St Paul's Way Trust School
Encyclopedia
St Paul's Way Trust School (until 2009, St Paul's Way Community School) is a mixed comprehensive
National Challenge Trust secondary school
. It is located on St Paul's Way, a continuation of Devons Road
, Bow
, London
.
The surrounding area was described in a Council report as one of the most deprived areas in Tower Hamlets. Fewer than 10% of pupils speak English as their first language; 85% are of Bangladeshi
origin.
The school has more twice the national average proportion of children with special educational needs, and has a specialist Deaf Support Base.
After a few years of very poor results leading to an official "Notice to Improve", the school is under new management, and its education was judged in 2010 to be satisfactory with excellent prospects of continued improvement.
The current head teacher, Grahame Price, started in January 2009.
In the 1960s the school was merged with Millwall
Central School and Southern Grove School. Millwall Central School in Glengall Grove is now the Cubitt Town Primary School and the Southern Grove School is now the borough's Professional Development Centre. The merger with the Millwall Central School meant that there were no secondary schools left on the Isle of Dogs
, at a time when the Island population was increasing as a result of the building of the Samuda and St Johns Estates in Cubitt Town
and the Barkantine Estate in Millwall. St Paul's Way therefore became the main choice of school for Islanders until the new George Green School opened in Cubitt Town in September 1975. This led to the school becoming heavily oversubcribed.
A new school building at the original site was commenced construction in 1966 and the new modern school opened, including swimming pool and auditorium in September 1968. Mr Arthur J. Davenport became the new Headmaster in September 1970, having previously been Deputy at the nearby Stepney Green Boys School. The school was divided into six houses:
The new Headmaster Mike Bannister, who arrived in January 1981, ended the house system with the new intake in September 1981. Introduced a tutorial system based on year levels. Inducted the first Bangladeshi pupils 1982. Addressed and introduced a dress code. Promoted the introduction of 'Smile Maths' and Combined Science. In House Newspaper "School Talk" published at regular intervals to improve the understanding of St. Paul's Way in community. Major HMI Report in 1984/5 rated the school' social relationship with its community as "Excellent"
Looking back on her training there, the school was described by Bushra Nasir (later the Head of Plashet School
) as 'incredibly tough'.
Vivien Cutler was appointed Headteacher in 1988, and made it a priority to improve security as pupils felt unsafe. On leaving in 1994, she admitted that she had only been partially successful, but had at least improved conditions for female students.
Incidents of violence, other anti-social behaviour
and gang culture at the school were reported again in 2006, when parents of pupils from the closing Homerton College of Technology in Hackney
opposed transfers to St Paul's Way.
Under Martyn Coles, headmaster for 1995—2003, the school was an early adopter of specialist school
s status, being the second in the country to be awarded a specialism in visual arts
in 1998. In 2001 Coles said the school's exam results had improved markedly after this.
In 2006 the school joined the Building Schools for the Future
programme to completely replace its 40-year-old building. The £36 million construction project by Bouygues
began in 2009. The works are within a wider "St Paul's Way Transformation Project", chaired by Lord (Andrew) Mawson
. The school took the opportunity to commission a large artwork on the hoarding, incorporating art by the pupils—described as a "crucial" touch by Sir Bob Kerslake
of the Homes and Communities Agency
.
In 2008 the school caused controversy for firing
a teacher, Adrian Swain, for wearing trainers and tracksuit
in class, as these were not permitted items of clothing for students.
The school was also threatened with closure that year for poor results. In 2007, 2008 and 2009, fewer than 30% of pupils achieved the benchmark of 5 A* to C grades in GCSE including English and Maths, bucking the trend of improving results in Tower Hamlets as a whole. Ofsted noted recent improvements in March 2009, particularly since the new head's appointment, but served a Notice to Improve. The Council resolved in 2009 to make it a foundation school
, handing over management of the school to a new trust.
The school became a National Challenge Trust on 26 February 2010, attracting extra funding of £700,000 from the DCSF and bringing the expertise of Queen Mary, University of London
to bear on the school's performance. The Trust, named St Paul's Way Foundation, is chaired by Nigel Relph of Queen Mary and also includes representatives of the Institute of Education
, University of East London
and King's College London
.
Ofsted inspected the school again in July 2010, and concluded that it had made "huge" improvements since the previous inspection, was providing a satisfactory education and was "securely on track to be good or even excellent." It was scored "outstanding" on some matters, including the extent to which pupils feel safe.
The school will have a second specialism in science, with interactive teaching methods backed by cutting-edge facilities in a new "Faraday Unit".
Comprehensive school
A comprehensive school is a state school that does not select its intake on the basis of academic achievement or aptitude. This is in contrast to the selective school system, where admission is restricted on the basis of a selection criteria. The term is commonly used in relation to the United...
National Challenge Trust secondary school
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...
. It is located on St Paul's Way, a continuation of Devons Road
Devons Road
Devons Road is a road in the East End of London, UK. Part of the B140 road, it gives its name to the Devons Road DLR station.-Motive power depots:...
, Bow
Bow, London
Bow is an area of London, England, United Kingdom in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It is a built-up, mostly residential district located east of Charing Cross, and is a part of the East End.-Bridges at Bowe:...
, 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...
.
The surrounding area was described in a Council report as one of the most deprived areas in Tower Hamlets. Fewer than 10% of pupils speak English as their first language; 85% are of Bangladeshi
British Bangladeshi
A British Bangladeshi is a person of Bangladeshi origin who resides in the United Kingdom having emigrated to the UK and attained citizenship through naturalisation or whose parents did so; they are also known as British Bengalis...
origin.
The school has more twice the national average proportion of children with special educational needs, and has a specialist Deaf Support Base.
After a few years of very poor results leading to an official "Notice to Improve", the school is under new management, and its education was judged in 2010 to be satisfactory with excellent prospects of continued improvement.
The current head teacher, Grahame Price, started in January 2009.
History
The school opened as St Paul's Road School in 1873, the building being on the junction of Bow Common Lane and the then St Paul's Road; Bow Common Lane in 1900 becoming the border of the Poplar and Stepney Borough Councils. By the 1950s it was a "central school" using five separate locations.In the 1960s the school was merged with Millwall
Millwall
Millwall is an area in London, on the western side of the Isle of Dogs, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It lies to the south of the developments at West India Docks, including Canary Wharf.-History:...
Central School and Southern Grove School. Millwall Central School in Glengall Grove is now the Cubitt Town Primary School and the Southern Grove School is now the borough's Professional Development Centre. The merger with the Millwall Central School meant that there were no secondary schools left on the Isle of Dogs
Isle of Dogs
The Isle of Dogs is a former island in the East End of London that is bounded on three sides by one of the largest meanders in the River Thames.-Etymology:...
, at a time when the Island population was increasing as a result of the building of the Samuda and St Johns Estates in Cubitt Town
Cubitt Town
Cubitt Town is an area on the Isle of Dogs in Tower Hamlets in London, England. It is on the east of the Isle, facing Greenwich across the River Thames. To the west is Millwall, to the northwest Canary Wharf and to the north, across the Blue Bridge, Blackwall...
and the Barkantine Estate in Millwall. St Paul's Way therefore became the main choice of school for Islanders until the new George Green School opened in Cubitt Town in September 1975. This led to the school becoming heavily oversubcribed.
A new school building at the original site was commenced construction in 1966 and the new modern school opened, including swimming pool and auditorium in September 1968. Mr Arthur J. Davenport became the new Headmaster in September 1970, having previously been Deputy at the nearby Stepney Green Boys School. The school was divided into six houses:
- City - Green - named after the City of LondonCity of LondonThe City of London is a small area within Greater London, England. It is the historic core of London around which the modern conurbation grew and has held city status since time immemorial. The City’s boundaries have remained almost unchanged since the Middle Ages, and it is now only a tiny part of...
; - Gate - Yellow - named after Mile End Gate;
- Mill - Brown - named after the Mills on the western wall of the Isle of Dogs;
- Palace - White - named after the People's Palace on Mile End Road;
- Thames - Red - named after the river;
- Tower - Blue - named after the Tower of LondonTower of LondonHer Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress, more commonly known as the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, separated from the eastern edge of the City of London by the open space...
.
The new Headmaster Mike Bannister, who arrived in January 1981, ended the house system with the new intake in September 1981. Introduced a tutorial system based on year levels. Inducted the first Bangladeshi pupils 1982. Addressed and introduced a dress code. Promoted the introduction of 'Smile Maths' and Combined Science. In House Newspaper "School Talk" published at regular intervals to improve the understanding of St. Paul's Way in community. Major HMI Report in 1984/5 rated the school' social relationship with its community as "Excellent"
Looking back on her training there, the school was described by Bushra Nasir (later the Head of Plashet School
Plashet School
Plashet School is a secondary girls school in East Ham, London with approximately 1,350 students. It is a Leading Edge school and a Science and Maths Specialist College, previously a grammar school...
) as 'incredibly tough'.
Vivien Cutler was appointed Headteacher in 1988, and made it a priority to improve security as pupils felt unsafe. On leaving in 1994, she admitted that she had only been partially successful, but had at least improved conditions for female students.
Incidents of violence, other anti-social behaviour
Anti-social behaviour
Anti-social behaviour is behaviour that lacks consideration for others and that may cause damage to society, whether intentionally or through negligence, as opposed to pro-social behaviour, behaviour that helps or benefits society...
and gang culture at the school were reported again in 2006, when parents of pupils from the closing Homerton College of Technology in Hackney
London Borough of Hackney
The London Borough of Hackney is a London borough of North/North East London, and forms part of inner London. The local authority is Hackney London Borough Council....
opposed transfers to St Paul's Way.
Under Martyn Coles, headmaster for 1995—2003, the school was an early adopter of specialist school
Specialist school
The specialist schools programme was a UK government initiative which encouraged secondary schools in England to specialise in certain areas of the curriculum to boost achievement. The Specialist Schools and Academies Trust was responsible for the delivery of the programme...
s status, being the second in the country to be awarded a specialism in visual arts
Visual arts
The visual arts are art forms that create works which are primarily visual in nature, such as ceramics, drawing, painting, sculpture, printmaking, design, crafts, and often modern visual arts and architecture...
in 1998. In 2001 Coles said the school's exam results had improved markedly after this.
In 2006 the school joined the Building Schools for the Future
Building Schools for the Future
Building Schools for the Future is the name of the previous UK Government's investment programme in secondary school buildings in England. The program is very ambitious in its costs, timescales and objectives, with politicians from all English political parties supportive of the principle but...
programme to completely replace its 40-year-old building. The £36 million construction project by Bouygues
Bouygues
Bouygues S.A. is a French industrial group headquartered in the 8th arrondissement of Paris, France. Bouygues is listed on Euronext Paris exchange and is a blue chip in the CAC 40 stock market index. The company was founded in 1952 by Francis Bouygues and since 1989 has been led by his son Martin...
began in 2009. The works are within a wider "St Paul's Way Transformation Project", chaired by Lord (Andrew) Mawson
Andrew Mawson, Baron Mawson
Andrew Mawson, Baron Mawson, OBE is a social entrepreneur.Andrew Mawson was brought up in Bradford, Yorkshire. He trained for Christian ministry at the Northern Baptist College in Manchester under Principal Michael H Taylor...
. The school took the opportunity to commission a large artwork on the hoarding, incorporating art by the pupils—described as a "crucial" touch by Sir Bob Kerslake
Bob Kerslake
Sir Robert Kerslake , is the permanent secretary of the Communities and Local Government department of the UK government.-Career:Originally from Bath, he graduated in Mathematics from the University of Warwick, where he was also secretary of the students' union, later qualifying as a member of the...
of the Homes and Communities Agency
Homes and Communities Agency
The Homes and Communities Agency is the non-departmental public body that funds new affordable housing in England. It was established by the Housing and Regeneration Act 2008 as one of the successor bodies to the Housing Corporation, and became operational on 1 December 2008.-Background:On 17...
.
In 2008 the school caused controversy for firing
Firing
Dismissal is the termination of employment by an employer against the will of the employee. Though such a decision can be made by an employer for a variety of reasons, ranging from an economic downturn to performance-related problems on the part of the employee, being fired has a strong stigma in...
a teacher, Adrian Swain, for wearing trainers and tracksuit
Tracksuit
A tracksuit is an article of clothing consisting of two parts: trousers and a jacket usually with front zipper. It was originally intended for use in sports, mainly as what athletes wore over competition clothing and would take off before competition. In modern times, it has become commonly worn...
in class, as these were not permitted items of clothing for students.
The school was also threatened with closure that year for poor results. In 2007, 2008 and 2009, fewer than 30% of pupils achieved the benchmark of 5 A* to C grades in GCSE including English and Maths, bucking the trend of improving results in Tower Hamlets as a whole. Ofsted noted recent improvements in March 2009, particularly since the new head's appointment, but served a Notice to Improve. The Council resolved in 2009 to make it a foundation school
Foundation school
In England and Wales, a foundation school is a state-funded school in which the governing body has greater freedom in the running of the school than in community schools....
, handing over management of the school to a new trust.
The school became a National Challenge Trust on 26 February 2010, attracting extra funding of £700,000 from the DCSF and bringing the expertise of Queen Mary, University of London
Queen Mary, University of London
Queen Mary, University of London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and a constituent college of the federal University of London...
to bear on the school's performance. The Trust, named St Paul's Way Foundation, is chaired by Nigel Relph of Queen Mary and also includes representatives of the Institute of Education
Institute of Education
The Institute of Education is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom specialised in postgraduate study and research in the field of education and a constituent college of the federal University of London. It is the largest education research body in the United Kingdom, with...
, University of East London
University of East London
The University of East London is a university located in the London Borough of Newham, East London, England, based at two campuses in Stratford and Docklands areas...
and King's College London
King's College London
King's College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and a constituent college of the federal University of London. King's has a claim to being the third oldest university in England, having been founded by King George IV and the Duke of Wellington in 1829, and...
.
Ofsted inspected the school again in July 2010, and concluded that it had made "huge" improvements since the previous inspection, was providing a satisfactory education and was "securely on track to be good or even excellent." It was scored "outstanding" on some matters, including the extent to which pupils feel safe.
The school will have a second specialism in science, with interactive teaching methods backed by cutting-edge facilities in a new "Faraday Unit".
Notable alumni
- Dizzee RascalDizzee RascalDylan Kwabena Mills , better known by his stage name Dizzee Rascal, is a Ghanaian British rapper, songwriter and record producer. His music is a blend of garage, hip hop, grime, ragga, pop and electronic music, with eclectic samples and more exotic styles...
(expelled; also Summer University student) - Maruf Hassan Chowdhury, Middlesex AcademyMiddlesex County Cricket ClubMiddlesex County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Middlesex. It was announced in February 2009 that Middlesex changed their limited overs name from the Middlesex Crusaders, to the...
U16 cricket squad 2005 - Danny ShittuDanny ShittuDaniel Olusola "Danny" Shittu is a Nigerian footballer who plays for Queens Park Rangers."Olusola" is a nickname for the Yoruba name "Oluwanisola" .-Early career:...
, Bolton Wanderers footballer, also plays for the Nigerian national squad
External links
- Official website Includes images of the mural displayed 2006–2010