The Charter School
Encyclopedia
The Charter School is a coeducational secondary comprehensive school
in Dulwich
, within the London Borough of Southwark
, south London
, England. It opened in September 2000 and occupies a site on Red Post Hill next to North Dulwich railway station
and nearby Herne Hill
.
The site was formerly inhabited by Dulwich High School for Boys and before that William Penn Secondary School. The old buildings underwent major renovation before opening, modernising them to construct a school for the new millennium. Additions, notably the sports hall and ball courts were also made.
The Charter School was born out of a need of the local community for the government to provide a good state secondary school in the Dulwich area, due in part to the high concentration of private schools in the area (James Allen's Girls' School
, or JAGS; Alleyns; and Dulwich College
).
The school was then opened in September 2000 by the first headteacher of the school, Pam Bowmaker OBE, who welcomed the first 180 students to join the school in Year 7.
She retired as a headteacher in July 2005 when the school had received its first set of GCSE results, and was succeeded by Chris Bowler in September 2007 (who then led the school to an Outstanding grading in its 2007 Ofsted
inspection), before being replaced by former Deputy Headteacher, David Sheppard in September 2008. It has received its second Outstanding Ofsted award in 2009.
The school achieved High Performing Specialist School Status as a Business & Enterprise School in 2008.
The school specialises in IT and sport. A new football pitch is being built on the former sports hall site next to the new building.
The school have their own
football team,
cheerleading squad,
tennis team, and
basketball team. The school has just over 1000 pupils on its roll.
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 Dulwich
Dulwich
Dulwich is an area of South London, England. The settlement is mostly in the London Borough of Southwark with parts in the London Borough of Lambeth...
, within the London Borough of Southwark
London Borough of Southwark
The London Borough of Southwark is a London borough in south east London, England. It is directly south of the River Thames and the City of London, and forms part of Inner London.-History:...
, south London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England. It opened in September 2000 and occupies a site on Red Post Hill next to North Dulwich railway station
North Dulwich railway station
North Dulwich railway station is in the London Borough of Southwark in Dulwich, south London. The station and all trains serving it are operated by Southern, and it is on the boundary of Travelcard Zone 2 and Travelcard Zone 3 .The Grade II listed railway station was designed in a hybrid Romanesque...
and nearby Herne Hill
Herne Hill
Herne Hill is located in the London Borough of Lambeth and the London Borough of Southwark in Greater London. There is a road of the same name which continues the A215 north of Norwood Road and was called Herne Hill Road.-History:...
.
The site was formerly inhabited by Dulwich High School for Boys and before that William Penn Secondary School. The old buildings underwent major renovation before opening, modernising them to construct a school for the new millennium. Additions, notably the sports hall and ball courts were also made.
The Charter School was born out of a need of the local community for the government to provide a good state secondary school in the Dulwich area, due in part to the high concentration of private schools in the area (James Allen's Girls' School
James Allen's Girls' School
James Allen's Girls' School, or JAGS, is an independent day school situated in Dulwich, South London, England. It has a senior school for 11–18 year old girls, a prep school for 7–11 year old girls , and a pre-preparatory school — JAPPS — for 4–7 year old girls.-Jags History:The school is part of...
, or JAGS; Alleyns; and Dulwich College
Dulwich College
Dulwich College is an independent school for boys in Dulwich, southeast London, England. The college was founded in 1619 by Edward Alleyn, a successful Elizabethan actor, with the original purpose of educating 12 poor scholars as the foundation of "God's Gift". It currently has about 1,600 boys,...
).
The school was then opened in September 2000 by the first headteacher of the school, Pam Bowmaker OBE, who welcomed the first 180 students to join the school in Year 7.
She retired as a headteacher in July 2005 when the school had received its first set of GCSE results, and was succeeded by Chris Bowler in September 2007 (who then led the school to an Outstanding grading in its 2007 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 ....
inspection), before being replaced by former Deputy Headteacher, David Sheppard in September 2008. It has received its second Outstanding Ofsted award in 2009.
The school achieved High Performing Specialist School Status as a Business & Enterprise School in 2008.
The school specialises in IT and sport. A new football pitch is being built on the former sports hall site next to the new building.
The school have their own
football team,
cheerleading squad,
tennis team, and
basketball team. The school has just over 1000 pupils on its roll.