{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2019}} {{Use British English|date=February 2023}} {{Infobox school | name = Michaela Community School | logo = Michaela Community School Logo.png | image = Michaela Community School Buildings January 2022.jpeg | alt = | caption = | mottoes = {{Unbulleted list|Knowledge is power|Work hard, be kind}}<ref name="ITV17November2016" /> | motto_translation = | address = North End Road | town = Wembley | county = Greater London | postal_code = HA9 0UU | country = England | coordinates = {{Coord|51.5626|-0.2788|type:edu_region:GB-BEN_dim:100|format=dms|display=inline,title}} | other_names = {{Hlist|MCS|Michaela}} | former_name = <!-- or | former_names = --> | type = Free school | religious_affiliation = | established = {{Start date|2014|09|df=yes}} | founders = | closed = <!-- {{End date|YYYY|MM|DD|df=yes}} --> | local_authority = Brent London Borough Council | trust = Michaela Community School | urn = 140862 | ofsted = Yes | headmistress = Katharine Birbalsingh | staff = | gender = Mixed | age_range = 11–18 | enrollment = 709 (2022)<ref name="GOV.UK">{{cite web |title=Michaela Community School |url=https://get-information-schools.service.gov.uk/Establishments/Establishment/Details/140862 |website=Get information about schools |publisher=GOV.UK |accessdate=17 May 2022 |language=en}}</ref> | capacity = 840<ref name="GOV.UK" /> | campus_size = | campus_type = | houses = | colours = | accreditation = <!-- or | accreditations = --> | publication = | newspaper = | yearbook = | affiliation = <!-- or | affiliations = --> | website = {{URL|https://michaela.education/}} | footnotes = }}
'''Michaela Community School''' (referred to as simply '''MCS''' or '''Michaela''') is an 11–18 mixed, free secondary school and sixth form in Wembley, Greater London, England.
It was established in September 2014 with Katharine Birbalsingh as headteacher and Suella Braverman as the first chair of governors. It has been described as the "strictest school in Britain",<ref>{{cite news |last1=Rumbelow |first1=Helen |title=Inside the strictest school in Britain |url=https://www.thetimes.com/travel/destinations/uk-travel/inside-the-strictest-school-inbritain-n2333rf5v |access-date=29 January 2020 |work=The Times |date=4 December 2017 |url-access=limited}}</ref><ref name=Carr20April2018>{{cite magazine |last1=Carr |first1=Flora |title=What It's Like to Study at the Strictest School in Britain |url=https://time.com/5232857/michaela-britains-strictest-school/ |accessdate=29 January 2020 |magazine=Time |date=20 April 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Harris |first1=Arlene |title=What can we learn from the strictest school in Britain? |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/people/what-can-we-learn-from-the-strictest-school-in-britain-1.2969341 |accessdate=29 January 2020 |newspaper=The Irish Times |date=17 February 2017}}</ref><ref name="OfstedTheGuardian2017" /><ref name="GCSETheTelegraph2019" /><ref name="FreeSchoolTheIndependent2019" /> and achieved among the best GCSE results in the nation among its first cohort of students.<ref name="SallyWeale">{{cite news |last1=Weale |first1=Sally |title=Controversial Michaela free school delights in GCSE success |url=https://www.theguardian.com/education/2019/aug/22/controversial-michaela-free-school-delights-in-gcse-success |accessdate=22 August 2019 |work=The Guardian |date=22 August 2019}}</ref> In 2022, 2023 and 2024 the value-added (progress) score at GCSE was the highest for any school in England.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Adams |first1=Richard |last2=Weale |first2=Sally |date=20 October 2022 |title=GCSE grades gap for disadvantaged pupils in England widest in a decade |url=https://www.theguardian.com/education/2022/oct/20/gcse-grade-gap-disadvantaged-pupils-england-widest-decade-child-poverty-attainment |access-date=21 October 2022 |work=The Guardian}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Mason |first1=Callum |title=SMC to investigate 'educational strategies' |url=https://www.tes.com/magazine/news/general/smc-investigate-educational-strategies |access-date=21 October 2022 |work=TES |date=21 October 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Tominey |first1=Camilla |title=The Left will never admit that disciplining children works |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/10/21/education-michaela-community-school-progress-8/ |access-date=22 October 2023 |work=The Daily Telegraph |date=21 October 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Colville |first1=Robert |title=Sit down and pay attention! The evidence is clear — stricter schools get better results |url=https://www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/article/its-a-tough-lesson-for-labour-but-strict-schools-do-best-3dsxmlc5d |access-date=22 October 2023 |work=The Times |date=21 October 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Allott |first1=Amber |title=England's top 20 state secondary schools for 2024 named - based on government's new GCSE data |url=https://www.rotherhamadvertiser.co.uk/education/england-top-20-state-secondary-schools-2024-named-based-on-government-latest-gcse-data-4897164 |access-date=5 December 2024 |work=Rotherham Advertiser |date=5 December 2024}}</ref>
== History == Michaela Community School was established in 2014 in a converted office block,<ref name="TigerTeachers">{{cite book |editor1-last=Birbalsingh |editor1-first=Katharine |editor1-link=Katharine Birbalsingh |title=Battle Hymn of the Tiger Teachers: The Michaela Way |date=2016 |publisher=John Catt Educational Limited |isbn=978-1909717961}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Braverman |first1=Suella |title=I started a free school: the new PM should ensure every town has one |url=https://www.thetimes.com/life-style/parenting/article/i-started-a-free-school-the-new-pm-should-ensure-every-town-has-one-89s3r0rdq |access-date=14 August 2019 |work=The Times |date=26 June 2019 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Vaughan |first1=Richard |title=How the strictest school in Britain survives in a 'broken' system |url=https://inews.co.uk/news/education/school-tories-built/ |accessdate=4 May 2017 |work=i |date=4 May 2017}}</ref> described by the headteacher as "an awful building in comparison to most schools."<ref>{{cite web |title='Katharine Birbalsingh: No pupil would fight in class here. It's absurd, inconceivable |date=23 August 2019 |website=The Times|url= https://www.thetimes.com/article/0eea261c-c5be-11e9-9b38-47c3100effef|access-date=29 December 2024}}</ref> It opened with 120 Year 7 pupils.<ref name="TigerTeachers" /> It was named after Birbalsingh's former colleague Michaela Emanus,<ref name="GCSETheTelegraph2019">{{cite news |last1=Horton |first1=Helena |title=Britain's strictest school's first GCSE results are four times better than national average |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/08/22/britains-strictest-schools-first-gcse-results-four-times-better/ |accessdate=22 August 2019 |work=The Telegraph |date=22 August 2019}}</ref> a West Indian teacher from Saint Lucia, who died of cancer in 2011.<ref name=Strictest>{{cite web |url=https://www.strictestheadmistress.com/ |title=Britain's Strictest Headmistress |author=<!--Not stated--> |date= |website= |publisher= |access-date=23 May 2022 |quote=}}</ref> A number of figures associated with the Conservative Party were involved with establishing the school, including Suella Braverman.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://bylinetimes.com/2023/07/11/braverman-and-birbalsingh-the-close-tory-ties-of-the-right-wings-beloved-strictest-headmistress/ | title=Braverman and Birbalsingh: The Close Tory Ties of the Right Wing's Beloved 'Strictest Headmistress' | date=11 July 2023 }}</ref>
The school was rated as "outstanding" in all categories by Ofsted in 2017 and 2023.<ref name="OfstedTheGuardian2017">{{cite news |last1=Adams |first1=Richard |title=Britain's strictest school gets top marks from Ofsted |url=https://www.theguardian.com/teacher-network/2017/jun/16/britains-strictest-school-gets-top-marks-from-ofsted |accessdate=16 June 2017 |work=The Guardian |date=16 June 2017}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title= |url=https://files.ofsted.gov.uk/v1/file/50222824}}</ref> In 2018, it applied to the Department for Education to open a second free school in Stevenage, with a planned opening in 2023.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Roberts |first1=John |title=Plan for new Michaela Community free school revealed |url=https://www.tes.com/news/plan-new-michaela-community-free-school-revealed |accessdate=8 November 2018 |work=TES |date=7 November 2018 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=McEvoy |first1=Louise |title=Plans for new secondary school in Stevenage to be submitted to Department for Education |url=https://www.thecomet.net/news/education/new-michaela-secondary-school-for-stevenage-1-5738620 |accessdate=8 November 2018 |work=The Comet |date=16 October 2018 |language=en}}</ref> It was approved in 2019,<ref name="FreeSchoolTheIndependent2019">{{cite news |last1=Busby |first1=Eleanor |date=14 June 2019 |title=Britain's strictest school to open second free school after government backing |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/education-news/michaela-community-free-schools-behaviour-discipline-stevenage-department-education-a8957786.html |url-access=registration |url-status=live |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220514/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/education-news/michaela-community-free-schools-behaviour-discipline-stevenage-department-education-a8957786.html |archive-date=14 May 2022 |accessdate=14 June 2019 |work=The Independent}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Lough |first1=Catherine |title='Strictest school' gets green light for new secondary |url=https://www.tes.com/news/strictest-school-gets-green-light-new-secondary |accessdate=14 June 2019 |work=TES |date=14 June 2019 |language=en}}</ref> and plans were submitted in 2022.<ref>{{cite news |last1=McEvoy |first1=Louise |title=Plans submitted for new Stevenage secondary school |url=https://www.thecomet.net/news/education/new-stevenage-secondary-school-planning-application-submitted-8939420 |accessdate=19 May 2022 |work=The Comet |date=5 May 2022 |language=en}}</ref> Plans for the school were scrapped over a lack of basic need.<ref>{{cite web |title=New Michaela Stevenage school scrapped over lack of 'basic need'.|website=Schools Week |date=2 November 2022 |url=https://schoolsweek.co.uk/new-michaela-stevenage-school-scrapped-over-lack-of-basic-need/|access-date=29 December 2024}}</ref> In 2024 it was revealed that £1.2 million had been spent by the Department of Education on the project before it was scrapped.<ref>{{cite news |last1=McEvoy |first1=Louise |title=£1.2 million blown on Stevenage school that was never built|website=The Comet |date=5 August 2024 |url=https://www.thecomet.net/news/24498420.1-2-million-blown-stevenage-school-never-built/|access-date=29 December 2024}}</ref>
The school has been called "contentious" and received significant media attention. It has been described as having an ethos generally associated with pre-1960s or private schools and for a time marketed itself as "Private School Ethos—No Fees". One commentator described the school as an example of a discipline-focused method of teaching children becoming increasingly popular in the UK.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |last=16 January 2023 |title=Why super-strict classrooms are in vogue in Britain |newspaper=The Economist |url=https://www.economist.com/britain/2023/01/16/why-super-strict-classrooms-are-in-vogue-in-britain |access-date=2023-01-21 |issn=0013-0613}}</ref>
A documentary about the school entitled "Britain's Strictest Headmistress"<ref name=Strictest/> was broadcast on ITV in 2022.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Daouda |first1=Marie K. |title=Michaela's unspeakable truths |url=https://thecritic.co.uk/michaelas-unspeakable-truths/ |accessdate=20 May 2022 |work=The Critic |date=20 May 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Shaw |first1=Adam |title='Strictest' headteacher to be documentary subject |url=https://www.kilburntimes.co.uk/news/education/brent-head-katharine-birbalsingh-itv-documentary-8980280 |accessdate=19 May 2022 |work=Brent & Kilburn Times |date=19 May 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Singh |first1=Anita |title=Britain's Strictest Headmistress: it may look draconian, but Birbalsingh seems to get results |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/tv/0/britains-strictest-headmistress-may-look-draconian-birbalsingh/ |accessdate=23 May 2022 |work=The Daily Telegraph |date=22 May 2022}}</ref>
The school has been described as a beneficiary of former UK Education secretary Michael Gove's support, both financially<ref>{{cite web |url=https://bylinetimes.com/2023/07/11/braverman-and-birbalsingh-the-close-tory-ties-of-the-right-wings-beloved-strictest-headmistress/| title=Braverman and Birbalsingh: The Close Tory Ties of the Right Wing's Beloved 'Strictest Headmistress'| author = Josiah Mortimer and Max Colbert|date= 11 July 2023}}</ref> and bureaucratically.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/the-glories-and-blunders-of-michael-gove/ | title=The glories and blunders of Michael Gove| author = Fraser Nelson |date= 24 May 2024}}</ref>
== Policies == The school emphasises discipline and has a traditional style of teaching. There is a "zero tolerance" policy regarding poor behaviour. A "boot camp" week at the start of the year teaches the new year 7 pupils the rules and the consequences of breaking them. There is a strict uniform code and no group work. Children sit in rows, learn by rote and walk in single file between classrooms. Staff at the school "tend to reject most of the accepted wisdoms of the 21st century."<ref>{{cite web |title=So you want to work at Michaela? |url=https://mcsbrent.co.uk/so-you-want-to-work-at-michaela/ |website=Michaela Community School |accessdate=16 August 2019 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20181031214844/https://mcsbrent.co.uk/so-you-want-to-work-at-michaela/ |archivedate=31 October 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Recruitment |url=https://mcsbrent.co.uk/recruitment/ |website=Michaela Community School |accessdate=16 August 2019}}</ref><ref name="ITV17November2016">{{cite news |last1=Birbalsingh |first1=Katharine |title=London headteacher: 'Boot camp' discipline and 'tough love' key to high standards in schools |url=https://www.itv.com/news/london/2016-11-17/london-headteacher-bootcamp-discipline-and-tough-love-key-to-high-standards-and-academic-success-in-school/ |accessdate=31 October 2018 |work=ITV News |date=17 November 2016 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Adams |first1=Richard |title='No excuses': inside Britain's strictest school |url=https://www.theguardian.com/education/2016/dec/30/no-excuses-inside-britains-strictest-school |accessdate=16 August 2019 |work=The Guardian |date=30 December 2016}}</ref> Pupils must be silent in school corridors and are forbidden to gather in groups larger than four.<ref name=appeal/> The school policies have been described as "neo-strict" because it combines the use of punishments with rewards; "merit points" are given for good behaviour and achievement.<ref name=":0"/>
Pupils write several essays a year, memorise poems, and read five Shakespeare plays in three years. The school aims to teach a "culture of kindness", which includes helping each other and their families, and offering adults their seats on buses and the Tube.<ref name="ITV17November2016" />
In March 2023, in response to pupils praying in the yard, the school introduced a ban on "prayer rituals", stating that allowing prayers risked "undermining inclusion and social cohesion between pupils'.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Kenber |first1=Billy |last2=Ames |first2=Jonathan |date=21 January 2024 |title=Michaela schoolgirl in prayer row was suspended for stab threat |url=https://www.thetimes.com/article/b19ed848-c380-4e24-9319-1b27c9a74060?shareToken=a5d3cde738aea8fbe2ef19deb661c215 |access-date=22 January 2024 |website=The Times UK}}</ref> A Muslim pupil subsequently sued the school on discrimination and human rights grounds.<ref>{{cite news |first=Sally |last=Weale |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2024/jan/16/london-school-high-court-prayer-ban |title=Top London school taken to high court over prayer ban |date=16 January 2024 |access-date=17 January 2024 }}</ref> In April 2024 the High Court upheld the ban on appeal. The school's founder and head teacher Katharine Birbalsingh said the ruling was a "victory for all schools".<ref name=appeal>{{cite news |title=Michaela School: Muslim student loses school prayer ban challenge |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-68731366 |access-date=16 April 2024 |work=BBC News |date=16 April 2024}}</ref>
=== Lunch === Lunchtime consists of a pescatarian<ref>{{cite web |title=Weekly Meal Planner |url=https://mcsbrent.co.uk/weekly-meal-planner/ |website=Michaela Community School |accessdate=5 August 2017}}</ref> meal described as a "family lunch". Pupils sit at tables of six, with one teacher or guest, and take responsibility for serving each other. They lay the table together. One pours water. Another brings in and serves the food. Another serves dessert. Two clear the table following the meal. Teachers eat with their students, and the tables discuss what the children have learned that day, or a topic of the day such as the most inspirational person they have learned about in their history classes. After eating, the pupils spend five minutes thanking someone, followed by two claps from the rest of the school. The school believes that by teaching gratitude, it teaches kindness and happiness.<ref name="TigerTeachers" /><ref>{{cite web |title=Family lunch |url=https://mcsbrent.co.uk/family-lunch/ |website=Michaela Community School |accessdate=12 December 2016}}</ref><ref name=Carr20April2018/>
The school charges £2.50 per day for a two-course lunch, as well as morning and afternoon snacks; families eligible for free school meals are reimbursed.<ref>{{cite web |title=General information |url=https://mcsbrent.co.uk/general-information/ |website=Michaela Community School |accessdate=31 October 2018}}</ref> Children are not allowed to bring food or drink to school, which includes snacks and chewing gum. There was criticism in July 2016 when it was discovered families who were errant in paying had their children held in "lunch isolation" where pupils eat and do schoolwork in a separate room for the full lunchtime. The school upholds the practice as part of its focus on personal responsibility, and reports that no child is left without lunch.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Adams |first1=Richard |title=Headteacher defends policy of putting pupils in 'lunch isolation' |url=https://www.theguardian.com/education/2016/jul/29/headteacher-defends-policy-of-putting-pupils-in-lunch-isolation |accessdate=30 July 2016 |work=The Guardian |date=29 July 2016}}</ref>
== Academic profile == In its first set of GCSE results in August 2019, half of the pupils who sat exams got Grade 7 or above in at least five subjects and almost a quarter got Grade 7 or better in all their subjects.<ref>{{cite news |title='It's good to have rules, children know where they stand' |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/education-49430077 |access-date=22 August 2019 |work=BBC News |date=22 August 2019}}</ref> Overall 18% of entries received grade 9, the highest grade, compared to 4.5% nationwide.<ref name="GCSETheTelegraph2019" /> In maths, one entry in four achieved grade 9.<ref name="SallyWeale" /> The school's Progress 8 benchmark score placed it fifth nationally.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Adams |first1=Richard |title=Pupils with behavioural issues failing to meet exam benchmark |url=https://www.theguardian.com/education/2019/oct/17/pupils-with-behavioural-issues-failing-to-meet-exam-benchmark |accessdate=18 October 2019 |work=The Guardian |date=17 October 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Turner |first1=Camilla |title=More than half of state school pupils failing to achieve 'strong pass' in English and maths GCSEs |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/10/17/half-state-school-pupils-failing-achieve-strong-pass-english/ |accessdate=18 October 2019 |work=The Telegraph |date=17 October 2019}}</ref> In 2021, the first A-Level cohort, 82% of the school's students were offered places at Russell Group universities.<ref name="Times22">{{cite news |first=Charlotte |last=Edwardes |url=https://www.thetimes.com/culture/tv-radio/article/britains-strictest-teacher-what-middle-class-parents-get-wrong-d2j9hp7kh |title=Britain's strictest teacher: what middle-class parents get wrong |work=The Times |pages= |date=18 February 2022}}</ref> In 2022 and 2023, Michaela achieved the highest Progress 8 scores in the country.<ref name="EconomistProgress8">{{cite news |title=Why super-strict classrooms are in vogue in Britain |url=https://www.afr.com/work-and-careers/education/why-super-strict-classrooms-are-in-vogue-in-britain-20230124-p5cezb |access-date=2 May 2024 |newspaper=The Economist |date=16 January 2023}}</ref><ref name="SpecBirbalsingh">{{cite news |last1=Birbalsingh |first1=Katherine |title=The Michaela court ruling is a victory for all schools |url=https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/the-michaela-court-ruling-is-a-victory-for-all-schools/ |access-date=2 May 2024 |work=The Spectator |date=16 April 2024}}</ref>
The school has received coverage for its policies and academic results. In September 2019, the school was cited by Education Secretary Gavin Williamson as "an example of a free school in a tough area that had achieved excellent results".<ref>{{cite news |last1=Bennett |first1=Rosemary |title=Free schools should focus on troublemakers, says Gavin Williamson |url=https://www.thetimes.com/uk/education/article/free-schools-should-focus-on-troublemakers-says-gavin-williamson-0vgz00q7t |access-date=29 January 2020 |work=The Times |date=6 September 2019 |url-access=limited}}</ref> In November, it was praised by Andreas Schleicher, coordinator of the OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA).<ref>{{cite news |last1=Civinini |first1=Claudia |title='Strictest school' gets top marks from Pisa chief |url=https://www.tes.com/news/strictest-school-gets-top-marks-pisa-chief |accessdate=20 November 2019 |work=TES |date=20 November 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Griffiths |first1=Sian |last2=Henry |first2=Julie |title=England to storm up league table for reading |url=https://www.thetimes.com/business-money/economics/article/england-to-storm-up-league-table-for-reading-5vqzxtcmw |access-date=1 December 2019 |work=The Sunday Times |date=1 December 2019 |url-access=subscription}}</ref> In December, the school was selected by ''The Good Schools Guide'' as one of its "12 Schools of Christmas",<ref>{{cite tweet |user=GoodSchoolsUK |number=1205774678624747521 |date=14 December 2019 |title=It's Day TWO of the 12 Schools of Christmas!🎄 |access-date=3 February 2020}}</ref> describing it as "Not for the faint hearted, the cynical or the fragile. Strict, but with a warm heart beating below the surface, Michaela creates a safe, but stimulating environment, and the chance to fly."<ref>{{cite web |title=Michaela Community School |url=https://www.goodschoolsguide.co.uk/schools/michaela-community-school-london |website=The Good Schools Guide |accessdate=14 December 2019 |url-access=subscription}}</ref>
In April 2022, the school's headteacher gave evidence in front of the House of Commons Science and Technology Select Committee. Her comment on the under-representation of girls doing physics at A-Level and university sparked controversy amongst equality activists. She stated that, "Physics isn't something girls tend to fancy." She also stated that "I just don't think they like it. There's a lot of hard maths in there that I think they'd rather not do."<ref>{{cite web |title='Strictest headteacher' Katharine Birbalsingh claims hard maths puts girls off physics |date=27 April 2022 |website=TheTimes|url=https://www.thetimes.com/article/85a48ccc-c636-11ec-81c0-e8eabc9951c2|access-date=29 December 2024}}</ref> In response to the controversy, Melanie Phillips in a comment piece<ref>{{cite web |title=Pushing girls to study physics isn't equality|date=2 May 2022 |website=The Times |url=https://www.thetimes.com/article/8137d2ae-ca44-11ec-b4b6-e30a321b8cd3|access-date=29 December 2024}}</ref> for ''The Times'' clarified that Birbalsingh was talking only about girls at Michaela Community School, where only 16% of A-Level Physics students were girls.<ref>{{cite web |title='Strictest headteacher' Katharine Birbalsingh claims hard maths puts girls off physics |date=27 April 2022 |website=The Times| url=https://www.thetimes.com/article/85a48ccc-c636-11ec-81c0-e8eabc9951c2|access-date=29 December 2024}}</ref>
== Publications == A book written by teachers at the school, ''Battle Hymn of the Tiger Teachers'', published in 2016, describes Michaela's teaching methods.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Ashford |first1=Katie |title='Teaching is workload-addicted. Teachers seem to believe hard work equates to love for one's pupils' |url=https://www.tes.com/news/teaching-workload-addicted-teachers-seem-believe-hard-work-equates-love-ones-pupils |accessdate=26 November 2016 |work=TES |date=26 November 2016 |language=en}}</ref> A second book, ''Michaela: The Power of Culture'', was published in 2020.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Griffiths |first1=Sian |title=Super-head Katharine Birbalsingh puts dead white men back on the timetable |url=https://www.thetimes.com/uk/education/article/super-head-katharine-birbalsingh-puts-dead-white-men-back-on-the-timetable-tw93m2xg8 |access-date=3 May 2020 |work=The Times |date=3 May 2020 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Thompson |first1=Sonia |title=Review: Michaela. The Power of Culture |url=https://schoolsweek.co.uk/review-michaela-the-power-of-culture/ |website=Schools Week |accessdate=4 September 2020 |date=19 June 2020}}</ref>
== Notable staff == * Katharine Birbalsingh, co-founder and current headmistress<ref>{{cite web |title=Team |url=https://mcsbrent.co.uk/team/ |website=Michaela Community School |accessdate=14 August 2019}}</ref> * Joe Kirby, co-founder and education blogger
== See also == * Didactic method * Knowledge organiser
== References == {{Reflist}}
== External links == * {{Official website|https://www.mcsbrent.co.uk/}}
{{Schools and colleges in Brent|state=collapsed}} {{Authority control}}
Category:Wembley Category:Free schools in London Category:Secondary schools in the London Borough of Brent Category:Educational institutions established in 2014 Category:2014 establishments in England