Chiswick School
| Chiswick School | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
Burlington Lane – Staveley Road , London , W4 3UN England | |
| Coordinates | 51°28′55″N 0°15′35″W / 51.48192°N 0.25981°W |
| Information | |
| Type | Academy |
| Established | 1968 |
| Founder | R.K Hands |
| Department for Education URN | 137907 Tables |
| Ofsted | Reports |
| Headteacher | Laura Ellener |
| Gender | Mixed |
| Age | 11 to 18 |
| Enrolment | 1590 |
| Colour | Royal Blue Navy White |
| Publication | Chiswick School News |
| Website | http://www.chiswickschool.org |
Chiswick School /ˈtʃɪzɪk/ ⓘ is an English secondary school with academy status in Chiswick, West London. It educates more than 1,500 pupils, aged 11 to 18 years.[1]
This number includes 400 pupils studying at the upper school sixth form within the school grounds. The current headteacher is Laura Ellener.[1] The school operates a very wide curriculum, mainly focusing on Science and the Arts, and has many co-curricular activities.
Admissions
The school has a wide catchment, encompassing its native borough of Hounslow, but also areas including Kensington and Chelsea, Richmond, and Hammersmith and Fulham. Half of the school's students are of minority ethnic backgrounds, and 44% are from ‘disadvantaged’ backgrounds. 50% have English as their second language.[1][2] The percentage of disadvantaged students receiving help from the pupil premium is also above average.[3]
In 2023, the School changed its Year 7 admissions policy to admit 'up to 10 pupils who show musical aptitude and qualify for pupil premium funding', making it the only school in the UK with such an arrangement.[4]
History
Chiswick County School for Girls opened in 1916 in Burlington Lane,[5] and Chiswick County School for Boys opened in 1926 beside the girls' school.[5] Rory K. Hands was appointed head of the boys school in 1963, and in 1966, he oversaw a merger of the two institutions, to form the co-educational Chiswick County Grammar School.[6] Shortly thereafter, the Borough proposed that Hands' grammar school should be merged with two nearby secondary modern schools to form a comprehensive school,[6][7] following Circular 10/65. This amalgamation created Chiswick Comprehensive School, which opened in 1968.[5] The new school operated across two sites, with the lower school (for ages 11 to 14) occupying what had been the secondary modern school's buildings at Staveley Road, and the upper school operating on the old grammar school site at Burlington Lane.[8]
In 1973, some of the buildings at Staveley Road had to be closed as they were made of brittle high alumina cement. The school was forced to operate with a "village of huts"; Hands maintained school morale with a production of The Gondoliers by Gilbert and Sullivan.[6] He retired the headship in 1975 after suffering a series of heart attacks.[6] Dame Helen Metcalf was the school's headteacher from 1988 to 2001, providing strong and emotionally intelligent leadership.[9] Sometime after 1978 the school was renamed Chiswick Community School; the name reverted to Chiswick School when it became an academy on 1 March 2012.[10]
Awards
- Chiswick Calendar Community Participation Award, Winner 2023 & 2024[11]
- Secondary School of the Year, Pearson Teaching Awards, Bronze Winner 2025[12]
- National Schools Theatre Award-Best Play 2024 ( Animal Farm)[13]
- TES Excellence in Creative Arts 2023[14]
- Great Big Dance off Regional winners (SW and London) 2025[15]
Notable pupils
- John Stuart Archer – petroleum engineer, president of the Institution of Chemical Engineers[16]
- Henry Badowski - musician[17]
- Carlton Cole – footballer[18]
- Phil Collins – lead singer of Genesis and solo artist[19]
- Phoebe Fox – actor[20]
- Kenneth Holmes - molecular biologist[21]
- John Neville – actor[22]
- Nana Ofori-Twumasi – footballer[23]
- Natalie Sawyer – TV presenter[24]
- Kyle Simmons – keyboard player for Bastille[25]
- James Stevenson, guitarist[26]
- Allegra Stratton – journalist, political aide[27]
- Don Taylor – director and playwright[28]
- Brian Tesler – chairman of London Weekend Television[29]
References
- ^ a b c Osborne, Bridget (2 December 2019). "Chiswick School head: "Children need to know who's in charge" - Chiswick Calendar News". The Chiswick Calendar. Retrieved 16 May 2023.
- ^ Meinke, John (23 April 2012). "Chiswick School Inspection report". Ofsted. Archived from the original on 27 December 2021.
- ^ "Inspection report: Chiswick School, 3–4 October 2017". Ofsted. 26 October 2017. Archived from the original on 27 December 2021.
- ^ "Chiswick School Music Aptitude Test". Music Aptitude Tests. Retrieved 8 December 2025.
- ^ a b c Clegg, Gillian (1995). Chiswick Past. Historical Publications. p. 107. ISBN 0-94866-733-8.
- ^ a b c d Williams, Paul (23 April 2015). "Pioneering former Headmaster of Chiswick Community School has died aged 96". The Chiswick Herald. Retrieved 18 July 2021.
- ^ Olding, George (23 April 2015). "Funeral of educational pioneer takes place today". Wandsworth Times.
- ^ Diane K. Bolton, Patricia E. C. Croot and M. A. Hicks, "Chiswick: Education", in A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 7, Acton, Chiswick, Ealing and Brentford, West Twyford, Willesden, ed. T. F. T. Baker and C R Elrington (London, 1982), pp. 95-99. British History Online, accessed 18 July 2021.
- ^ "Dame Helen Metcalf". The Independent. 27 December 2003. Retrieved 18 July 2021.
- ^ Norris, Frank (15 August 2012). "Academy conversion and predecessor school". Archived from the original on 27 December 2021.
- ^ Osborne, Bridget (15 January 2024). "Chiswick Calendar party 2024 – CRAP awards and comedy". The Chiswick Calendar. Retrieved 8 December 2025.
- ^ "2025 Bronze Winners: Making a Difference – Secondary School of the Year, supported by Step Into Teaching". Pearson National Teaching Awards. Retrieved 8 December 2025.
- ^ "National School Theatre Awards 2024 winners announced". West End Theatre. Retrieved 8 December 2025.
- ^ Smith, Matt (29 June 2023). "Chiswick School wins prestigious Tes Excellence in Creative Arts Award". The Chiswick Calendar. Retrieved 8 December 2025.
- ^ "Results: Top K4/5". The Great Big Dance Off. Retrieved 8 December 2025.
- ^ Frost's Scottish Who's Who Archived 2007-10-28 at the Wayback Machine John Stuart Archer (accessed 7 March 2009)
- ^ Ogg, Alex (2006). No More Heroes: A Complete History of UK Punk from 1976 to 1980. Cherry Red Books. p. 127. ISBN 978-1-901447-65-1.
- ^ "Carlton Cole tells of media ordeal after allegations were made against him". Chiswick W4. Retrieved 27 December 2021.
- ^ "Posh restaurants, riverside pubs and Phil Collins: it's the best bits of Chiswick". Time Out. 8 September 2015. Retrieved 27 December 2021.
- ^ Billen, Andrew. "Phoebe Fox: TV's hot new star". The Times. Retrieved 27 December 2021.
- ^ "Curriculum Vitae, Kenneth C. Holmes". www.mr.mpg.de. Retrieved 10 May 2024.
- ^ "OBITUARY: John Neville". The Courier Mail. 28 November 2011. Retrieved 27 December 2021.
- ^ "Seth Nana Twumasi". Seth Nana Twumasi (via LinkedIn). Retrieved 27 December 2021.
- ^ Larkin, Johnnie (8 July 2009). "Natalie Sawyer - Biography and Images". TV Newsroom. Retrieved 27 December 2021.
- ^ "Chiswick's Local Web site". Chiswick W4. 24 February 2014. Retrieved 27 December 2021.
- ^ "Poppyfields Sound the Alarm". Rolling Stone. 20 February 2004. Archived from the original on 8 May 2006. Retrieved 30 April 2010.
- ^ "Former Chiswick School Pupil at Centre of Partygate Row". Chiswick W4. 8 December 2021. Retrieved 8 December 2021.
- ^ Purser, Philip (20 November 2003). "Television industry: Don Taylor". The Guardian. Retrieved 27 December 2021.
- ^ Roberts, June (21 June 2018). "Where they once were: Brian Tesler". Talk of Thames. Retrieved 27 December 2021.