Outwood Academy Adwick

Outwood Academy Adwick is a mixed secondary school and sixth form with academy status located in Woodlands, South Yorkshire, England. It has a comprehensive admissions policy, with 1,070 pupils on roll . The school is operated by Outwood Grange Academies Trust, and the current principal is Andrew Scruby. It publishes a newsletter, Outlook Magazine, on a termly basis. History By its Resolution 39 of 28 April 1931, for the purpose of building the new school the Education Committee of the West Riding County Council decided to purchase 21 acres of land in Windmill Balk Lane, Adwick-le-Street from the owner of Brodsworth Hall. The school was founded by J W 'Jimmy' Lane JP (1877–1969), alderman of the West Riding and a check weighman at Brodsworth Colliery. It was named after alderman Sir Percy Jackson, an active proponent of education on the West Riding County Council in the 1920s and 1930s. Designed as a co-educational state grammar school, the Percy Jackson Grammar School was housed in modern Art Deco style premises. The two-storey building was designed to accommodate 540 pupils and was constructed of steel framing, bearing concrete floors and flat roofs. The total cost of the site, buildings and equipment was approximately £62,000. The school opened for instruction on 9 October 1939, just weeks after the outbreak of World War II. The first year's intake of pupils was 86, many being transferred from other schools in the area. Of these, 62 joined the first form and the others the second and third forms. Whilst the school was recruiting pupils, there was space for wartime evacuees and these came from the London area as well as from Hull. The Riley High School in Hull evacuated 100 boys and six teachers and operated as a parallel school within the premises. Two boys from mainland Europe arrived via the Kindertransport one of whom was Siegfried Franz Spira later known as Fred Spira. Several teachers saw service in World War II, notably Capt W R F Cockroft, Military Cross, and Fl Lt L F Belton, Distinguished Flying Cross.