The King John School, often abbreviated to King John, is a secondary

academy school An academy school in England is a state-funded school which is directly funded by the Department for Education and independent of local authority control. The terms of the arrangements are set out in individual Academy Funding Agreements. Most ...

with a

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 ...

South Benfleet South Benfleet is a town and former civil parish, now in the unparished area of Benfleet, in the Castle Point district of Essex, England, 30 miles east of London. It is adjacent to the village of North Benfleet. The Benfleet SS7 post town include ...

, Essex, England. It is named after King John of England (1166–1216). The main school building was opened in 1949: contrary to popular belief this building was never designed, nor used, as a hospital. As of October 2020, the school has an enrolment of 2128 students, operating over its recommended capacity of 2000 students.

History

Construction of the school was started in 1938, but suspended for the duration of the war and restarted in 1948. It was opened in May 1949 as Benfleet Secondary Modern, at which time only the South Wing was completed. The school took pupils from primary schools in Hadleigh,

Thundersley Thundersley is a town and former civil parish, now in the unparished area of Benfleet, in the Castle Point borough, in southeast Essex, England. It sits on a clay ridge shared with Basildon and Hadleigh, east of Charing Cross, London. In 1951 ...

and New Thundersley. Before the official opening in 1953, the school was used as a shelter station after the Canvey Island flood tragedy, a gesture that led to the headmaster being awarded the OBE. It was then known as King John

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 ...

with 1100 pupils and became a

comprehensive school 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 ...

in the early 1960s, it is now a secondary

with a

Wilko Johnson John Andrew Wilkinson (12 July 1947 – 21 November 2022), better known by the stage name Wilko Johnson, was an English guitarist, singer, songwriter and occasional actor. He was a member of the pub rock/rhythm and blues band Dr. Feelgood in t ...

, the guitarist in

Dr. Feelgood (band) Dr. Feelgood are an English pub rock band formed in 1971. Hailing from Canvey Island, Essex, the group are best known for early singles such as " She Does It Right", " Roxette", " Back in the Night" and " Milk and Alcohol". The group's origin ...

and

Ian Dury and The Blockheads Ian or Iain is a name of Scottish Gaelic origin, derived from the Hebrew given name (Yohanan, ') and corresponding to the English name John. The spelling Ian is an Anglicization of the Scottish Gaelic forename ''Iain''. It is a popular name in Sc ...

, then addressed as Mr. Wilkinson, briefly taught English in 1973.

References

External links

Essex BSF Schools
Academies in Essex Educational institutions established in 1949 Secondary schools in Essex 1949 establishments in England {{UK-school-stub