| Blackheath Bluecoat Church of England School | |
|---|---|
| Address | |
| Old Dover Road Blackheath, London, SE3 8SY, United Kingdom |
|
| Information | |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| Established | 1700 |
| LEA | Greenwich |
| Specialist | Mathematics and Computing |
| Ofsted number | 100195 |
| Headteacher | Mr Barnaby Ash |
| Staff | ms baxendale.ms mcqwan, mr sallis, mr back, barbara, ms camball |
| Gender | Mixed |
| Age range | 11-18 |
| School roll | 731 |
| Website | http://www.bbcs.greenwich.sch.uk/ |
Blackheath Bluecoat Church of England School is a secondary school in Blackheath, London.
Contents |
The Greenwich Blue Coat Girls' School was founded in 1700 by "several charitable ladies of this town".[1] It is also mentioned by Dorothy George in her book about London life in the 18th Century.[2] One of leaders of these ladies was Mrs Margaret Flamsteed, wife of the first Astronomer Royal, John Flamsteed who was appointed by King Charles II in 1675. The school began with thirty poor girls who were taken in for four years to be trained in household matters as well as reading, writing and the church catechism. The girls were found positions in service in local houses.
The school rented a building in London Street (later Greenwich High Road) and was closely associated with the Parish Church of St Alfege. It moved to Lime Kiln Lane (later South Street) in 1756 and then in 1825 to a site at the top of Royal Hill, later Point Hill, Greenwich. The school remained there until 1959.
On the other side of Blackheath the St John's Church of England National School was founded in 1854 as the first Church of England School in Blackheath for boys, girls and infants. The girls and infants were on a site in Russell Place (now Reynolds Place)and the boys in a local Mission Hall. In 1907 the London County Council withdrew its support from the Boys' School and an appeal was launched to build a new school. The result was the Blackheath and Kidbrooke National Church of England School which was built ona site adjoining the old school in Old Dover Road. The school became a secondary mixed school.
In 1945 the London County Council felt that the Greenwich Girls' Blue Coat School, which by then was a technical school providing tuition in Housecraft, Catering and Needlework to 60 girls aged 14–16, was too small. In 1959 the school amalgamated with the Blackheath & Kidbrooke School to form the Blackheath & Bluecoat School. The old buildings in Point Hill were used as an annexe until 1963 when extensions were completed on the Old Dover Road site. In 1965 the school became known as Blackheath Bluecoat School.
A scheme to expand the school came to fruition in 1972 when building began on land adjoining the school. The new school was fully comprehensive with a target role of 1050 pupils including Sixth Form.
In 2009 a new phase in the life of the school began when it became part of a federation with St Cecilia's Church of England School, Wandsworth near Wimbledon lawn tennis club.
The school has extensive archives which include the original account books and minute books from 1700 and many other interesting books, letters and articles covering the whole period of its history. (Further information from www.bluecoathistory.co.uk)