Sydenham School
 | |
| Motto | Aim high |
|---|---|
| Established | 1917 |
| Type | Community School |
| Headteacher | Ms C Unsted |
| Specialism | Science and Maths |
| Location |
Dartmouth Road Sydenham Greater London SE26 4RD England |
| Local authority | Lewisham |
| DfE URN | 100741 Tables |
| Ofsted | Reports |
| Students | 1462 |
| Gender | Girls |
| Website | Sydenham School |
Sydenham School (known as Sydenham Girls by locals) is a comprehensive girls' school located on Dartmouth Road (A2216) in Sydenham, London.
History
The school was founded in 1917 as a girls' grammar school, known as Sydenham County Grammar School for Girls and in 1956 it expanded to become a comprehensive school when it merged with Shackleton School. In 2003 Sydenham School was granted Specialist Science College status and in 2008 it was granted specialis in Mathematics by the DfES. Sydenham School has close ties to Forest Hill School a nearby boys' comprehensive school.
Form system
In each year there are 9 tutor groups, each beginning with the year number they are in e.g. 7 with the letters S,Y,D,E,N,H,A,M,G attached to each form. In years ten and eleven the forms are mixed during lessons intermingling students from the different tutor groups for lessons. Every year, the set groups of S,Y and D, E,N and H and A,M and G share the same Modern Foreign Language. The tutor groups SYD learn French, ENH learn Spanish and AMG learn German. However, Not as many pupils as previous years applied-so the students who joined in 2010 and 2009 have only the tutor groups S,Y,D,E,N,H,A,M. Also, in 2010, the students who had joined in 2009 had their classess re-organised, so that only tutor groups S,Y,D,E,N,H,A,M remained, as there were few pupils and problems in one particular tutor group.
Uniform
In Key Stage 3 (years 7 and 8) students wear blue shirts, and in the first year of key stage 4(year 9-the school has a two year key stage 3), while in the second and third years of Key Stage 4 (years 10 and 11) wear white shirts. Because of this difference, there exists the nicknames 'White Shirts' and 'Blue Shirts' to distinguish the students' years. The sixth form (a mix of Forest Hill Boys school and Sydenham school since 2010) are not required to wear any uniform.
Admissions
The current headmistress is Ms Carolyn Unsted. It has always been a girls' school. Forest Hill Pools and Forest Hill library is next door.
Academic performance
In the last OFSTED inspection, Sydenham School was graded as 'good with outstanding features '. It gets GCSEs and A levels above the England average.(64%)
Staff
English Curriculum Leader: Alison Lister Staff: Nadine Watson, Joanna Dennis, Elizabeth Buck, Janet Emmanuel, David Frost, Sylvia Iyeke,Carys Stubbs, Rob Unterhalter,Juliet Brown, Hannah Bornstein.
Humanities Geography Curriculum Leader: Ian Miles Staff:Estelle Dickinson, Simon Glendinning, Alan Farr.
History Curriculum Leader: Stuart Pickford Staff: Josephine Carr, Stacey Meaney, Erika Podmore, Eleanor Richards.
Science Curriculum Leader: Daniel Watson Staff:Johan Viljoen, Kalvinder Bajwa, Amy Vickers, Fiona Evans, Sandy Callacher, Johanna Kambuka, Abimbola Bakare, Stephen Cope, Simon Faulkner, Phillipa Gaut, Sarah Heasman, Andre Lewis, Matthew Rees, Tim Shepherd, Prasad Sothinathan, Andrew Davids
Maths Curriculum leader: Mark Freakes Staff: Daljeet Sandhu, Marylynne Lolley, William Akaje - Macauley, Michael Harris - Brown, Anna Mastihi, Ganiyat Ottun, Wendy Smith, Gloria Harris, Barbara Willis, Rupert Stock, Aldrica Smart.
Notable alumnae
- Tasha Danvers, 400 metre hurdler, bronze in the Beijing 2008 Olympics.
- Sarah Jane Crawford, BBC Radio 1Xtra DJ.
Sydenham County Grammar School for Girls
- Linda Ludgrove, swimmer
- Elsie Widdowson, dietitian
See also
- Sydenham High School (UK), nearby girls independent school for ages 4–18, and part of the Girls' Day School Trust (GPSDT)
External links
Coordinates: 51°26′3″N 0°3′32″W / 51.43417°N 0.05889°W