The Crest Boys' Academy (formerly John Kelly Boys' Technology College) was 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) ...

with academy status located in

Neasden Neasden is a suburban area in northwest London, England. It is located around the centre of the London Borough of Brent and is within the NW2 ( Cricklewood) and NW10 (Willesden) postal districts. Neasden is near Wembley Stadium, the Welsh Har ...

in the

London Borough of Brent The London Borough of Brent () is a London boroughs, London borough in north-west London. It borders the boroughs of London Borough of Harrow, Harrow to the north-west, London Borough of Barnet, Barnet to the north-east, London Borough of Camden ...

. The school was founded as John Kelly Boys' School in 1958 and was set in pleasant and extensive grounds. The school was served by a number of bus routes (332, 245, 182, 16) and was close to

and

Dollis Hill Dollis Hill is an area in northwest London, which consists of the streets surrounding the 35 hectares (86 acres) Gladstone Park. It is served by a London Underground station, Dollis Hill, on the Jubilee line, providing good links to central Lon ...

Underground stations. John Kelly Boys' Technology College turned into an academy on 1 September 2009, and became Crest Boys' Academy (sponsored by

E-ACT E-ACT is a multi-academy trust responsible for 28 academies in England. As an academy trust, it is an exempt charity regulated by the Department for Education. E-ACT splits its 28 academies into two regional clusters called 'North' and 'South', ...

). The school was situated next to Crest Girls' Academy; the schools shared 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 ...

. Due to concerns regarding the quality of education at both Crest Boys’ Academy and Crest Girls’ Academy following a grading of Satisfactory by Ofsted, an Executive Principal Phil Hearne was appointed to lead both schools. An Ofsted report in June 2013 placed the school in special measures, stating that it offered an inadequate standard of education. In October 2013 Billy O’Keeffe, the Head of School resigned. In April 2014 a new Principal Director Elroy Cahill was appointed. The Academy underwent a restructure with new teaching and leadership appointments to drive forward standards. The Crest Boys' Academy merged with the Crest Girls' Academy and Crest Sixth Form to become

E-ACT Crest Academy E-ACT Crest Academy is a secondary school with academy status located in Neasden, Brent, North West London. The school opened in September 2014 replacing Crest Girls' Academy, Crest Boys' Academy and Crest Sixth Form. E-ACT Crest Academy ser ...

, which moved into a new £40,000,000 building in September 2014.

Notable former pupils

Brinsley Forde Brinsley Forde MBE (born 16 October 1953) is a British singer and actor of Guyanese parentage who is best known as the founder member of the reggae band Aswad and as a child actor in the children's television series '' Here Come the Double D ...

, musician for

Aswad Aswad are a British reggae group, noted for adding strong R&B and soul influences to the reggae sound. They have been performing since the mid-1970s, having released a total of 21 albums. Their UK hit singles include the number one "Don't Tur ...

and actor *

Mike Gatting Michael William Gatting (born 6 June 1957) is an English former cricketer, who played first-class cricket for Middlesex (1975–1998; captain 1983–1997) and for England from 1977 to 1995, captaining the national side in twenty-three Test mat ...

, former

Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a Historic counties of England, historic county in South East England, southeast England. Its area is almost entirely within the wider urbanised area of London and mostly within the Ceremonial counties of ...

and

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

international cricketer, attended JKBTC * Steve Gatting, former

Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...

and

Brighton Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze A ...

footballer, attended JKBTC *

Ricky Hill Ricky Hill (born 5 March 1959) is an English former footballer, spending most of his playing career at Luton Town FC for 14 years, while representing England at Senior, U21 and U18 International levels. Hill was the fourth Black player to play ...

, former

Luton Town Luton Town Football Club () is a professional association football club based in the town of Luton, Bedfordshire, England, that competes in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1885, it is nicknam ...

and

international footballer, attended JKBTC * Arthur Ted Powell, advertising art director and artist, attended JKBTC * Tony "Gad" Robinson, musician for Aswad *

Graham Young Graham Frederick Young (7 September 1947 – 1 August 1990), best known as the Teacup Poisoner and later the St Albans Poisoner, was an English serial killer who used poison to kill his victims. Obsessed with poisons from an early age, Young be ...

, serial killer, the notorious 'Teacup Poisoner'

External links

Crest Boys' Academy website
Boys' schools in London Educational institutions established in 1958 1958 establishments in England Defunct schools in the London Borough of Brent Educational institutions disestablished in 2014 2014 disestablishments in England {{London-school-stub