George Mitchell 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 t ...

all-through school All-through schools educate young people throughout multiple stages of their education, generally throughout childhood and adolescence. Definition The term "all-through" can be legitimately applied to establishments in many different circumstan ...

located in

Leyton Leyton () is a town in east London, England, within the London Borough of Waltham Forest. It borders Walthamstow to the north, Leytonstone to the east, and Stratford to the south, with Clapton, Hackney Wick and Homerton, across the River L ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, England. It is attended by students who mainly live in the local area, with some from further afield. Examination results at the end of Key Stage 4 (i.e. the end of Year 11) have improved dramatically over recent years, as have the Key Stage 2 results. The school is currently located across several sites – on Crawley Road, Farmer Road, Burchell Road and Vicarage Road.

Results

In 2014, GCSE results were 48% 5 A*–C with English/Maths. The UK national average for the same period is 55%. The Department of Education confirms that 85% of pupils at George Mitchell are making expected levels of progress in English which is the 11th percentile nationally. In Maths the figure is 74% which is the 1st percentile nationally. The soon to be (2016) headline figure of Progress 8 (Value Added measure) places George Mitchell in the 8th percentile nationally, value added 1034 compared to the national figure of 1000, which means the school is doing significantly better than other similar schools.

History

The school was previously known as Farmer Road School. It started in 1900 in temporary premises; a permanent building was constructed during 1902 and opened on 15 June 1903 as an

elementary school A primary school (in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and South Africa), junior school (in Australia), elementary school or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary ed ...

with separate departments for boys and girls aged 5 to 14, which was the statutory school leaving age at that time. In 1932, this changed to senior boys, junior boys, and mixed infants, but in 1942 the junior department became mixed again. In 1948 the school became 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 usually ...

for boys. In 1968, Waltham Forest adopted the

Comprehensive system 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 ...

and it became a "Junior High School", catering for 11- to 14-year-old boys. In 1986, it was re-organised again: it became co-educational, admitting both boys and girls from 11–16 years. In 1947, when the school was reopened as a Secondary Modern it was renamed in honour of George Mitchell, a student who had attended the school from 1923 to 1927. He was

posthumously Posthumous may refer to: * Posthumous award - an award, prize or medal granted after the recipient's death * Posthumous publication – material published after the author's death * ''Posthumous'' (album), by Warne Marsh, 1987 * ''Posthumous'' (E ...

awarded the

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previously ...

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 ...

whilst serving as a member of the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

during the fighting in Italy. The Victoria Cross was presented to Mitchell's family By King

George VI George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until Death and state funeral of George VI, his death in 1952. ...

in an investiture ceremony at

Buckingham Palace Buckingham Palace () is a London royal residence and the administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is often at the centre of state occasions and royal hospitality. It ...

on 17 July 1945. In 1949, his brother placed Mitchell's medal group in the care of George Mitchell School. In 2006, in an agreement organised by Mitchell's nephew, the medals were moved to the London Scottish Regimental Museum in

Horseferry Road Horseferry Road is a street in the City of Westminster in central London running between Millbank and Greycoat Place. It is perhaps best known as the site of City of Westminster Magistrates' Court (which until 2006 was called Horseferry Road Ma ...

, London, The museum purchased the medals from the school for £150,000, which went towards the cost of a mobile classroom. Links are still maintained with Mitchell's regiment, the London Scottish, which was amalgamated into the

London Regiment London Regiment may refer to two infantry regiments in the British Army: * London Regiment (1908–1938) The London Regiment was an infantry regiment in the British Army, part of the Territorial Force (renamed the Territorial Army in 1921). The ...

in 1992. Another student of the school had also been awarded the Victoria Cross,

Jack Cornwell John Travers Cornwell VC (8 January 1900 – 2 June 1916), commonly known as Jack Cornwell or as Boy Cornwell, is remembered for his gallantry at the Battle of Jutland during World War I. Having died at the age of only 16, he was posthumously ...

, known as the “boy hero” of the

Battle of Jutland The Battle of Jutland (german: Skagerrakschlacht, the Battle of the Skagerrak) was a naval battle fought between Britain's Royal Navy Grand Fleet, under Admiral John Jellicoe, 1st Earl Jellicoe, Sir John Jellicoe, and the Imperial German Navy ...

in 1916 during the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, awarded posthumously. He was the youngest Naval recipient of the VC, being aged just 16. This makes the school the only comprehensive in England to have had two Victoria Cross winners as alumni. In September 2009 the school expanded into an 'all through school' to take pupils from 3-16, absorbing a nearby

primary school A primary school (in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and South Africa), junior school (in Australia), elementary school or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary e ...

and nursery, Beaumont Primary School. The school operates across a total of five sites in close proximity but was included in the Government's Priority Schools Building Programme and will a new two-story primary school and a new secondary building was completed in 2017, and the primary department in October 2018. The plaque commemorating George Mitchell VC and various architectural carvings from façade the 1903 school have been preserved in the new building. George Mitchell School from Farmer Road

Previously a community school administered by

Waltham Forest London Borough Council Waltham Forest London Borough Council is the local authority for the London Borough of Waltham Forest in London, England which has existed since the London Government Act 1963 was commenced in 1965, replacing three local authorities: Chingford Bor ...

, in January 2019 George Mitchell School converted to academy status. The school is now sponsored by Partnership Learning.

References

External links

Official website
{{authority control Secondary schools in the London Borough of Waltham Forest Primary schools in the London Borough of Waltham Forest Academies in the London Borough of Waltham Forest Leyton