Matthew Arnold School is a co-educational secondary school with academy status located in Staines-upon-Thames, Surrey, England. The school was opened by

Lord Lucan Richard John Bingham, 7th Earl of Lucan (born 18 December 1934 – disappeared 8 November 1974, declared death in absentia, declared dead 3 February 2016), commonly known as Lord Lucan, was a British Peerages in the United Kingdom, peer who di ...

on 24 May 1954 and educates pupils from the age of 11 ("Year 7") to 16 ("Year 11").

Admissions

The Matthew Arnold School is on the outskirts of the east of Staines-upon-Thames, south of the A308, towards Ashford. It has transport links via buses

117 117 may refer to: *117 (number) *AD 117 *117 BC *117 (emergency telephone number) *117 (MBTA bus) * 117 (TFL bus) *117 (New Jersey bus) *''117°'', a 1998 album by Izzy Stradlin *No. 117 (SPARTAN-II soldier ID), personal name John, the Master Chief ...

and 290

trains In rail transport, a train (from Old French , from Latin , "to pull, to draw") is a series of connected vehicles that run along a railway track and transport people or freight. Trains are typically pulled or pushed by locomotives (often know ...

Matthew Arnold takes in many pupils from a variety of schools located around Staines-Upon-Thames and surrounding areas, including Buckland Primary School, Laleham Church of England School, Riverbridge Primary School, Town Farm Primary School, Our Lady of Rosary, Stanwell Fields, Clarendon, Ashford Park, Echelford Primary School and many more.

History

The Matthew Arnold School was started before the

Second World War 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 opposi ...

as a hospital and some pupils were admitted before hostilities started (the boys section). Aerial photographs taken on two occasions in 1933 illustrate some of the progress of construction of the new housing in the immediate vicinity of the survey area. Photographs also show the cropmarks of the supposed Roman enclosure in the playing fields of the school. Subsequent aerial photographs, taken at regular intervals from the late 1940s, to present also record cropmarks of the enclosure. The School was finished after the war as two Secondary Modern Schools. There was no state Grammar School in Staines-upon-Thames. Boys and Girls who passed the 11+ went to Ashford County School (Mixed) or Hampton Grammar School (boys only), (latterly Hampton School). With comprehensivisation on the 70s Matthew Arnold became a mixed comprehensive school, it became a comprehensive in 1975. The site was partially excavated in 1989-1990 and although the dating is inconclusive, it is suggested that the enclosures are of medieval date. The school became an academy in 2012, Construction is to be completed in January 2021 whereupon the current building will be demolished and external landscaping will take place and will be built by Wates Construction company with funding by the government’s Priority School Building Programme 2 (PSBP2) which aims to rebuild or replace the schools in the worst condition across the UK.

Academic performance

In January 2008 the school was awarded "The Most Improved School in the Country". In 2014 the school was placed in

special measures Special measures is a status applied by regulators of public services in Britain to providers who fall short of acceptable standards. In education (England and Wales) Ofsted, the schools inspection agency for England and some British Overseas Ter ...

following an Ofsted inspection report that rated the school as 'inadequate'. As part of an improvement plan the school has joined the Bourne Education Trust, a Surrey-based multi-academy trust that includes Epsom and Ewell High School and

Jubilee High School Jubilee High School is a coeducational secondary school with academy status, located in Addlestone, Surrey, England. The school holds Artsmark Gold Award and International School status. History The school was formed in September 1985 by ...

Fictitious alumni

Ali G, the fictional character created by comedian

Sacha Baron Cohen Sacha Noam Baron Cohen (born 13 October 1971) is an English actor, comedian, producer, and screenwriter. He is best known for his creation and portrayal of the fictional satirical characters Ali G, Borat Sagdiyev, Brüno Gehard, and Admiral ...

, called it "Da Matthew Arnold Skool".

References

External links