Thomas Tallis School is a large mixed

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 ...

for pupils aged 11–19, located in

Kidbrooke Kidbrooke is an area of South East London, England, in the Royal Borough of Greenwich south-east of Charing Cross and north west of Eltham. The district takes its name from the Kyd Brook, a watercourse which runs from Orpington to Lewisham, ...

in the

Royal Borough of Greenwich The Royal Borough of Greenwich (, , or ) is a London borough in southeast Greater London. The London Borough of Greenwich was formed in 1965 by the London Government Act 1963. The new borough covered the former area of the Metropolitan Borough ...

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 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 opened in 1971, and was named after the composer

Thomas Tallis Thomas Tallis (23 November 1585; also Tallys or Talles) was an English composer of High Renaissance music. His compositions are primarily vocal, and he occupies a primary place in anthologies of English choral music. Tallis is considered one o ...

, who lived in

Greenwich Greenwich ( , ,) is a town in south-east London, England, within the ceremonial county of Greater London. It is situated east-southeast of Charing Cross. Greenwich is notable for its maritime history and for giving its name to the Greenwich ...

. The school was completely rebuilt 40 years later as part of the

Building Schools for the Future Building Schools for the Future (BSF) was the name given to the British government's investment programme in secondary school buildings in England in the 2000s. The programme was ambitious in its costs, timescales and objectives, with politicia ...

programme. It now has 1,985 students. The former Thomas Tallis School school concourse

History (1971–2011)

The school was originally built in 1971 on land used for training facilities in a former RAF storage, maintenance and training facility,

RAF Kidbrooke RAF Kidbrooke was a Royal Air Force base, situated in Kidbrooke in south-east London, in the Royal Borough of Greenwich. The site was operational from 1917 to 1965 and was mainly used as a stores, maintenance and training facility. History Esta ...

. A

blue plaque A blue plaque is a permanent sign installed in a public place in the United Kingdom and elsewhere to commemorate a link between that location and a famous person, event, or former building on the site, serving as a historical marker. The term i ...

recognising the school's RAF connections, in particular to the RAF Linguists' Association, was unveiled in 2008 and re-dedicated in July 2014. In 1998, the school was awarded 'Specialist Arts College' status and was successfully re-designated twice. In 2005 it was awarded

Leading Edge The leading edge of an airfoil surface such as a wing is its foremost edge and is therefore the part which first meets the oncoming air.Crane, Dale: ''Dictionary of Aeronautical Terms, third edition'', page 305. Aviation Supplies & Academics, ...

status. The school was part of the Creative Partnerships network of schools from its inception in 2002, through to 2011 (in May 2008, the school was one of only 30 schools in England to achieve the status of School of Creativity). In December 2009, Director of Tate galleries,

Sir Nicholas Serota Sir Nicholas Andrew Serota, (born 27 April 1946) is an English art historian and curator, who served as the Director of the Tate from 1988 to 2017. He is currently Chair of Arts Council England, a role which he has held since February 2017. Se ...

was invited to become the school's head teacher for the day.

Kidbrooke School in the media

The former Thomas Tallis School building

In 2005, along with nearby Kidbrooke School, the school featured in

Jamie Oliver James Trevor Oliver MBE OSI (born 27 May 1975) is an English chef, restaurateur and cookbook author. He is known for his casual approach to cuisine, which has led him to front numerous television shows and open many restaurants. Oliver reache ...

's TV series ''

Jamie's School Dinners ''Jamie's School Dinners'' is a four-episode documentary series that was broadcast on Channel 4 in the United Kingdom from 23 February to 16 March 2005. The series was recorded from Spring to Winter of 2004 and featured British celebrity chef ...

'' in which Oliver sought to improve school dinners in Britain. In 2007, the school featured in the

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...

documentary '' Make Me a Tory'', directed by former pupil Daniel Cormack. An education textbook designed by German publisher Ernst Klett Verlag uses pictures of the school.

History (2011–present)

In 2011, the school underwent a £50 million pound renovation as part of the Greenwich

programme. Occupancy of the new school took place on 7 November 2011. The school was officially opened by

David Miliband David Wright Miliband (born 15 July 1965) is the president and chief executive officer (CEO) of the International Rescue Committee and a former British Labour Party politician. He was the Foreign Secretary from 2007 to 2010 and the Member of P ...

in May 2012.

School facilities

Working closely with architects,

John McAslan + Partners John Renwick McAslan (born 16 February 1954) is a British architect. Education and career John McAslan was educated at Dunoon Grammar School, Dollar Academy and University of Edinburgh, Scotland, obtaining an MA in Architecture in 1977 and a ...

, some of the design features of the old school that were felt to be crucial in having helped shape its ethos were retained - for example, the central concourse which functions as a social hub and outdoor performance space. The building interiors are colour-coded and signs exist to ease navigation. Most classrooms are contained in three blocks to the west of the site. Sports facilities, a canteen, performing arts spaces, specialist broadcast and music studios and other specialist classrooms make up the other blocks. The school has also paid close attention to the dining area and toilets, areas which deserve to be of the highest standards. Access to community facilities has been made easier and circulation around the building is enhanced by multi-level walkways. There is a close connection between indoor and outdoor learning facilities. Prior to occupation of the new building, designers Gilles and Cecilie Studio were commissioned to create new furniture, wall graphics and decorations for the school. The aim of this project was to express the ethos and ambitions of the old school on the walls of the new one. The work was featured in ''

Creative Review ''Creative Review'' is a bimonthly print magazine and website. The magazine focuses on commercial creativity, covering design, advertising, photography, branding, digital products, film, and gaming. The magazine is published bimonthly in print and ...

'' magazine (and received a diploma in environmental design at the Visuelt awards in Norway). A number of places at the school are reserved for students with

autistic spectrum disorder The autism spectrum, often referred to as just autism or in the context of a professional diagnosis autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or autism spectrum condition (ASC), is a neurodevelopmental condition (or conditions) characterized by difficulti ...

(ASD). Since 1997, the school has retained a Deaf Support Centre, integrating deaf pupils alongside their hearing peers, with specialist staff supporting teaching staff to ensure deaf students' needs are met. Deaf Awareness forms part of the pastoral programme for all students.

Notable former pupils

Dominic Cooper Dominic Edward Cooper (born 2 June 1978) is an English actor known for his portrayal of comic book characters Jesse Custer on the AMC show ''Preacher'' (2016–2019) and young Howard Stark in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with appearances in ...

, actor *

Simon Day Simon William Day (born 7 June 1962) is an English comedian and actor known for his roles in the sketch show '' The Fast Show'' and the sitcom ''Grass''. Career Day was born in Blackheath, London, and rose to fame as a stand-up comic, winning ...

, actor * Patrick van den Hauwe, professional footballer, attended from 1972-1977 * Amadou Kassaraté, professional footballer *

Richard Reid Richard Colvin Reid (born 12 August 1973), also known as the "Shoe Bomber", is the perpetrator of the failed shoe bombing attempt on a transatlantic flight in 2001. Born to a father who was a career criminal, Reid converted to Islam as a young ...

, failed 'Shoe Bomber' terrorist *

Ihsan Rustem Ihsan Rustem is a British choreographer living in Switzerland Early career Ihsan Rustem was a student at the Thomas Tallis School in his hometown of London before commencing his formal dance training at the Rambert School of Ballet and Con ...

, dancer and choreographer *

Kae Tempest Kae Tempest (formerly Kate Tempest; born 22 December 1985) is an English spoken word performer, poet, recording artist, novelist and playwright. At the age of 16, Tempest was accepted into the BRIT School for Performing Arts and Technology in ...

, poet

References

External links

* {{authority control Secondary schools in the Royal Borough of Greenwich Community schools in the Royal Borough of Greenwich School buildings completed in 2011 Educational institutions established in 1971 1971 establishments in England