Hampstead School
Encyclopedia
Hampstead School is a large multi-ethnic comprehensive school
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...

 in the London borough of Camden
Camden Town
-Economy:In recent years, entertainment-related businesses and a Holiday Inn have moved into the area. A number of retail and food chain outlets have replaced independent shops driven out by high rents and redevelopment. Restaurants have thrived, with the variety of culinary traditions found in...

. The school building is one of the oldest in the borough. It is a specialist
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...

 Technology College
Technology College
Technology College is a term used in the United Kingdom for a secondary specialist school that focuses on design and technology, mathematics and science. These were the first type of specialist schools, beginning in 1994. In 2008 there were 598 Technology Colleges in England, of which 12 also...

 and has been recognised by Investors in People
Investors in People
Launched in 1991 Investors in People is a business improvement tool administered by UK Commission for Employment and Skills and supported by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills ....

.

The school has approximately 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).

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. Hampstead School was then founded as a secondary modern
Secondary modern school
A secondary modern school is a type of secondary school that existed in most of the United Kingdom from 1944 until the early 1970s, under the Tripartite System, and was designed for the majority of pupils - those who do not achieve scores in the top 25% of the eleven plus examination...

 in 1961 before becoming a 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...

. 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
Office for Standards in Education
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 ....

 in June 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.

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.

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.

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. 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.

Uniform

Hampstead School re-introduced a uniform for Lower School students in December 2006 following a consultation with parents, pupils and staff. The current uniform consists of a black jumper with the school crest, a white shirt, which must be worn with a school tie, black trousers or skirt and black shoes. As of September 2011 a black blazer with the school crest has also been introduced.

Debating

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

Hampstead students have enjoyed many successes in the field of debating with a team of sixth-formers becoming Camden Debating Champions in late 2007 and the Junior Debating Society winning several exhibition debates against local rivals Queen's Park Community School in 2008.

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
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...

. 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.
This winning tradition was replicated by the senior team of 2007 who won the inaugural George Watson's College MUN held in Edinburgh and also stormed to victory in November of the same year at Methodist College, Belfast, staking their claim in the annals of MUN folklore as one of only a couple simultaneous two-time UK champions. They also set a record at MCB for the highest ever yield of awards, with the team of seven delegates garnering five Best Delegate awards and two other mentions, as well as a Highly Commended General Assembly Delegation mention and the Best Overall Delegation award. They then successfully defended their Edinburgh title in 2008, being declared joint winners with Methodist College Belfast, before once again defending their title at Belfast in October as they took victory alongside Cheadle Hulme in another shared victory. This unparalled run meant that the team became the first ever in the history of school-level MUN in the United Kingdom to achieve the 'double-double', holding Best Overall Delegation at the same time at two conferences in two successive years. The team then finally bowed out by triumphing, inevitably, for a third consecutive time at Edinburgh in 2009, sealing an incredible 5 successes in a row in a feat that has never been seen before, nor is it likely to be repeated. The Hampstead team's record, team referring only to the winning delegation, over the past 2 years (or 5 conferences) therefore stands at sixteen Best Delegate awards, fourteen other mentions, five Best Overall Delegation awards and two Highly Commended General Assembly Delegation mentions in the aforementioned five conferences, against schools such as Eton College
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....

, the London Oratory
London Oratory School
The London Oratory School is a Catholic secondary comprehensive school in Fulham, London. The Headmaster is David McFadden. It has around 1,365 pupils. It is not to be confused with The Oratory School, a Catholic boarding school...

, Methodist College Belfast
Methodist College Belfast
Methodist College Belfast , styled locally as Methody, is a voluntary grammar school in Belfast, Northern Ireland, one of eight Northern Irish schools represented on the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference, and is a member of the Independent Schools Council...

, Withington Girls' School
Withington Girls' School
Withington Girls' School is an independent day school in Fallowfield, Manchester, United Kingdom, providing education for girls between the ages of seven and eighteen. Withington Girls' School is a member of the Girls' Schools Association and a MyDaughter school. Withington is consistently ranked...

 and George Watson's College
George Watson's College
George Watson's College, known informally as Watson's, is a co-educational independent day school in Scotland, situated on Colinton Road, in the Merchiston area of Edinburgh. It was first established as a hospital school in 1741, became a day school in 1871 and was merged with its sister school...

.

Notable teachers

In the 1998 New Year's Honours List, Tamsyn Imison
Tamsyn Imison
Dame Tamsyn Imison, DBE was a prominent British educator and 'educational strategist' whose first career was as a scientific illustrator....

, then headteacher
Head teacher
A head teacher or school principal is the most senior teacher, leader and manager of a school....

, was awarded a DBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...

. The citation stated that Imison had introduced initiatives to improve standards and ensured the best were spread to local schools.

Notable alumni

  • Alex Bogdanovic
    Alex Bogdanovic
    Aleksa Bogdanovic , also known as his British nickname Alex, is a Serbian-British tennis player born in Belgrade, Yugoslavia. Alex was brought to England by his parents Dušan and Amelija when he was seven and took up tennis as a means of making new friends.Bogdanovic turned professional in 2002...

    , tennis player
  • Aslam Choudry, Mayor
    Mayor
    In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....

     of The London Borough of Brent
    London Borough of Brent
    In 1801, the civil parishes that form the modern borough had a total population of 2,022. This rose slowly throughout the 19th century, as the district became built up; reaching 5,646 in the middle of the century. When the railways arrived the rate of population growth increased...

  • Sadie Frost
    Sadie Frost
    Sadie Frost is an English actress, who currently runs fashion label Frost French and has designed the kitchens for a new development in the East End of London.-Biography:Frost was born Sadie Liza Vaughan in London...

    , actress
  • Tobias Hill
    Tobias Hill
    Tobias Hill is an award-winning British poet, essayist, writer of short stories and novelist.-Life:Tobias Hill was born in Kentish Town, in North London, to parents of German Jewish and English extraction: his maternal grandfather was the brother of Gottfried Bermann, confidant of Thomas Mann and,...

    , novelist and poet
  • Jasper Joffe
    Jasper Joffe
    Jasper Joffe is a British contemporary artist and novelist.-Life and work:Jasper Joffe was born in the United States in 1975 and moved to England when he was eight. He is the brother of artist Chantal Joffe. He studied Fine Art at the Ruskin School of Drawing and Fine Art, Oxford...

    , Artist
  • Anita Klein
    Anita Klein
    Anita Klein is a British painter and printmaker born in Australia. .Anita Klein studied at Chelsea School of Art and the Slade School of Art in London...

    , printmaker
  • Andrew McIntosh, Baron McIntosh of Haringey
    Andrew McIntosh, Baron McIntosh of Haringey
    Andrew Robert McIntosh, Baron McIntosh of Haringey PC was a British Labour politician and last elected Principal of the Working Men's College....

    , politician
    Politician
    A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...

  • Zadie Smith
    Zadie Smith
    Zadie Smith is a British novelist. To date she has written three novels. In 2003, she was included on Granta's list of 20 best young authors...

    , novel
    Novel
    A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....

    ist

External links

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