# Chiswick School

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{{Use British English|date=February 2023}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2018}}
{{Infobox school
| name        = Chiswick School
| image       = Chiswick Community School - London - 20110904b.jpg
| image_size  =
| coordinates = {{coord|51.48192|-0.25981|type:edu_region:GB_dim:100|format=dec|display=inline,title}}
| established = 1968
| closed      = 
| type        = [Academy](/source/Academy_(English_school))
| president   = 
| head_label  = Headteacher
| head        = Laura Ellener
| founder     = R.K Hands
| address     = Burlington Lane – Staveley Road
| city        = [Chiswick](/source/Chiswick)
| county      = London
| country     = England
| postal_code = W4 3UN
| ofsted      = Good
| urn         = 137907
| staff       = 
| enrolment   = 1590
| gender      = Mixed
| lower_age   = 11
| upper_age   = 18
| houses      = 
| colours     = Royal Blue {{colour box|RoyalBlue}}
Navy {{colour box|navy}} White {{colour box|White}}
| publication = ''Chiswick School News''
| website     = http://www.chiswickschool.org
| picture2    = <!--Pictures have to be uploaded to Wikimedia Commons first--> 
}}
'''Chiswick School''' {{IPAc-en|audio=En-uk-Chiswick.ogg|ˈ|tʃ|ɪ|z|ɪ|k}} is an English secondary school with academy status in [Chiswick](/source/Chiswick), [West London](/source/West_London_(sub-region)). It educates more than 1,<!--DO NOT change this without replacing the source with one that reliably states your new figure, otherwise you're claiming that a new fact is in an old document, which is a lie-->500 pupils, aged 11 to 18 years.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Osborne |first=Bridget |date=2019-12-02 |title=Chiswick School head: "Children need to know who's in charge" - Chiswick Calendar News |url=https://chiswickcalendar.co.uk/children-need-to-know-whos-in-charge/ |access-date=2023-05-16 |website=The Chiswick Calendar |language=en-GB}}</ref>

This number includes 400 pupils studying at the upper school [sixth form](/source/sixth_form) within the school grounds. The current headteacher is Laura Ellener.<ref name=":1" /> The school operates a very wide curriculum, mainly focusing on Science and the Arts, and has many co-curricular activities.

==Admissions==

The school has a wide catchment, encompassing its native borough of Hounslow, but also areas including [Kensington and Chelsea](/source/Royal_Borough_of_Kensington_and_Chelsea), [Richmond](/source/Richmond%2C_London), and [Hammersmith and Fulham](/source/Hammersmith_and_Fulham). Half of the school's students are of minority ethnic backgrounds, and 44% are from ‘disadvantaged’ backgrounds. 50% have English as their second language.<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Meinke |first=John |date=23 April 2012 |title=Chiswick School Inspection report|url=https://files.ofsted.gov.uk/v1/file/1971607 |url-status=live |website=[Ofsted](/source/Ofsted)|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211227125648/https://files.ofsted.gov.uk/v1/file/1971607 |archive-date=27 December 2021 }}</ref> The percentage of disadvantaged students receiving help from the [pupil premium](/source/pupil_premium) is also above average.<ref>{{Cite web |date=26 October 2017|title=Inspection report: Chiswick School, 3–4 October 2017 |url=https://files.ofsted.gov.uk/v1/file/2732799|url-status=live |website=[Ofsted](/source/Ofsted)|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211227125649/https://files.ofsted.gov.uk/v1/file/2732799 |archive-date=27 December 2021 }}</ref>

In 2023, the School changed its Year 7 admissions policy to admit 'up to 10 pupils who show musical aptitude and qualify for pupil premium funding', making it the only school in the UK with such an arrangement.<ref>{{cite web |title=Chiswick School Music Aptitude Test |url=https://www.musicaptitudetests.co.uk/chiswick-school-music-aptitude-test-information/ |website=Music Aptitude Tests |access-date=8 December 2025}}</ref>

==History==

Chiswick County School for Girls opened in 1916 in Burlington Lane,<ref name="Clegg 1995"/>  and Chiswick County School for Boys opened in 1926 beside the girls' school.<ref name="Clegg 1995">{{cite book |last=Clegg |first=Gillian |title=Chiswick Past |publisher=Historical Publications |year=1995 |isbn=0-94866-733-8 |page=107}}</ref> Rory K. Hands was appointed head of the boys school in 1963, and in 1966, he oversaw a merger of the two institutions, to form the co-educational Chiswick County Grammar School.<ref name=":0"/> Shortly thereafter, the Borough proposed that Hands' grammar school should be merged with two nearby [secondary modern school](/source/secondary_modern_school)s to form a [comprehensive school](/source/Comprehensive_school_(England_and_Wales)),<ref name=":0"/><ref>{{Cite news |last=Olding |first=George |date=23 April 2015 |title=Funeral of educational pioneer takes place today |url=https://www.wandsworthguardian.co.uk/news/12906625.funeral-of-educational-pioneer-takes-place-today/|work=Wandsworth Times}}</ref> following [Circular 10/65](/source/Circular_10%2F65). This amalgamation created Chiswick Comprehensive School, which opened in 1968.<ref name="Clegg 1995"/> The new school operated across two sites, with the lower school (for ages 11 to 14) occupying what had been the secondary modern school's buildings at Staveley Road, and the upper school operating on the old grammar school site at Burlington Lane.<ref>Diane K. Bolton, Patricia E. C. Croot and M. A. Hicks, "[http://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/middx/vol7/pp95-99 Chiswick: Education]", in A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 7, Acton, Chiswick, Ealing and Brentford, West Twyford, Willesden, ed. T. F. T. Baker and C R Elrington (London, 1982), pp. 95-99. [British History Online](/source/British_History_Online), accessed 18 July 2021.</ref>

In 1973, some of the buildings at Staveley Road had to be closed as they were made of brittle [high alumina cement](/source/high_alumina_cement). The school was forced to operate with a "village of huts"; Hands maintained school morale with a production of ''[The Gondoliers](/source/The_Gondoliers)'' by [Gilbert and Sullivan](/source/Gilbert_and_Sullivan).<ref name=":0" /> He retired the headship in 1975 after suffering a series of heart attacks.<ref name=":0">{{cite news |last=Williams |first=Paul |date=23 April 2015 |title=Pioneering former Headmaster of Chiswick Community School has died aged 96 |work=The Chiswick Herald |url=https://chiswickherald.co.uk/pioneering-former-headmaster-of-chiswick-community-school-has-died-aged-p3674-95.htm |access-date=18 July 2021}}</ref> Dame [Helen Metcalf](/source/Helen_Metcalf) was the school's headteacher from 1988 to 2001, providing strong and emotionally intelligent leadership.<ref name="Indy">{{cite news |title=Dame Helen Metcalf |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/dame-helen-metcalf-37701.html |access-date=18 July 2021 |work=[The Independent](/source/The_Independent) |date=27 December 2003}}</ref> Sometime after 1978 the school was renamed Chiswick Community School; the name reverted to Chiswick School when it became an academy on 1 March 2012.<ref>{{cite web |last=Norris |first=Frank |date=15 August 2012 |title=Academy conversion and predecessor school |url=https://files.ofsted.gov.uk/v1/file/2048247 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211227123738/https://files.ofsted.gov.uk/v1/file/2048247 |archive-date=27 December 2021 }}</ref>
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== Awards ==

* Chiswick Calendar Community Participation Award, Winner 2023 & 2024<ref>{{cite web |last1=Osborne |first1=Bridget |title=Chiswick Calendar party 2024 – CRAP awards and comedy |url=https://chiswickcalendar.co.uk/chiswick-calendar-party-2024-crap-awards-and-comedy/ |publisher=The Chiswick Calendar |access-date=8 December 2025 |date=15 January 2024}}</ref>
<!--NOT TO APPEAR HERE: THIS IS ONLY A SHORTLIST, NOT A WINNER * School/College of the Year, UK Social Mobility Awards 2025<ref>{{cite web |title=Finalists Announced |url=https://www.somo.uk/news/finalists-announced-for-the-2025-uk-social-mobility-awards/ |publisher=UK Social Mobility Awards |access-date=8 December 2025 |date=16 July 2025}}</ref> IF THE SCHOOL LATER ACTUALLY WON THE AWARD, PLEASE FIND THE WINNING CITATION AND REPLACE THE ONE HERE-->
* Secondary School of the Year, Pearson Teaching Awards, Bronze Winner 2025<ref>{{cite web |title=2025 Bronze Winners: Making a Difference – Secondary School of the Year, supported by Step Into Teaching |url=https://www.teachingawards.com/2025-certificate-winners/2025-bronze-winners/ |publisher=Pearson National Teaching Awards |access-date=8 December 2025}}</ref>
* National Schools Theatre Award-Best Play 2024 ( Animal Farm)<ref>{{cite web |title=National School Theatre Awards 2024 winners announced |url=https://www.westendtheatre.com/242460/news/awards/national-school-theatre-awards-2024-winners-announced/ |publisher=West End Theatre |access-date=8 December 2025}}</ref>
* TES Excellence in Creative Arts 2023<ref>{{cite web |last1=Smith |first1=Matt |title=Chiswick School wins prestigious Tes Excellence in Creative Arts Award |url=https://chiswickcalendar.co.uk/chiswick-school-wins-prestigious-tes-excellence-in-creative-arts-award/#:~:text=In%20that%20time%20we%20have,and%20support%20of%20the%20school.%E2%80%9D&text=Chiswick%20School%20said%20the%20award,for%20all%20that%20they%20do.%E2%80%9D |publisher=The Chiswick Calendar |access-date=8 December 2025 |date=29 June 2023}}</ref>
*Great Big Dance off Regional winners (SW and London) 2025<ref>{{cite web |title=Results: Top K4/5 |url=https://thegreatbigdanceoff.co.uk/results/ |website=The Great Big Dance Off |access-date=8 December 2025}}</ref>
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== Notable pupils ==

[[File:John Neville Hamlet 1959.JPG|thumb|upright=0.6|[John Neville](/source/John_Neville_(actor)) as [Hamlet](/source/Hamlet) (1959)]]

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* [John Stuart Archer](/source/John_Stuart_Archer) – petroleum engineer, president of the [Institution of Chemical Engineers](/source/Institution_of_Chemical_Engineers)<ref name=Frosts>[http://www.martinfrost.ws/htmlfiles/mfwhoswho/individuals/A_mfwwi/john_stuart_archer.html Frost's Scottish Who's Who] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071028122940/http://www.martinfrost.ws/htmlfiles/mfwhoswho/individuals/A_mfwwi/john_stuart_archer.html |date=2007-10-28 }} John Stuart Archer (accessed 7 March 2009)</ref>
* [Henry Badowski](/source/Henry_Badowski) - musician<ref>{{cite book |last=Ogg |first=Alex |year=2006 |title=No More Heroes: A Complete History of UK Punk from 1976 to 1980 |publisher=Cherry Red Books |isbn=978-1-901447-65-1 |page=127}}</ref>
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* [Carlton Cole](/source/Carlton_Cole) – footballer<ref>{{cite web |title=Carlton Cole tells of media ordeal after allegations were made against him |url=http://www.chiswickw4.com/default.asp?section=info&spage=common/esport01.htm |publisher=Chiswick W4 |access-date=27 December 2021}}</ref>
* [Phil Collins](/source/Phil_Collins) – lead singer of [Genesis](/source/Genesis_(band)) and solo artist<ref>{{cite web |title=Posh restaurants, riverside pubs and Phil Collins: it's the best bits of Chiswick |url=https://www.timeout.com/london/blog/posh-restaurants-riverside-pubs-and-phil-collins-its-the-best-bits-of-chiswick-090815 |publisher=Time Out |access-date=27 December 2021 |date=8 September 2015}}</ref>
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* [Phoebe Fox](/source/Phoebe_Fox) – actor<ref>{{cite news |last1=Billen |first1=Andrew |title=Phoebe Fox: TV's hot new star |url=https://www.thetimes.com/culture/tv-radio/article/i-told-my-parents-ill-be-more-successful-than-you-ps38h7zrr |access-date=27 December 2021 |work=[The Times](/source/The_Times)}}</ref>
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* [Kenneth Holmes](/source/Kenneth_Holmes) - molecular biologist<ref>{{Cite web |title=Curriculum Vitae, Kenneth C. Holmes |url=https://www.mr.mpg.de/emeritus_groups/biophysics/holmes/curriculum_vitae |access-date=2024-05-10 |website=www.mr.mpg.de |language=en}}</ref>
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* [John Neville](/source/John_Neville_(actor)) – actor<ref>{{Cite news|date=2011-11-28|title=OBITUARY: John Neville|work=The Courier Mail|url=https://www.couriermail.com.au/ipad/obituary-john-neville/news-story/c146c16627e1e5a9d4a2b0ff911e7744|access-date=2021-12-27}}</ref>
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* [Nana Ofori-Twumasi](/source/Nana_Ofori-Twumasi) – footballer<ref>{{cite web |title=Seth Nana Twumasi |url=https://uk.linkedin.com/in/seth-nana-twumasi-678550128 |publisher=Seth Nana Twumasi (via LinkedIn) |access-date=27 December 2021}}</ref>
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* [Natalie Sawyer](/source/Natalie_Sawyer) – TV presenter<ref>{{cite news |title=Natalie Sawyer - Biography and Images |url=https://www.tvnewsroom.co.uk/biography-images/natalie-sawyer-4794/ |website=TV Newsroom |date=8 July 2009 |access-date=27 December 2021 |last1=Larkin |first1=Johnnie }}</ref>
* [Kyle Simmons](/source/Kyle_Simmons) – keyboard player for Bastille<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.chiswickw4.com/default.asp?section=info&page=brits001.htm |publisher=Chiswick W4 |access-date=27 December 2021 |date=24 February 2014|title=Chiswick's Local Web site }}</ref>
*[James Stevenson](/source/James_Stevenson_(musician)), guitarist<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/artists/thealarm/articles/story/5937217/poppyfields_sound_the_alarm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060508213117/http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/thealarm/articles/story/5937217/poppyfields_sound_the_alarm|url-status=dead|archive-date=8 May 2006|title=Poppyfields Sound the Alarm|date=20 February 2004|work=Rolling Stone|access-date=30 April 2010}}</ref>
* [Allegra Stratton](/source/Allegra_Stratton) – journalist, political aide<ref>{{cite news |title=Former Chiswick School Pupil at Centre of Partygate Row |url=http://www.chiswickw4.com/default.asp?section=info&page=conallegrastratton001.htm |access-date=8 December 2021 |work=Chiswick W4 |date=8 December 2021}}</ref>
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* [Don Taylor](/source/Don_Taylor_(English_director_and_playwright)) – director and playwright<ref>{{cite news |last1=Purser |first1=Philip |title=Television industry: Don Taylor |url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2003/nov/20/broadcasting.artsobituaries |access-date=27 December 2021 |work=[The Guardian](/source/The_Guardian) |date=20 November 2003}}</ref>
* [Brian Tesler](/source/Brian_Tesler) – chairman of [London Weekend Television](/source/London_Weekend_Television)<ref>{{cite web |last1=Roberts |first1=June |title=Where they once were: Brian Tesler |url=https://thames.today/where-they-once-were-brian-tesler |website=Talk of Thames |access-date=27 December 2021 |date=21 June 2018}}</ref>
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== References ==

{{reflist}}

== External links ==

* [http://www.chiswickschool.org Official site]
* [https://twitter.com/@chiswickschool Official Twitter]
* [https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/N13931237 National Archives: minutes of the School Board 1872-1903]
* [https://archive.today/20121224222259/http://www.chiswick.hounslow.sch.uk/gallery/?pid=3&gcatid=1&albumid=23 Visit Gallery]

{{Chiswick}}
{{Schools and colleges in Hounslow}}

{{authority control}}

Category:Academies in the London Borough of Hounslow
Category:Educational institutions established in 1968
Category:Secondary schools in the London Borough of Hounslow
Category:1968 establishments in England
Category:Chiswick
Category:Buildings and structures in Chiswick

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Chiswick School](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiswick_School) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiswick_School?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.