wainwright, Oliver (2014). "100 Buildings, 100 Years 1960: Benton Park School, Leeds". C20: Twentieth Century Society. Retrieved 5 December 2023.
- ^ "Benton Park School July 2017 newsletter". July 2017. Retrieved 5 November 2020.
- ^ "The new CBeebies presenter from Leeds dispelling myths about Down's Syndrome". Yorkshire Evening Post. 20 September 2021. Retrieved 18 May 2022.
- ^ "Computing student awarded 'Degree Apprentice of the Year' for Yorkshire". University of Leeds. 15 February 2023. Retrieved 14 March 2023.
- ^ "Adam Reed". Forbes. Retrieved 13 July 2023.
