Rivington and Blackrod High School in the North West region of England is a Leverhulme Trust multi-academy school alongside Harper Green School, it operates as a Church of England teaching environment with a sixth form school. The school is located at two sites, with the upper school situated on Rivington Lane in Rivington, Lancashire (), and the lower school situated on Albert Street in Horwich, Greater Manchester ().
Present day
The school specialises in design and technology, mathematics and science. It has been awarded the status of a training school to train the next generation of teachers. Year Seven pupils (the lower school), occupy the former Horwich County Secondary School site. The upper school (high school) eight to eleven and Sixth form students occupy the Rivington site.
In 2008 the school was one of 11 across the country to receive a Specialist Schools and Academies Trust’s (SSAT) 2008 Futures Vision Tour Award and gave impressive A level results at 98%. The school ranked 7th in 2009 of 19 schools in the Bolton LEA with scores for GCSE % 50 Level 2 CVA 994.9 A/AS average points 611.1 and Level 3 CVA 990.7 in 2009.
History
Rivington Grammar School
A free grammar school in Rivington village was founded by James Pilkington, Bishop of Durham in 1566 when a charter was granted by Queen Elizabeth I. The Free School of Queen Elizabeth was founded for the children of all social classes. The first schoolmaster was appointed on 10 July 1572. Arrangements to endow the school with an income were not completed until 1574. Bishop Pilkington confirmed the endowments. A list of its scholars, comprising 114 pupils, is dated 1575. Most of the school's endowments were provided by the bishop in the Diocese of Durham in Lindake, Wolsingham, Whickham, Heighington, Stanhope, Stockton, Auckland, Silksworth and Hetton-le-Hole and brought an income of £30 per year from rents. The school was built on land leased for a thousand years from March 1581 from the bishop's brother, George Pilkington of New Hall, then owner of the Manor of Rivington., he was also one of the first school governors. The governors of the old Grammar school appear to have begun their duties in August 1574.
The Chantry at the altar of St Nicholas at St Wilfred's Church, Standish had been endowed with Higher Knowle farm, Lower Knowle farm and Grut farm in 1478 by Robert Pilkington who was then its Chaplain. The farms were taken by the crown in consequence of the Abolition of Chantries Act 1547. In 1574 the school recovered rents for the same properties, whilst in 1583 by Thurston Anderton purchased the same farms from the Crown, the ownership would have been freehold and leasehold.
A governor of the school in 1650 until 1691 during the Commonwealth and after the Restoration was Thomas Willoughby, 11th Baron Willoughby of Parham, gentleman of Horwich. This Thomas Willoughby had also been the founder of a non conformist Chapel at Horwich, had taken over Horwich Parish Church for the benefit of dissenters and had fought with The Roundheads, he was a staunch puritan, achieving rank of Major.
Willoughby succeeded in regaining the schools rental income at a time when the school lacked funds between 1650 and 1660 travelling to London, York and Durham. He was chairman of governors in 1651, 1653–54, 1670, 1676 and 1683. He lived at a large estate near the high school inherited from his wife Eleanor Whittle on the Horwich side of the River Douglas, he lived to the age of 82, giving the area its name of Old Lords. He had been unexpectedly elevated to the legislature as an Hereditary Peer in 1685 after his relation had moved abroad. In the 18th century Richard Pilkington, whose sons founded Pilkington Glass, was a school governor for many years.
In 1714 the grammar school was rebuilt on its original site after many years of dilapidation. The governors obtained letters patent from George IV to exchange the land in Durham for land closer to the school in 1823. The Durham land was exchanged for Higher Knowles, Lower Knowles and Grut Farms in Rivington, and a house known as Jolly's in Heath Charnock which brought in annual rents. Higher Knowle farm is still active, Lower Knowle is a ruin, both located on the slope of Rivington Pike, Grut farm was once located opposite the entrance of the current Rivington and Blackrod High School driveway.
The original grammar school now houses the Rivington primary school.