Nower Hill High School
 | |
| Motto | Service not Self |
|---|---|
| Established | 1974 |
| Type | Academy |
| Headteacher | Chris Livesey |
| Chair of Governor | Diana La Rue |
| Location |
George V Avenue Pinner Middlesex HA5 5RP England |
| DfE number | 310/4024 |
| DfE URN | 137028 Tables |
| Ofsted | Reports Pre-academy reports |
| Gender | Mixed |
| Ages | 11–18 |
| Colours | Navy Blue |
| Publication | Nower Hill High School Newsletter (monthly) |
| Badges |
3 small scimitars and a sword |
| Website |
www |
Nower Hill High School is a secondary academy school with a sixth form, in Pinner in the London Borough of Harrow. The school currently has around 300 pupils in each year group including over 400 in the Sixth form, making over 1900 pupils in the school. Nower Hill High School pupils range from 11-18 years of age. In 2011 the school changed to academy status.
History
The school, then known as Headstone School, started life in 1929 when the red brick building in Pinner Road was built. Its "houses", commemorating famous former residents of Harrow and one historical building, were Byron, Becket, Shaftesbury and Manor. Colours, in the order of the houses given, were Green, Blue, Red and Orange.[1] From the moment the school opened it started expanding into a series of outbuildings that proliferated on the site. In the late 1950s a new school was planned which opened in the early 1960s. Another new block was added in 1972 and further buildings were taken into use in 1978. Nine-tenths of the school buildings are in new premises and the grassed playing field was considerably extended in 1980.
1993/94 saw the start of a £2.75 million development programme which has given a new 13 classroom block, a Business Studies and Information Technology Suite, a Design and Technology Suite, 5 new Science Laboratories with Preparation Rooms and the magnificent Gristwood Centre housing Music, Dance and Drama Studios and the Sports Hall. The new Library and Information Resources Centre were provided by the generosity of Parents and Friends and parental donations through the Covenanting Scheme. A new Dining Centre opened early in the Autumn Term of 1998, and with an increased Games Area on the site of the old canteen. On 1 September 1974, Nower Hill High School began its existence within a scheme of re-organisation of secondary education in the London Borough of Harrow.
It began as a 12 - 16 High School taking in each year some 240 pupils across a full ability range. Now, Nower Hill's 6th Form opened in September 2006, with no discrimination against those with little academic abilities. As well as the introduction of a 6th Form, A new '6th Form Block' has also been built with its top floor restricted to only 6th Form students, the top floor consists of a fairly large common room as well as a 'Silent Study' room. Currently the school has gained a new science block which has been built on the former lower playground and also a new English block which has been built in front of the Gristwood Centre.
Uniform Colours
The colours change each year when the Year 11s leave and their colour passes back down to Year 7.This means that each year carries their colour with them throughout the education at Nower Hill High School. This year's Year Colours are: Year 7-Yellow Year 8-Purple Year 9-Red Year 10-Green Year 11-Blue.
Motto and ethos
Nower Hill's motto is Service not Self and the school's official ethos is Challenge, support, trust, integrity, respect, equality of opportunity, collaboration, celebration, a ‘can do' attitude, and service not self.
These ideals lead to the school's involvement in the local community and charitable events such as "Children in Need", "Red Nose Day", and fundraising for St Luke's Hospice charity. The school has Mufti days mostly at the end of term when students bring £1 in for charity. The school holds a Christmas dinner every year for the elderly of the community. Separate dinners are also provided for pupils and staff.
Every year Nower Hill organises a school prom and boat trip party for Year 11 students, despite the fact that many pupils chose to remain at the school to study A levels.
Nower Hill takes part in many sports and is sportmarked by UK Sport.
The school encourages students to be streetwise and holds "Citizenship Days" for students to look at and discuss different aspects of life in the wider, adult world. There is a heavy influence on road safety.
Uniform
As of 2011, the school uniform for years 7-11 has changed slightly. Each year has a different coloured tie and jumper trim. The current arrangement (2014-15) is that Year 7 pupils wear yellow; Year 8 pupils purple, Year 9s red, Year 10s green and Year 11s blue (although prefects still wear silver ties). A pupil will wear the same colour throughout his or her school career. Thus, Year 7 pupils arriving in September 2015 will take over the blue from the previous year's Year 11s. Pupils are allowed to wear a polo shirt in the relevant colour in the summer term and the first half of the autumn term.
General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE)
At Nower Hill and other London schools GCSE is graded on scale of A*; A; B; C; D; E; F; G; with U as Unclassified (Failed) which is a sign not a grade. Nower Hill produces results above both local and national averages.
Although any grade from A*-G is officially a pass, many employers accept only A*-C grades. The headline official school league table also measures only A*-C grades achieved. There is no fixed ratio between exam marks and the final grade awarded. The conversion process is complicated and varies according to subject, examination board, and year.
GCSE Examination Performance
| School | A*-C Pass Rate 2008 | A*-C Pass Rate 2009 | A*-C Pass Rate 2010 | English Baccalaureate Pass Rate 2010 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nower Hill High School | 68% | 57% | 79% | 27% |
| Average for London Borough of Harrow | 57.7% | 60.8% | 60.7% | 22.6% |
| Average for England | 47.6% | 50.7% | 60.7% | 15.1% |
- The table on shows the percentage of students gaining five A* to C grades, including English and Maths
- The rightmost column shows the percentage of students gaining five A* to C grades, in five core subjects - maths; English; two science qualifications; a foreign language and either history or geography.
- Source: Department for Education [2]
- Full GCSE results for the London Borough of Harrow
School Council and Connexions
Nower Hill High School has a school council that consist of pupils and a few members of staff. Two of the current school council member's report to Harrow Council's "Student Advisory Group". The school works with Connexions a specialist careers and counselling agency.
Notable former pupils
- Simon Le Bon - Lead singer of Duran Duran. His mother, Ann Brookes, also attended the school (1946–51)
- Jane March - Actress & "Sinner From Pinner"
- Simon Patterson - Footballer
- Marcus Bean - Footballer
- Alex Lowe - comedian, writer and performer. Also the man behind 'Barry from Watford'
- Michael Rosen - Author and Playwright
- Parker Ighile - Music producer and artist
- Jordan Angel Henderson - Rapper & Singer
References
- ↑ "History & Background". Nower Hill High School. Retrieved 2 January 2011.
- ↑
External links
| ||||||||||||||||||||||