The Elmgreen School is a

coeducational Mixed-sex education, also known as mixed-gender education, co-education, or coeducation (abbreviated to co-ed or coed), is a system of education where males and females are educated together. Whereas single-sex education was more common up to ...

secondary school 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 ...

located in the

West Norwood West Norwood is a largely residential area of south London within the London Borough of Lambeth, located 5.4 miles (8.7 km) south south-east of Charing Cross. The centre of West Norwood sits in a bowl surrounded by hillsides on its east, ...

area of the London Borough of Lambeth, England. It was the first Parent Promoted secondary school to be created in the UK under the

School Standards and Framework Act 1998 The School Standards and Framework Act 1998 was the major education legislation passed by the incoming Labour government led by Tony Blair. This Act: * imposed a limit of 30 on infant class sizes. * abolished grant-maintained schools, introducin ...

History

The school was created to address a major shortfall in the number of secondary school places in the London Borough of Lambeth. Following a public consultation in October 2003, a group of 40 parents formed The Parent Promoters Foundation (PPF). Working in partnership with Lambeth Local Authority, the PPF successfully campaigned to raise the necessary £25 million funding via the

Building Schools for the Future Building Schools for the Future (BSF) was the name given to the British government's investment programme in secondary school buildings in England in the 2000s. The programme was ambitious in its costs, timescales and objectives, with politicia ...

programme. The PPF worked with

DfES The Department for Education and Skills (DfES) was a United Kingdom government department between 2001 and 2007, responsible for the education system (including higher education and adult learning) as well as children's services in England. Th ...

ministers, educationalist's and the local authority to write the formal proposals and design the ethos for the school. Formal approval by the Schools Organisation Committee was given in July 2005 to establish a mixed non-denominational school for 1100 students to open in September 2007. A governing body with a parental majority was formed in October 2005, and they appointed Asma Mansuri as the first headteacher of The Elmgreen School in February 2006. The first year intake of 180 students spent two years in an Ellis Williams Architects-redesigned Victorian primary school in Gipsy Road, West Norwood which was originally built for the 1875 establishment of a London School Board school1895 ''Kelly's London County Suburbs Directory (Southern Suburbs)'' known as Gipsy Road School. The buildings on Gipsy Road were originally designed to hold a large number of pupils (up to 1000). However, this was pushed to the limits when in 1958 Norwood School for Girls was established as a secondary school for girls aged between 11 and 16 by the

London County Council London County Council (LCC) was the principal local government body for the County of London throughout its existence from 1889 to 1965, and the first London-wide general municipal authority to be directly elected. It covered the area today kno ...

London County Council, (1962), ''Secondary Schools in Bermondsey, Lambeth and Southwark'', Division 8, page 13 and housed on the same site. Norwood School for Girls began moving to a new site in 1971,Jean Lawrence, Margaret Tucker, Mary Scott, George Varnava, (1988), '' Norwood Was a Difficult School: A Case Study of Education Change'', page 114, Nelson Thornes (Publishers) Ltd and the site was eventually completely taken over by a school for younger pupils once again, which would for many years be known as Norwood Park Primary School. This school was closed in 2002 due to falling numbers and the site was then used as the temporary home for Crown Lane Primary School whilst that school's buildings were rebuilt. When Crown Lane Primary School moved back to Crown Lane the buildings became vacant, ready for the redevelopment to prepare them for The Elmgreen School's occupancy. With the relocation of The Elmgreen School to its permanent site in 2009, Gipsy Road became part of the Kingswood School Foundation. In July 2010 former Elmgreen Deputy Head John Wilkinson was appointed as Headteacher. The library and learning resource centre was renamed 'The Mansuri Library' after his predecessor. John Wilkinson left the school in April 2014, and Dominic Bergin was appointed as Headteacher. In May 2017 the school converted to academy status and is now part of the Great Northwood Education Trust.

Buildings

Working with local community, primary school children and The Sorrell Foundation, the PPF carried out extensive consultation on the architectural brief for the new school, and following a closed competition the architects Scott Brownrigg and

David Adjaye Sir David Frank Adjaye (born 22 September 1966) is a Ghanaian-British architect. He is known for having designed many notable buildings around the world, including the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D. ...

Associates were selected to design the school. Construction began in February 2008 by Carillion and was completed in September 2009. The location is on Elmcourt Road in

on a site formerly occupied by the Elm Court School, a school for

Special Educational Needs Special educational needs (SEN), also known as special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) in the United Kingdom refers to the education of children who require different education provision to the mainstream system. Definition The definiti ...

. Elm Court School moved to the redeveloped Strand Centre (the buildings of the former

Strand School Strand School was a boys' grammar school in the Tulse Hill area of South London. It moved there in 1913 from its original location at King's College in London's Strand. Distinguished in its heyday for its contribution of young men to the civil ...

) on Elm Park in

Tulse Hill Tulse Hill is a district in the London Borough of Lambeth in South London that sits on Brockwell Park. It is approximately five miles from Charing Cross and is bordered by Brixton, Dulwich, Herne Hill, Streatham and West Norwood. History The a ...

. Thus, Elmgreen School is located on Elmcourt Road whilst Elm Court School is located on Elm Park.Lambeth Planning Applications Committee, ''Case 06/02778/RG3 The Strand Centre'', (2006), (Lambeth Planning)

References

External links

Elmgreen school official website

24dash : announcement of head for new parent-promoted school

{{authority control Secondary schools in the London Borough of Lambeth Academies in the London Borough of Lambeth Educational institutions established in 2007 2007 establishments in England