Hanson School

The Hanson Grammar School was designed by Charles Henry Hargreaves and opened on Byron Street near Barkerend Road in 1897. Boys' and girls' schools were next door to each other. On 23 February 1911, a 16-year-old girl was killed by apparently being blown into the air by a gale, but what was known was that she had fallen from a height of around 25 feet.

In 1967 the girls' school had moved to a new building on Sutton Avenue. In the early 1970s, although retaining the name of a grammar school, the intake was comprehensive. The girls' school had around 500 girls, with 80 in the sixth form. The boys' school had around 550 boys with 120 in the sixth form.

It became the co-educational Hanson School in 1972, situated at the Sutton Avenue site. In the 1980s, the Sutton Avenue site was known as Hanson Upper School. In July 2011 the school moved to a different building but within the same Sutton Avenue grounds.

In 2010, the secondary school was placed in special measures following an Ofsted inspection.[4] Derek Needham, who was acting head teacher, following Tim Brookes' resignation following the inspection, commented on the school being put into special measures saying: "I do not believe Hanson School is a bad school, the Ofsted inspectors didn't look at all aspects of the school, they just focused on the school's many problems rather than its little achievements".

In 2014 Hanson School was in the media because of the high number of students, more than 200, sent home for not adhering to the uniform policy.[3]

In January 2018 the school came out of special measures, and is currently graded by Ofsted as "Requires Improvement".[5]

Peter Firth at the 2009 BAFTA Awards (British Academy Television Awards 2009), with Miranda Raison, in April 2009

• Harry Ambler OBE, Chief Constable from 1957–73 of Bradford City Police
• Sir Edward Victor Appleton FRS, Vice-Chancellor from 1949–65 of the University of Edinburgh, received the 1947 Nobel Prize for Physics for investigations into the ionosphere, the Kennelly–Heaviside layer and the F region (Appleton layer) that reflect lower frequency radio waves, and became Jacksonian Professor of Natural Philosophy from 1936–39 at the University of Cambridge
• David Bairstow, Yorkshire cricketer (wicket-keeper), father of England batsman (also a wicket-keeper) Jonny Bairstow
• Clarence Barton, Labour MP from 1945–50 for Wembley South
• Vic Feather, Baron Feather, General Secretary of the Trades Union Congress (TUC) from 1969–73, and President from 1973–74 of the European Trade Union Confederation
• Peter Firth, film and TV actor[6], nominated for Best Supporting Actor in the 1978 50th Academy Awards, and known for the 1985 Letter to Brezhnev
• Sir William Hadwick, Chief General Manager from 1945–51 of the National Provincial Bank
• Sir Trevor Holdsworth CVO, Chairman from 1980–88 of GKN, Chancellor from 1992–97 of the University of Bradford
• Wilfrid Lawson, actor
• Tony McHale, co-created (with Mal Young) Holby City
• Andrew Mawson, Baron Mawson OBE, known for the Bromley by Bow Centre
• Rabbi Walter Rothschild, leader of the Berlin Reform and Liberal Jewish Communities, since 1998 and the Rabbi of the Bradford Synagogue and the Leeds Sinai Synagogue from 1984 until 1995.
• Leslie Sands, actor of the 1960s often playing dour policemen, who would consequently later appear in Juliet Bravo
• John Sewel, Baron Sewel CBE, leader of Aberdeen Council from 1977–80, and President from 1982–84 of the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities
• Edward Spurr, described as Bradford's Forgotten Inventor

• Christa Ackroyd, former presenter of Look North (at the comprehensive from 1972)
• Jeannie Crowther, actress
• Dame Margaret Eaton OBE, Chairman of the Local Government Association since 2008, and former leader (Conservative) of Bradford Council in 2000
• Stephanie Turner, actress, notably for Insp Jean Darblay from 1980–82 in Juliet Bravo