Science honour for Matthew Moss High

Matthew Moss High School in Rochdale has become the first school in the Borough to be made a science specialist school.

Headteacher Andy Raymer is thrilled with the school’s new status.

“We are delighted to be Rochdale's first science specialist school and to have got this at our first attempt,” he said. “Our second specialism with be maths.

“As well as developing our science learning at Matthew Moss, we are also looking forward to developing work with local primary schools, which has already started. 

“We are also keen to link our Training School status and our science/maths specialism together, and one of our future plans is to develop training for science technicians for schools. This is an area that has received little attention.

“Matthew Moss was one of the first group of training schools in England and currently provides the training for all the Borough secondary schools’ newly-qualified teachers and middle managers.

“This completes the full hand of three distinction marks from the Department for Education and Skills for Matthew Moss; Leading Edge status, Training School and now Specialist Science School.  Matthew Moss is the first Rochdale school to achieve all three distinctions.

“We are developing some strong links with PhD science students and Manchester and Cambridge universities as well as working towards Eco School status.  The school now has a flourishing Eco committee and is starting an exciting Eco Garden project, the brainchild of Head of Science Paddy Russell.”

Councillor Irene Davidson, the Council’s Cabinet member responsible for Children, Schools and Families, said: “This is excellent news and is a tribute to all the hard work being put in by the staff, students and governors of the school.”

Matthew Moss is one of just four specialist science schools announced today.  Its success brings to ten the number of specialist secondary schools in the Borough.  Falinge Park, Springhill and Wardle have arts specialisms, Cardinal Langley and Siddal Moor have sports, Hollingworth has business amp; enterprise, Oulder Hill has language, St Joseph’s RC has maths and computing and Middleton Technology College has technology..

The role of a science specialist school is to provide a centre of excellence in scientific, technological, enterprising and vocational education. It will contribute to local and national developments in science and maths and will encourage young people to pursue those subjects beyond 16, providing them with appropriate learning pathways so that they develop the skills needed to be citizens in an increasingly scientific world.