| Established | 1937 |
|---|---|
| Type | Local Authority Grammar School |
| Headteacher | Mr Deehan |
| Location | Townley Road, Bexleyheath Greater London DA6 7AB England |
| Local authority | London Borough of Bexley |
| DfE URN | 101463 |
| Ofsted | Reports |
| Students | c. 1,400 |
| Gender | Girls, boys in sixth form |
| Ages | 11–18 |
| Website | www.townleygrammar.org.uk |
Townley Grammar School, normally referred to locally as Townley is a secondary grammar school for girls. It was previously known as Bexley Technical High School for Girls. And after that was known as Townley Grammar School For Girls, until 2010. It is located on Townley Road, Bexleyheath, in the London Borough of Bexley in England. The school consists of Years 7-11, single sex, and a female and male sixth form. It is of a good standard and is considered one of the best.
Contents |
It is well-known in the area for its consistent academic performance in the London Borough of Bexley. The Sixth Form performs well with a tradition of excellent exam results; in excess of 98% of students enter higher education at 18, and the school regularly appears in the Sunday Times Good Schools Guide.
In 2008, the school had 4 students going onto courses of study (including Medicine) at Oxbridge, the highest number for a state school in Bexley.[1]
At GCSE, students perform well, consistently achieving a 100% pass rate.[2]
In order to be admitted to the school, students must pass the Eleven-plus test in order to gain entry to year 7. It admits roughly 210 new students a year. Townley Grammar School for Girls, in partnership with the all-boys Beths Grammar School allows for the attendance of different subjects by sixth form students at either institution.
Girls are mainly taught in their tutor groups for the first two years (Years 7 and 8). These form groups are further divided for practical subjects, such as Music, Design Technology, I.C.T and Art.
In Years 8, 9, 10 and 11, pupils are grouped into streams according to their learning rate in certain subjects such as Mathematics, Science and Modern Language. In Year 7, girls now do two languages, French and Italian or German and Spanish in their tutor groups.
The school offers a broad and balanced curriculum, which is designed to match the educational needs of the girls with the requirements of the National Curriculum.
In Year 7, two languages are offered from French/Italian or German/Spanish. All four subjects are offered in the Sixth Form as well as Russian.
The school was awarded Specialist Status for the performing and visual arts in September 2004. This specialist status enriched the arts education offered by the school whilst attempting to maintain the academic rigour of a grammar school.
All girls take ten GCSEs, providing a balanced programme of study and a firm foundation for Advanced Level courses. However, certain exceptional students are can be entered early for subjects such as Art, Mathematics or Modern Foreign Languages if they have a special aptitude for the subject. Mandarin is also part of the extracurricular programme.
Townley has a large mixed sixth form and students choose from some thirty five Advanced Level (AS and A2) courses. The opportunity exists both to deepen the study of subjects taken at GCSE and to select new courses such as Government and Politics, Fine Art, Economics and Classical Civilisation. Joint courses with Beths enable pupils in both schools to have a wide range of subjects to choose from in the sixth form.
Homework is set every evening during term time and is considered an integral part of the learning process, encouraging independent study.
Constructed on a 17-acre (69,000 m2) site, the School's extensive grounds provide a pleasant environment as well as excellent sporting facilities. A new building was completed in 2006 which provides a theatre, recording studio, a large Sports Hall as well as five additional science laboratories, and a further ICT suite.
Ofsted observed that the School's extra curricular activities covered “an impressively wide range” and demonstrated "high standards of achievement". The huge variety of clubs and societies include a Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme group, DT Clubs, Drama Clubs, Dance Clubs, Environment group, Christian Union, Science Societies, a Computer Club, a Young Enterprise Group, a Debating Society, a Food Club, a Textiles Club, a Homework Club, and many more. Award winning success is achieved in a wide variety of activities within the Physical Education Department and there are school teams for netball, hockey, swimming, athletics, tennis, rounders, volleyball and football. The UK's under 17 weightlifting champion and the possible Olympic diver both attend Townley, although their success cannot be owed to the school as there is neither a weightlifting or diving club.
The School has a long tradition for excellence in the Arts and was recently awarded the Gold Arts Mark. Outstanding performances are achieved by the school's three choirs, two orchestras, concert band, string and woodwind ensembles. Termly concerts, musical productions and formal school assemblies are only some of the many performance opportunities which exist throughout the year.
Full scale music, drama and dance productions have included Scarlatti's Stabat Mater, Benjamin Britten's Missa Brevis, Holst's Ave Maria, Dido and Aeneas, Vivaldi's Gloria, Oklahoma!, Sweet Charity, The Visit, Cabaret, 42nd Street,Rainbows Ending, The Boyfriend, Cats The Sound of Music, Bugsy Malone, Tales Untold, Jesus Christ Superstar Variations, A Midsummer Night's Dream and most recently Oliver! as well as more informal performance evenings.
The annual Art Exhibitions gives the community an ideal opportunity to see the impressive word done by examination candidates in Years 11, 12 and 13.
The excellent work done in the classroom is enhanced by field trips, visits to industrial organisations, to the theatre, to conferences, museums, art galleries and universities. Townley's work with Rose Bruford College, Trinity College of Music, Laban, The Royal Ballet and Tate Modern have strengthened the provision of the Arts for students.
Holidays organised by the school have recently included visits to Normandy, Paris, Florence, Venice, Verona, Germany, Spain and India. Regular exchanges take place with The Shri Ram School in Delhi, India and the Franz Stock Gymnasium in Arnsberg, Germany. A new exchange is planned for 2008 with a school in Shandong Province, China. Adventure holidays for the lower school take place in the UK.
The Rt. Hon. The Baroness Amos, PC - British High Commissioner to Australia. Member of Tony Blair's cabinet as Secretary of State for International Development, Leader of the House of Lords and Lord President of the Council. She was also the school's first black Deputy Head Girl.