Express & Star

10 lost schools that have closed down in Wolverhampton, Dudley, Walsall, Sandwell and Staffordshire

People will always remember their school days - and where they were spent.

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In some of the most formative years, the time at school can be the most memorable, with memories of the inside of those buildings including classrooms, theatres, sports halls and dining areas fresh for many years after leaving.

While many of those buildings still stand today and carry those memories, there are just as many which have closed down and, in a lot of cases, have been knocked down and the land given new purpose.

The buildings may be gone, but the memories still remain for those who entered the doors, so here are some of those schools which have closed, but still exist in memory.

Northicote School opened in 1951 as a secondary modern school

1) Northicote High School in Wolverhampton

The Northicote Secondary School on Northwood Park Road in Bushbury opened in 1951 as a secondary modern school and became a bi-lateral school with a grammar stream in 1957, before becoming a comprehensive school called Northicote High School in September 1968.

It was the first school in Britain to be condemned as failing by Ofsted in 1993, but within two years was transformed into a successful school.

Northicote School was demolished in 2018 to make way for new homes

The school was informed in 2007 that it was being merged with Pendeford Business and Enterprise College to form an academy, which took place in 2010 and saw the school merged with Pendeford Business and Enterprise College to become the North East Wolverhampton Academy.

The combined school was originally located over both former school sites before relocating to a newly constructed and refurbished campus in September 2014 at the former Pendeford Business and Enterprise College site.

Northicote Campus was subsequently demolished in 2018.

Parkfield High School was part of the community for more than 40 years. Photo: Gordon Griffiths

2) Parkfield High School in Wolverhampton

Parkfield High School was a secondary school in the Blakenhall area of Wolverhampton which opened in April 1962.

The school served the neighbourhoods of Lanesfield, Woodcross, and Ettingshall and saw extensions built during the 1970s, and around 1980, the main building was extensively renovated due to mining subsidence.

The school closed in 2009 and moved all operations to Bilston. Photo: Gordon Griffiths

It was succeeded by South Wolverhampton and Bilston Academy in 2009, with Parkfield High School closing in August the same year as school operations moved to Bilston.

The building remains in place and is now the Lawnswood Campus, a referral campus dedicated to promoting inclusion and positive behaviour in safe, secure, child-centred, positive and nurturing environments.

The college closed in 2015 after just four years open. Photo: Black Country UTC

3) Black Country UTC in Walsall

Black Country UTC was a university technical college in Bloxwich which was sponsored by Wolverhampton University and Walsall College while Siemens acted as the lead business partner.

It opened in September 2011, and was the second university technical college to open in England as part of the university technical colleges programme.