Dame Alice Owen's School (also known as Dame Alice Owen's or Owen's; referred to by the

acronym An acronym is a word or name formed from the initial components of a longer name or phrase. Acronyms are usually formed from the initial letters of words, as in ''NATO'' (''North Atlantic Treaty Organization''), but sometimes use syllables, as ...

DAOS) is an 11–18 mixed, partially selective

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

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 ...

with academy status in

Potters Bar Potters Bar is a town in Hertfordshire, England,in the historic County of Middlesex Hertsmere Borough Council – Community Strategy First Review (PDF) north of central London. In 2011, it had a population of 21,882. In 2022 the population was ...

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 ...

, England. It is part of the Dame Alice Owen's Foundation; its trustees are the

Worshipful Company of Brewers The Worshipful Company of Brewers is one of the livery companies of the City of London. London brewers are known to have organised as a group in the 13th century. Their first royal charter was granted by Henry VI in 1438. In 1643, Parliamen ...

. It was founded in

Islington Islington () is a district in the north of Greater London, England, and part of the London Borough of Islington. It is a mainly residential district of Inner London, extending from Islington's High Street to Highbury Fields, encompassing the ar ...

as a boys' school for 30 students in 1613, which makes it one of the oldest schools in the United Kingdom, and is named after its founder, the 17th-century philanthropist Alice Owen. Over time, the boys' school expanded. A girls' school was built in 1886, and the two schools were merged in 1973; the mixed school moved to its current location at Dugdale Hill Lane in Potters Bar in stages between 1973 and 1976. The school is one of the highest performing

state school State schools (in England, Wales, Australia and New Zealand) or public schools (Scottish English and North American English) are generally primary or secondary educational institution, schools that educate all students without charge. They are ...

s in England and Wales in terms of the

General Certificate of Secondary Education 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 ...

(GCSE) and

GCE Advanced 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 ...

(A-Level) results, and is widely considered one of the best schools in the UK. In 2016, it was named the State Secondary School of the Year by ''

The Sunday Times ''The Sunday Times'' is a British newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News UK, whi ...

'' in the newspaper's rankings for the 2016–17 school year, and also received strong praise from ''

Tatler ''Tatler'' is a British magazine published by Condé Nast Publications focusing on fashion and lifestyle, as well as coverage of high society and politics. It is targeted towards the British upper-middle class and upper class, and those interes ...

'' and ''

The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally. It was fo ...

''. In 2020, it was named Regional State School of the Decade for the South East of England by ''

''.

History

Foundation: pre–1613

Dame Alice Owen's School was founded in 1613 by the English philanthropist Alice Owen (

née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...

Wilkes; 1547 – 26 November 1613). Owen decided to found a school to thank God for saving her when she was a child after she narrowly avoided being struck by an arrow, which passed through her hat, in the fields in

; the exact nature of this event is disputed. The death of her third husband (the judge Thomas Owen) in 1598 caused Alice Owen to be free to carry out her plans. On 6 June 1608, she acquired a licence to purchase of ground in Islington and

Clerkenwell Clerkenwell () is an area of central London, England. Clerkenwell was an ancient parish from the mediaeval period onwards, and now forms the south-western part of the London Borough of Islington. The well after which it was named was redisco ...

, on which to build a hospital for 10 poor widows, and to confer power over that land (and some other land; in total, it was worth £40 a year) to the

(her first husband, Henry Robinson, had been a member of the company). The site had been called the "Hermitage" field. In 1609, Owen officially gave authority over the charity she had founded to the Brewers' Company; by

indenture An indenture is a legal contract that reflects or covers a debt or purchase obligation. It specifically refers to two types of practices: in historical usage, an indentured servant status, and in modern usage, it is an instrument used for commercia ...

s dated in that year, she had given the company an annual payment of £25 to support her almshouses. After founding the

almshouse An almshouse (also known as a bede-house, poorhouse, or hospital) was charitable housing provided to people in a particular community, especially during the medieval era. They were often targeted at the poor of a locality, at those from certain ...

s in 1608 on the site, which was on the east side of St John Street, in 1610 Owen obtained the right to build a school and chapel in the same location. It was built between 1610 and 1612 and probably opened in 1613. Three iron arrows were fixed into a gable in the building, to commemorate the time when she was almost hit by an arrow; Owen also erected a free chapel there. On 20 September 1613, she made rules for her school (and the almshouses); notably, the school was to take thirty boys – twenty-four from Islington and six from Clerkenwell – and be inspected by the Brewers' Company once a year. The rules also stated that the school's headmaster was to be paid five pounds every three months and be given a house to live in for free; he was to teach writing, mathematics and

bookkeeping Bookkeeping is the recording of financial transactions, and is part of the process of accounting in business and other organizations. It involves preparing source documents for all transactions, operations, and other events of a business. Tr ...

. Her will (which was dated 10 June 1613), directed the yearly purchase of land worth £20 in order to pay the headmaster's salary. The first man to hold the position was William Leske, who held the position until 1614 before resigning. Samuel Lewis Jnr writes that according to John Stow's ''Survey of London'', building the school and almshouses, as well as purchasing the land, cost £1776. To provide her charity with an income, the

executor An executor is someone who is responsible for executing, or following through on, an assigned task or duty. The feminine form, executrix, may sometimes be used. Overview An executor is a legal term referring to a person named by the maker of a ...

of Owen's will, Sir Thomas Rich, bought a farm in

Orsett Orsett is a village, former civil parish and ecclesiastical parish located within Thurrock unitary district in Essex, England, situated around 5 km north-east of Grays. In 1931 the parish had a population of 1771. History It has historic ...

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 ...

for £22.

Traditions

The school has maintained many traditions from the time of its founding, such as the giving of a small amount of "beer money" to every pupil. This is a reminder of the school's long-standing close association with the brewing industry and the Worshipful Company of Brewers. Pupils in Year Seven receive a special five-pound coin in a ceremony at Brewers' Hall in London, while the older years are given money at school by the Master of the Worshipful Company of Brewers on the last day of the academic year.

Early years and expansion: 1613–1886

William Smith, who held the position of headmaster between 1666 and 1678, was dismissed because of alleged involvement in the

Popish Plot The Popish Plot was a fictitious conspiracy invented by Titus Oates that between 1678 and 1681 gripped the Kingdoms of England and Scotland in anti-Catholic hysteria. Oates alleged that there was an extensive Catholic conspiracy to assassinate C ...

. In 1731, Thomas Dennett, who had been the headmaster since 1717, ran away. In 1818, the

Charity Commission , type = Non-ministerial government department , seal = , seal_caption = , logo = Charity Commission for England and Wales logo.svg , logo_caption = , formed = , preceding1 = , ...

found that there were 55 boys at the school – the 30 specified by Owen, and 25 private pupils (several of whom boarded with Alexander Balfour, who served as headmaster from 1791 to 1824). Only the private pupils learned French and Latin (the other children had the opportunity to learn Latin, but none took it). At the time, the headmaster earned £30 a year. The value of the trust estates in Islington and Clerkenwell had grown to £900 a year by 1830. The school was rebuilt and a new almshouse was built in 1840 or 1841 on a new site in Owen Street, Islington (near their previous location), at a cost of about £6,000, because the old buildings had fallen into disrepair; the original buildings were demolished. The school was expanded when new classrooms were built in 1846 and 1860. In 1842, there were 85 boys attending the school – one-fifth (17) of them were from Clerkenwell while four-fifths (68) were from Islington – though the new school was intended to be for 120 boys. That number of pupils had been reached by 1865 when there were 100 boys from Islington and 20 from Clerkenwell at the school (all aged between 7 and 14). A new project received

royal assent Royal assent is the method by which a monarch formally approves an act of the legislature, either directly or through an official acting on the monarch's behalf. In some jurisdictions, royal assent is equivalent to promulgation, while in other ...

on 14 August 1878; this scheme enabled the school to expand into two schools – one for 300 boys, and the other for that many girls. The almshouse was demolished so that a playground could be built (the former inhabitants of the almshouse received pensions). The front of the boys' school was rebuilt on a larger scale at this time. The girls' school was opened in Owen's Row in 1886; its first headmistress was Emily Armstrong.

Two independent schools in Islington: 1886–1951

The boys' school was expanded further in 1895–96 so that 420 boys could go there; a new wing was built, which included a library and science laboratories. In 1897, a memorial to Alice Owen (in the form of a statue) was commissioned; this statue is still located in the modern school. A building used for lunch as well as art and woodwork was built in 1904. During Robert Chomeley's time as headmaster (1909–27), the boys' school obtained playing fields in

Oakleigh Park Oakleigh Park is a loosely defined district in the north of the London Borough of Barnet. It adjoins Whetstone, and is often regarded either as part of that or of East Barnet, although the East Coast Main Line forms a border with the latter. T ...

and he built several huts there, which were used for lessons. An assembly hall was added to the boys' school during his tenure; it was built in 1927. The schools were evacuated to

Bedford Bedford is a market town in Bedfordshire, England. At the 2011 Census, the population of the Bedford built-up area (including Biddenham and Kempston) was 106,940, making it the second-largest settlement in Bedfordshire, behind Luton, whilst ...

during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, in which the schools' buildings were badly damaged. The girls' school was mostly destroyed by bombing in 1940 and had to be rebuilt; on 15 October 1940, 143 people were sheltering in the basement when a

parachute mine A parachute mine is a naval mine dropped from an aircraft by parachute. They were mostly used in the Second World War by the Luftwaffe and initially by the Royal Air Force (RAF) Bomber Command. Frequently, they were dropped on land targets. Hist ...

hit the building, causing a pipe to flood the basement and killing 109 of the occupants. (A memorial to the people who died in the bombing was unveiled in 2005 at

City and Islington College City and Islington College (CANDI) is a further education college in the London Borough of Islington, England, established in 1993. The college has four major centres throughout the borough, including a dedicated sixth form centre. It is part of C ...

, at the former site of Dame Alice Owen's School's playground). Temporary huts were initially used when the students returned in 1945; a new five-storey girls' school building was built between 1960 and 1963.

Two voluntary aided schools in Islington: 1951–1976

In 1951, Dame Alice Owen's took voluntary aided status, while retaining its separation into two single-sex schools. Both schools were in

Goswell Road Goswell Road, in Central London, is an end part of the A1. The southern part ends with one block, on the east side, in City of London; the rest is in the London Borough of Islington, the north end being Angel. It crosses Old Street/Clerkenwell ...

, facing each other across the boys' playground. In 1963, there were over six hundred boys in the boys' school, of whom more than a hundred were in the

. That year, the boys' and girls' schools celebrated the 350th anniversary of the foundation; this involved various celebrations, including sporting events and concerts. The first official history of the school, by Reg Dare, was also published that year; there was also a Thanksgiving Service at St Paul's Cathedral on 30 April. A new building, part of the girls' school, was opened in October. Funds were raised to purchase a residential centre for both of the schools to use. Pupils stayed there for periods of several days and learned there; the centre, which was located outside London, was called Harrock House. It opened in May 1965, and closed in 1985 due to the cost of maintaining it. The two schools merged in 1973 and were run as a mixed school while pupils were transferred in stages to the school's current location in

between 1973 and July 1976. Reasons for the move included the restrictions of the site in Islington and a decline in the number of pupils in the area. The new school was opened on 8 June 1976 by

Princess Anne Anne, Princess Royal (Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise; born 15 August 1950), is a member of the British royal family. She is the second child and only daughter of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and the only sister of K ...

. The former boys' school building has now been demolished; the girls' school building is now part of

Mixed school in Potters Bar: 1976–present

On 2 November 1990, the

Duke of Edinburgh Duke of Edinburgh, named after the city of Edinburgh in Scotland, was a substantive title that has been created three times since 1726 for members of the British royal family. It does not include any territorial landholdings and does not produc ...

visited the school and opened a new building for physics and information technology that also houses a library, called the Edinburgh Centre. On 25 November 1997, Princess Anne opened a building for the sixth form and modern languages called the Bernard Ryan Centre. Five other buildings have been added to the site since 1976. In 2011, the school became an

academy An academy ( Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy ...

; it had previously been a

voluntary-aided school A voluntary aided school (VA school) is a state-funded school in England and Wales in which a foundation or trust (usually a religious organisation), contributes to building costs and has a substantial influence in the running of the school. In mo ...

. In January 2019, the school received a grant of £50 000 from

Hertsmere Borough Council Hertsmere is a local government district and borough in Hertfordshire, England. Its council is based in Borehamwood. Other settlements in the borough include Bushey, Elstree, Radlett and Potters Bar. The borough borders the three north London ...

to refurbish an astroturf sports pitch. Later that year, a new teaching block known as the "Brewers Education Centre" was completed, after over a year of construction. The building was formally opened in 2021 in a ceremony with the

. The building cost approximately £5 million, with funding coming from the UK government and the Brewers' Company. The Bernard Ryan Centre was due to undergo extensive renovation in 2023.

400th anniversary (2013)

To commemorate the school's quatercentenary in 2013, the school established a 400th Anniversary Committee chaired by the musician

Gary Kemp Gary James Kemp (born 16 October 1959) is an English singer, songwriter, musician and actor, best known as the lead guitarist, backing vocalist, and principal songwriter for the New Romantic band Spandau Ballet. Kemp wrote the lyrics and music ...

(with Peter Martin, the chair of governors, as vice-chairman), which organised several events. Kemp is an Old Owenian (former student) who met some of the future members of his band

Spandau Ballet Spandau Ballet () were an English new wave band formed in Islington, London, in 1979. Inspired by the capital's post-punk underground dance scene, they emerged at the start of the 1980s as the house band for the Blitz Kids, playing "European Da ...

at the school. Construction was set to start in February 2013. By November 2013, more than £840 000 had been raised. In 2014, Lord Winston unveiled the new block. Staff and volunteers made a cake at the school, large enough for all the staff, students and parents to share; this marked the beginning of the celebrations. The film director and producer

Sir Alan Parker Sir Alan William Parker (14 February 1944 – 31 July 2020) was an English filmmaker. His early career, beginning in his late teens, was spent as a copywriter and director of television advertisements. After about ten years of filming adverts ...

(also an Old Owenian) directed a Celebration Concert at the

Royal Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London. One of the UK's most treasured and distinctive buildings, it is held in trust for the nation and managed by a registered charity which receives no govern ...

in April 2013, (it was planned to take place on 23 April 2013) featuring performances by various groups of students, as well as members of Spandau Ballet (including Kemp). A Thanksgiving Service was held at St Paul's Cathedral on 30 April 2013; it was meant to be held a week after the concert. In November, the train company

First Capital Connect First Capital Connect (FCC) was a British train operating company, owned by FirstGroup, that operated the Thameslink and Great Northern sectors from April 2006 to September 2014 which later became the Thameslink, Southern and Great Northern (T ...

named one of its trains "Dame Alice Owens 400 years of learning" to honour the occasion. In conjunction with the celebrations, a 400th Anniversary Appeal was set up to raise £1 million towards a new science building for the school. It was launched in February 2011 by Lord Robert Winston. Kemp was the chairman of the appeal; he said that the school needs assistance "to support ... the scientists of tomorrow". The total cost of the building was predicted to be £6 million. The new block was unveiled by Lord Winston in 2014 (some of the funding came from the appeal).

Governance

The Dame Alice Owen's Foundation supports the school, and its trustees are the

. The school's governing body consists of thirteen Foundation Governors (whose appointments are endorsed by the Worshipful Company of Brewers, since they are trustees of the Dame Alice Owen's Foundation), two elected teacher-governors, the headteacher and three elected parent-governors. The Governing Body meets once in every school term, and will hold additional meetings if necessary. , the Chair of Governors is Peter Martin.

Admissions

The school is partially selective by means of an entrance examination; roughly a third of pupils are selected based on academic ability, while others are chosen because of musical skills, having a sibling at the school or living in the school's

catchment area In human geography, a catchment area is the area from which a location, such as a city, service or institution, attracts a population that uses its services and economic opportunities. Catchment areas may be defined based on from where people are ...

(which includes Islington, from where 20 pupils are admitted yearly because the school was previously located there). 200 pupils are admitted to Year 7 annually; this is the school's published admission number. Sixty-five children enter through the entrance examinations each year (there are two, which take place on different days – the first tests

verbal reasoning Verbal reasoning is understanding and reasoning Reason is the capacity of consciously applying logic by drawing conclusions from new or existing information, with the aim of seeking the truth. It is closely associated with such characteristica ...

and English and the second tests mathematics) and 10 through a musical aptitude test. There are 22 places available for children who live close to the school; this criterion was introduced in 2008 to give priority to those who live locally. There were 38 applications under this criterion in 2018. ''Tatler'' have described the admissions procedure as "mind-boggling". The school also allows external applications to its sixth form. Students are drawn from a wide area, and the school is heavily oversubscribed. In 2013, it received 665 more applications than there were places. , fewer than a quarter of applications succeed; ten people apply for every place offered to external candidates to the sixth form. In 2018, the school received 819 applications, of which 359 had the school as their first preference. In 2006, Alan Davison, the school's headteacher at that time, strongly opposed a plan by the Department for Education and Skills to ban partially selective schools from prioritising applications from the siblings of students attending the school, saying that the proposal threatened the school's "family-friendly atmosphere", and also stated that potentially affected schools were obtaining legal advice (the government never implemented the rule). The school has reported that many families buy or rent houses near the school that they only live in for a short time in order to obtain a place at the school for their children, then move back to their original homes soon after. The school believed that this practice disadvantages families that have lived in the area for a long time. According to the school, half of the pupils who had received places due to proximity to the school in 2008 had moved back to previous homes which were further from the school by 2010. The school introduced several rules to combat this problem; one requirement is that families who retain a previous home within of the school must live in the new home for 36 months before applying to the school, else the new address will only be treated as a temporary address. This was increased from 24 months for the 2018 and 2019 admissions. In 2018, a parent objected to this change on the grounds that it disadvantaged families who did not want to sell their former homes, arguing that the concerns about families moving away from the area after obtaining a place were not applicable to him and that school made the change without thinking of people in his situation. The Office of the Schools Adjudicator, which works with the

Department for Education The Department for Education (DfE) is a department of His Majesty's Government responsible for child protection, child services, education (compulsory, further and higher education), apprenticeships and wider skills in England. A Department ...

, did not uphold the objection; it ruled that the arrangements did not affect a particular racial or social group and that they were fair. In 2013, Davison criticised

Hertfordshire County Council Hertfordshire County Council is the upper-tier local authority for the non-metropolitan county of Hertfordshire, in England, the United Kingdom. After the 2021 election, it consists of 78 councillors, and is controlled by the Conservative Party, ...

and the British government for their alleged lack of response to fraudulent applications for the places at the school available based on residence (it was claimed that in order to qualify, people were renting or buying houses near the school without living in them). He said " ople will do anything to btain a place at the school.

Academic performance

In terms of exam results, the school is one of the highest-ranked state schools in the country, with over 95% of students receiving 10 A*–C grades in their GCSE exams. The school has appeared in the 2014 ''

State Schools Guide'', where it was highly praised and described as a "golden ticket for Islington parents". In 2016, it was named the State Secondary School of the Year by ''

'' in the newspaper's rankings for the 2016–17 school year; it was the first school that was not a

grammar school A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching Latin, but more recently an academically oriented secondary school ...

to win the award (which began in 1999). That year, it was also described as one of the ten best

comprehensive schools A comprehensive school typically describes a secondary school for pupils aged approximately 11–18, that does not select its intake on the basis of academic achievement or aptitude, in contrast to a selective school system where admission is res ...

in the UK by ''

''. In 2018, ''The Sunday Times'' named the school its Regional State Secondary School of the Year 2019 for the Southeast (of England). In 2009, the

Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted) is a non-ministerial department of His Majesty's government, reporting to Parliament. Ofsted is responsible for inspecting a range of educational institutions, includ ...

(Ofsted) rated it outstanding. Around 90 per cent of students enter

higher education Higher education is tertiary education leading to award of an academic degree. Higher education, also called post-secondary education, third-level or tertiary education, is an optional final stage of formal learning that occurs after completi ...

, with many going to some of the best British universities: in 2016, 14 successfully applied to the

University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...

or the

University of Cambridge , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

(collectively called

Oxbridge Oxbridge is a portmanteau of Oxford and Cambridge, the two oldest, wealthiest, and most famous universities in the United Kingdom. The term is used to refer to them collectively, in contrast to other British universities, and more broadly to de ...

). the school's record number of successful applications to these institutions in a single year is 30, which was achieved in 2013; two-thirds of students go on to

Russell Group The Russell Group is a self-selected association of twenty-four public university, public research university, research universities in the United Kingdom. The group is headquartered in Cambridge and was established in 1994 to represent its memb ...

universities. In a 2016 study, Sol Gamsu, a PhD student at

King's College London King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public research university located in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of King George IV and the Duke of Wellington. In 1836, King's ...

, found that Dame Alice Owen's School acts as a "de facto feeder school" for Oxbridge. According to a briefing paper about higher education published in 2019 by the

House of Commons Library The House of Commons Library is the library and information resource of the lower house of the British Parliament. It was established in 1818, although its original 1828 construction was destroyed during the burning of Parliament in 1834. Th ...

, 10.5 per cent of the school's pupils who go on to university go to Oxbridge; by this measure, it is the best performing state comprehensive school in the UK. The school had its first two students attain places on the

Prime Minister's Global Fellowship The Global Fellowship programme (previously The Prime Minister's Global Fellowship) works with 18- and 19-year-old students from England to give them a strong foundation in interacting with one of the three major emerging economies. It began in 2008 ...

programme in 2009. Dame Alice Owen's School has been a Science Specialist School since 2007 and 43 per cent of students go on to study science at world-class universities. The school holds regular lectures, organised by its science society, for students; worked with Cancer Research last year on a skin cancer project and is building relationships with Imperial College London. The school aimed to attract additional government funding, with over £250 000 already raised , to support the construction of a new science block, which finished in 2014.

Exam results

2022

In 2022, 40% of all Year 11

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 ...

entries were graded 9 (old A*), and 93% of all Year 11 students secured 5 or more grades 9-4 (the grade range for a pass.) 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 ...

, 44% of all entries were graded A*, 92% were graded A* -B and 100% of all entries secured a pass grade. 24 students went on to study at Oxford or Cambridge University.

2018

In 2018, 49.9% of

(GCSE) entries were graded 8–9 (equivalent to an A*) and 69.4% were graded 7–9 (A*–A); five students received only top grades. At

(A-Level), 29% of entries were graded A*, 84.8% were A*–B and 95.1% were A*–C. 28 students went on to study at Oxford or Cambridge University.

2016

In 2016, 94% of all Year 11 students secured 5 A*–C grades including English and Maths in their GCSE exams, which was significantly higher than the average for the school's local education authority (80.2%) and the average for England (53.5%); 68.6% of entries were given grades of A* or A. The school's A-Level results were described by the school's headteacher, Hannah Nemko as "fantastic"; 94.1% of grades were A*–C, with 82.1% being A*–B and 55% being A*–A.

2015

At A-Level, 55.5% of grades were A*–A, 80.7% were A*–B and 93.8% were A*–C in 2015. 22.9% of grades were A*'s, and 16 pupils secured university places at Oxbridge.

2012

At GCSE, 94.2% of pupils achieved 5 A*–C grades including English and maths and 96.1% of pupils received 5 A*–C grades without English and maths. 64.5% of entries were graded A*–A (at that time, the school had only performed better than that once), and many pupils only received A* grades. A-Level results for that year were also record-breaking.

2011

In 2011, 93% of all Year 11 students secured 5 A*–C grades including English and Maths. 96% of all Year 11 students secured 5 A*–C grades without English and Maths. 68.1% of all entries were graded A or A* and 32% were graded A*. 82.1% of all grades awarded were A*–B. There was an upward trend with the new A* grade, with 21.3% of all entries being awarded an A*, 32% were awarded an A, making the A* and A total 52.3%. 64 of all students secured straight A*s and As. 99.4% of all entries secured a pass grade. 20 students with offers confirmed their Oxbridge places and the majority of students secured places at their first choice of university. AS results showed a new school record with 54.1% being graded A (compared to 44.1% in 2010) and 78% being graded A or B (68.9% in 2010).

Extracurricular activities

Dame Alice Owen's School offers a wide range of extracurricular activities for the pupils that attend it. Many pupils take part in the

Duke of Edinburgh Award The Duke of Edinburgh's Award (commonly abbreviated DofE) is a youth awards programme founded in the United Kingdom in 1956 by Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, that has since expanded to 144 nations. The awards recognise adolescents and young ...

, including around 30 annually who do the Gold Award, the highest level. School trips accompany students' learning, with many trips international, for example Religious Studies trips to the Galapagos Islands and

Costa Rica Costa Rica (, ; ; literally "Rich Coast"), officially the Republic of Costa Rica ( es, República de Costa Rica), is a country in the Central American region of North America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the no ...

, as well as Geography and History trips to

Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...

and

Ypres Ypres ( , ; nl, Ieper ; vls, Yper; german: Ypern ) is a Belgian city and municipality in the province of West Flanders. Though the Dutch name is the official one, the city's French name is most commonly used in English. The municipality co ...

. There are also opportunities for students to visit the school's partner school in Tanzania. The school offers a wide range of sports for students, including football, gymnastics, rugby and athletics; some pupils represent the school at the national level. The school also has numerous bands, orchestras and choirs, and hundreds of pupils learn to play musical instruments at school, many to a very high standard. Multiple concerts take place at the end of every academic term showcasing the school's many ensembles. The school has several students enrolled in the

National Youth Orchestra A youth orchestra is an orchestra made of young musicians, typically ranging from pre-teens or teenagers to those of conservatory age. Depending on the age range and selectiveness, they may serve different purposes. Orchestras for young studen ...

. The school has multiple drama productions each year, directed by school staff, and lighting, sound, and stage organised by the student-run Technical Crew. The school's numerous clubs and societies include chess and debating. The school also has a student-produced magazine, called ''The Arrow'', which was first published in 1899 and is now published once a year.

Location and school grounds

Dame Alice Owen's School is situated in the south of Potters Bar, just north of the

M25 motorway The M25 or London Orbital Motorway is a major road encircling most of Greater London. The motorway is one of the most important roads in the UK and one of the busiest. Margaret Thatcher opened the final section in 1986, making the M25 the lon ...

and near

South Mimms services South Mimms services is a motorway service area accessible from Junction 23 of the M25 motorway which is also Junction 1 of the A1(M), in England near South Mimms, Hertfordshire. Constructed in 1986 as the first service area on the M25, it is ope ...

(which are to the west of the school). Its grounds have an area of and include a lake and large playing fields. In 2014, Alice Rose, writing for ''Tatler'' magazine, praised its "excellent facilities" and "smart campus"; in 2016, the journalist Sue Leonard, writing in ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper ''The Sunday Times'' (fou ...

'', said that the school "offers...facilities many other secondary schools can only envy", and described its sports grounds as "enormous". Students at the school come from a wide area, and the school is served by six bus routes. Four of these are

London bus routes This is a list of Transport for London (TfL) contracted bus routes in London, England, as well as commercial services that enter the Greater London area (except coaches). Bus services in London are operated by Abellio London, Arriva London, G ...

contracted by Transport for London (TfL): the 313, 626, 692 and 699 (

Arriva London Arriva London is a major bus company operating services in Greater London. It is a subsidiary of Arriva UK Bus and operates services under contract to Transport for London. It was formed in 1998 from a fusion of previously separate Arriva s ...

operates the 313 route,

Sullivan Buses Sullivan Buses is a bus company based in South Mimms, Hertfordshire, England. Founded in 1998, it operates local bus services in and around Hertfordshire and north London including school services, rail replacement bus services in and near London ...

operates the 626 route, and the 692 and 699 routes are operated by Uno.) Two other bus routes operated on behalf of

, the 242 (operated by

Metroline Metroline is a bus company operating services in Greater London and south Hertfordshire. It is a subsidiary of ComfortDelGro Corporation and operates services under contract to Transport for London. As at March 2021, the fleet consisted of 1,5 ...

), and the 610 (operated by Uno), also serve the school. More than 200 students also travel to school by train daily via

Potters Bar railway station Potters Bar railway station serves the town of Potters Bar in Hertfordshire, England. It is located on the Great Northern Route north of London King's Cross railway station, London King's Cross on the East Coast Main Line. Potters Bar station ...

Notable alumni

The school has had many notable former pupils, who are referred to as ''Old Owenians''. Those for careers in the entertainment industry include

Fiona Wade Fiona Sarah Wade (born 20 March 1979) is an English actress, known for playing Priya Sharma in ''Emmerdale'' from 2011 to 2023. Career In 2008, Wade played Mamta in a play called ''Alaska'' by DC Moore at the Royal Court Jerwood Theatre Upstai ...

, an actress in the soap opera ''

Emmerdale ''Emmerdale'' (known as ''Emmerdale Farm'' until 1989) is a British soap opera that is broadcast on ITV1. The show is set in Emmerdale (known as Beckindale until 1994), a fictional village in the Yorkshire Dales. Created by Kevin Laffan, '' ...

'';

Dame Beryl Grey Dame Beryl Elizabeth Grey (née Groom; 11 June 1927 – 10 December 2022) was a British ballet dancer. Early life Born in Highgate, London, she began dance classes at the age of four while attending Sherbourne Preparatory School, and by age eig ...

, a ballerina;

Jessica Tandy Jessie Alice Tandy (7 June 1909 – 11 September 1994) was a British-American actress. Tandy appeared in over 100 stage productions and had more than 60 roles in film and TV, receiving an Academy Award, four Tony Awards, a BAFTA, a Golden Glob ...

, an Academy Award-winning actress; Both

Tony Hadley Anthony Patrick Hadley (born 2 June 1960) is an English pop singer. He rose to fame in the 1980s as the lead singer of the new wave band Spandau Ballet and launched a solo career following the group's split in 1990. Hadley returned to the ban ...

, lead singer and

, the lead guitarist and songwriter for the band

, and Sir

Alan Parker Sir Alan William Parker (14 February 1944 – 31 July 2020) was an English filmmaker. His early career, beginning in his late teens, was spent as a copywriter and director of television advertisements. After about ten years of filming adverts ...

, a film director. Sportsperson alumni include the gymnast

Gabrielle Jupp Gabrielle 'Gabby' Jupp (born 12 June 1997) is a British former artistic gymnast. A successful junior gymnast, she was part of the Great Britain senior team that won silver in the team event at the 2016 European Women's Artistic Gymnastics Cham ...

;

Jodie Williams Jodie Alicia Williams (born 28 September 1993) is a British sprinter who specialises in the 400 metres, having begun her career concentrating on 100 and 200 metres. A prodigious junior, she is the 2009 World Youth Champion at 100 and 200 m, ...

, a sprinter; Paul Robinson, a professional footballer, and Dame

Mary Glen-Haig Dame Mary Alison Glen-Haig, (née James; 12 July 1918 – 15 November 2014) was a British fencer who competed in four Olympic games in 1948, 1952, 1956 and 1960. She was born in London, the daughter of William James, a fencer at the 1908 Lond ...

, a gold-medal-winning fencer at the

Commonwealth Games The Commonwealth Games, often referred to as the Friendly Games or simply the Comm Games, are a quadrennial international multi-sport event among athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930, and, with the exce ...

. Old Owenians notable for their achievements in science are Frederick Gugenheim Gregory, a

botanist Botany, also called , plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "botany" comes from the Ancient Greek wo ...

who won the

Royal Medal The Royal Medal, also known as The Queen's Medal and The King's Medal (depending on the gender of the monarch at the time of the award), is a silver-gilt medal, of which three are awarded each year by the Royal Society, two for "the most important ...

;

Leslie Reginald Cox Leslie Reginald Cox FRS (22 November 1897, Islington – 5 August 1965) was an English palaeontologist and malacologist. Education Cox was born to parents who worked as government servants, in the Post Office telephone engineers' department. Wh ...

, a

palaeontologist Paleontology (), also spelled palaeontology or palæontology, is the scientific study of life that existed prior to, and sometimes including, the start of the Holocene epoch (roughly 11,700 years before present). It includes the study of fossi ...

, and the chemist

Leslie Orgel Leslie Eleazer Orgel FRS (12 January 1927 – 27 October 2007) was a British chemist. He is known for his theories on the origin of life. Biography Leslie Orgel was born in London, England, on . He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in chemi ...

, who is known for inventing Orgel's rules. The

Marxist Marxism is a Left-wing politics, left-wing to Far-left politics, far-left method of socioeconomic analysis that uses a Materialism, materialist interpretation of historical development, better known as historical materialism, to understand S ...

journalist and historian

Andrew Rothstein Andrew Rothstein (26 September 1898 – 22 September 1994) was a British journalist. A member of the Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB), Rothstein was one of the leading public faces of the British Communist movement, serving as a member ...

also went to the school. Two former

Labour Labour or labor may refer to: * Childbirth, the delivery of a baby * Labour (human activity), or work ** Manual labour, physical work ** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer ** Organized labour and the labour ...

MPs have attended the school:

Ronald Chamberlain Ronald is a masculine given name derived from the Old Norse ''Rögnvaldr'', Hanks; Hardcastle; Hodges (2006) p. 234; Hanks; Hodges (2003) § Ronald. or possibly from Old English '' Regenweald''. In some cases ''Ronald'' is an Anglicised form o ...

, MP for Norwood, and

Millie Miller Millie Miller (8 April 1922 – 29 October 1977) was a British Labour Party politician. Miller was a councillor in the London Borough of Camden and was the first woman to lead a London Borough council when she became leader in 1971, remaini ...

, leader of Camden Council and MP for Ilford North. The politician

Alan Amos Alan Thomas Amos (born 10 November 1952) is a British politician who sat as Conservative Member of Parliament for Hexham from 1987 to 1992. After a spell in the Labour Party, he currently sits as a Conservative member of Worcester City Council. ...

, who was the

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...

MP for

Hexham Hexham ( ) is a market town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in Northumberland, England, on the south bank of the River Tyne, formed by the confluence of the North Tyne and the South Tyne at Warden, Northumberland, Warden nearby, and ...

, taught at the school between 1976 and 1984.

List of headteachers

The modern and former boys' and girls' schools have had many headteachers:

Mixed school in Potters Bar

*Hannah Nemko, 2016–present *Alan Davison, 2005–2016 *Aldon T. Williamson, 1994–2005 *David Bolton, 1982–1994 *Gerald F. Jones, 1973–1982 (previously head of the boys' grammar school in Islington)

Mixed school in Islington

* Ronald C. Puddhepatt, 1973–1976

Girls' grammar school

* Celia Nest Kisch, 1960–1973 * Eslie P. Ward, 1945–1960 * Agnes Mary Bozman, 1933–1945 * Eleanor Wilson, 1914–1933 * Emily Armstrong, 1886–1914

Second boys' grammar school

* Gerald F. Jones, 1962–1973 (he became the headteacher of the modern, mixed school; see above) * Edward H. Burrough, 1955–1962 * Walter Garstang, 1948–1954 * Oliver W. Mitchell, 1939–1948 * Rev Harry Asman, 1929–1939 * Edwin T. England, 1927–1929 * Robert F. Cholmeley

CBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

, 1909–1927 * James Easterbrook, 1881–1909 * Thomas H. Way, 1879–1881 * John Hoare, 1840–1879 (previously head of the first boys' grammar school)

Masters of the first boys' grammar school

* John Hoare, 1833–1840 (he became the headmaster of the second boys' school; see above) * Joseph Summersby, 1825–1833 * Alexander Balfour, 1791–1824 * David Davies, 1750–1791 * Richard Shilton, 1738–1750 * Henry Clarke, 1731–1738 * Thomas Dennett, 1717–1731 * Laurence Brandreth, 1716–1717 * George Thomson, 1711–1716 * Roger Rogerson, 1699–1711 * William Vickars, 1692–1699 * John Clutterbuck, 1678–1692 * William Smith, 1666–1678 * Mr Fowle, 1665–1666 * John Clarke, 1665 * George Lovejoy, 1654–1665 * Peter Dowell, 1628–1654 * Nathaniel Bate, 1626–1628 * John Jorden, 1624–1626 * John Weston, 1624 * Mr Lymer, 1620–1624 * Mr Jones, 1617–1620 * John Hewes, 1614–1617 * William Leske, 1613–1614

References

Notes

Citations

Works cited

* * * * * * *

External links

* {{authority control Schools in Hertsmere Academies in Hertfordshire Relocated schools Potters Bar Secondary schools in Hertfordshire Educational institutions established in the 1610s 1613 establishments in England