Barking Abbey School is a

secondary school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' secondary education, lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) ...

and specialist

sports Sport pertains to any form of competitive physical activity or game that aims to use, maintain, or improve physical ability and skills while providing enjoyment to participants and, in some cases, entertainment to spectators. Sports can, th ...

and

humanities college Humanities Colleges are a type of specialist school introduced in 2004 as part of the Specialist Schools Programme in the United Kingdom. The system enabled secondary and primary schools to specialise in certain fields, in this case, humanities ...

located in the

London Borough of Barking and Dagenham The London Borough of Barking and Dagenham () is a London borough in East London. It lies around 9 miles (14.4 km) east of Central London. It is an Outer London borough and the south is within the London Riverside section of the Thames G ...

. It serves students from the London Boroughs of Barking and Dagenham, Redbridge, and

Newham The London Borough of Newham is a London borough created in 1965 by the London Government Act 1963. It covers an area previously administered by the Essex county boroughs of West Ham and East Ham, authorities that were both abolished by the s ...

. Years 7 to 11 (ages 11 – 16) are at the Longbridge Road site and years 7 to 13 (ages 11 – 18) at the Sandringham Road site. Barking Abbey also has a

Sixth Form In the education systems of England, Northern Ireland, Wales, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago and some other Commonwealth countries, sixth form represents the final two years of secondary education, ages 16 to 18. Pupils typically prepare for A-l ...

of over 400 students which is at the Sandringham Road site.

A Level The A-Level (Advanced Level) is a subject-based qualification conferred as part of the General Certificate of Education, as well as a school leaving qualification offered by the educational bodies in the United Kingdom and the educational aut ...

and BTEC courses are available to 16 - 18 year-olds in the Sixth Form. Both sites are situated to the west of Mayesbrook Park and to the north of Upney Underground station.

History

Barking Abbey School was founded in 1922, the first co-educational grammar school in England. The first headmaster was Colonel Ernest Loftus, who stayed for 27 years, being replaced by Mr Frank Young DFC in 1949. In 2005, Barking Abbey started the Barking Abbey Basketball Academy. This enabled younger players from around London,

Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...

, and

Hertfordshire Hertfordshire ( or ; often abbreviated Herts) is one of the home counties in southern England. It borders Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire to the north, Essex to the east, Greater London to the south, and Buckinghamshire to the west. For govern ...

to experience the life of being in a basketball academy, preparing some of them to move abroad on scholarships to various countries around the world. It has been announced that Barking Abbey will become the first pilot Regional Institute of Basketball within Great Britain. In 2007, Barking Abbey's Dance Department opened its Dance Academy as a "centre of excellence". It has introduced the teaching of

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

, making it one of the few state schools in London to offer this course. Historic records of Barking Abbey School for 1922-1977 are held at Barking and Dagenham Archive Service, Valence House Museum. This collections includes early pupil records, staff records, sports, photographs, and house record books.

Academic performance

In 2019, the school's

Progress 8 benchmark The Progress 8 benchmark is an accountability measure used by the government of the United Kingdom to measure the effectiveness of secondary schools in England. It bands pupils into groups based on their scores in English and mathematics during t ...

GCSE The General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) is an academic qualification in a particular subject, taken in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. State schools in Scotland use the Scottish Qualifications Certificate instead. Private sc ...

was above average. 49% of children at the school achieved Grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSEs, compared to the Barking and Dagenham average of 43% and the national average, also 43%. The school's Attainment 8 score at GCSE was 49, compared to the Barking and Dagenham average of 47 and the national average, also 47. At

A-Level The A-Level (Advanced Level) is a subject-based qualification conferred as part of the General Certificate of Education, as well as a school leaving qualification offered by the educational bodies in the United Kingdom and the educational aut ...

in 2019, the school's Progress score was below average. The average result was C-, compared to the Barking and Dagenham average of C and the national average of C+. The percentage of students completing their A level courses was 97%, compared to the Barking and Dagenham average of 91% and the national average of 91%.

Notable former pupils

* Graham Allen, writer and academic *

Ravi Bopara Ravinder Singh Bopara (born 4 May 1985) is an English cricketer who plays for Sussex County Cricket Club in one day cricket. Originally a top-order batsman, his developing medium pace bowling has made him a batting all rounder in the one day ...

, Essex and England cricketer *

Billy Bragg Stephen William Bragg (born 20 December 1957) is an English singer-songwriter and left-wing activist. His music blends elements of folk music, punk rock and protest songs, with lyrics that mostly span political or romantic themes. His music is ...

, musician (spent a year at Park Modern Secondary School) *

Leanne Brown Leanne, LeAnne, Leann, LeAnn, Lee-Anne, Lee Anne, Lee-Ann, Lee Ann, Li-Anne, etc. are female given names and may refer to one of the following people: Leann, LeAnn, and Leeann * Leann Birch (1946-2019), American developmental psychologist * Lea ...

, Great Britain World Junior Flatwater Canoeist * Wayne Brown, footballer *

Malcolm Eden Malcolm Eden (born 1 September 1963, Ilford, Essex, England) was the vocalist and guitarist in the indie pop group McCarthy between 1985 and 1990. Eden wrote the far left leaning lyrics of the band. Eden cited the election of Margaret Thatcher ...

, member of indie pop band McCarthy *

Tim Gane Timothy John Gane (born 12 July 1964) is an English songwriter and guitarist who co-founded Stereolab with his then-partner Lætitia Sadier.Gregory, Andy (ed.) (2002) ''International Who's Who in Popular Music, 2002'', Europa Publications Limite ...

, member of McCarthy and

Stereolab Stereolab are an Anglo- French avant-pop band formed in London in 1990. Led by the songwriting team of Tim Gane and Lætitia Sadier, the group's music combines influences from krautrock, lounge and 1960s pop music, often incorporating a repetit ...

Robert Gilchrist Robert Gilchrist may refer to: * Robert Gilchrist (basketball) (born 1990), professional basketball player *Robert Gilchrist (mayor) (died 1866), mayor of Jersey City, New Jersey * Robert Gilchrist (cricketer) (1821–1905), Scottish cricketer * Rob ...

, professional basketball player *

Michael Hector Michael Anthony James Hector (born 19 July 1992) is a professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Charlton Athletic. Born in England, he represents the Jamaica national team. Hector began his career in the youth teams at Millwall an ...

, footballer * JJ Jegede, British long jumper * Joss Labadie, footballer *

Danis Salman Danis Mahmut Mehmet Salman ( tr, Danış Salman; born 12 March 1960), sometimes known as Danny Salman, is a Turkish Cypriot-born English former professional footballer and coach, best remembered for his time as a defender in the Football Leagu ...

, footballer *

Akwasi Yeboah Akwasi Abeyie Yeboah (born June 15, 1997) is a British professional basketball player for Galatasaray Ekmas of the Basketbol Süper Ligi (BSL). Yeboah competed for the Kent Crusaders of the English National Basketball League (NBL) and led the ...

, basketball player *

Bobby Zamora Robert Lester Zamora (born 16 January 1981) is an English former professional footballer who played as a forward. Zamora began his career at Football League club Bristol Rovers, but was soon signed by Brighton & Hove Albion, where he found first ...

, footballer

Barking Abbey Grammar School

Carole Ann Ford Carole Ann Lillian Ford ( Higgins; born 16 June 1940) is a British actress best known for her roles as Susan Foreman in the BBC science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', and as Bettina in the 1962 film adaptation of ''The Day of the Tr ...

, actor, played

Susan Foreman Susan Foreman (also known as Susan Campbell in spin-off media) is a fictional character in the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. The granddaughter and original companion of the First Doctor, she was played by actress Caro ...

from 1963-64 in ''

Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series depicts the adventures of a Time Lord called the Doctor, an extraterrestrial being who appears to be human. The Doctor explores the u ...

'' * C. J. Freezer, model railway enthusiast * Sir Brian Jarman OBE, physician and academic * Steve Mogford, Chief executive since 2011 of

United Utilities United Utilities Group plc (UU), the United Kingdom's largest listed water company, was founded in 1995 as a result of the merger of North West Water and NORWEB. The group manages the regulated water and waste water network in North West Englan ...

Group plc *

Brian Poole Brian Poole (born 2 November 1941)Eder, BruceBrian Poole Biography, Allmusic. Retrieved 17 August 2014 is a singer and performer who was the lead singer of 1960s beat band The Tremeloes (1957–62) and then Brian Poole and The Tremeloes (1962� ...

, lead singer of

The Tremeloes The Tremeloes are an English beat group founded in 1958 in Dagenham, England. They initially found success in the British Invasion era with lead singer Brian Poole, scoring a UK chart-topper in 1963 with "Do You Love Me". After Poole's departu ...

* Prof

Alan Smithers Prof Alan George Smithers (born 20 May 1938) is an English educationalist. Early life Smithers was born in the East End of London, the son of a Billingsgate fish porter.Rafferty, R. (22 January 1999). 'Leaders of the pack', ''Times Educational ...

, (attended 1949–56), author, broadcaster and educationist * Victor Rice, industrialist, ex-CEO of Massey Ferguson and LucasVarity

Arms

References

External links

Barking Abbey School website

Barking Abbey Basketball Academy

EduBase

Barking Abbey School Videos

Valence House Museum
Barking Abbey School Archives {{authority control Secondary schools in the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham Educational institutions established in 1922 1922 establishments in England Community schools in the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham Barking, London Specialist sports colleges in England Specialist humanities colleges in England