Highbury Grove School
Encyclopedia
Highbury Grove School is a co-educational comprehensive secondary school in the London Borough of Islington
. It covers the age range 11 to 18 inclusive and currently has about 1,100 pupils. It is classified as a Community School, specialising in business, enterprise studies and music . The head teacher is Ms Truda White. Well over half of the pupils have been assessed with learning difficulties, disabilities, or literacy, dyslexia or language needs. A sizeable proportion of pupils have English as second language. Over half the pupils are from Black Caribbean, Black African and Bangladeshi groups and about one third of pupils from Turkish and other minority ethnic groups. In its latest Ofsted report (May 2010) the school was described as "outstanding" and significantly improved over the previous five years, but standards were still below national average in English, mathematics and science in Year 9. The school moved into a new, modern building on the same site in December 2009.
. It was created out of three former boys' schools in the area, Highbury Grammar School, Barnsbury Boys' School, and Laycock School, as part of a comprehensivisation scheme by the then Inner London Education Authority
. Boyson introduced a regime of strict discipline, including caning for misbehaviour. Excellent academic resuts were achieved, and the school was soon heavily oversubscribed.
Boyson left in 1974 after being elected a Conservative MP; in the 1980s he was to become an education minister under Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.
- Actor and Television presenter.
Peter Ebdon
- Professional snooker player and former world champion.
television series Dispatches
called "Undercover Teacher". The programme exposed some of the 'appalling behaviour' by pupils. The school and many other outside sources have disputed the findings of Alex Dolan, a qualified science teacher who went undercover at schools in Leeds and London.
London Borough of Islington
The London Borough of Islington is a London borough in Inner London. It was formed in 1965 by merging the former metropolitan boroughs of Islington and Finsbury. The borough contains two Westminster parliamentary constituencies, Islington North and Islington South & Finsbury...
. It covers the age range 11 to 18 inclusive and currently has about 1,100 pupils. It is classified as a Community School, specialising in business, enterprise studies and music . The head teacher is Ms Truda White. Well over half of the pupils have been assessed with learning difficulties, disabilities, or literacy, dyslexia or language needs. A sizeable proportion of pupils have English as second language. Over half the pupils are from Black Caribbean, Black African and Bangladeshi groups and about one third of pupils from Turkish and other minority ethnic groups. In its latest Ofsted report (May 2010) the school was described as "outstanding" and significantly improved over the previous five years, but standards were still below national average in English, mathematics and science in Year 9. The school moved into a new, modern building on the same site in December 2009.
History
Highbury Grove School began life as an all-boys comprehensive in 1967. The founding headmaster was Dr Rhodes BoysonRhodes Boyson
Sir Rhodes Boyson is a British educator, author and politician and a former Conservative Member of Parliament for Brent North...
. It was created out of three former boys' schools in the area, Highbury Grammar School, Barnsbury Boys' School, and Laycock School, as part of a comprehensivisation scheme by the then Inner London Education Authority
Inner London Education Authority
The Inner London Education Authority was the education authority for the 12 inner London boroughs from 1965 until its abolition in 1990.-History:...
. Boyson introduced a regime of strict discipline, including caning for misbehaviour. Excellent academic resuts were achieved, and the school was soon heavily oversubscribed.
Boyson left in 1974 after being elected a Conservative MP; in the 1980s he was to become an education minister under Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.
Alumni
Joe SwashJoe Swash
Joseph Adam Swash is an English actor and presenter. He once played Mickey Miller in the British television soap opera EastEnders. He is the older brother of Shana Swash, who played his on-screen younger sister Demi Miller until July 2006. He also won the TV reality show I'm a Celebrity... Get Me...
- Actor and Television presenter.
Peter Ebdon
Peter Ebdon
Peter "Ebbo" Ebdon is an English professional snooker player and former world champion renowned for his remarkably focused, determined style of play.-Early years:...
- Professional snooker player and former world champion.
Media coverage
In April 2005 Highbury Grove was featured on an episode of the Channel 4Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
television series Dispatches
Dispatches (TV series)
Dispatches is the British television current affairs documentary series on Channel 4, first transmitted in 1987. The programme covers issues about British society, politics, health, religion, international current affairs and the environment, usually featuring a mole in an organisation.-Awards:*...
called "Undercover Teacher". The programme exposed some of the 'appalling behaviour' by pupils. The school and many other outside sources have disputed the findings of Alex Dolan, a qualified science teacher who went undercover at schools in Leeds and London.