Thomas Tallis School
| Type | Community school |
|---|---|
| Location |
Kidbrooke Park Road London SE3 9PX England |
| Local authority | Greenwich |
| DfE URN | 100190 Tables |
| Ofsted | Reports |
| Students | 1630+ |
| Gender | Coeducational |
| Ages | 11–18 |
| Website | www.thomastallisschool.com |
Thomas Tallis School is a large mixed comprehensive school for pupils aged 11–19, located in Kidbrooke in the Royal Borough of Greenwich, London, United Kingdom. The school has been designated a specialist Arts College, Leading Edge School and national School of Creativity. The school recently benefited from a new building, part of the Building Schools for the Future programme. Occupancy of the new school took place on 7 November 2011. The school was officially opened by the Rt Hon David Miliband in May 2012.[1]
The school was built in 1971, originally for 850 pupils.[citation needed] It now has 1622 pupils on a new site.[2] It is built on the site of a former RAF airfield. A blue plaque to recognise this was put up on one of the corridors connecting the old school's buildings.
The school and its facilities
The design of the new school was influenced by a detailed consultation process with the whole community.
Working closely with architects, John McAslan + Partners, some of the design features of the old school that were felt to be crucial in having helped shape its ethos have been retained. A good example is the central concourse, which functions as a social hub or marketplace, providing opportunities for students, staff and visitors to meet at various points in the day.
However, the new school has significant additional specialist spaces providing the whole community with state of the art facilities and enabling the school to deliver an exciting curriculum for students of all abilities and talents. Access to community facilities has been made easier and circulation around the building is enhanced by external walkways. There is a close connection between indoor and outdoor learning facilities.
The past
In 1998, the school was awarded Specialist Arts College status and has successfully been re-designated twice. In 2005 the school was awarded Leading Edge status. The school has belonged to the Creative Partnerships network of schools since 2005. In May 2008, the school became one of only thirty schools in the country to be awarded the status of School of Creativity. The school is also acknowledged for its Deaf Support Centre (to which several rooms are dedicated).
The school has also once in the past been in the news for being involved in TV chef Jamie Oliver's campaign to improve school dinners in Britain. It features in his TV series Jamie's School Dinners.
A text book designed by German publisher Ernst Klett Verlag uses pictures of the school and, as a consequence, German students frequently contact Thomas Tallis in search of pen pals.
In 2007, the school was featured in the Channel 4 documentary Make Me a Tory, directed by former pupil Daniel Cormack.
In December 2009, Director of Tate galleries, Sir Nicholas Serota was invited to become the school's head teacher for the day.[3]
The present
The school has undergone a £50 million pound renovation as part of the Greenwich Building Schools for the Future programme (BSF).
The interior design utilities colour-coding and clear signage for greater accessibility. The majority of the teaching spaces are housed in three blocks to the west of the site. Rooms benefit from full height windows and a mixture of natural ventilation and air management. Significantly enhanced sports facilities, a student cafe, impressive performing arts spaces, specialist broadcast and music studios and other classrooms make up the other blocks. The school has also paid close attention to the dining area and toilets, areas which are of particular interest to students and which deserve to be of the highest standards. Prior to occupation of the new building designers Gilles and Cecilie Studio were commissioned to create large wall graphics for the new school. The aim of this project, led by a team of young people, was to express the ethos and ambitions of the old school on the walls of the new one.
Also, the school has significant additional specialist spaces providing the whole community with state of the art facilities and enabling us to deliver an exciting curriculum for students of all abilities and talents. Access to community facilities has been made easier and circulation around the building will be enhanced by multi-level walkways. There is a close connection between indoor and outdoor learning facilities.
Notable alumni
- Ihsan Rustem - British dancer and choreographer
- Cagri Toprak- Legend
- Samuel Manzi - Hero
- Dominic Cooper - Actor
- Patrick van den Hauwe, professional footballer, attended from 1972-1977
- Rees Bridges - Drummer, musician, producer
- Daniel Cormack - Film Director
- Kat Joyce - Co-artistic director of Tangled Feet theatre company
- Charley Kazim Uchea - Reality TV Contestant in Big Brother 2007 (UK)
- Alex Slater - Reality TV Contestant in Beauty and the Geek (UK TV series)
- Richard Colvin Reid - failed terrorist
- Matthew Collins, ex-NF leader and now renowned antifascist campaigner, writer and author
References
- ↑ http://www.royalgreenwich.gov.uk/press/article/104/school_opens_its_state-of-the-art_buildings. Missing or empty
|title=(help) - ↑ Ofsted Data Dashboard. http://dashboard.ofsted.gov.uk/dash.php?urn=100190. Missing or empty
|title=(help) - ↑ http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2009/dec/13/arts-bosses-school. Missing or empty
|title=(help)
External links
- Thomas Tallis website
- Creative Learning website
- Twitter feed
- The school's Post 16 website
- Case Study on the School's Eco Programme by The Sustainable Development Commission
Coordinates: 51°27′53″N 0°01′36″E / 51.4647°N 0.0266°E