Grey Coat Hospital
Encyclopedia
The Grey Coat Hospital is a Church of England
comprehensive
secondary school
for girls in Westminster
, London, England.
in 1698. Eight members of the congregation
of St. Margaret's, Westminster
donated towards the founding of the school, initially a day school for 50 boys. In 1701, the Governors bought an old workhouse
from Westminster Abbey
to establish a boarding school. From that year it was also a mixed school, with both boys and girls attending. The founders' aim was to provide the poor
of the parish
with an education
, so that they could become "loyal
citizens, useful workers and solid
Christian
s". From 1785, 60 boys and 30 girls were admitted. In 1874 it was changed to a girls' school under church management.
In 1998, the Hospital celebrated its tercentenary by opening a new building for the Upper School on Regency Street, replacing an older site on Sloane Square
. The original building is still used primarily by years 7-9 (Lower School), while years 10-11 and the sixth form
are based at the Upper School, although most years visit both sites regularly. In 2009 construction began on a new Arts block at Lower School under the Building Schools for the Future
programme.
The school became a Language College
in 2002, and in 2008 was also granted the status of Training School
. In its most recent inspection report in 2009, Ofsted
again assessed the school as "outstanding".
The current head teacher is Mrs Siân Maddrell, who succeeded Rachel Allard in April 2011.
Each year, the school admits 151 girls in to year 7.
The school suspended 29 students in December 2008 for joining an open Facebook
group described by the Head as "a hate campaign against a member of staff". The Head said that the action was designed to send a strong message that the school does not tolerate such behaviour. She said that, of an unspecified number of parents who had visited her about the incident, the majority were supportive of the school's action. Westminster City Council
also supported the school's decision. Teaching unions said that one in five teachers faces cyber-bullying
, and called for expulsions
in serious cases. Although the Facebook group was removed, discussions remained on another website with disparaging comments about the teacher concerned. The Daily Telegraph reported that some pupils had contacted the paper to say that the school had gone too far.
visited the school to unveil a new plaque for notable alumnus David Thompson
, explorer
and mapper
of North America
.
Alumni of recent times include:
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
comprehensive
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...
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...
for girls in Westminster
City of Westminster
The City of Westminster is a London borough occupying much of the central area of London, England, including most of the West End. It is located to the west of and adjoining the ancient City of London, directly to the east of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, and its southern boundary...
, London, England.
History
The school was founded on St. Andrew's DaySt. Andrew's Day
St Andrew's Day is the feast day of Saint Andrew. It is celebrated on 30 November.Saint Andrew is the patron saint of Scotland, and St Andrew's Day is Scotland's official national day...
in 1698. Eight members of the congregation
Local church
A local church is a Christian congregation of members and clergy.Local church may also refer to:* Local churches , a Christian group based on the teachings of Watchman Nee and Witness Lee, and associated with the Living Stream Ministry publishing house.* Parish church, a local church united with...
of St. Margaret's, Westminster
St. Margaret's, Westminster
The Anglican church of St. Margaret, Westminster Abbey is situated in the grounds of Westminster Abbey on Parliament Square, and is the parish church of the House of Commons of the United Kingdom in London...
donated towards the founding of the school, initially a day school for 50 boys. In 1701, the Governors bought an old workhouse
Workhouse
In England and Wales a workhouse, colloquially known as a spike, was a place where those unable to support themselves were offered accommodation and employment...
from Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey
The Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, popularly known as Westminster Abbey, is a large, mainly Gothic church, in the City of Westminster, London, United Kingdom, located just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is the traditional place of coronation and burial site for English,...
to establish a boarding school. From that year it was also a mixed school, with both boys and girls attending. The founders' aim was to provide the poor
Elizabethan Poor Law (1601)
The Act for the Relief of the Poor 1601, popularly known as the "Elizabethan Poor Law", "43rd Elizabeth" or the "Old Poor Law" was an Act of Parliament passed in 1601 which created a national poor law system for England and Wales....
of the parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
with an education
Education
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
, so that they could become "loyal
Loyalty
Loyalty is faithfulness or a devotion to a person, country, group, or cause There are many aspects to...
citizens, useful workers and solid
Dependability
Dependability is a value showing the reliability of a person to others because of his/her integrity, truthfulness, and trustfulness, traits that can encourage someone to depend on him/her.The wider use of this noun is in Systems engineering....
Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
s". From 1785, 60 boys and 30 girls were admitted. In 1874 it was changed to a girls' school under church management.
In 1998, the Hospital celebrated its tercentenary by opening a new building for the Upper School on Regency Street, replacing an older site on Sloane Square
Sloane Square
Sloane Square is a small hard-landscaped square on the boundaries of the fashionable London districts of Knightsbridge, Belgravia and Chelsea, located southwest of Charing Cross, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. The square is part of the Hans Town area designed in 1771 by Henry...
. The original building is still used primarily by years 7-9 (Lower School), while years 10-11 and the sixth form
Sixth form
In the education systems of England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, and of Commonwealth West Indian countries such as Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Belize, Jamaica and Malta, the sixth form is the final two years of secondary education, where students, usually sixteen to eighteen years of age,...
are based at the Upper School, although most years visit both sites regularly. In 2009 construction began on a new Arts block at Lower School under 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.
The school became a Language College
Language College
Language Colleges were introduced in 1995 as part of the Specialist Schools Programme in the United Kingdom. The system enables secondary schools to specialise in certain fields, in this case, modern foreign languages...
in 2002, and in 2008 was also granted the status of Training School
Training school
For a juvenile correctional facility, see youth detention center-----A training school is an official designation, awarded by the Department for Children, Schools and Families, to schools in England that provide exceptional facilities for in-service and work experience training of teachers...
. In its most recent inspection report in 2009, 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 ....
again assessed the school as "outstanding".
The current head teacher is Mrs Siân Maddrell, who succeeded Rachel Allard in April 2011.
Each year, the school admits 151 girls in to year 7.
Aim
The aim of The Grey Coat Hospital is to enable girls to take charge of their learning, make decisions based on Christian values, live in the world as independent women, and meet the challenges of the twenty-first century.School behaviour code
The school has a strict behaviour code, summarised for students as "The most important rule of all is to behave well at all times inside and outside the school, in a way which will bring honour to it, credit to you and that will show courtesy and consideration for other people."The school suspended 29 students in December 2008 for joining an open Facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
group described by the Head as "a hate campaign against a member of staff". The Head said that the action was designed to send a strong message that the school does not tolerate such behaviour. She said that, of an unspecified number of parents who had visited her about the incident, the majority were supportive of the school's action. Westminster City Council
Westminster City Council
Westminster City Council is the local authority for the City of Westminster in Greater London, England. It is a London borough council and is entitled to be known as a city council, which is a rare distinction in the United Kingdom. The city is divided into 20 wards, each electing three councillors...
also supported the school's decision. Teaching unions said that one in five teachers faces cyber-bullying
Cyber-bullying
Cyber-bullying is the use of the Internet and related technologies to harm other people, in a deliberate, repeated, and hostile manner. As it has become more common in society, particularly among young people, legislation and awareness campaigns have arisen to combat it.-Definition:The term...
, and called for expulsions
Expulsion (academia)
Expulsion or exclusion refers to the permanent removal of a student from a school system or university for violating that institution's rules. Laws and procedures regarding expulsion vary between countries and states.-State sector:...
in serious cases. Although the Facebook group was removed, discussions remained on another website with disparaging comments about the teacher concerned. The Daily Telegraph reported that some pupils had contacted the paper to say that the school had gone too far.
Notable alumni
In 2007, Ray MearsRay Mears
Raymond Paul "Ray" Mears is an English woodsman, instructor, author and TV presenter. His TV appearances cover bushcraft and survival techniques, and he is best known for the TV series Ray Mears' Bushcraft, Ray Mears' World of Survival, Extreme Survival, Survival with Ray Mears, Wild Britain with...
visited the school to unveil a new plaque for notable alumnus David Thompson
David Thompson (explorer)
David Thompson was an English-Canadian fur trader, surveyor, and map-maker, known to some native peoples as "Koo-Koo-Sint" or "the Stargazer"...
, explorer
Exploration
Exploration is the act of searching or traveling around a terrain for the purpose of discovery of resources or information. Exploration occurs in all non-sessile animal species, including humans...
and mapper
Geographer
A geographer is a scholar whose area of study is geography, the study of Earth's natural environment and human society.Although geographers are historically known as people who make maps, map making is actually the field of study of cartography, a subset of geography...
of North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
.
Alumni of recent times include:
- Katherine WeareKatherine WeareKatherine Weare is a Professor of Education at the University of Southampton, England.She was educated at the Grey Coat Hospital, Westminster, the University of Kent at Canterbury, Goldsmiths College, University of London and the Institute of Education, University of London...
(born 1950), Professor of Education - Tamsin Dunwoody (born 1958), Labour politician
- Sarah GreeneSarah GreeneSarah Greene is a British television personality well known for presenting live TV: long-running series e.g. Blue Peter, from 19 May 1980 until 27 June 1983, Saturday Superstore, Going Live for 10 years and big event/awards shows.- Early life and career :Greene was born in London, England, the...
(born 1958), TV presenter - Ebony-Jewel Rainford-BrentEbony-Jewel Rainford-BrentEbony-Jewel Cora-Lee Camellia Rosamond Rainford-Brent is an English woman cricketer. She is the first black woman to play for the England team. She currently plays for Surrey Women....
(born 1983), Cricketer - Phyllis Agbo (born 1985), British heptathlete, represented England at the 2010 Commonwealth Games
- Abby Rakic-PlattAbby Rakic-PlattAbby Rakic-Platt is a British actress best known for her performances in the television series The Story of Tracy Beaker as Jackie Hopper.She appeared on a 2010 Sainsbury'sChristmas advert.-Personal Life:...
(born 1993), Actress
Trivia
- The film version of StormbreakerStormbreaker (film)Stormbreaker is a 2006 British spy film based on Anthony Horowitz's novel of the same name, the first novel in the Alex Rider series. It stars newcomer Alex Pettyfer as the teenage spy alongside actors Mickey Rourke and Bill Nighy...
used the building as Alex RiderAlex RiderAlex Rider is a series of spy novels by British author Anthony Horowitz about a 14-15 year old spy named Alex Rider. The series is aimed primarily at young adults. Nine novels have been published to date, as well as three graphic novels, three short stories and a supplementary book...
's school.