Dame Allan's School, Newcastle

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Dame Allan's School.
Established	1705
School type	Private school
Principal	Dr. J.R. Hind
Location	Fenham, Newcastle upon Tyne, England
Students	~1,000^{[citation needed]}
Abbreviation	DAS
Website	http://www.dameallans.co.uk

Dame Allan's Schools were founded in Newcastle upon Tyne in England in 1705, and are two of the oldest schools in the city. They were founded by Dame Eleanor Allan, the daughter of a local goldsmith and the widow of a wealthy tobacco merchant, to provide a proper education for "40 poor boys and 20 poor girls of the city parishes". The schools were founded in Wallsend, to the east of Newcastle, then moved to the city centre in the 19th Century, and then to its present site in Fenham, in 1937.^[1]

A recent inspection summarised the schools as "a civilised and civilising community ... [which provides] a well-rounded education for pupils from the age of 8 to 18, based on a broad academic curriculum and supported by a modest range of extra-curricular activities".^[2]

The plural, "schools", refers to the school's "diamond structure." In effect, Dame Allan's consists of 4 different schools: the co-educational Junior School for years 4 to 6; the single sex boys' and girls' schools for years 7 to 11; and the co-educational sixth form (years 12 to 13).^[3]

All schools are private, and potential candidates must pass written exams and an interview. The fees are currently (September 2005) around £2,450 per term in the Main Schools and £1,900 per term in the Junior Department. These fees include books and external examination entry fees, but do not include meals. Scholarships of up to 50% are available on the basis of academic merit, and bursaries of up to 100% are available on the basis of academic merit and financial need.^[3]

1 Facilities
2 Teaching and activities
3 Controversy
4 References
5 Alumni and Alumnae
6 External links

[edit] Facilities

A number of new classrooms have recently been built to replace older stock, with some intended specifically for the sixth form (The Queen's Building).^[4]

[edit] Teaching and activities

Being a private school, Dame Allan's does not strictly adhere to the national curriculum. It does enter all its students in public examinations such as GCSEs and A-levels, so the subjects taught are closely tied in to their national counterparts. All students must study English, mathematics, and the natural sciences to GCSE level, and it is strongly recommended that at least one foreign language be studied to this level. Sixth form students have a much wider range of study, with no mandatory subjects and the introduction of many new subjects in year 12, including business studies and theatre studies. Dame Allan's is an Anglican school.^[5]

In 2005 the school recorded its best ever set of exam results, including a handful of Top 5 results in several subjects, notably GCSE languages.^[6] Furthermore, two pupils were awarded 6 grade As at A-level. The school consistently performs to an extremely high standard in public examinations, with the girls' school often slightly outscoring the boy's school at GCSE level.^[7] The school has not yet been inspected by OFSTED^[8] but received a positive report from the Independent Schools Inspectorate in 2000.^[2]

The school has a very good record of extracurricular activities, having earned a national reputation for the performing arts, in particular dance, and been awarded a Silver Artsmark Award.^[4]

[edit] Controversy

In 1994, a pupil was withdrawn from the school by his parents, under threat of expulsion. The pupil's father was of African origin. The pupil's parents, supported by the Commission for Racial Equality, then brought the matter to court. After legal proceedings, the school came to a settlement with the boy's family to pay £4,000 damages plus costs, and instituted a new equal-opportunities policy.^[9]. The case was raised in a Parliamentary speech by Chris Mullin MP.