Oakbank School, Keighley

Beckfoot Oakbank is a mixed secondary school and sixth form located in Keighley, West Yorkshire, England. It is situated near Ingrow Lane on Oakworth Road (B6143) in the west of Keighley. History Grammar school Oakbank was founded from the Drake and Tonson School as Keighley Trade and Grammar School (KT & GS) in 1871. It became Keighley Boys' Grammar School (KBGS) on Alice Street at an unidentified date after 1922. A 1916 newspaper article calls it KT & GS and in 1922 pupil Harry Whitaker from Cowling was awarded a gold medal marked “KT & GS Junior Champion 1922” Following a fire in 1962 in the Mechanics' Institute (which also provided the school with its assembly hall and some classrooms) new buildings were built in 1964. Parents and staff over a 4-year period also raised £25,000 for the original swimming pool, now built over. On its move it became firstly and rather confusingly Keighley School for a few years despite still being a grammar, then in 1968 became Oakbank Grammar School with new uniform and oak leaf badge, when administered under Keighley Committee for Education. It is perhaps ironic that the name change to Oakbank Grammar coincided with its change to comprehensive status. Sixth form retained the green blazers with white stripes at this time, and a "third year sixth" was offered for Oxford and Cambridge candidates to prepare.