Poole High School

Poole High School is a co-educational secondary school and sixth form located in the centre of Poole, in the English county of Dorset.

Poole High School
Address
Wimborne Rd Poole , Dorset , BH15 2BW England
Coordinates	50°43′28″N 1°59′02″W
Information
Type	Foundation school
Established	1939
Local authority	Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole
Department for Education URN	113907 Tables
Ofsted	Reports
Headteacher	Paul Gray
Gender	Co-educational
Age	11 to 18
Enrolment	1,936
Website	http://www.poolehigh.co.uk/

History

Built in 1939 as Henry Harbin Senior School, the school has expanded in every decade since its opening. The school was originally two separate schools - girls on the eastern side, boys on the west, separated by a quadrangle in the centre of the main school building. This layout was almost exactly the same as the original building at Kemp-Welch School, which opened in 1938. The school became a mixed school for 12- to 16-year-olds in the 1970s, reverting to an entry age of 11 in September 2013, as part of Poole's re-organisation into a two-tier education system.

In the late 1980s the school became a 'technical high school', and its name was officially changed to Poole Technical High School in the early 1990s. It was during this period that the school added a sixth form and introduced an academic express stream, with a particular focus on the teaching of 'triple science' qualifications. It is one of a small group of partially selective schools that were permitted to retain selection under the provisions of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998.

Redevelopments have included the new main school canteen, an English block, extensions to the Art and Science blocks, and the Merchants' Hall, which includes a canteen for the sixth-form and seminar rooms.

At its 2011 OFSTED inspection, the school was graded as 'good'.

From September 2013, the school has admitted students in Year 7, taking the total number of students in attendance at PHS to over 1900, making it one of the larger schools in the country.

Work completed over summer 2014 focused on extending the life of the newly named "Shaftesbury Centre". The name of the building was chosen to honour the 9th Earl of Shaftesbury, who opened the school in 1939.

Before 2017 the school operated a house system, in every house, there were two registration groups per year. The houses were called Jolliffe, Garland, Lester, Masters, Thompson, White, Spurrier and Harbin. In 2017, Spurrier and Harbin, were abolished and Year Eleven pupils were placed in a separate year eleven group. However all elements of the house system were suspended from 2017 apart from for Sports Day activities.

In September 2019, Poole High School officially turned on its PV system, 592 panels generating 185 kWh of electricity.

Notable former pupils

• Carl Fletcher, ex professional Welsh football player and former manager at Plymouth Argyle.
• Jamie Gleeson semi professional football player at Poole Town.
• Lewis Price, Welsh international goalkeeper who currently plays for Rotherham United.
• Greg Lake, musician, singer, composer, and producer of King Crimson and Emerson, Lake & Palmer.