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Firfield Community School
Firfield Community School was an 11 to 18 mixed, community secondary school in the Blakelaw ward of Newcastle upon Tyne, in the English county of Tyne and Wear. It received prominence in the media as the first school to relaunch under the Fresh Start programme; a government initiative where failing schools reopen with renovations and new names, staff and headteachers. Firfield reopened in September 1998, replacing the failed Blakelaw Comprehensive School, which had been considered by Channel 4 and the government to be "the worst school in Britain". The school closed in 2002 after a financial deficit and decline in student numbers.
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Blakelaw
Blakelaw is an electoral ward situated in the North of the city of Newcastle upon Tyne in North East England. The population of the ward is 11,186, which is 4.6% of the city's population. Car ownership in the area is 50.6%: this is lower than the city average of 54.7%, increasing to 11,507 at the 2011 Census. House prices in this area average at £114,000 (Feb 2007).
Blakelaw was developed in the early part of the 20th century in order to meet demand for more housing in the North East. During the Second World War a secret war centre was built in the old quarry and extended many levels below ground. This was the headquarters for No 13 Group, who played a vital part in the Battle of Britain. Five posts have been installed in Blakelaw Park as part of a 'listening trail' which tells the story of the life of the bunkers and people who worked in them.
In terms of the Demographics of Blakelaw, it is very similar to many other parts of Newcastle. For age groups, 26.3% were 17 years old and under, 59.2% of its population was between the ages of 18 and 64, and 14.5% were over 65. In terms of Ethnicity it was 87.2% White, 6.8% Asian, 3.4% Black and 1.5% mixed which is a similar ethnic make up to quite a few parts of Newcastle but significantly less diverse as parts of the West End.
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Blakelaw and North Fenham
Blakelaw and North Fenham is a civil parish in the City of Newcastle upon Tyne in Tyne and Wear, England. It is north west of the city centre, and is entirely surrounded by the unparished area of Newcastle upon Tyne. It covers the areas of Blakelaw, Cowgate and North Fenham, and has a population of 6,468, decreasing slightly to 6,452 at the 2011 Census.
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RAF Blakelaw
RAF Blakelaw (sometimes known as RAF Newcastle) was a Royal Air Force station which acted as headquarters for No.13 Group during the Second World War and which was located in Blakelaw, Northumberland (now a suburb of Newcastle upon Tyne).
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Cowgate, Newcastle upon Tyne
Cowgate is a locality in the north-west of Newcastle upon Tyne, England. It lies 2.8 miles Northwest of the City Centre. Initially it was in the Kenton ward up until 2018 which it was in the Blakelaw ward. The name is believed to come from the gate the local farmers would use from the Nuns Moor area to herd their livestock to the Newcastle cattle market.
The Cowgate estate was built in the 1920s.
In 2007 the Index of Multiple Deprivation identified the southern part of the estate as the most deprived area in the city and the 28th most deprived in England.
Carricks Bakery, which was later acquired by Greggs, was located in the area. The bakery was closed in 2005, and the work was transferred to other facilities in Newcastle.