Our Lady's Catholic High School, Stamford Hill
| Our Lady's Convent High School | |
|---|---|
| Address | |
 | |
6-16 Amhurst Park , N16 5AF England | |
| Information | |
| Type | Voluntary aided comprehensive |
| Motto | Nitendo Vincamus (Through our efforts, we overcome) |
| Religious affiliation(s) | Roman Catholic |
| Established | 1904 |
| Founder | Servite Sisters |
| Local authority | Hackney |
| Department for Education URN | 100282 Tables |
| Ofsted | Reports |
| Head teacher | Mrs Jane Gray |
| Gender | Girls |
| Age | 11 to 19 |
| Enrollment | 700+ |
| Website | http://www.ourladys.hackney.sch.uk/ |
Our Lady's Convent High School is a Roman Catholic secondary school for girls situated in Stamford Hill, in the London Borough of Hackney.
History
On 11 January 1904, the Servite Sisters founded a small independent school called Our Lady's School, with Sr M. Phillipa as its first headmistress. The school later moved to 14-16 Amhurst Park during the 1930s.[1] There were 27 pupils aged 10 and over; all the staff were Servite sisters; parents paid fees of £2.10 shillings per term. The rooms in the house built in the 1800s were used as classrooms. There was a grass tennis court in the garden. The school has since expanded and the premises consist of the original buildings and newer additions (the most recent dating to 2003). The first lay headteacher, only the fifth in the school's history, was appointed in 1994. Our Lady's Convent High is no longer directly run by the Servites but remains under their trusteeship.[2]
Current structure
A tradition of excellence today, Our Lady's is a thriving Voluntary Aided Roman Catholic School, which has been awarded Specialist Status as a Language College.
Permission to expand by one form of entry has meant that the school's total number is currently 780 students.
The Sixth Form Centre admits boys and girls and has currently 180 students.
The school has a deserved reputation for academic achievement and it strives continually both to maintain and raise its standards, under the continuing trusteeship of the Servite Sisters. The school itself is over-subscribed and is one of the most successful state schools in London.
In each year group, 120 children are admitted in accordance with their academic abilities and their general practice of the Catholic faith at home - for proof of this, a Baptism Certificate and Holy Communion Certificate and a reference from the child's priest confirming that they go to church on a regular basis must be shown upon entry.
Our Lady's has four tutor groups: Hugh (H), which uses the house colour blue, Juliana (J), which uses the house colour red, Manettus (M), which uses the house colour yellow and Philomena (P), which uses the house colour green.
The current headteacher is Mrs Jane Gray, who took over from Mrs Margaret M.A Dixon in 2004 who served as headteacher from 1994-2003. Mrs Dixon was the first lay head teacher of the school. With the retirement of Sr John, the last Servite head teacher and the deputy Sr Sheila Sumner, meant the daily presence of the Trustees had gone. They do however, serve as Foundation Governors on the Governing Body.
As of September 2010, the school became split site. The reason being that as part of the Building Schools for Future (BSF), the school is to be completely remodeled and rebuilt. The lower school (years 7 and 8) still remain at the old site in Stamford Hill, as half of the school was knocked down in August 2010. The upper school (years 9, 10, 11 plus sixth form) have moved to Upper Clapton, occupying the building that was for the lower school of The Skinners' Company's School for Girls. The rebuilding of the school is said to be finished in Autumn 2012.
The School came together, back on one site, in September 2012.
Departments of the school
There are 17 departments in the school all working towards developing the curriculum to meet the needs of the students.
- Art
- Business studies
- Classical studies
- Citizenship
- Technology
- English
- Geography
- Government and politics
- History
- ICT
- Mathematics
- Modern languages
- Music
- Psychology
- Physical education
- Religious studies
- Science
- Economics
Notable former pupils
- Freema Agyeman, actress, Doctor Who as Martha Jones, attended the school circa 1990s
- Moira Stuart, BBC broadcaster and newsreader
- Barbara Windsor, actress, BBC soap opera EastEnders, attended the school circa 1940s-1950s
References
- ^ Baker, T.F.T., ed. (1995). Hackey: Roman Catholicism, A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 10: Hackney. Courtesy of British History Online. pp. 128–30.
- ^ Then & Now