Hampstead School

Hampstead School is a large comprehensive school in the London Borough of Camden, England. The school building is one of the oldest in the borough. It has about 1,300 students between the ages of 11 and 19 attending the Lower School (Year 7 through to Year 11) and the Sixth Form College (Year 12 and Year 13).

Hampstead School
Address
Westbere Road

London
,
NW2 3RT

England
Coordinates51.55577°N 0.20711°W / 51.55577; -0.20711
Information
TypeCommunity school
MottoLearning together, achieving together
Established1862
Local authorityCamden
Department for Education URN100052 Tables
OfstedReports
HeadmasterJacques Szemalikowski (former)[1]
Matt Sadler
GenderCoeducational[1]
Age11 to 19[1]
Enrolment1,300[1]
Websitehttp://www.hampsteadschool.org.uk/

History

The main building on Westbere Road was originally the site of Haberdashers' Aske's Hampstead School having relocated from its Hoxton premises in January 1903 and before moving again to its current location in Elstree to become Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' School. Hampstead School was founded as a secondary modern in 1961 and incorporated Harben Secondary Modern School in Netherwood Street, Kilburn,[2] before becoming a comprehensive. The old school's Latin motto Is est emendo; tendo quod macula iocus notitia (to correct faults, give direction and impart knowledge) can still be seen on the face of the main building.

Academic Standards

The school was awarded a 'gold star' accolade by Ofsted in 2001, which placed it within the top 6% of schools in the country. This was despite half of its 1,275 pupils speaking English as a second language and 10 per cent being refugees. Compared with similar schools, Hampstead was rated well above average for exam results and given an 'A' grade.[3]

Some aspects of the school's performance according to Ofsted dipped after the 2005 inspection. In particular, attendance and GCSE results fell sharply in 2006. However, according to Ofsted this dip was corrected by 2008.[4]

GCSE students sitting their examinations in 2010 achieved the school's highest Key Stage 4 results to date, surpassing the record set by the 2009 cohort.[5]

The 2012 Ofsted report graded the school as 'good' for both achievement of pupils and quality of teaching.[6]

Sixth Form

The Sixth Form at Hampstead School is popular and successful. The school's approach means that students enter the sixth form with below average standards.[4] A large number of students study science and mathematics; the school is among the 20 best schools nationally for participation in advanced level science courses. In many cases, students progress to advanced courses by building on foundation or intermediate programmes of study. Most go on to university when they leave.[4]

The Hampstead Trash

In 2013 the head teacher reported to the police a student who had set up a website critical of the school.[7]

Debating

The school's Debating Society meets every Friday and includes students from all year groups.[8]

In 2005, 21 students from the school were the first team from a comprehensive school to win the cup for the Best Delegation at the Model United Nations (MUN) Forum held in Belfast. The conference was attended by around 250 delegates from over 20 schools in England, Canada, Burkina Faso, and America. The forum provides participants with the opportunity to debate issues of international concern. The students from Hampstead School also received several awards for outstanding individual performances.[9]

In 2007 the senior debating team won the inaugural George Watson's College MUN. They were then joint winners in 2008 and 2009.

In 2017 the school sent two teams to compete at the biennial MUN competition at Woodhouse College in Barnet. One of their teams, representing North Korea, won the award of Best Delegation at the conference.

Notable teachers

In the 1998 New Year's Honours List, Tamsyn Imison,[10] then headteacher, was appointed a DBE. The citation stated that Imison had introduced initiatives to improve standards and ensured the best were spread to local schools.[11]

Notable former pupils

References
  1. "Hampstead School". Get information about schools. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
  2. Kilburn website, accessed 9 September 2013
  3. "Schools with the golden touch", Liz Lightfoot, The Daily Telegraph, 19 June 2001
  4. Ofsted report October 2008
  5. BBC report January 2010
  6. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 7 September 2013.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  7. Davis, Anna. "Hampstead headteacher tells police of pupil 'enchanted by anarchism' and tips off his chosen university." London Evening Standard. 6 September 2013. Retrieved 8 September 2013.
  8. "Hampstead School official website". Archived from the original on 2 October 2010. Retrieved 13 December 2010.
  9. "Budding diplomats from Hampstead School sweep the board in model United Nations", Camden Council website, 9 November 2005. accessed November 2007
  10. Millennium Dame - interview with Tamsyn Imison: Times Educational Supplement, 20 March 2008 includes a large amount of comment on the school accessed 20 July 2010
  11. "Teachers head honours class of '97", BBC News, 31 December 1997
  12. Anon (2019). "Brockdorff, Prof. Neil". Who's Who. ukwhoswho.com (online Oxford University Press ed.). A & C Black, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing plc. (subscription or UK public library membership required) (subscription required)
  13. Proctor, Ian (13 May 2011). "Brent's new mayor unveiled". harrowobserver.co.uk. Harrow Observer. Archived from the original on 20 May 2011. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
  14. The questionnaire: Sadie Frost, The Guardian, 20 February 1999
  15. "The poet who works with kids and animals", Camden New Journal, 10 December 2004. Accessed 18 November 2007.
  16. , Camden New Journal, 17 March 2011
  17. Lord McIntosh of Haringey – Scotland Office Spokesman in the House of Lords Archived 11 October 2007 at the Wayback Machine, 26 June 2001, Scotland Office
  18. Zadie Smith
  19. Jamie Waylett
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