Dorothy Stringer School is a
secondary school located in
Brighton, East Sussex
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 Ag ...
, England. It has over 1,600 pupils and 115 members of staff. There are 64 forms, each with an average of 26 students.
Location and history
The school, named after a 20th-century Mayoress of Brighton,
opened in 1955.
Dorothy Stringer is on the same campus as Balfour Primary School,
Varndean Secondary School and
Varndean College Sixth Form College. The campus is bounded by Surrenden Road, Loder Road, Balfour Road and Friar Crescent, with Stringer Way providing an alternative entrance via the main staff car park. Local buses include the 5B, the 94 and 94a, which serve as combined school buses for Dorothy Stringer and Varndean to Hanover and Kemptown.
With the exception of Balfour Primary School, each of the institutions used to exist in a different educational form; Dorothy Stringer was a
Secondary Modern School
A secondary modern school is a type of secondary school that existed throughout England, Wales and Northern Ireland from 1944 until the 1970s under the Tripartite System. Schools of this type continue in Northern Ireland, where they are usuall ...
, whilst Varndean College and Varndean School were Boys' and Girls'
grammar schools
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, ...
respectively.
In 2003, the school was the subject of a
Private Finance Initiative (PFI) programme involving several other schools (including the neighbouring Varndean Secondary School,
Blatchington Mill School and Sixth Form College
Blatchington Mill School is a coeducational secondary school in Hove, Brighton and Hove for 11 to 16-year-olds.
Admissions
It is a school of non-denominational religion. The total number of pupils in 2019, of all ages, was 1,553. It is in West B ...
and what was the COMART College of Media and Arts), as well as the construction firm Jarvis. For Dorothy Stringer this involved the construction of a new sports hall and associated facilities, new music suites, art studios and some new ICT suites.
Awards and initiatives
Dorothy Stringer gained the Eco-Schools
Green Flag
Green Flag or Green Flag Rescue, is a British roadside assistance and vehicle recovery provider, which is part of the Direct Line Group. Formed in 1971, as the National Breakdown Recovery Club, as an alternative to the AA and RAC, it used ...
award in 2000 and has maintained its status, updating the school as rules become stricter. It was the only secondary school in Brighton to hold this award until its renewal in June 2016, and the school secured the award for the 9th time in 2021.
In the late 1990s, the school focused on recycling and improving the look of the school grounds. Since 2000 the Dorothy Stringer Environmental Partnership has focused on increasing the biodiversity of the grounds and solar power. In 2003, a dilapidated classroom building set among the woodland was renovated into the Brian Foster Environment Centre, named after a late teacher. From this base, Dorothy Stringer has become the lead environmental school in Brighton and Hove, forming international links with St Joseph's School in
Le Havre
Le Havre (, ; nrf, Lé Hâvre ) is a port city in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region of northern France. It is situated on the right bank of the estuary of the river Seine on the Channel southwest of the Pays de Caux, very ...
for which funding from the
Franco-British Council
The Franco-British Council is an organisation created on the joint initiative of President Georges Pompidou and Prime Minister Edward Heath in order to promote better understanding between United Kingdom and France and to contribute to the develop ...
was won, and a student exchange trip is run for
Year Seven pupils. Dorothy Stringer is also known for its forming of links with neighbouring schools and, within the school, involving a large number of students in educational environmental activities.
Dorothy Stringer became a specialist sports school in 2002 and despite the government abolishing specialisms in schools in 2012, sport remains an important feature: pupils receive at least two hours of sport education a week, in line with government guidelines. Becoming a sports school has entailed the demolition of the sports hall and the construction of a new venue twice the size, with an additional dance studio, gym and changing rooms. As part of the school's responsibilities as a sports school, Dorothy Stringer undertakes work to promote sport in local primary schools, which is chiefly done through the
JSLA
The Junior Sport Leadership Award was a qualification run in the United Kingdom by the British Sports Trust, the operating name of Sports Leaders UK.
References
External linksBritish Sports Trust
Children's sport in the United Kingdom
{ ...
and a new scheme which involves establishing and nurturing dance clubs in local primary schools and organising a mass performance at the
Brighton Dome
The Brighton Dome is an arts venue in Brighton, England, that contains the Concert Hall, the Corn Exchange and the Studio Theatre (formerly the Pavilion Theatre). All three venues are linked to the rest of the Royal Pavilion Estate by a tunnel t ...
.
Dorothy Stringer is also a part of the Healthy School initiative, a Partnership Promotion School, a Training School, a recipient of money from the Big Lottery Fund for the school newsletter, and benefits from the
European Union's III A programme. Dorothy Stringer has long owned the Dolawen Centre, an outdoor pursuits centre on a working farm in the
Snowdonia National Park
Snowdonia or Eryri (), is a mountainous region in northwestern Wales and a national park of in area. It was the first to be designated of the three national parks in Wales, in 1951.
Name and extent
It was a commonly held belief that the nam ...
near
Bangor, north-west
Wales
Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...
. This facility allows the school to organise annual trips for its Year 7 pupils and lease the building for the use of other schools, organisations and individuals.
In January 2017, Dorothy Stringer was listed as one of the UK's best state schools in ''
Tatler Magazine'', which praised the school's GCSE results and sports facilities.
Academies Act 2010
On 25 June the new
Conservative-Liberal coalition released details of 'Outstanding' schools that had, so far, expressed an interest in Academy status, under the
Academies Act 2010. Dorothy Stringer School was one of the education establishments on this list, indicating the governors' wish to receive more information and explore all possible options.
Notable former students
*
Harley Alexander-Sule, musician from hip-hop group
Rizzle Kicks
Rizzle Kicks are a British hip hop duo from Brighton, England, consisting of Jordan "Rizzle" Stephens (born 25 January 1992) and Harley "Sylvester" Alexander-Sule (born 1991). Their debut album, ''Stereo Typical'', was released in 2011. As o ...
*
Jessica Hynes
Tallulah Jessica Elina Hynes (''née'' Stevenson; born 30 October 1972) is an English actress, director and writer. Known professionally as Jessica Stevenson until 2007, she was one of the creators, writers and stars of the British sitcom ''Spac ...
, actor and comedian
*
Lucy Griffiths, actor
*
Will Becher
Will Becher is a British animator and film director.
Animation career
Becher's first role was as an animator on Aardman's 2000 movie, Chicken Run, and has since worked on many films and TV shows including The Pirates!, ParaNorman and Shaun the ...
, film director,
Aardman Animations
Aardman Animations Limited (also known as Aardman Studios, simply Aardman or Aardman Animation and stylised as AARDMAN as of 2022) is a British animation studio based in Bristol, England. It is known for films made using stop-motion and clay ani ...
[
* Steve Palmer, footballer
* James Daly, footballer
* ]Seann Walsh
Sean Christopher Walsh (born 2 December 1985), known professionally as Seann Walsh, is an English stand-up comedian.
Early life
Walsh was born in Camden in London, but was brought up in Brighton. He left school with one GCSE examination pas ...
, comedian
Ken Browne incident
In September 2009 it was revealed that a senior member of the school's teaching staff, Ken Browne, had been arrested in July of that year under suspicion of possessing indecent images of children. The school attempted to pre-empt scandal by first releasing information of Browne's arrest to parents via a letter, before later contacting the local paper, '' The Argus''. Ken Browne was immediately removed from the teaching staff at the school and has since moved from the area. On 20 January 2011, Browne pleaded guilty to his charges and later that year was sentenced to 10 months in prison.
References
Bibliography
*
External links
School website
{{authority control
Secondary schools in Brighton and Hove
Community schools in Brighton and Hove
Educational institutions established in 1955
1955 establishments in England