The Thomas Alleyne Academy is an Academy in Stevenage, Hertfordshire,

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. It was founded in 2013, but can trace its roots back to 1558, when the original school was set up from the will of Thomas Alleyne. It is situated at the northern end of Stevenage High Street, in Stevenage Old Town, adjacent to the roundabout of the A1072 and the A602 (former A1), and more than 200 metres to the east of the East Coast Main Line. The Academy has 180 in each year group and is a popular school, with Year 7 places usually oversubscribed. The school was inspected by Ofsted in October 2019 and retained a 'Good' rating. In 2017 the school converted all lighting to LED; a project funded by The Educational Social Enterprise Fund for LED Lighting. In the same year the school moved their heating system from gas to Biomass fuel. The biomass system is fuelled with wood pellets obtained from sustainable forests. In the summer of 2020 the 1950s science block was completely renovated using a Capital Improvement Fund government grant, upgrading the outdated 1950s labs to state of the art new facilities.

Francis Cammaerts Francis Charles Albert Cammaerts, DSO (16 June 1916 – 3 July 2006), code named Roger, was an agent of the United Kingdom's clandestine Special Operations Executive (SOE) during World War II. The purpose of SOE was to conduct espionage, ...

(1916–2006), French Resistance leader and witness in the ''Lady Chatterley's Lover'' Trial, was headmaster from 1952 to 1961.

was the author Michael Morpurgo's uncle. Morpurgo wrote a fictional story based on his uncle's experiences in WWII ‘In the Mouth of the Wolf’. In 1969 the school became a comprehensive, Alleyne's School. In 1989 it merged with Stevenage Girls' School and changed to its current name. During the summer of 2012, Thomas Alleyne's was chosen to choose a torchbearer to run with the torch for the 2012 Summer Olympics. The Vincent motorcycle factory was based in the current Thomas Alleyne Academy reception between 1928 and 1955. There is a plaque on the reception building commemorating the Vincent motorcycle champion

George Brown George Brown may refer to: Arts and entertainment * George Loring Brown (1814–1889), American landscape painter * George Douglas Brown (1869–1902), Scottish novelist * George Williams Brown (1894–1963), Canadian historian and editor * G ...

The current head teacher at the Thomas Alleyne Academy is Mr Mark Lewis. Mark Lewis is also the Managing Director of the Hart Schools Trust, a Multi-Academy Trust incorporating Roebuck Academy in Stevenage.

Academy Status

In March 2013, the School (as it was then known) requested to turn into 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 Sunday 1 September 2013, Alleynes became an Academy, with links to

North Hertfordshire College North Hertfordshire College ("NHC") is a further education and higher education college operating in Stevenage, Hitchin, and Letchworth Garden City. NHC was established on 1st April 1991, through the amalgamation of Stevenage College, Hitchin ...

. Being an Academy means that Alleynes has more control over finances and their curriculum, which they wouldn't have if they had stayed as a 'School'. This means that the Academy is now funded directly by central government and not the Local Authority.

Notable former pupils

Alleyne's Grammar School

* Sir

Henry Chauncy Sir Henry Chauncy (12 April 1632 – April 1719) was an English lawyer, topographer and antiquarian. He is best known for his county history of Hertfordshire, published in 1700. Life He was born in Ardeley (then known as Yardley), Hertfordshi ...

, historian * Geoffrey Howard, grandson of Sir

Ebenezer Howard Sir Ebenezer Howard (29 January 1850 – 1 May 1928) was an English urban planner and founder of the garden city movement, known for his publication ''To-Morrow: A Peaceful Path to Real Reform'' (1898), the description of a utopian city in whic ...

, pioneer of garden cities * Harry Bates, 1850 to 1899, one of the finest English artists of the nineteenth century *

Ken Hensley Kenneth William David Hensley (24 August 1945 – 4 November 2020) was an English singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer, best known for his work with Uriah Heep during the 1970s. He wrote or co-wrote the majority of Uriah ...

1956-1961, of the rock band Uriah Heep

Alleyne's School

Graham Poll Graham Poll (born 29 July 1963) is an English former football referee in the Premier League. With 26 years of experience, he was one of the most prominent referees in English football, often taking charge of the highest-profile games. His final ...

, referee

Notable former Staff

* Roger Luxton (OBE) principal adviser and finally director of children's services at Barking and Dagenham, former school governor * Tony McWalter MP for Hemel Hemstead from 1997 till 2005. Worked at the school from 2005 till 2019 *

(

Headmaster A head master, head instructor, bureaucrat, headmistress, head, chancellor, principal or school director (sometimes another title is used) is the staff member of a school with the greatest responsibility for the management of the school. In som ...

)

Special Operations Executive The Special Operations Executive (SOE) was a secret British World War II organisation. It was officially formed on 22 July 1940 under Minister of Economic Warfare Hugh Dalton, from the amalgamation of three existing secret organisations. Its pu ...

Agent during

World War II 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 opposing ...

References

External links

The Thomas Alleyne Academy

Ofsted Inspection Report

Old Alleynians

Get Information About Schools (gov.uk)

Thomas Alleyne Supporters Association (TASA)

News items

* https://www.thecomet.net/news/education/stevenage-s-thomas-alleyne-school-and-airbus-flying-challenge-5425308 Stevenage students off to a flying start with Airbus mentoring scheme (Oct 2019) *http://www.thecomet.net/news/gcse_results_thomas_alleyne_stevenage_1_1491162 Student from the Thomas Alleyne School carries Olympic Torch through Stevenage Old Town * http://www.106jack.com/news/local-news/olympic-torch-relay-meet-hertfordshires-torchbearers/ MP Praises Thomas Alleyne students on a school charity day to raise money to "Send my friend to school" * http://www.theadvertisergroup.co.uk/Education-and-Training/MP-praises-pupils-support-of-poor-African-students-18072012.htm {{DEFAULTSORT:Thomas Alleyne Academy The 1558 establishments in England Educational institutions established in the 1550s Secondary schools in Hertfordshire Academies in Hertfordshire Schools in Stevenage Grade II listed educational buildings Grade II listed buildings in Hertfordshire