Holland Park School
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Holland Park School is a coeducational secondary school and sixth form in Holland Park, London, England. In 2013, it has attained
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 ...
status. Opened in 1958, the school became the flagship for
comprehensive education Comprehensive may refer to: * Comprehensive layout, the page layout of a proposed design as initially presented by the designer to a client. *Comprehensive school, a state school that does not select its intake on the basis of academic achievement ...
, and at one time had over 2,000 students.


History

The school was originally built in 1957 by Sir Ahmed Omar and Daniel J Noel, with his father, Michael Noel. The school was divided into 4 groups, band 1, 2, 3 and 4. Band 1 for the posh kids, band 2 for the semi-posh kids, band 3 for the ghetto kids and band 4 for the disabled kids. In 1969,
Hilary Benn Hilary James Wedgwood Benn (born 26 November 1953) is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Leeds Central since a by-election in 1999. He served in the Cabinet from 2003 to 2010, under both Tony Bla ...
represented the school in '' Top of the Form''. Journalist
George Gale George Gale may refer to: Politicians * George Gale (MP) (1490–1556), member of parliament for City of York *George Gale (congressman) (1756–1815), American politician Law * George Alexander Gale (1906–1997), Canadian jurist * George Gale ( ...
, then editor of ''
The Spectator ''The Spectator'' is a weekly British magazine on politics, culture, and current affairs. It was first published in July 1828, making it the oldest surviving weekly magazine in the world. It is owned by Frederick Barclay, who also owns ''Th ...
'', even claimed that Holland Park girls were running a vice ring at the school. The school snubbed the 1973 wedding of
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 ...
by working through the national holiday granted to schools and giving children another holiday ''in lieu''. In 1977, punk band
The Slits The Slits were a punk and post-punk band based in London, formed there in 1976 by members of the groups the Flowers of Romance and the Castrators. The group's early line-up consisted of Ari Up (Ariane Forster) and Palmolive (a.k.a. Paloma ...
, supported by The Moors Murderers, performed a benefit concert for the
NSPCC The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) is a British child protection charity. History Victorian era On a trip to New York in 1881, Liverpudlian businessman Thomas Agnew was inspired by a visit to the New Yor ...
at the school. The Slits performed on-stage masturbation. The headmaster at the time, Derek Rushworth, was beaten up and had both his ankles broken in 1985. By 1997, the school was heavily criticised by
Ofsted 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, incl ...
for poor academic standards and lack of discipline.


1975 arson

There was up to £50,000 in damage due to arson, around Saturday 22 February 1975.


Visits

In 2000, the school was visited by
Nelson Mandela Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (; ; 18 July 1918 – 5 December 2013) was a South African anti-apartheid activist who served as the first president of South Africa from 1994 to 1999. He was the country's first black head of state and the ...
. The next year, the school received its new headmaster, Colin Hall, assigned with the job to turn its fortunes around. In 2006, fingerprint activated locks were installed on lockers, while the decision to sell parts of the school grounds to finance a new school building caused controversy in 2007. Fourteen years after being criticised for poor academic standards, the school was classed as "outstanding" by Ofsted.Ofsted inspection report 2011: ''Holland Park School''
Linked 7 February 2014
A new school building opened in 2012, and in 2013, the school was converted to
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 ...
status.Holland Park School: ''Academy Status''
Linked 7 February 2014
In September 2021, over 100 alumni published an open letter to its governors, Ofsted, and the government alleging that they experienced a "toxic and abusive" environment while at Holland Park. The letter also included a 25-page appendix featuring personal testimonies from former students. Some key allegations were "serious failings in pastoral care and safeguarding of pupils, including 'off-rolling' of some students and failure to act appropriately in peer-on-peer sexual assault.". Further criticism followed in January 2022 with the decisions of the
Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea is an Inner London borough with royal status. It is the smallest borough in London and the second smallest district in England; it is one of the most densely populated administrative regions in the ...
called into question for enabling the allegedly 'toxic culture' engendered by the school's management with payments totaling £95 million pounds having been awarded by the council to the school, which included a £280,000 salary paid to headteacher Colin Hall. In light of the developments in January 2022, Hall announced he would retire at the end of 2021-22 academic year, however on 2 February 2022 a media statement was released by the school to confirm that Hall's tenure was to be ended with immediate effect and he would be replaced by Arwel Jones. After receiving a Notice to Improve from the
Education and Skills Funding Agency The Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) is an executive agency of the government of the United Kingdom, sponsored by the Department for Education. The ESFA was formed on 1 April 2017 following the merger of the Education Funding Agency an ...
in November 2021, Holland Park's governing body decided that the school should join the
United Learning United Learning is a group of state-funded schools and fee-paying independent schools operating in England. United Learning is the trading name for United Church Schools Trust (UCST) and United Learning Trust (ULT). It is one of the largest 10 ch ...
multi-academy trust (MAT). The decision to join the academy chain, which is based in
Peterborough Peterborough () is a cathedral city in Cambridgeshire, east of England. It is the largest part of the City of Peterborough unitary authority district (which covers a larger area than Peterborough itself). It was part of Northamptonshire unti ...
, triggered reports of disorder together with protests and by students and parents, who threatened to issue governors with a judicial review. Kensington and Chelsea Council proposed that the school join a local academy trust with
Kensington Aldridge Academy Kensington Aldridge Academy (KAA) is an 11–18 co-educational secondary school with academy status in the North Kensington area of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, in London, England. KAA opened in September 2014, and was offic ...
, and Felicity Buchan, the member of Parliament for Kensington, wrote that she has "had very real concerns about the decision-making process surrounding the future of Holland Park School", including "the lack of consultation with a parents and local stakeholders" and "the lack of transparency in the process".


School organisation

When the school opened in September 1958, it was divided into eight houses. The eight houses were originally called Addison, Fox, Hunter, Macauley, Maine, Newton, Norman and Wilberforce. The house system has been retained, though there have been changes to the number of houses and their names. There are currently five houses: Anderson, Baker, Bennett, Chappell and Seeley. The earlier approach of naming houses after historical figures has been replaced by the approach of naming them after people, mostly governors of the school or teachers, who "mark a way of being that the school considers worthy and noble". When the school first opened, the entire school assembled on only two days a week, in the Main Hall and four side halls which opened out to form The Great Hall. House assemblies took place in the morning in the side halls, with two halls alternating where they shared, whilst the other two days were for tutor groups within the house setting. Thus pupils had the potential, in theory at least, for guidance from Form Teachers, Tutors, as well as their Class Subject Teachers. There was a complete structure of Prefects; at the summit, two head boys and two head girls, then headmasters/senior prefects, prefects, sub-prefects, and TSPs (Temporary Sub Prefects). This separate organisation was particularly called upon when teaching staff took the decision to stop monitoring the substantial play-grounds, in the sometimes turbulent mix of social classes, religious and ethnic origins, and the heady mix of boy and girl in the 1960s. Mr Williams, in the mid-1960s, one of two deputy heads, was required to dispense summary justice on boys presented by Prefects. In the 1960s and 1970s, the philosophy was to ensure large student numbers (over 1,900), with the idea that the resulting size would enable more subject choices for the students. Indeed, amongst the more typical foreign languages, Latin, French and Spanish were taught. A similar philosophy and scale applied to other comprehensive flagships, such as the other "Labour-party Eton", the
Haverstock School Haverstock School (formerly Haverstock Comprehensive School), is a coeducational secondary school and sixth form located on Haverstock Hill in Haverstock, London, England. It is opposite Chalk Farm Underground station, and bounded by Prince of W ...
. In the early 1960s, each school year was divided into A, B, C, D, and E streams up until the 3rd year. As the groups were so large, they were again divided, typically into 3. Later the "A" "B" etc. grading was considered to be bad for children's self-esteem, so "A" "B" and "C" were replaced by "H" "P" and "S" (Holland Park School). Nowadays, the banding system is divided into 4 bands, each with 3 levels inside them. In 1970, streaming was completely scrapped in favour of total
egalitarianism Egalitarianism (), or equalitarianism, is a school of thought within political philosophy that builds from the concept of social equality, prioritizing it for all people. Egalitarian doctrines are generally characterized by the idea that all h ...
. Another aspect of egalitarian thought was that many school traditions were dropped, and in the 1970s there were no awards for academic achievement, in order not to demoralise low achievers. Derek Rushworth, who became head in 1971, nevertheless favoured high achievement in niche areas and himself continued to teach Latin to children who requested lessons. His motto was "Everyone should know about everything," and critics saw this as leading to a dumbing down of the curriculum. The theory was that poorly achieving students would perform better if not segregated but rather immersed in an equal learning environment. Loyalists of the egalitarian approach argue that the experiment was never given a proper chance: Holland Park was the only fully comprehensive school in a borough where middle class parents tended to favour private schools. Therefore, by definition, it was a sink school, and thus some argue that the comprehensive experiment was never fully realised. Critics counter that the school was on a downward spiral and "more of the same" would only have worsened the situation. They hold that the school's improved performance when it returned to more traditional values is evidence that the comprehensive experiment was doomed from the outset. This viewpoint differs from some experience in the mid-1960s when sixty or more fifth formers joined either the lower sixth on
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 au ...
studies, or another thirty joined 6G that represented students on retakes of O levels or additional O levels, or Technical studies.


Land history

In 1808, William Phillimore (1748–1814) signed an agreement for the development of over of land, which now is roughly occupied by Holland Park School and
Queen Elizabeth College Queen Elizabeth College (QEC) was a college in London. It had its origins in the Ladies' (later Women's) Department of King's College, London, England, opened in 1885 but later accepted men as well. The first King's 'extension' lectures for l ...
, north of Duchess of Bedford Walk. On this land, seven particularly grand houses with large gardens were completed in 1817. Throughout the 19th century, and until the Second World War, they had a series of notable occupants. At one time in the 19th century, the approach road was known as Dukes' Row, because two of the houses were occupied by dukes, the
Duke of Argyll Duke of Argyll ( gd, Diùc Earraghàidheil) is a title created in the peerage of Scotland in 1701 and in the peerage of the United Kingdom in 1892. The earls, marquesses, and dukes of Argyll were for several centuries among the most powerfu ...
and the
Duke of Bedford Duke of Bedford (named after Bedford, England) is a title that has been created six times (for five distinct people) in the Peerage of England. The first and second creations came in 1414 and 1433 respectively, in favour of Henry IV's third so ...
, while a third was occupied by the Earl of Airlie. Of the seven great houses on this part of the Phillimore estate, only
Thorpe Lodge Thorpe is a variant of the Middle English word '' thorp'', meaning hamlet or small village. Thorpe may refer to: People * Thorpe (surname), including a list of people with the name Places England * Thorpe, Cumbria *Thorpe, Derbyshire * Thorp ...
still remains. It is a protected historical building that serves as an ancillary space for the school. It was home to Henry Tanworth Wells from 1875 until his death in 1903.
Montagu Norman Montagu Collet Norman, 1st Baron Norman DSO PC (6 September 1871 – 4 February 1950) was an English banker, best known for his role as the Governor of the Bank of England from 1920 to 1944. Norman led the bank during the toughest period in m ...
, Governor of the Bank of England, was a resident from 1904 until his death in 1950. Priscilla Reyntiens joined Norman at Thorpe Lodge following their marriage on 21 January 1933.


1956 building

When plans to build the school were revealed in 1956, local residents formed an action group to stop the building. Among its members were the future poet laureate
John Betjeman Sir John Betjeman (; 28 August 190619 May 1984) was an English poet, writer, and broadcaster. He was Poet Laureate from 1972 until his death. He was a founding member of The Victorian Society and a passionate defender of Victorian architecture ...
, who worried about the trees, the naturalist
Peter Scott Sir Peter Markham Scott, (14 September 1909 – 29 August 1989) was a British ornithologist, conservationist, painter, naval officer, broadcaster and sportsman. The only child of Antarctic explorer Robert Falcon Scott, he took an interest i ...
, who claimed the children would frighten away nightingales, and the High Commissioner of South Africa, who feared that his garden parties would be ruined. The ''Kensington Post'' was inundated with letters from residents, who feared that the school would "reduce Campden Hill to Earl's Court". The lobbyists were unsuccessful; the demolition began around 1957 and the first comprehensive school opened in 1958. It was officially inaugurated a year later by Lady Norman.


2004 building

In 2004, planning for a new school building began. Although the proposals were hotly debated, with a major concern among critics being the sale of the school sports grounds to a property developer as a way to fund the project, the new school building opened in 2012. The following summer, the school was accused of breaking undertakings given to secure the planning permission, because local residents were not permitted to use the swimming pool in the new six-storey building, as had been promised. Proposals to find a compromise were under investigation.


Staff relations

In 2019, 31 staff and former staff raised concerns with the ESFA about bullying. Leadership and safeguarding in the school were judged by Ofsted to be "effective" in a subsequent visit. It was later alleged that confidential questionnaires completed by staff in 2020 that were critical of the leadership had not been forwarded to Ofsted as required. In 2021, an investigation was launched into the school following allegations by 25 former teachers that it was a "toxic" working environment. As part of the report into the school, dozens of former pupils and staff were interviewed and allegations stretched between 2004 and 2021. In February Colin Hall, who was headmaster for all of that period, stated he would retire at the end of the school year, but his employment was instead terminated with immediate effect. Many students who attended the school during Hall's tenure complained of ‘exploitative’ relationships, with some students with staff and telling investigators they were "still traumatised by their experiences at Holland Park School". There was said to be a culture of "fear, favouritism and inequality" at the school together with bullying of both teachers and students. When invited to respond to the accusations made, the independent investigation undertaken for the Board of Governors of Holland Park School noted ''"a number of members of the Holland Park School senior leadership team declined to be interviewed..."''.


School publication

In the 1960s and into the early 1970s, the school magazine was called ''Octavo'' (the title being a reference to the number of houses at that time, which numbered eight). In the 1976-9 period, the school magazine was called ''Andarkol''. This was the name of a cartoon dog.''Andarkol'', issue 1, p. 1. The magazine contained poetry, music reviews, cartoons, as well as articles about school plays and sports, and student-contributed essays on comprehensive education and the representation of the school in the press. Before ''Andarkol'', the school had a magazine called ''Feedback'', which ended in 1974. Students now receive a booklet every half-term called 'Et cetera' about upcoming events around the school. * ''Alpha'' (founded 1958)''The Telegraph'' (July 2007).
/ref> * ''Octavo'' (196?–197?) * ''Feedback'' (?–1974) * ''Andarkol'' (1976–79)


Headteachers

* Allen Clarke (1958–1971) * Derek Rushworth (1971–1985) * Maggie Pringle (1985–1995) * Mary Marsh (1995–2001) * Colin Hall (2001–2022)The Good School Guide: ''Holland Park School review''
Linked 7 February 2014
* Arwel Jones (2022–2022) * Steven Parsons (2022-present)


Notable former pupils

* Derek Abbott, scientist *
Angela Barry Angela Barry (''née'' Richards) is a Bermudian writer and educator. She spent more than 20 years living abroad – in England, France, The Gambia, Senegal and Seychelles – before returning to Bermuda, where she has primarily worked as a l ...
, writer *
Hilary Benn Hilary James Wedgwood Benn (born 26 November 1953) is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Leeds Central since a by-election in 1999. He served in the Cabinet from 2003 to 2010, under both Tony Bla ...
, British Labour Party politician *
Melissa Benn Melissa Ann Benn (born 1957) is a British journalist and writer. She is the daughter of Tony Benn and Caroline Benn. Biography Benn was born in Hammersmith, London. She has three brothers, including Hilary Benn and Stephen Benn, 3rd Viscoun ...
, journalist, daughter of Tony and Caroline Benn * Guy Burnet, actor * Charlie Condou, actor and columnist * Peter Dazeley, photographer, fine artist, writer and author * Tom Dixon, industrial designer *
Omid Djalili Omid Djalili ( fa, امید جلیلی; born 30 September 1965) is a British actor, comedian and writer. Early life and education Djalili was born on 30 September 1965 in Chelsea, London, to Iranian Baháʼí parents. He attended Holland Park ...
, stand-up comedian and actor * Amal el-Wahabi, British woman charged with supporting terrorism * Rakin Fetuga, rapper * Flora Fraser, writer, daughter of lady
Antonia Fraser Lady Antonia Margaret Caroline Fraser, (' Pakenham; born 27 August 1932) is a British author of history, novels, biographies and detective fiction. She is the widow of the 2005 Nobel Laureate in Literature, Harold Pinter (1930–2008), and ...
, writer *
Christian Henson Christian Henson (born 25 December 1971) is a British composer, primarily working on television and film soundtracks. He has also soundtracked video games, and is the co-founder of Spitfire Audio with fellow composer Paul Thomson. Henson has been ...
, television and film composer *
Anjelica Huston Anjelica Huston ( ; born July 8, 1951) is an American actress and director. Known for often portraying eccentric and distinctive characters, she has received multiple accolades, including an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award, as well as nom ...
, Oscar-winning actress * Daniel James, game developer and CEO of Three Rings Design * Evgeny Lebedev, owner of ''
The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...
'' and the ''
Evening Standard The ''Evening Standard'', formerly ''The Standard'' (1827–1904), also known as the ''London Evening Standard'', is a local free daily newspaper in London, England, published Monday to Friday in tabloid format. In October 2009, after be ...
'' * Jeremy Levin, CEO of
Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (also known as Teva Pharmaceuticals) is an Israeli multinational pharmaceutical company with headquarters in Tel Aviv, Israel. It specializes primarily in generic drugs, but other business interests include ...
, the world's largest
generic drug A generic drug is a pharmaceutical drug that contains the same chemical substance as a drug that was originally protected by chemical patents. Generic drugs are allowed for sale after the patents on the original drugs expire. Because the active ch ...
manufacturer and
Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
's largest company * Rowshanara Moni, singer and actress *
Cyril Nri Cyril Ikechukwu Nri (born 25 April 1961) is a Nigerian-born British actor who is best known for playing Superintendent Adam Okaro in the police TV series ''The Bill''. Early life Nri was born in on 25 April 1961 in Nigeria. Nri's family are ...
, actor *
Miquita Oliver Miquita Billie Alexandra Oliver (born 25 April 1984) is a British television presenter and radio personality. With Simon Amstell, she co-hosted Channel 4's '' Popworld'' from 2001 to 2006. Miquita then went on to present on T4 from 2006 to 201 ...
, television presenter *
Bel Powley Isobel Dorothy Powley (born 7 March 1992) is an English actress. Powley was born and raised in London, where she was educated at Holland Park School. She began acting as a teenager on television, starring on the CBBC action television series '' ...
, actress * Kasete Naufahu Skeen, ski champion *
Gwyneth Strong Gwyneth Strong (born 2 December 1959) is an English actress. She has appeared in '' Shadows'' (1975), ''Angels'' (1976), ''Crown Court'' and ''Z-Cars'' (1977), ''Play for Today'' (1980-1984), ''Silent Witness'' (1996). However, she is best known f ...
, actress * Lesley Thomson, novelist and creative writing tutor * Simon Tisdall, ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' journalist *
Polly Toynbee Mary Louisa "Polly" Toynbee (; born 27 December 1946) is a British journalist and writer. She has been a columnist for ''The Guardian'' newspaper since 1998. She is a social democrat and was a candidate for the Social Democratic Party in the 19 ...
, writer *
AJ Tracey Ché Wolton Grant (born 4 March 1994), known professionally as AJ Tracey, is a British rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer. He is from Ladbroke Grove, West London. Tracey rose to popularity in 2016 and was listed by ''The Guardian'' i ...
, musician *
Yazz Yazz (born Yasmin Evans; 19 May 1960) is an English pop singer, who remains perhaps best known for her 1988 UK number one single "The Only Way Is Up". Some of her records are credited to Yazz and the Plastic Population. Career Yazz was born i ...
(born Yasmin Evans), singer *
Emily Young Emily Young FRBS (born 1951) is a sculptor, who has been called "Britain's greatest living stone sculptor". She was born in London into a family of artists, writers and politicians. She currently divides her time between studios in London and It ...
, sculptor, daughter of author and politician Lord Kennet *
Nadhim Zahawi Nadhim Zahawi ( ar, ناظم الزهاوي, translit=Nāẓim az-Zahāwī; ku, نەدیم زەهاوی, translit=Nedîm Zehawî; born 2 June 1967) is an Iraqi-born British politician serving as Chairman of the Conservative Party and Minister ...
, British
Conservative Party The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right. Political parties called The Conservative P ...
politician *
Drummie Zeb Angus Gaye (24 September 1959 – 2 September 2022), better known as Drummie Zeb, was a British musician. He was the drummer and vocalist for the reggae band Aswad, as well as a record producer for other artists. Early life Gaye was born in Lond ...
(born Angus Gaye), musician of Aswad


Notable teachers

*
Christine Blower Christine Blower, Baroness Blower (born 20 April 1951) was the eleventh General Secretary of the National Union of Teachers, a trade union representing qualified teachers across England and Wales. In March 2018, she stood for election and was sh ...
, French teacher (from 1973) became the 11th General Secretary of the National Union of Teachers (NUT) * Suneet Chopra, science teacher, went on to become politician and social activist * Allen Clarke, founding headmaster and history teacher *
Paul Farmer Paul Edward Farmer (October 26, 1959 – February 21, 2022) was an American medical anthropology, medical anthropologist and physician. Farmer held an MD and PhD from Harvard University, where he was a Harvard University Professor, University ...
, Head of Music 1974-77, who devised the first CSE in Pop *
Bryan Ferry Bryan Ferry CBE (born 26 September 1945) is an English singer and songwriter. His voice has been described as an "elegant, seductive croon". He also established a distinctive image and sartorial style: according to ''The Independent'', Ferry an ...
, pottery teacher, went on to become lead singer for
Roxy Music Roxy Music are an English rock music, rock band formed in 1970 by Bryan Ferry—who became the band's lead vocalist and principal songwriter—and bassist Graham Simpson (musician), Graham Simpson. The other longtime members are Phil Manzanera ...
* Barnaby Lenon, chairman of the
Independent Schools Council The Independent Schools Council (ISC) is a non-profit lobby group that represents over 1,300 schools in the United Kingdom's independent education sector. The organisation comprises seven independent school associations and promotes the busin ...
(ISC) * Andy Mackay, music teacher, went on to become the saxophonist for the group
Roxy Music Roxy Music are an English rock music, rock band formed in 1970 by Bryan Ferry—who became the band's lead vocalist and principal songwriter—and bassist Graham Simpson (musician), Graham Simpson. The other longtime members are Phil Manzanera ...
*
David Malouf David George Joseph Malouf AO (; born 20 March 1934) is an Australian poet, novelist, short story writer, playwright and librettist. Elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 2008, Malouf has lectured at both the University of Quee ...
, English teacher, went on to become a novelist * Mary Marsh, former head teacher, now non-executive director of HSBC Bank PLC and member of the Governing Body at London Business School * Carolyn McCall, completed one year of teacher's training at Holland Park School and is now chief executive of
ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of: ** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...
*
Mike Walling Mike Walling (8 July 1950 – 2 July 2020) was an English comic actor and screenwriter. Career Walling began his career as an English teacher at Holland Park School in London. In the mid-1970s, while still a teacher, he won a British TV talent ...
, English teacher, was a winner on the TV show ''
New Faces ''New Faces'' is a British television talent show that aired in the 1970s and 1980s. It has been hosted by Leslie Crowther, Derek Hobson and Marti Caine. It was produced for the ITV network by ATV, and later by Central. Original series: 1973 ...
'' in the late 1970s and starred in the British television sitcoms ''
Brush Strokes ''Brush Strokes'' is a British television sitcom, broadcast on BBC television from 1986 to 1991. Written by Esmonde and Larbey and set in south London, it depicted the (mostly) amorous adventures of a wisecracking house painter, Jacko (Karl H ...
'' and ''
The Smoking Room ''The Smoking Room'' is a British television sitcom written by Brian Dooley, who won a BAFTA for the series in 2005. The first series, consisting of eight episodes, was originally transmitted on BBC Three between 29 June and 17 August 2004. Th ...
''


Notable parents

*
Tony Benn Anthony Neil Wedgwood Benn (3 April 1925 – 14 March 2014), known between 1960 and 1963 as Viscount Stansgate, was a British politician, writer and diarist who served as a Cabinet of the United Kingdom, Cabinet minister in the 1960s and 1970s. ...
, a
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 ...
politician, and his wife Caroline, sent all four of their children to the school *
Michael Gove Michael Andrew Gove (; born Graeme Andrew Logan, 26 August 1967) is a British politician serving as Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities and Minister for Intergovernmental Relations since 2021. He has been Member of Parli ...
, a
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 ...
politician, has had one of his children at the school *
John Bercow John Simon Bercow (; born 19 January 1963) is a British former politician who was Speaker of the House of Commons from 2009 to 2019, and Member of Parliament (MP) for Buckingham between 1997 and 2019. A member of the Conservative Party prior to ...
, the former
speaker of the House of Commons Speaker of the House of Commons is a political leadership position found in countries that have a House of Commons, where the membership of the body elects a speaker to lead its proceedings. Systems that have such a position include: * Speaker of ...
, and his wife
Sally Sally may refer to: People *Sally (name), a list of notable people with the name Military * Sally (military), an attack by the defenders of a town or fortress under siege against a besieging force; see sally port *Sally, the Allied reporting na ...
, have had all three of their children at the school, and the former was elected as a parent-governor in 2020


References


External links


Holland Park School website

BBC's 2004 league table for Holland Park School
*
Melissa Benn Melissa Ann Benn (born 1957) is a British journalist and writer. She is the daughter of Tony Benn and Caroline Benn. Biography Benn was born in Hammersmith, London. She has three brothers, including Hilary Benn and Stephen Benn, 3rd Viscoun ...
and Clyde Chitty (Eds.)
''A Tribute to Caroline Benn: Education and Democracy''
Continuum, London, 2004,
Holland Park School Parent Collective website
* {{Authority control 1958 establishments in England Academies in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Arson in the 1970s Educational institutions established in 1958 Holland Park Secondary schools in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea School buildings in the United Kingdom destroyed by arson