Southwark

There are some good schools and some not so good schools. Some of the schools are new. It is next to
Lewisham, which is not very nice. I liked the following table, from the booklet. The booklet seemed
very well organised.
Schools at a glance

ARK All Saints Academy

Church of England academy (mixed). Age range: 11 to 18 (Sixth form – yes, opens in September 2015). Specialisms: Maths and performing arts. We aim for all scholars to leave ARK All Saints Academy equipped with the skills necessary for success at university or to pursue a career of their choice. There are no excuses, we wish nothing less for our scholars than we would for our own children.
(I like this last paragraph!) At ARK All Saints Academy we believe that the parents are the experts in their child’s life and we want to work with them in order for our children to be successful. ARK All Saints Academy opened in September 2013 welcoming its first cohort of scholars. Our academy offers excellent opportunities for local children and we will move into our wonderful new building in January 2014. Our values and ethos are based in Christian principles and whilst we welcome people of all faith and none, we expect all scholars to respect each other’s faith.

Bacon’s College

Church of England sponsored academy (mixed). Age range: 11 to 18 (sixth form – yes). Specialisms: Digital media technology. Bacon’s College opened in 1991 as an all-ability City Technology College in fine new buildings on a brown-field site in the heart of London Docklands. In September 2007 we changed our status and became an Academy with a specialism in Digital Media. Our mission since theoriginal opening of the College has been to “raise standards in education and increase the opportunities for local people, within a context of Christian values.”

Globe Academy

Academy (mixed). Age range: 3 to 16 (Sixth form – opens in September 2014). Specialisms: Mathematics and performing arts. Our mission is to prepare our students for university and for them to become leaders in their communities. Our aim is for Globe Academy to become a beacon of excellence in education. To help us achieve our aim we work closely with our families to ensure that all our students are committed to learning and develop the character necessary to take advantage of the opportunities provided. As part of the ARK Schools network, we have access to outstanding educational resources and expertise to help provide exceptional opportunities for our pupils. In September 2010 we moved into our stunning new school. Our historic 1960s Pentagon has been transformed into a modern performing arts space and the academy now enjoys excellent modern classrooms, laboratories, workshops and studios and a full sized sports hall.

Harris Academy Peckham

Academy (mixed). Age range: 11 to 19 (sixth form – yes). Specialisms: Business and enterprise and performing arts. We are one of 27 Academies and Free Schools sponsored by the Harris Federation. All of these are in and around London and we work highly collaboratively together. The Harris Federation is a not-for-profit charity with more than 20 years’ experience of education. Three-quarters of the Harris  Secondary Academies so far to have been inspected by Ofsted are rated as ‘Outstanding’ – a record that is unmatched by any other education body.

Harris Boys’ Academy East Dulwich

Academy (boys). Age range: 11 to 18 (sixth form – yes). Specialisms: Sport and enterprise. This is a special Academy, and I am proud to lead a superb group of students, teachers and support staff. What makes us special goes far beyond the “outstanding” rating by Ofsted we were delighted to achieve in 2011. At the heart of our success is an absolute belief in the ability of every student to shine – no matter what their background, ability or character. We will accept no excuses for being anything but the best we can be.

Kingsdale Foundation School

Academy (mixed) outstanding school academy convertor status. Age range: 11 to 19 (sixth form – yes). Specialisms: Mathematics and performing arts. Co-educational Academy of Advanced, Artistic and Academic Studies. Kingsdale promotes academic and personal excellence, applauds achievement, cherishes success and celebrates our differences. Kingsdale is one of the most popular schools in the country and caters for the needs of a truly wonderful, talented and diverse community. Kingsdale is particularly well suited to aspirational children, teachers and families. The school is progressive and dynamic; one of the UK’s most improved in recent years. It is renowned for its outstanding performance in mathematics and music.

St Michael’s Catholic College

Catholic academy (mixed). Age range: 11 to 18 (sixth form – yes). Specialisms: Business and enterprise and modern foreign languages. St Michael’s is a successful, well-ordered and caring Catholic comprehensive College for boys and girls aged from eleven to eighteen. We are very proud of ourexamination successes which are regularly above the national average. We are committed to the highest level of achievement for pupils of all abilities and we recognise that there are no limits to a child’s potential. Our aim is simple; to facilitate academic and personal success in a rigorous learning community and in a culture which embraces spiritual values of – serving others, tolerance, prayer and forgiveness.

The Charter School

Academy (mixed). Age range: 11 to 18 (sixth form – yes). Specialisms: Business and enterprise, science and mathematics. The Charter School is an outstanding family school delivering excellence in the heart of the community. We are a family school because we are large enough to provide a dynamic, challenging curriculum yet small enough to pay attention to the needs of every child. We know that each child is different and each child deserves success. The school became a business and enterprise college in September 2005 and was awarded high performing specialist school status in April 2009 with
science as a second specialism.

The City of London Academy

Academy (mixed). Age range: 11 to 19 (sixth form – yes). Specialisms: Business and enterprise and sport. The City of London Academy provides a well-structured and disciplined environment, which encourages students to creatively stretch their academic limits and achieve the best they can. We aim to provide a broad, high quality education with an added focus on Business & Enterprise and Sports as our chosen specialisms. We have a strong commitment to developing positive attitudes and values in our students, as we believe they are the cornerstones of successful learning.

University Engineering Academy

Academy (mixed). Age range: 11 to 18 (sixth form – yes). Specialisms: Engineering within the science, technology and maths framework. The University Engineering Academy South Bank is an innovative and exciting new Academy offering a world class educational experience for young people in Southwark.
The Academy has been developed to meet the increased demand for high quality learning for boys and girls in the area created by the Aylesbury regeneration project, and importantly, to increase  parental choice locally in response to future business and industry demand for modern engineering skills and knowledge. The Academy opens in September 2014 and will be located in Trafalgar Street in the Walworth area of Camberwell, and will specialise in Engineering within the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics framework (STEM) with a particular focus on engineering.

South Bank Walworth Academy

Academy (mixed). Age range: 11 to 18 (sixth form – yes). Specialisms: Maths and health. Letter from principal regarding expectations for attendance: “Last year there were occasions when student’s attendance was so poor that we had to take the parents to court.”

Compass Free School

Free School (mixed). Age range: 11 to 18 (sixth form – yes). Specialisms: n/a. The Compass Schools Trust was created with one thing in mind- to be part of providing outstanding schools for pupils, teachers and parents, delivering inspirational education to young people aged 11–19 years old. This means the very best of teaching standards, the highest aspirations for every pupil and the highest expectations of them. We believe that every pupil who attends the Compass School, Southwark is ableto shape his or her own life and has an important contribution to make to the lives of others. Our role in their lives will be to equip our pupils to do just that. Compass School Southwark opened on the former site of Southwark College on 4 September 2013.

Sacred Heart RC School

Catholic voluntary aided (mixed). Age range: 11 to 18. Specialisms: Mathematics, computing and languages. We are a Catholic school with very strong moral values and a traditional approach to behaviour and discipline; we believe in honesty and trust. Sacred Heart School consistently achieves outstanding academic results way above local and national averages in every subject area. We also have an exceptional record of helping our pupils to achieve more than they think is possible: we are regularly in the top 5% of all secondary schools in the UK on Academic Value Added tables. We are immensely proud of this school – of our wonderful pupils, staff and parents, working and living together as a united community under God. We are providing all-round education that inspires, challenges and motivates our pupils to aim high, to work hard and to exceed their potential. Our excellent record of achievement is a testament to the strength, determination and sheer hard work of this community.
This year our pupils achieved 90% 5 A*-C including English & Mathematics. The main aim of the Sacred Heart School is to educate the pupils in accordance with the principles of the Catholic Faith.  The spirit of Christ’s teaching should be seen in all areas of the school life – from teaching in class, to the relations between teachers and pupils, and the relations between pupils themselves. Religious Educational is taught in all years of the school. GCSE Religious Education is taken by all pupils. Prayers are said in the staffroom each morning, and also in the classrooms.

St Thomas the Apostle College

Roman Catholic voluntary aided school (boys). Age range: 11 to 16 (sixth form – no). Specialisms: Maths and computing. I feel very privileged to be Head of School at St Thomas the Apostle College.
We are a very successful Catholic boys school which I am proud to say is within the top 4 performing schools in Southwark, and one of the top performing boys schools in south London. At St Thomas the Apostle we celebrate the diversity of our local community and our intake reflects the many faiths which exist within it. Our school has been in a federation with Sacred Heart School, Camberwell since 2012. My vision is for St Thomas the Apostle to be a school where success is achieved within a nurturing Christian community that provides structure, support, celebrates success and recognises the unique talents of young people as individuals. St Thomas the Apostle College strives to provide an outstanding level of education for all its pupils within an environment of strong  Catholic traditions.