Islington Green School
Encyclopedia
Secondary school
Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age, takes place...
from 1966 to 2008. The school was situated in North London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and had an age range of 11 to 16. The City of London Academy
City of London Academy
The City of London Academy is the name given to four city academies established in inner London with the support of the Corporation of London. The academies are in the London boroughs of Camden, Southwark, Islington and Hackney...
in Islington
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...
replaced Islington Green School in September 2008
The school controversially failed its Ofsted
Ofsted
The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills is the non-ministerial government department of Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Schools In England ....
inspection in 1997. The school had received a respectable 38 per cent pass rate the previous year and despite shortcomings the staff were convinced that the school was not failing. The decision caused the school to "implode". The headteacher under enormous pressure to make visible changes discarded mixed-ability teaching, many teachers decided to leave and the pass rate dropped below 25 per cent. The school went through nine inspections before it finally came out of special measures in 2000 and serious weaknesses in 2003.
Ken Muller, a teacher at the school, made a request to Ofsted under the new Freedom of Information Act
Freedom of Information Act 2000
The Freedom of Information Act 2000 is an Act of Parliament of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that creates a public "right of access" to information held by public authorities. It is the implementation of freedom of information legislation in the United Kingdom on a national level...
to see the documents relating to the judgment. Twenty working days later, he got a reply. Most of the documents had been destroyed, said the email, but there was one that might be of interest. Attached was a memo dated November 1997, from HMI Barry Jones to the then chief inspector Chris Woodhead
Chris Woodhead
Sir Christopher Anthony Woodhead was Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Schools In England from 1994 until 2000 and is one of the most controversial figures in debates on the direction of English education policy...
, making clear that the HMI team, of which Jones was a member, had disagreed with Ofsted's judgment, and noting that they were "of the unanimous view that the school was not failing".
Peter Hyman, former spin doctor for Tony Blair, decided to leave politics and teach at Islington Green School. He wrote a book of his experiences, '1 Out Of 10: From Downing Street Vision To Classroom Reality'.
Students from the school were featured in Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd were an English rock band that achieved worldwide success with their progressive and psychedelic rock music. Their work is marked by the use of philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Pink Floyd are one of the most commercially...
's 1979 album The Wall
The Wall
The Wall is the eleventh studio album by English progressive rock group Pink Floyd. Released as a double album on 30 November 1979, it was subsequently performed live with elaborate theatrical effects, and adapted into a feature film, Pink Floyd—The Wall.As with the band's previous three...
in the song "Another Brick in the Wall (Part II)
Another Brick in the Wall
"Another Brick in the Wall" is the title of three songs set to variations of the same basic theme, on Pink Floyd's 1979 rock opera, The Wall, subtitled Part 1 , Part 2 , and Part 3...
".
The school was used as a location to film the BBC drama That Summer Day
That Summer Day
That Summer Day is a one-hour docudrama directed by Jon East, written by Clive Bradley , produced by Hannah Pescod and executive produced by Jon East and Mark Redhead that provides a fictional account of the lives of six children on the day of the bombings of the London public transport system on...
, a fictional account of the effect the bombings of the London public transport system
7 July 2005 London bombings
The 7 July 2005 London bombings were a series of co-ordinated suicide attacks in the United Kingdom, targeting civilians using London's public transport system during the morning rush hour....
on 7 July 2005 had on six children.
Some of the school's younger students were allowed to be extras in the film.
Notable alumni
- Ray BurdisRay BurdisRay Burdis is an English actor, screenwriter, director and film producer.Burdis started acting at eleven years old when he trained at the Anna Scher Theatre in Islington...
– actor, writer,director,producer. (Love Honour and Obey, Operation Good Guys). - Shana SwashShana SwashShana Frances Swash is an English actress best known for playing the role Demi Miller in the British television soap opera EastEnders...
– actress - Natalie CassidyNatalie CassidyNatalie Ann Cassidy is a British actress, most commonly known for appearing in the television soap EastEnders where she played Sonia Jackson for many years. She has also appeared in the BBC Two sitcom Psychoville and was a contestant on the seventh series of Strictly Come Dancing.-Career:As a...
– actress - Pauline QuirkePauline QuirkePauline Perpetua Quirke is a British actress. She is best known for her role as Sharon in the comedy series Birds of a Feather, alongside her lifelong friend and frequent acting partner Linda Robson...
– actress - Claire MartinClaire Martin (meteorologist)Claire Martin BSc is a national television weather presenter with CBC Television in Canada. She is a niece of Barbara Edwards, who in 1974 became the BBC's first female weather presenter in the UK...
– CBCCBC TelevisionCBC Television is a Canadian television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster.Although the CBC is supported by public funding, the television network supplements this funding with commercial advertising revenue, in contrast to CBC Radio which are...
weather presenter, appeared in the Pink Floyd's "Another Brick in the Wall (Part II)" video but did not sing - Billy GodlemanBilly GodlemanBilly Ashley Godleman is an English cricketer. He is a left-handed batsman and a right-arm leg-spin bowler.-Early life:...
- cricketer - Paloma FaithPaloma FaithPaloma Faith is a British singer-songwriter and actress. In 2009, she released her debut single "Stone Cold Sober", then her debut album, Do You Want the Truth or Something Beautiful?, which was certified Platinum by the British Phonographic Industry. Her debut album stayed within the top 40 album...
- singer - Thomas CruiseThomas Cruise (footballer)Thomas Daniel Cruise is an English footballer, currently a free agent following his release by Arsenal. He is a product of Arsenal Academy who came to prominence during 2008–09 FA Youth Cup. He can play as a central defender, left back or left midfielder.-Club career:Cruise joined in and made his...
- ArsenalArsenal F.C.Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
footballer
External links
- Islington Green School Choir at IMDb