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Oulder Hill Leadership Academy (formerly Oulder Hill Community School) is a co-educational secondary school for 11 to 16 year olds, located in Rochdale, Greater Manchester, England.

History

The school fully opened to students aged 13–16 in 1977 under the leadership of its first Headmaster, Dr Morris. At that time, it was the largest school in the Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale, with over 1000 students. The school featured notable facilities, including the Gracie Fields theatre, a 25-metre swimming pool, tennis courts, and extensive fields for football and rugby.

In 2003, the school merged with Rydings Special School, a local school for children with disabilities. The merger prompted a complete reconstruction of the school, which began in 2005 and was completed in 2008. This involved the redevelopment of the current site and constructing an entirely new building on the former playing fields and tennis courts. The Oulder Hill School building remained with the same name, while Rydings Special School was rebranded as Redwood Secondary school. The building is now owned by OPERON, and the school pays £1 million annually to rent the facilities from 6 am to 6 pm.

Once a thriving part of the school, Oulder Hill's sixth form began to decline from the year 2000 onwards. The sixth form closed to new students when Rochdale Sixth Form College opened in September 2010. At the time of its closure, the sixth form had approximately 150 students, a decline from the over 600 students it had when first established.

Previously a community school administered by Rochdale Metropolitan Borough Council, Oulder Hill Community School converted to academy status in March 2022 and was renamed Oulder Hill Leadership Academy. It is now sponsored by Star Academies.

Notable former pupils

• Waterloo Road star Shannon Flynn attended the school
• Singer-songwriter Lisa Stansfield attended Oulder Hill

References

1. England. "EduBase - Oulder Hill Community School and Language College". Education.gov.uk. Retrieved 5 December 2013.
2. "Home". oulderhillacademy.com.
3. "Oulder Hill Community School and Language College". Rochdale Online. 3 February 2011. Retrieved 7 January 2017.
4. Taylor, Paul (4 March 2014). "Lisa Stansfield: Why I shed a tear for Rochdale". Cheshire Life. Retrieved 7 January 2017.

External links

• Oulder Hill Leadership Academy official website

• Secondary schools in the Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale
• Academies in the Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale
• Schools in Rochdale
• Star Academies