View source for Q3 Academy Langley

{{Use British English|date=February 2023}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2018}}
{{Infobox school
| name         = Q3 Academy Langley
| image        =
| image_size         =
| coordinates  = {{coord|52.4858|-2.0017|type:edu_region:GB_dim:100|format=dec|display=inline,title}}
| motto        =
| established  =
| closed       =
| type         = [[Academy (English school)|Academy]]
| trust        = Q3 Multi Academies Trust
| religious_affiliation     =
| president    =
| head_label   = Head of School
| head         = Peter Lee
| r_head_label =
| r_head       =
| chair_label  =
| chair        =
| founder      =
| address      = Moat Road
| location     = [[Langley Green, Sandwell|Langley Green]]
| city         = [[Oldbury, West Midlands|Oldbury]]
| county       = [[West Midlands (county)|West Midlands]]
| country      = England
| postcode     = B68 8ED
| local_authority          = [[Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council|Sandwell]]
| ofsted       = yes
| urn          = 141698
| staff        =
| enrolment    =
| gender       = [[Mixed-sex education|Coeducational]]
| lower_age    = 11
| upper_age    = 19
| houses       =
| colours      =
| publication  =
| free_label_1 =
| free_1       =
| free_label_2 =
| free_2       =
| free_label_3 =
| free_3       =
| website      = http://www.q3langley.org.uk/
}}
'''Q3 Academy Langley''' is a [[Mixed-sex education|coeducational]] [[secondary school]] located in the [[Langley Green, Sandwell|Langley Green]] area of [[Oldbury, West Midlands|Oldbury]] in the [[West Midlands (county)|West Midlands]] of England.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.q3langley.org.uk/ |title=Home |website=q3langley.org.uk}}</ref>
There has been a school located at this site since 1926, firstly named Oldbury County High School and then Oldbury Grammar School, Oldbury High School, Langley High School, Oldbury College of Sport and prior to demolition, Oldbury Academy. The current Q3 Academy school opened in 2016 following site clearance and the development of an entirely new school.
==History==
===Grammar school===
Oldbury County High School (a [[grammar school]]) opened in 1926,<ref>{{cite web|title=Gallery 3 – Oldbury County High School|url=http://www.historyofoldbury.co.uk/2gallery3.htm|publisher=The Local History Societies of Langley, Oldbury and Warley|access-date=9 March 2011}}</ref> on Moat Road across from Barnford Hill Park in Langley Green. This was after the transfer of Oldbury Secondary School, founded in 1904, from Flash Road, Oldbury. In 1944, following the new Education Act, the County High, originally co-opting its location within Worcestershire, became Oldbury Grammar School.
In 1929, local glass artists Tom Stokes and Bill Pardoe created a window for Oldbury Grammar's main school hall as a memorial to the Old Boys of the school who died in the 1914-18 First World War. It consists of eight lights with the allegorical figures of Justice, Courage and Fortitude and with extracts from the story of the Peloponnesian War, specially selected by Mr Willis Bond, that great figure in Worcestershire education of those days. Around the same time, money was raised for a multi-pipe church-style organ. "I Vow To Thee My Country" became a regular fixture of morning assembly.
The school motto was ''Cresco'' ("I Grow"). Former grammar school pupils are known as "Old Cresconians".
Serving a mainly working class area, the school acted as a bridge to University education and a career in the professions. A thriving sixth form, lost when the school changed to a comprehensive in 1974, saw many pupils attain sufficient quality A-levels (Advanced levels) to attend major British universities and gain social mobility.
A history of Oldbury Grammar School from 1904 to 1974 was written by former history teacher at the school Mr A.A.L Pearce and published in 1979.<ref>{{cite web|title=Bibliography of Oldbury, Langley and Warley|url=http://historyofoldbury.co.uk/2bibliography.htm|publisher=The Local History Societies of Langley, Oldbury and Warley|access-date=9 March 2011}}</ref> "Farewell to Oldbury Grammar School", a poem written to commemorate the last grammar school intake to leave the school in the summer of 1978, appeared in ''The Blackcountryman'', the quarterly publication of The Black Country Society.<ref>"Farewell to Oldbury Grammar School", ''The Blackcountryman'', Vol.11, No.1, Winter 1978, p.18.</ref>
As a selective grammar with open entry dictated only by academic ability at 11+ rather than the ability to afford school fees, the school not only promoted similar levels of academic excellence to that of private schools but adopted many of their trappings including a House system (Queens; Kings; Trinity; School), winter and summer school uniform (which included distinctive green, blue and white striped blazers and straw boater hats for girls), the teaching of Latin and a school song<ref>Extract from Alan Arlberg's [https://books.google.com/books?id=gZkUby9MF_8C&dq=oldbury+grammar&pg=PT102 ''Autobiography: The Boyhood of Burglar Bill'']</ref> which drew on the working-class roots of the area.
===Comprehensive school===
The school became a non-selective 11–16 [[comprehensive school]] in September 1977 when many of the former Grammar School teaching staff retired or left for posts in other schools and pupils seeking A-level education left to continue education at new Sixth Form Colleges established at the premises of the former [[Holly Lodge High School|Holly Lodge Grammar School]] for Boys (renamed West Park College) in Smethwick and [[Rowley Regis Grammar School]] in Rowley Regis. On becoming a comprehensive, the school marked the move away from selective intakes with a name change to Oldbury High School and a smaller, more localised, catchment area. The name change coincided with the [[County Borough of Warley|Warley]] (which included the school and Oldbury, [[Smethwick]] and [[Rowley Regis]]) and West Bromwich county boroughs merging to become known as [[Sandwell]]. Oldbury High School merged with comprehensive Albright High School in September 1983 to become Langley High School.<ref>{{cite web|title=History of Oldbury Timeline|url=http://www.historyofoldbury.co.uk/2timeline.htm|access-date=10 March 2011|year=2008|work=The Local History Societies of Langley, Oldbury and Warley}}</ref>
Plans were announced in 2006 to merge Langley High with nearby [[Bristnall Hall Technology College]]. These plans coincided with the school finishing lowest of 18 secondary schools in [[Sandwell]], when a mere 16% of [[GCSE]] students attained five or more 'A' to 'C' grades compared to 95%+ of pupils gaining five or more [[GCE Ordinary Level|'O' Levels]] at grades 1–5 (A-C) when the school held Grammar status and a majority successfully passing eight 'O' Levels.<ref>{{cite web|publisher=Sandwell Community History and Archives Service|url= http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/a2a/records.aspx?cat=146-esoh&cid=0#0|title= Records of Oldbury High School, 1930–1976}}</ref>
However, the school later merged with nearby [[Warley High School]] (Oldbury Tech), becoming [[Oldbury College of Sport]]. It was announced that Bristnall Hall Technology College (formerly Bristnall Hall Secondary School and now [[Bristnall Hall Academy]]) was to be rebuilt on the Moat Road site, with the relocation expected to take place during the early 2010s. Oldbury College of Sport<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.halesowennews.co.uk/news/local/10087750.Historic_Great_War_memorials_moved_to_new_Oldbury_Academy_site/|title=Historic Great War memorials moved to new Oldbury Academy site}}</ref> was renamed [[Oldbury Academy]] in 2011, with the school moving all activity to the former Oldbury Technical School site on Pound Road and abandoning the Grammar School site in Moat Road.
===Q3 Academy Langley===
Sandwell Council issued a prospectus with a view to an educational trust reopening the former Langley High School site as a new school.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.sandwell.gov.uk/news/article/2757/new_secondary_school_plan_for_oldbury|title = Latest news &#124; Sandwell Council}}</ref> The original school building was destroyed in 2015, when work began on redeveloping the site.
Q3 Academy Langley opened in new buildings on the site in September 2016.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.q3langley.org.uk/welcome/|title=Welcome}}</ref> It is an [[Academy (English school)|academy]] sponsored by the Q3 Multi Academies Trust.
==The school today==
Q3 Academy Langley offers [[General Certificate of Secondary Education|GCSEs]] and [[Business and Technology Education Council|BTECs]] as programmes of study for pupils.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.q3langley.org.uk/our-curriculum/|title = Our Curriculum}}</ref>
==Notable former pupils==
===Oldbury Grammar School===
* [[Allan Ahlberg]] (1938– ), children's book author; writer of contemporary children's classics including ''Each Peach, Pear, Plum'', ''The Jolly Postman'' and ''Burglar Bill''
* [[Mick Aston]] (1946–2013), archaeologist on ''[[Time Team]]''
* Steve Bennett ( 1964- ), session drummer live and recording artist.
* [[Judith Cutler]] (1946– ), author
* [[Martin Elliott (photographer)|Martin Elliott]] (1946–2010), photographer best known for the iconic Athena [[Tennis Girl]] poster<ref>{{cite news|title=Martin Elliott: Photographer whose iconic print adorned millions of bedroom walls|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/martin-elliott-photographer-whose-iconic-print-adorned-millions-of-bedroom-walls-1942940.html|access-date=15 March 2011|newspaper=The Independent|date=13 April 2010}}</ref>
* [[Simon Fox]] (1949– ), drummer, Be-Bop Deluxe
* Sir [[John Jennings (businessman)|John Jennings]] (1937– ), CBE, Chancellor of [[Loughborough University]] since 2003; managing director of [[Royal Dutch Shell|Shell]], 1987–97<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.lboro.ac.uk/anniversary/pages/history-chancellors.html |title=40th Anniversary - History - Chancellors |website=www.lboro.ac.uk |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060517051719/http://www.lboro.ac.uk/anniversary/pages/history-chancellors.html |archive-date=2006-05-17}}</ref>
* [[Canon Ralph Stevens]] (1915–2006), Chaplain to the Queen<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/2005/6-may/gazette/canon-ralph-stevens|title = Canon Ralph Stevens}}</ref>
* [[Lewis Stevens]] (1936– ), MBE, Conservative MP for [[Nuneaton (UK Parliament constituency)|Nuneaton]], 1983–92
* [[Robin Stubbs]] (1941– ), Birmingham City and Torquay Utd footballer<ref>{{cite news|title=Oldbury Grammar School's 'brilliant season'|url=http://www.blackcountrybugle.co.uk/Sport/Oldbury-Grammar-Schools-brilliant-season-2.htm|access-date=10 March 2011|newspaper=Black Country Bugle|date=30 July 2009}}</ref>
* [[John Bryan Taylor]] (1928– ), Fondren Professor of Plasma Theory at the [[University of Texas at Austin]], 1989–94; Chief Physicist at the [[Joint European Torus|Culham Laboratory]], 1981–89<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.aip.org/history/ohilist/33073_1.html |publisher=[[American Institute of Physics]] |title=Oral History Transcript – Dr. J. B. Taylor |date=3 February 2007 |access-date=1 May 2013}}</ref>
* [[Peter Withers]] (1946–2012), youngest Governor of Glasgow's notorious Barlinnie Jail, Europe's busiest prison; board member of the Scottish Prison Service and prison service reformer<ref>URL: http://www.scotsman.com/news/obituaries/obituary-peter-withers-prison-governor-1-2532385.</ref>
* [[Squadron Leader Bruce McDonald]] (1930-2018), jet fighter pilot who became one of the best-known instructors at the RAF's Central Flying School. Twice awarded the Air Force Cross for acts of exemplary gallantry while flying<ref>URL:http://www.telegraph.co.uk/obituaries/2018/12/13/bruce-mcdonald-pilot-flew-combat-missions-mau-mau-uprising-later/.</ref>
* [[Tom Price (journalist)|Tom Price]] (1928-2021), Journalist, Fleet Street correspondent and founder and editor of a range of leading Warwickshire newspapers<ref>URL:https://www.leamingtoncourier.co.uk/news/people/he-was-a-real-one-off-with-a-rebellious-streak-tributes-paid-to-persistent-journalist-and-former-assistant-editor-of-the-leamington-courier-tom-price-3268296.</ref>
==See also==
* [[Q3 Academy Great Barr]]
* [[Q3 Academy Tipton]]
==References==
{{Reflist}}
==External links==
* [http://www.q3langley.org.uk/ Q3 Academy Langley official website]
{{Schools in Sandwell}}
[[Category:Secondary schools in Sandwell]]
[[Category:Oldbury, West Midlands]]
[[Category:Academies in Sandwell]]