Riddlesdown High School
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Riddlesdown High School is a secondary school located in the Riddlesdown area of the London Borough of Croydon, England. Riddlesdown is a mixed school, of about 1500 pupils. There is also a Sixth Form Centre with over 250 post-16 students on the campus. The School takes its pupils mainly from the Sanderstead, Selsdon, Purley, South Croydon and Tandridge areas, and recently gained Specialist Science College status. Its current motto, as of 2007, is "Learners of today, Leaders of tomorrow" as voted for by the schools student body.
At Riddlesdown High School they strive to provide a pleasant and motivational environment in which students can excel to the best of their ability. Riddlesdown High School is well on its way to becoming Croydon's best state run high schools.
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[edit] History
[edit] Introduction
The school has changed a lot throughout the years. Although it is surrounded by a Green Belt, it has been able to expand greatly, usually upwards.
[edit] Timeline
The following timeline is a basic list of Riddlesdown's history.
[edit] 1957
The school was first built in 1957, and had just 230 pupils and 14 teachers. The first headmaster was Mr. Donald MacKay.
[edit] 1968
In 1968, Mr. MacKay retired, and Mr. Bernard Goss took over as headmaster. During the 19 years that he worked at the school, it expanded to over 1250 pupils - more than five times its original size.
[edit] 1987
When Mr. Goss retired in 1987, the next headmaster was Dr. David Dibbs, who had previously been head of another London school.
[edit] 1992
Riddlesdown was the first school in Croydon to be awarded Grant Maintained status by the Secretary of State for Education, and since then about 300 pupils have been admitted to the school by the Board of Governors each year.
[edit] 1999
In 1999, a Sixth Form Centre was established on the site and Riddlesdown became a Voluntary Aided School under the Bourne Foundation.
[edit] 2004
From the 1st September 2004 Riddlesdown was designated as a Specialist Science College.
[edit] 2006
Dr. Dibbs retired in September and the current Principal is Mr. Gordon H. Smith. although it is interesting that he does call himself principal, which is an American term as aposed to headmaster.
[edit] Aims of the School
The school aims:[1]
- To ensure that pupils leave us educated to their highest possible potential.
- To assist pupils in the development of lively, questioning minds.
- To assist pupils in the development of rational attitudes and values.
- To encourage the development of creativity, imagination and physical well-being.
- To provide a wide and balanced variety of experiences.
- To ensure that pupils leave the School thoughtful, considerate and mature.
- To provide an environment in which pupils are positively motivated to work hard, but without oppression
that is arguable
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- To encourage self-discipline and the acceptance of responsibility for one's own actions.
- To develop respect for moral and religious values and an acceptance of other races, religions and ways of life.
- To develop a sense of unity and purpose among the staff so that differences in viewpoint or emphasis do not present barriers to progress.
[edit] Governor's Statement
"We believe that Riddlesdown High School should strive for all-round excellence by adopting a quality approach in all that it does for pupils and parents. Our underlying sense of purpose is to promote individual achievement for pupils of all abilities by acknowledging and building on our strengths, values and traditions, thus creating a school, of which all the staff, pupils and parents can be proud."
