Stepney All Saints Church of England Secondary School (formerly known as Sir John Cass's Foundation and Redcoat School) is a

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britain ...

voluntary aided school A voluntary aided school (VA school) is a state-funded school in England and Wales in which a foundation or trust (usually a religious organisation), contributes to building costs and has a substantial influence in the running of the school. In mo ...

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

Stepney Stepney is a district in the East End of London in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. The district is no longer officially defined, and is usually used to refer to a relatively small area. However, for much of its history the place name appl ...

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. The last Ofsted report in October 2015 rated SJCR School as "Outstanding."

History

Sir

John Cass Sir John Cass (February 1661 – 5 July 1718) was an English merchant, Tory Member of Parliament and philanthropist. He was also a key figure in the Royal African Company, which was involved in the Atlantic slave trade. Biography Early l ...

was born in the City of London in 1661 and, during his lifetime, served as both Alderman and Sheriff. He was also MP for the City and knighted in 1712. Sir John Cass was also a major figure in the early development of the

Atlantic slave trade The Atlantic slave trade, transatlantic slave trade, or Euro-American slave trade involved the transportation by slave traders of enslaved African people, mainly to the Americas. The slave trade regularly used the triangular trade route and i ...

. In 1710 Cass set up a school for 50 boys and 40 girls and rented buildings in the churchyard of St Botolph-without-Aldgate. Intending to leave the vast majority of his property to the independent school (having already generously supported the parochial school), when he died in 1718 of a brain haemorrhage, Cass had only initialled three pages of his will. The incomplete will was contested, but was finally upheld by the Court of Chancery thirty years after his death. The

charity school Charity schools, sometimes called blue coat schools, or simply the Blue School, were significant in the history of education in England. They were built and maintained in various parishes by the voluntary contributions of the inhabitants to ...

was managed by nine independent trustees named in the will, none of whom were ''ex-officio'' or nominated by external bodies. The school, which by this time had been forced to close, was re-opened, and the foundation established. It was decided to separate primary and secondary school education, and a suitable site was found in Stepney. The Red Coat School, Stepney, has had various names including Stepney Parish Day Schools, Stepney Church School and the Charity School in the Hamlet of Mile End Old Town. It was established in 1714 by voluntary subscription for the clothing and education of a limited number of boys born within Mile End Old Town. The school-house was built on Stepney Green (though the boys were separately housed in Mile End Road for some time). Both the Sir John Cass and the Red Coat school merged to become the Sir John Cass's Foundation and Red Coat School, opening doors for the first time on 5 September 1966. In November 2014 an Ofsted inspection downgraded the school to "inadequate" due to

safeguarding Safeguarding is a term used in the United Kingdom and Ireland to denote measures to protect the health, well-being and human rights of individuals, which allow people—especially children, young people and vulnerable adults—to live free from ...

issues, after the inspection found that students from the sixth-form’s Islamic Society had shared links to extremist material on

Facebook Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin M ...

. The inspectors also found that the school segregated boys from girls outside of lessons, and felt that it failed to do enough to keep students safe from the risks posed by extremism. Other schools in Tower Hamlets were also inspected at the same time in wake of the

Trojan Horse scandal The Trojan Horse scandal, also known as "Operation Trojan Horse" or the Trojan Horse affair, involves claims of an alleged conspiracy that there was an organised attempt to introduce an " Islamist" or "Salafist" ethos into several schools in Bi ...

. In September 2016, SJCR School celebrated fifty years in education. All alumni (ex-pupils and ex-staff) were invited to join in the celebrations. In June 2020, during the global

George Floyd protests The George Floyd protests were a series of protests and civil unrest against police brutality and racism that began in Minneapolis on May 26, 2020, and largely took place during 2020. The civil unrest and protests began as part of internati ...

, it was announced the school would be changing its name to remove the reference to Sir John Cass due to his connections with the slave trade. Following a consultation with students, staff, governors and parents, the school was renamed Stepney All Saints School.

Catchment

The school admits pupils aged 11 to 18, with approximately 1400 students in the main school and 720 in the

. Although the school is run by the

, ninety percent of its pupils come from ethnic

Bangladeshi Bangladeshis ( bn, বাংলাদেশী ) are the citizens of Bangladesh, a South Asian country centered on the transnational historical region of Bengal along the eponymous bay. Bangladeshi citizenship was formed in 1971, when the ...

, mainly Muslim backgrounds.

Ofsted Ratings

As of December 2021 the school has undergone four full inspections and had five additional visits from Ofsted.

Results

2015

;GCSE Results 2015 * 141 pupils achieved 5 A*–C grades, including English and Maths (75%) * 83% of pupils achieved 5+ A*–C grade GCSEs (or equivalent) * 49% of pupils achieved the English Baccalaureate * 87% of pupils made at least expected progress in English * 84% of pupils made at least expected progress in Maths * 154 pupils achieved an A*–C in English (83%) * 164 pupils achieved an A*–C in Maths (85%) * 30 pupils achieved 8 or more A*/A grades including 10 pupils with over 11 A*/A grades * 65 pupils achieve 3 or more A*/A grades (35%) ;Key Stage 5 Results – 2015 *Academic Qualifications ** Average point score per academic entry 220.3 ** Average point score per academic student (full-time equivalent) 791.41 *Vocational Qualifications ** Average point score per vocational entry 256.8 ** Average point score per vocational student (full-time equivalent) 821

Uniform

The school uniform is a white shirt or blouse, with mid-grey trousers or skirt and a navy blue blazer displaying the school logo. Wearing a grey pullover is optional. Tie colours correspond to the year of the student. All students must wear full and correct uniform for school, school occasions and PE and Drama lessons.

References

External links

Official website
* *
Directgov – School Profile
{{authority control Secondary schools in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets Church of England secondary schools in the Diocese of London Voluntary aided schools in London Stepney Name changes due to the George Floyd protests