The Elmhirst School

The Elmhirst School was a comprehensive school on the B6100 (Ardsley Road) in Worsbrough Dale, south of Barnsley, South Yorkshire, England.HistoryIt was the Worsbrough High School, which became known as Elmhirst School in the 1990s. The building before 1952 had been the White Cross School.It became the Barnsley Academy in 2006.In October 2003, Barnsley Council had decided to close the school in August 2004 and open a new 11-18 school, under the Fresh Start scheme. In February 2004, the council decided to close the school and open an Academy in September 2006 for ages 3–18, including Worsbrough Bank End and Kendray primary schools. It was to be done under Barnsley Council's Remaking Learning project. The Academy would have 420 primary places and 900 secondary places. Funding would come from the Department for Education and Skills, and £2m from the Academy's sponsor, the Church Schools Company (which became the United Church Schools Trust). It was actually sponsored by the United Learning Trust.AdmissionsIt admitted ages 11–16 from the Worsbrough and Ardsley areas. More than 50% of pupils were on free school meals. The Ardsley area has a very high teenage pregnancy rate, double the national rate, and much higher than the overall rate for Barnsley.