Chesterfield High School in Crosby, Merseyside, England, officially opened in 1974. The school has an intake of roughly 1,200 students in years 7–11. The school was founded as a comprehensive from Waterloo Park Grammar School for Girls, Haigh Road, and Crosby County Secondary School for Boys, Coronation Road. There were 1,174 pupils upon opening, with a Sixth Form of 162 students, 130 girls and 32 boys. History Planning The school was planned as part of the transition to comprehensive education and anticipated receiving pupils from Waterloo Park Grammar School for girls and Crosby Boys' Secondary School. Within the Crosby region, Chesterfield High School formed phase one of the transition, while significant extensions to what would then be Manor High School would form phase two. Construction Construction on the new school site started in April 1970 with an estimated total cost of £485,000. During construction, the school site suffered an arson attack on 5 June 1971, during which gas cylinders exploded and a smoke rose around over the school. Four firemen were injured while fighting the fire that needed 50 firefighters to tackle the blaze. A police spokesman said on 7 June that three boys aged 10, 11 and 13 were helping with their inquiries as police believed the fire was deliberate, while concerns were raised by education officials about any delay affecting the introduction of comprehensive education in the borough. On 22 June, a spokesman for Lancashire County Council said that the damage was not serious enough to cause a delay and that construction work would continue. The cost of the damage was quoted by the surveyor Leslie Simpson as being £6,300, while the three boys were ordered into local authority care following court proceedings in October 1971. Opening Having been due to open to students in time for the start of the 1972 academic year, it was announced that the handover that was planned to be on Monday 8 August 1972 was delayed just weeks before the new term, due to builders joining in a national dispute that brought work to a halt. Contingency plans were therefore enacted which meant that students coming from the Waterloo Park Grammar School and Crosby Secondary Boys' School would remain, while new first year students would be based at Coronation Road and Waterloo Park. The first students to transfer to the new school came in October, although the school was not fully complete