South Camden Community School (SCCS)

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South Camden Community School

Motto	Latin Nil Sine Labore (Nothing without effort)
Established	Leased 1873 (existed prior)
Type	Comprehensive
Religious affiliation	Non-denominational
Head Teacher	Ms Rosemary Leeke
Deputy Heads	Mr Pete Bains, Mr Shahid Deen
Chair	Ms Jill Hoffbrand
Specialism	Performing Arts
Location	Charrington Street Somers Town London England
LEA	Camden
Ofsted number	100051
Students	1305
Gender	Mixed
Ages	11 to 18
School colours	Light blue Navy Orange (sixth form)
Publication	Mosaic, Artisan
Affiliations	SSAT, Reed Group, IiP, Camden Consortium, Eco-Schools
Replaced	Sir William Collins School (1951-1993)
Website	sccs.camden.sch.uk

South Camden Community School (SCCS), previously Sir William Collins School, is a coeducational comprehensive secondary school located in Somers Town, in the London Borough of Camden, England. It is a Performing Arts Specialist School,^[1] Silver Award Eco-School,^[2] and Reed College of Enterprise.^[3] Rosemary Leeke is the current, and first female, Head Teacher in the school's history. Huw Salisbury OBE was Head Teacher until 2001.

SCCS has approximately 1,085 students aged 11-16 in the main school and 220 students aged 16-18 in the sixth form. As of May 2008 there are plans to expand the school by two streams of about 30 pupils each per year.

The school has a Board of Governors, of which the Head Teacher is a member. There are several Deputy- and Assistant-Heads and each student age-group is coordinated by a Head of Year. The school is divided into subject departments (eg the Humanities Department, the English Department), which are sometimes known as Faculties. Many sixth form leavers go on to universities in London, especially constituent colleges of the University of London.^[4]

[edit] Ethos

SCCS describes itself as a place to:

Enjoy an excellent education
Grow in confidence
Reach one's potential
Respect each other
Celebrate diversity
Prepare for life beyond school

'Celebration of diversity' (undefined) is particularly important. SCCS students are from a variety of religious, economic, and linguistic backgrounds. The school offers GCSE courses in languages from Bengali to Dutch. The school also puts emphasis on drama and the arts. Drama productions are ambitious, and have included productions such as A Clockwork Orange.

[edit] History

Opening of the new extension by Sir Willis Jackson 20 October 1961

The school dates from 1873, when the London School Board leased the site, although a school had existed there before. The new school was completed and opened in 1877, as Medburn Street School. In 1904, it was renamed the Stanley School. This change was reversed in 1910 to avoid confusion with another nearby Stanley School. It originally took children up to age eleven. Over time the intake extended to older pupils.

Some time after 1938,^[5] following various reorganisations, the school only took students who were older than eleven. In 1951 the school became Sir William Collins School, named after the first chair of the London County Council (LCC) Education Committee. It became South Camden Community School in 1993. The original Victorian school buildings were located between Charlton Street and Medburn Street; Medburn Street was used as the address. But Medburn Street was demolished when, between 1958 and 1961, the London County Council extended the site and buildings to Charrington Street. Charrington Street became the new address with the school offices located on that side. The new extensions were officially opened in October 1961 by the eminent engineer Sir Willis Jackson (later Lord Jackson of Burnley). The extensions had, however, already been partially occupied in 1960 out of necessity with the large expansion of pupils, to approximately 1,100 at the time, which made it one of the largest schools in inner London. A portrait of Sir William Collins hung in the new main entrance during the 1960s.

The site for the new extension was about five acres. The cost at the time was £375,000, and a further £36,500 with furniture and equipment. The architect was Mr William Crabtree, FRIBA and the general contractor Gee, Walker & Slater Ltd. The design was of interconnected quadrangles with as many rooms looking inwards as possible. Crabtree's other work in London included the famous Peter Jones department store in Sloane Square, Chelsea, a Grade II listed building. Crabtree also worked on the John Lewis Department Store in Oxford Street, London, another outstanding building.

[edit] Ofsted profile

A 2001 Ofsted report:^[6]

The school had a multicultural intake, with many pupils of Bangladeshi or black African (particularly Somalian) origin
Almost 80% of pupils spoke English as an additional language
The number of pupils entitled to free school meals, often used as an indicator of social deprivation, was well above the national average
The proportion of lower attaining pupils joining the school was much greater than the national average
In all year groups, there were significantly more boys than girls
Pupil attendance was below average

However, the report concluded that the school met its pupils' needs "very effectively", with GCSE results, although below average, higher than expected given pupils' low attainment on joining the school and improving above the national average. Teaching was recorded as "good" and the school had "very many more strengths than weaknesses".

In 2006, the proportion of students meeting the national target at GCSE level (which is 5 passes at Grade A* to C, to include English and Mathematics) was 30%, against a Camden Borough average of 45.7% and a national average of 45.8%.^[7]

An October 2007 Ofsted report,^[8] said that the school was "satisfactory" overall and that "personal development and well-being" was "good". No aspects of the school were described as "unsatisfactory" or "outstanding". The report said that SCCS should:

Raise students' achievement at Key Stage 3
Develop teachers' practice across the school so that a greater proportion of teaching is good and meets the individual needs of students more closely
Develop the work of middle leaders so that their practice is sharper and more consistently effective across the school

[edit] School uniform

The school uniform is compulsory for students who are not in the sixth form. It includes:

A light-blue polo shirt embroidered with the school logo
A navy-blue school sweatshirt or fleece embroidered with the school logo
Black trousers or, for girls, a plain black skirt or navy-blue shalwar kameez
Black shoes or black trainers

Girls may wear a plain navy, black, or white headscarf for religious reasons.

Sanctions for not wearing the correct uniform vary: a detention may be issued or the offender may be sent home to change. Occasionally, more serious action will be taken involving the offender's parents or guardian.

Resistance to the uniform is rife and many students are against the idea altogether.

[edit] Incentives and sanctions

SCCS uses as sysytem known as Behaviour for Learning (BfL) around the school. BfL incorporates both sanctions for misbehavior and rewards for good behavior. The following is a simplified version of the BfL sanction system^[9] — it uses different orders of consequence (C):

C1 First-chance verbal warning
C2 Second-chance verbal warning
C3 Forty-five minute detention after school, held communally for all students who have received a C3
C3 Sixty-minute detention after school, given for not attending a forty-five minute C3
C4 Internal exclusion, given for serious misbehavior or for evading a sixty-minute C3

Students are rewarded for good behavior with a "commendation". All commendations given are recorded on the school's computer server. As an incentive, receiving more than a certain number of commendations warrants a prize; often this includes an invitation to a special school trip, a certificate, or vouchers. For exceptional contribution to the school or the community, students are given the Jack Petchey Award. Only a handful have been given so far.^[10]

[edit] School magazines

SCCS produces two official school magazines.^[11] Both are produced in full color, featuring photographs of recent school events. As such, they are expensive to produce and hence new editions are typically published and circulated in tutor groups only once each term.

[edit] Mosaic

A general magazine providing information about school events. It covers school trips, clubs, and the SCCS School Council. The Headmistress contributes an article for the front page. Mosaic is in addition to normal regular newsletters, which tend to cover specific issues, and is oriented more towards students rather than home. The School Council is involved in its production and material is usually from students, rather than staff, as previously. The School Council may create a student Mosaic committee to produce and edit the magazine.

[edit] Artisan

Artisan is magazine about the school's status as a Specialist Arts College. It provides information on Drama, Art, and Music at SCCS, including school plays and other artistic projects. Artisan usually includes comments from members of the SCCS Faculty of Visual and Performing Arts.

[edit] Organizations related to SCCS

[edit] School Council

SCCS School Council is an organization of students who attempt to voice the opinions of their peers and ensure staff–student cooperation.^[12] The Council is recognized and backed by the school's management and receives a moderate yearly budget.

The Council is two-tiered: five Year Councils (one for each age group) and one whole-school Council, known formally as the Main School Council. Substantial evidence suggests that the School Council's importance and influence is growing, particularly as meetings become more frequent:

The Headmistress now attends nearly all meetings held by the Main School Council
The Council has student representatives on the Board of Governors
The Council has financial backing to the value of several thousand pounds

The School Council is overseen by a staff member, known as the Council Administrator, who deals with logistics and who attends meetings mainly in an advisory capacity. Likewise, the Council has no "President" or leader. Arguably, the only existing role resembling a School Council President is that of Senior Chairperson; however, despite being an influential Council figurehead, the Senior Chairperson is not allowed to vote on Main School Council motions and therefore lacks any decision-making authority.

[edit] Parent-Teacher Association

SCCS has a relatively active Parent-Teacher Association (PTA). The SCCS PTA meets occasionally and any parent or guardian of an SCCS student is welcome to attend.

[edit] Other

The City Learning Centre (CLC) for Camden adjoins SCCS. Owned by the London Borough of Camden and London Grid for Learning (LGfL) it is a computer-oriented educational facility. Somers Town Community Sports Centre (STCSC) is on school land but not run by the school. Both facilities are often used by SCCS.
As part of Camden Consortium of sixth forms,^[13] SCCS can pool resources with other local sixth forms. SCCS is not, however, part of the similar La Swap sixth-form consortium.^[14]

[edit] Eco-School

SCCS is a Silver Award Eco-School.^[2] This is due mainly to the work of a branch of the SCCS School Council, known informally as the "Eco-Committee". The Eco-Committee holds regular meetings and has more than fifty student members.

Recently, the Eco-Committee negotiated a matched-funding deal for installing solar pannels around the school.

[edit] SCCS People

Stanley Warren, a former Japanese prisoner of war, noted for painting the Changi Murals in the chapel of Changi Prison during captivity, was an art teacher in the 1950s and 1960s, and Deputy Head of Brunel House from 1963 to 1965.^[15]
Harry Greenway (former MP) was a Head of Telford House in the 1960s^[16] and also Deputy Headmaster.^[17]
James Martin, an actor who played Peter Beale in Eastenders from 2004 to 2006, is a student at the school.

[edit] Criticisms

SCCS has been criticized by students, staff, and others for various reasons. Outside criticism is often fuelled by the school's appearing negatively in the local press.^[18] However, BfL and the school uniform are perhaps the most contentious issues among SCCS students.

[edit] BfL

BfL is designed to be an all-encompassing behavior code that ensures consistent sanctions across the school. Some SCCS students, however, accuse BfL of not achieving its objectives. They feel that in trying to be all-encompassing, BfL forfits consistency. There is a great deal of paperwork explaining how to implement BfL, much of which is self-contradictory and vague. For instance:

One poster about BfL states that "Disrupting learning of others" comes under "Automatic C3 consequences" (ie detention); another that "Disrupting the learning of others" comes under "C1 & C2 warnings" (ie a warning). Both posters are produced by SCCS and put up in corridors and classrooms, often together.
A student can get detention for "Inappropriate Behaviour" without prior warning. "Inappropriate Behaviour" is a vague term that allows detentions to be given for almost anything. This contradicts one of BfL's main ideologies: that it should be clear and simple and not open to misinterpretation.
A poster which explains commendations is mostly obsolete, yet copies still appear around SCCS.

Many students think that BfL's colours, red and orange, are aggressive. Likewise, some see the posters as 'Orwellian' in their use of intimidating phrases in capitals such as, "YOU DIDN'T STOP TO THINK" and "THE CONSEQUENCES ARE NOW SERIOUS". Two BfL-review committees were formed in 2007, which reflects these concerns.^[12]

[edit] Uniform

This has been contentious in recent years. The previous dress code was relaxed with no requirement for an embroidered school logo. KS4 students were also allowed to wear their own clothes. Although a consultation took place about changes, many thought decisions were made disregarding the views of students and their families. The consultation helped primarily to decide the colour of the uniform, not whether it should be implemented. The consultation may have been used to rubber stamp a decision already made by the Board of Governors.

Most of the uniform can only be purchased from the school^[19] which is not cost effective for parents. The OFT's 2006 inquiry^[20] into the cost of school uniform nationally and subsequent statement,^[21] have not resolved the contentious issue.

Some students think that a few teachers use unwritten rules, not sanctioned by Governors, and randomly applied with no reference to rules agreed with parents. They often relate to trivial aspects of uniform such as design of shoelaces or hair-dye colours. It is alleged that students breaching these 'rules' are threatened with official sanctions, such as 45 minute detentions.

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

[edit] References