Bishop Stopford's School
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Bishop Stopford's School, commonly known as Bishop Stopford's, or (simply) just Bishop's, is a
voluntary aided 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 m ...
co-educational Mixed-sex education, also known as mixed-gender education, co-education, or coeducation (abbreviated to co-ed or coed), is a system of education where males and females are educated together. Whereas single-sex education was more common up to ...
secondary school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., b ...
specialising in mathematics, computing and
engineering Engineering is the practice of using natural science, mathematics, and the engineering design process to Problem solving#Engineering, solve problems within technology, increase efficiency and productivity, and improve Systems engineering, s ...
, with a
sixth form In the education systems of Barbados, England, Jamaica, Northern Ireland, Trinidad and Tobago, Wales, and some other Commonwealth countries, sixth form represents the final two years of secondary education, ages 16 to 18. Pupils typically prepa ...
. It is a London Diocesan Church of England school with worship in a relatively
High Church A ''high church'' is a Christian Church whose beliefs and practices of Christian ecclesiology, Christian liturgy, liturgy, and Christian theology, theology emphasize "ritual, priestly authority, ndsacraments," and a standard liturgy. Although ...
Anglo-Catholic Anglo-Catholicism comprises beliefs and practices that emphasise the Catholicism, Catholic heritage (especially pre-English Reformation, Reformation roots) and identity of the Church of England and various churches within Anglicanism. Anglo-Ca ...
tradition. It is in Brick Lane, Enfield, near Enfield Highway,
Greater London Greater London is an administrative area in England, coterminous with the London region, containing most of the continuous urban area of London. It contains 33 local government districts: the 32 London boroughs, which form a Ceremonial count ...
, England.


Overview

Bishop Stopford's has about 920 pupils aged 11 to 19. In 2004 the school received an award for mathematics and computing and in 2008 engineering specialist status.


Key Stage 3

At Key Stage 3 pupils follow the same subjects for years 7–9. All pupils start to take French in Year 7.


GCSE

In Year 9 pupils can choose what subjects they wish to take for their
GCSE The General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) is an academic qualification in a range of subjects taken in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, having been introduced in September 1986 and its first exams taken in 1988. State schools ...
s. All pupils take maths, science, English language, English literature, religious education, and physical education.


Sixth form

Pupils may take a 1-year BTEC course in either OCR business studies or BTEC art and design, or AS/A2 levels.


History

After almost a century of attempts by the Church to found a church secondary school in Enfield, Bishop Stopford's was founded on St. Polycarp's Day 1967 and opened its doors to its first pupils on 7 September 1967. Its founder was the then Bishop of London, the Right Reverend Robert Wright Stopford. The school was founded to provide an Anglican church school for the children of Enfield, who at that time had several Church primary schools but no Church secondary school. The school was established in the buildings of the old Suffolk's
Secondary Modern 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. Secondary modern schools accommodated the majority (70–75%) of pupils ...
School. The school hit the headlines in February 1990 when three rottweiler dogs escaped from a nearby property and entered the school premises and attacked and injured several pupils. The former Heads of Bishop Stopford's have been Geoffrey Roberts from 1967 to 1988, Brian Robin Pickard from 1988 to 2001, Bridget Sarah Evans from 2001 to 2008, and Jim Owen from 2009 to 2012. Tammy Day (Current Deputy Head /Senior Mistress) was appointed as Acting Head for a term until Paul Woods assumed office in January 2013. During this time Sandra Melhuish (Assistant Head) was appointed as Acting Senior Mistress/Deputy Head and Russell Dean (Assistant Head) was appointed Senior Master/Deputy Head. Woods assumed office as Head Master in January 2013 and resigned in 2015 leaving Day as acting Head. Day was appointed permanent Head in February 2017.


Choir Form

The Choir Form was founded in 1973 and takes boys and girls from all six Houses from year 7 to the sixth form. (Year 7 pupils may volunteer for the Junior Choir.) While remaining members of their Houses, pupils in the Choir Form attend registration together, and sing in assembly, hymn practice, choir practice and
compline Compline ( ), also known as Complin, Night Prayer, or the Prayers at the End of the Day, is the final prayer liturgy (or office) of the day in the Christian tradition of canonical hours, which are prayed at fixed prayer times. The English wor ...
together. They attend a residential singing week every year, which has been at
Bradwell on Sea Bradwell-on-Sea is a village and civil parish in Essex, England; it is on the Dengie peninsula. It is located north-north-east of Southminster and is east of the county town of Chelmsford. The village is in the District of Maldon and in the ...
,
Seasalter Seasalter is a village on the north coast of Kent, England, between Whitstable and Faversham, facing the Isle of Sheppey across the estuary of the River Swale, north of Canterbury. History Seasalter came to prominence as a centre for salt prod ...
,
Walsingham Walsingham () is a civil parish in North Norfolk, England, famous for its religious shrines in honour of Mary, mother of Jesus. It also contains the ruins of two medieval Christian monasticism, monastic houses.Ordnance Survey (2002). ''OS Expl ...
, and
Winchester Winchester (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in Hampshire, England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government Districts of England, district, at the western end of the South Downs N ...
. In 2004-5 the Choir Form was renamed the Music Form to incorporate a wider range of musical abilities and the modernisation of school worship.


Gallery

Image:Bishopsengtech.jpg, Modern English and Engineering Block Image:Oldndnuu.jpg, link bridge from east wing to east wing extension; English and Engineering Image:Bsss.jpg, A view across the yard, before the school's modernisation Image:Sportshall.jpg, Sports Hall Image:Bssjubilee.jpg, Jubilee; where science lessons take place Image:Orchardbish.jpg, Orchard; the westernmost building of the school File:Ewview.jpg, Admin Block as seen from the 2nd Floor East wing Corridor File:Visitor entrance at Bishop Stopford's School.jpg, School Office Exterior, with Bishop Stopford's livery


Chaplain

Bishop Stopford's School has had three
chaplain A chaplain is, traditionally, a cleric (such as a minister, priest, pastor, rabbi, purohit, or imam), or a lay representative of a religious tradition, attached to a secular institution (such as a hospital, prison, military unit, intellige ...
s since 1967: Rev. James Lowry B.D., Rev. Stephen Taylor BSc., and Rev. Antony Homer. All have chosen to take the title "father". As well as taking a major part in school religious occasions, the chaplain is much involved with the pastoral side of the school, having regular contact with the Senior Six, Heads of Houses and the Senior Leadership Team of the School. Fr. Antony Homer left in February 2011 to join the
Ordinariate In the organisation of the Catholic Church and of the Anglican Communion an ordinariate is a pre- or pseudo-diocesan ecclesiastical structure, of geographical or personal nature, headed by an ordinary who is not necessarily a bishop. An ordinaria ...
of the Roman Catholic Church. A lay chaplain, Jonathan Seabrook, was then appointed, who is an assistant head teacher with responsibility for religion and worship. He is also head of divinity.


Assembly

All pupils must attend one assembly a week, normally as a year with their forms . The Sixth Form has its own assembly on Fridays. The assembly at Bishop Stopford's School begins with organ music. A House prefect from one of the Houses whose assembly is being held then leads in the procession of all the prefects from the two Houses. Following the prefects are the senior staff, normally the Deputy Head Master and the Deputy Head Mistress. Behind the Deputy Heads comes the Chaplain. who is then followed by the Head's prefects, who are followed by the Head. Gowns are still worn but assemblies are now less formal and less religious than previously.


The School Chapel

The school chapel was formerly a small room on the first floor of the West Wing of the school, but is now in the vestibule accessed from the corridor between the East and West Wings, by the great hall. The Eucharist is said in the chapel every morning as is the ''Prayer For All Stopfordians''. This is a special prayer for all those who have a connection with the school, living or dead. The stage contains the great altar, said to be the largest mobile
altar An altar is a table or platform for the presentation of religion, religious offerings, for sacrifices, or for other ritualistic purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, Church (building), churches, and other places of worship. They are use ...
in the
Diocese of London The Diocese of London forms part of the Church of England's Province of Canterbury in England. It lies directly north of the Thames, covering and all or part of 17 London boroughs. This corresponds almost exactly to the historic county of ...
, which was borrowed by the
Oxford Movement The Oxford Movement was a theological movement of high-church members of the Church of England which began in the 1830s and eventually developed into Anglo-Catholicism. The movement, whose original devotees were mostly associated with the Un ...
for use in the
Royal Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London, England. It has a seating capacity of 5,272. Since the hall's opening by Queen Victoria in 1871, the world's leading artists from many performance genres ...
in its 150th anniversary celebrations. The Altar is covered by one of four different
Altar cloth An altar cloth is used in the Christian liturgy to cover the altar. It serves as a sign of reverence as well as a decoration and a protection of the altar and the sacred vessels. In the orthodox churches it is covered by the antimension, which a ...
s of appropriate colours for the Church year, made by various teachers and pupils of the school.


School Organ

The school's
pipe organ The pipe organ is a musical instrument that produces sound by driving pressurised air (called ''wind'') through the organ pipes selected from a Musical keyboard, keyboard. Because each pipe produces a single tone and pitch, the pipes are provide ...
was made from the remains of a church organ salvaged from Sandylands
Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...
Church in
Morecambe Morecambe ( ) is a seaside town and civil parish in the City of Lancaster district of Lancashire, England, on Morecambe Bay, part of the Irish Sea. In 2011 the parish had a population of 34,768. Name The first use of the name was by John Whit ...
, Lancashire. Bought for £400, the organ is now insured for several hundreds of thousands of pounds. A new console was added during its installation, and additional pipes were bought. The case was rebuilt and new wiring and electric
bellows A bellows or pair of bellows is a device constructed to furnish a strong blast of air. The simplest type consists of a flexible bag comprising a pair of rigid boards with handles joined by flexible leather sides enclosing an approximately airtig ...
installed. The motor for the blower was purchased from the
Trinity College of Music Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance is a music, dance, and musical theatre conservatoire based in South East London. It was formed in 2005 as a merger of two older institutions – Trinity College of Music and Laban Dance Centre. Trini ...
. As with many cathedral organs, the dummy pipes at the front of the organ are purely decorative. Several notable organists have given recitals on this instrument, including
Carlo Curley Carlo James Curley (August 24, 1952 – August 11, 2012) was an American classical concert organist who lived much of his later life in Great Britain.Black, Fergus (7 October 1989).Carlo Curley. ''Glasgow Herald''. p. 4, Retrieved 6 November ...
,
Peter Hurford Peter John Hurford OBE (22 November 1930 – 3 March 2019) was a British organist and composer. Life Hurford was born in Minehead, Somerset, to Gladys Hurford (née James) and Hubert Hurford, a solicitor. He was educated at Blundell's School ...
,
Stephen Darlington Stephen Mark Darlington (born 21 September 1952) is a British choral director, organist and conductor who served as Director of Music at Christ Church, Oxford, from 1985 to 2018. After retiring from Christ Church, he served as interim director ...
, Thomas Trotter, and John Scott.


Traditions

The school is noted for its traditions, many of which date from the time of the first Head Master.


The School Pilgrimage

Every year pupils from Years 7 to 10 undertake an eleven-mile (seventeen kilometre) sponsored walk known as the ''School Pilgrimage'' along the canal tow-path of the
River Lea Navigation The Lee Navigation is a canalised river incorporating the River Lea (also called the River Lee along the sections that are navigable). It flows from Hertford Castle Weir to the River Thames at Bow Creek; its first lock is Hertford Lock and i ...
from
Ware WARE (1250 AM) is a commercial radio station broadcasting a classic hits format. Licensed to Ware, Massachusetts, United States, the station serves the Springfield radio market. The station is currently owned by Success Signal Broadcasting ...
to
Enfield Lock Enfield Lock is an area in the London Borough of Enfield, north London. It is approximately located east of the Hertford Road between Turkey Street and the Holmesdale Tunnel overpass, and extends to the River Lee Navigation, including the En ...
. Sums raised have contributed substantially to the school foundation fund. In 2009 the route was blocked and the Pilgrimage was completed by proxy (as has always been stated on the sponsor forms) a fortnight later.


The Beating of the Bounds

Every year, on
Ascension Day The Feast of the Ascension of Jesus Christ (also called the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord, Ascension Day, Ascension Thursday, or sometimes Holy Thursday) commemorates the Christian belief of the bodily Ascension of Jesus into Heaven. It ...
, a group of pupils used to go round the boundaries of the school striking selected areas with special whips. This was based on the
Anglo-Saxon The Anglo-Saxons, in some contexts simply called Saxons or the English, were a Cultural identity, cultural group who spoke Old English and inhabited much of what is now England and south-eastern Scotland in the Early Middle Ages. They traced t ...
practice of
beating the bounds Beating the bounds or perambulating the bounds is an ancient custom still observed in parts of England, Wales, and the New England region of the United States, which involves swatting local landmarks with branches to maintain a shared mental map o ...
. This has since been modernised, but a special Ascension Day assembly is still held, remembering the practice.


Gowns

The school is notable as one of few in Britain still to require its prefects to wear gowns. In 2003, however, the new Head instituted blazers, with gowns now reserved for special occasions. The gowns vary in colour but all take the form of a sleeveless robe. House Prefects wear grey gowns, School Prefects wear royal blue and Senior Prefects navy blue. House Captains also wear navy blue. The most senior rank of prefects, the Senior VI, wear navy blue Senior Prefect gowns with a coloured stripe to signify their rank. The Deputy Head Boy and Girl have a thin purple stripe and the Head Boy and Girl have a thick purple stripe. The most senior and oldest rank of prefect, the Head Master's Prefects, have a thick red stripe on their gown.


Forgiveness

''Forgiveness'' was an alternative to
corporal punishment A corporal punishment or a physical punishment is a punishment which is intended to cause physical pain to a person. When it is inflicted on Minor (law), minors, especially in home and school settings, its methods may include spanking or Padd ...
. An offending pupil was offered a choice between receiving a
caning Caning is a form of corporal punishment consisting of a number of hits (known as "strokes" or "cuts") with a single Stick-fighting, cane usually made of rattan, generally applied to the offender's bare or clothed buttocks (see spanking) or han ...
and performing "forgiveness". A pupil who chose forgiveness was made to carry out arduous tasks or physical exercise for approximately one hour, after which he was said to be 'forgiven'. To make the choice, the miscreant was presented with a pair of blue and a pair of black shorts. If he opted to be caned, he would select the blue shorts. If he chose the black shorts he would receive forgiveness. . With the outlawing of corporal punishment in state schools in England in 1987, the "trial by shorts" procedure became defunct. In recent years Forgiveness has become less and less common. Although corporal punishment is no longer practised, for a while the school displayed the old canes in the Great Hall and the Head Master's study.


The School Roll

Since the school was founded, every new pupil and teacher at the school has signed his or her name on the School Roll. Originally a single roll of paper, kept in a leather cylinder, it has now had to have additional paper added to the first roll and two new separate rolls (and cylinders) made to accommodate new names. The roll used to be carried in the procession every morning in Assembly, but since there are now three cylinders. On special occasions one of the three cylinders is carried to signify the roll's importance in the life of the school.


Notable staff

Eddie Baily Edward Francis Baily (6 August 1925 – 13 October 2010) was an England international footballer. He was a 1950 FIFA World Cup squad member and scored five goals in nine international games. He was described as one of his generation's best insid ...
taught PE at the school.


Old Stopfordians

* Jason Banton, footballer * Anton Blackwood, footballer, Antigua and Barbuda national team * Jonathan Obika, footballer, *
Shy FX Andre Williams, better known as Shy FX, is a British DJ and producer from London. He specialises in drum and bass and jungle music. Biography Shy FX's debut record was "Jungle Love", released in 1992 on the Permission to Dance label. Soon after ...
, musician, jungle drum'n'bass pioneer * Ruth Symes, children's author *
Chijindu Ujah Chijindu "CJ" Ujah (born 5 March 1994) is a British athlete, specializing as a sprinter. The lead-off runner of the Great Britain 4 × 100 metres relay team that won both the World title in 2017 and the European title in 2016 and 2018, he als ...
athlete *
Paul Barber (soccer administrator) Paul Barber is an English Association football, football administrator, who is the chief executive and deputy chairman of Brighton & Hove Albion F.C., Brighton & Hove Albion. He has held senior executive roles at the Football Association, Totte ...
*
Russell Kane Russell Kane (born Russell David Anthony Grineau; 19 August 1975) is an English writer, comedian, and actor. He has four times been nominated at the Edinburgh Comedy Awards, winning the Best Comedy Show award in 2010. Although known mainly for ...
, comedian and author


References


External links

*
Partner school in Germany

Friends Reunited Page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bishop Stopford's School Enfield, London Anglo-Catholic educational establishments Educational institutions established in 1967 Secondary schools in the London Borough of Enfield Church of England secondary schools in the Diocese of London 1967 establishments in England Voluntary aided schools in London Specialist maths and computing colleges in England Specialist engineering colleges in England