Graveney School is a
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 ...
with
academy status in the
Furzedown
Furzedown is a ward, in both the districts of Streatham (Streatham West and part of Streatham Park) and Tooting, wholly in the Tooting Parliamentary Constituency, within the London Borough of Wandsworth in South West London. It is a mainly resi ...
area of
Tooting
Tooting is a district in South London, forming part of the London Borough of Wandsworth and partly in the London Borough of Merton. It is located south south-west of Charing Cross.
History
Tooting has been settled since pre- Saxon times ...
, southwest
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, 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 dow ...
, England. The school has a
partially selective admissions policy. At the beginning of 2015 Graveney was assessed in an
Ofsted inspection report as outstanding.
History
Whilst Graveney School can trace its origins back to a school founded in the late 1660s by
Sir Walter St John, 3rd Baronet
Sir Walter St John, 3rd Baronet (May 1622 – 3 July 1708), of Lydiard Tregoze, Wiltshire, and of Battersea (succeeded in 1657), was an English MP.
Biography
He was the sixth son of Sir John St John, 1st Baronet of Lydiate Tregoze and inherited ...
, in
Battersea, the modern Graveney was established in 1986 as an
amalgamation
Amalgamation is the process of combining or uniting multiple entities into one form.
Amalgamation, amalgam, and other derivatives may refer to:
Mathematics and science
* Amalgam (chemistry), the combination of mercury with another metal
**Pan am ...
of
Ensham School (for girls) and
Furzedown Secondary School (mixed). Furzedown was itself formed in 1977 as an amalgamation of
Battersea Grammar School (for boys) and
Rosa Bassett School
Rosa Bassett School was a grammar school for girls in South London. Established in 1906 in Stockwell as the Stockwell County Secondary School, in 1913 it moved to Welham Road on the boundary between Streatham and Tooting. It was renamed the C ...
(for girls).
Created as a standard
comprehensive school under the control of the
local education authority (initially the
ILEA, later
Wandsworth
Wandsworth Town () is a district of south London, within the London Borough of Wandsworth southwest of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.
Toponymy
Wandsworth takes its nam ...
), a significant change occurred in 1991 when Graveney became a
grant-maintained school
Grant-maintained schools or GM schools were state schools in England and Wales between 1988 and 1998 that had opted out of local government control, being funded directly by a grant from central government. Some of these schools had selective ad ...
,
giving far greater control to the
school governor
In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, school governors are the overseers of a school. In state schools, they have three main functions:
*Giving the school a clear vision, ethos and strategic direction
*Holding the headteacher to account for the ...
s. Following the changes resulting from 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 ...
, which abolished grant-maintained status, the school preserved a degree of independence by electing to become a
foundation school.
The school achieved
Technology College
In the United Kingdom, a Technology College is a specialist school that specialises in design and technology, mathematics and science. Beginning in 1994, they were the first specialist schools that were not CTC colleges. In 2008, there were ...
status in 1995
and also moved to a
partially selective admissions policy in September of that year.
From the introduction of selection the school was permitted to choose up to 50% of pupils by ability; however, this was reduced to 25% in 2000,
increased to 30% in 2001
and reduced back to 25% in 2004,
where it remains in 2008.
Graveney School converted to become 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 philosop ...
on 1 August 2011.
Years 7 to 11
When students begin their life at Graveney in Year 7, they are placed into sets depending on their Year 6 SATs, their Wandsworth test result and the recommendation letter of their previous teacher. Students can either be put into Extension (4 classes), Enrichment (3 classes) or Endeavour (2 classes). Students can be moved across sets depending on their ability. However, most remain in their assigned stream.
Students in one Endeavour class receive personal mentoring by the school, with their tutor often being a member of the special needs department.
Years 7 to 9
Extension and Enrichment study one Modern Foreign Language. These could either be French or Spanish. From Year 8 onwards, there is an opportunity to do twilight classes, which means students can study an additional Modern Foreign Language e.g. German, French or Spanish.
Years 10 to 11
After Christmas of year 9, usually February or March, students pick their GCSE options. English Language and Literature, Maths, Science and PE are compulsory for the two years.
Up to three additional subjects are usually chosen, depending on predicted potential, with high-attaining students given the option to do 'Twilight' Drama, or Astronomy as an extra out of school GCSE.
With regards to Science, the majority of students do the Triple Science award - a GCSE for Biology, Chemistry and Physics, whereas some do the combined science award.
The results of the Year 9 exams determine what sets the students will be in.
The Sixth Form
Graveney School also has a large
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 ...
college, offering a range subjects to study at
A-level. The sixth form is open for application to both internal students (students that studied at Graveney School), and external candidates (students that received their secondary education elsewhere).
The sixth form offers a range of subjects that were not available to take at
GCSE level, such as
Film Studies
Film studies is an academic discipline that deals with various theoretical, historical, and critical approaches to cinema as an art form and a medium. It is sometimes subsumed within media studies and is often compared to television studies.
...
,
Government
A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state.
In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is ...
&
Politics
Politics (from , ) is the set of activities that are associated with making decisions in groups, or other forms of power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of resources or status. The branch of social science that stud ...
,
Further Mathematics
Further Mathematics is the title given to a number of advanced secondary mathematics courses. The term "Higher and Further Mathematics", and the term "Advanced Level Mathematics", may also refer to any of several advanced mathematics courses at man ...
,
Philosophy,
Photography
Photography is the art, application, and practice of creating durable images by recording light, either electronically by means of an image sensor, or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film. It is employe ...
and
Psychology
Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Psychology includes the study of conscious and unconscious phenomena, including feelings and thoughts. It is an academic discipline of immense scope, crossing the boundaries between ...
, though some of these subjects will only run if a substantial number of students apply to it. Students can also retake GCSEs. The sixth form has minimum entry requirements of 5 A*-Cs at GCSE level for internal students, and 7 A*-Cs for external applicants. For a student to graduate from year 12 to year 13, they must have attained minimum grades of two Es at AS level.
The sixth form does not have a uniform policy, however students must wear their
ID card visibly at all times. Yeva Reynolds is party of the notable alumni at Graveney sixth form. Emma Sampson, an external student frequently wears her lanyard to abide by school policy.
Site and buildings
Graveney initially operated on both the former Furzedown and Ensham sites; however, the Ensham building was soon closed and the school now occupies what was Furzedown Secondary School on either side of Welham Road in Tooting, south west London.
The part of the site on the southern side of Welham Road is the former Rosa Bassett School, the main building of which was opened in 1913.
The larger area to the north of the road is the former Furzedown Training College (a
teacher training
Teacher education or teacher training refers to programs, policies, procedures, and provision designed to equip (prospective) teachers with the knowledge, attitudes, behaviors, approaches, methodologies and skills they require to perform their t ...
college), which was opened in 1915.
The buildings surround a tree-lined campus and include Furzedown House, a Grade II-
listed
Listed may refer to:
* Listed, Bornholm, a fishing village on the Danish island of Bornholm
* Listed (MMM program), a television show on MuchMoreMusic
* Endangered species in biology
* Listed building, in architecture, designation of a historicall ...
Georgian
Georgian may refer to:
Common meanings
* Anything related to, or originating from Georgia (country)
** Georgians, an indigenous Caucasian ethnic group
** Georgian language, a Kartvelian language spoken by Georgians
**Georgian scripts, three scrip ...
house, built in 1794.
The other buildings include: Red House, College House, Lower School, Upper Science, Lower Science, Atkins Technology Centre, the Tech block, an independent study centre, The Oppenheimer Observatory, a sports hall and a multigym.
Each building is dedicated to two or more subjects.
* Red House - English, Economics and Business Studies, Media Studies, Film Studies, and Drama
* Furzedown House - Art, Music, Drama and English
* Theatre - Drama and English
* College House - Maths, IT, Sports Studies, Citizenship and PSHE
* Lower School - Languages, History, IT, Sociology, Archaeology, Critical Thinking, PSHE, Citizenship and Government & Politics
* Lower Science - Biology, Chemistry and Physics
* Upper Science - Biology, Chemistry and Physics
* Atkins Technology Centre - Electronics, Resistant Materials and Graphics
* Technology Block - Food, Textiles and Media Studies
* Sixth Form Study Centre - Study area for Sixth Form students only which doubles as an assembly hall
* Bradford House - Psychology, Sociology, Maths for Sixth Form students only
*The Oppenheimer Observatory - Geography, Religious studies, Philosophy and Astronomy
* Sports Hall - Sports Studies and PE
* Multigym - Sports Studies and PE
On the north side of Welham Road, there is also a recreation area which is owned by Wandsworth Council but used by Graveney during school hours for Sports Studies and PE lessons. The area consists of a small running track, an astro turf pitch, 2 tennis courts which can be converted into another pitch and a cricket area.
Headteachers and principals
* 1986–1989 John A. Phillips, BA (Oxon)
* 1989– Graham Stapleton, MA (Cantab) (now principal)
John Phillips had been headmaster of both Battersea Grammar and Furzedown Secondary Schools prior to his appointment at Graveney.
Graveney now has a separate principal and headteacher (first vice-principal); the most recent headteacher was Keith Barbrook, who left in 2017.
House system
Graveney's traditional three houses were St. John's, Rosa Basset and Ensham. However, after the Summer of 2018, two new houses have been added: Furzedown and Battersea.
* St. John's (pronounced "Sinjun's") – named after
Sir Walter St John, 3rd Baronet
Sir Walter St John, 3rd Baronet (May 1622 – 3 July 1708), of Lydiard Tregoze, Wiltshire, and of Battersea (succeeded in 1657), was an English MP.
Biography
He was the sixth son of Sir John St John, 1st Baronet of Lydiate Tregoze and inherited ...
, who founded the school that became Battersea Grammar School; the house emblem, a gold falcon, is derived from the
crest
Crest or CREST may refer to:
Buildings
*The Crest (Huntington, New York), a historic house in Suffolk County, New York
*"The Crest", an alternate name for 63 Wall Street, in Manhattan, New York
*Crest Castle (Château Du Crest), Jussy, Switzerla ...
on Sir Walter's
coat of arms
A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in its ...
.
Motto: ''Gloria Brevis, Honor Longus''.
* Rosa Bassett – named after
Rosa Bassett, the first headmistress of
County Secondary School Streatham, which became Rosa Bassett School. The house's motto, ''Honesta Obtinete'', and the scarlet pimpernel emblem are both taken from those of Rosa Bassett School.
* Ensham – named after Ensham school. Motto: ''Per Ardua Ad Alta''.
Year forms
Years 7 to 9 consist of ten forms, whilst years 10 and 11 consist of nine forms. The forms break down into: 3/4 extension band forms, 3 Enrichment band forms and 3 Endeavour band forms.
Notable alumni
*
Daniel Trilling
Daniel Trilling is a British journalist, editor and author. He was the editor of ''New Humanist'' magazine from 2013 to 2019. He writes about migration, nationalism and human rights and is the author of ''Lights in the Distance: exile and refuge ...
, journalist and former editor of ''
New Humanist
''New Humanist'' is a quarterly magazine, published by the Rationalist Association in the UK, that focuses on culture, news, philosophy, and science from a sceptical perspective.
History
The ''New Humanist'' has been in print for more than 13 ...
''
*
Naga Munchetty, newsreader on
BBC News
BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broad ...
and TV presenter
*
Amol Rajan
Amol Rajan (born 4 July 1983) is an Indian-born British journalist and broadcaster who has been the BBC's Media Editor since December 2016 and a presenter on the ''Today'' programme on BBC Radio 4 since 2021.
Rajan was editor of ''The Indepen ...
,
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
cyclist. Nominated for
, actor. Nominated for an
, British volleyball player. Represented Team GB in the 2012 Summer Olympics.
*
, British fashion designer, founder of London-based label Wales Bonner.