Quintin Kynaston Community Academy

Quintin Kynaston (QK) is a secondary school in the St John's Wood area of north London, England. It became a Specialist Technology College in 2001,^[1] and became an academy in November 2011, changing its name from Quintin Kynaston School. Quintin Kynaston was rated 'outstanding' by Ofsted in two previous inspections, in 2008 and December 2011, but lost its 'outstanding' rating during the most recent Ofsted visit in September 2014. The school was judged as 'requires improvement' because standards are not consistently in line with or above the national average in all subjects. The majority of the individual judgements are ‘good’, including leadership and management, behaviour and safety and sixth form.

Its new building, opened to students on 12 January 2015, is situated on Marlborough Hill next to the west side of the A41 in the north of the borough of Westminster in St John's Wood, close to the boundary with the Borough of Camden, and just south of South Hampstead railway station and the junction with the B509.

In March 2015 QK received unwelcome publicity with the revelation that Mohammed Emwazi, the Islamic State killer known as Jihadi John, had been a student at the school, leaving it in 2006.^[2]

History

The school was founded in 1886 by Quintin Hogg^[3] (grandfather of the mid-20th-century politician of the same name) as the Polytechnic Secondary School, part of Regent Street Polytechnic. It was named the Polytechnic Boys' Day School from 1886–1919. It was a voluntary aided school.

Grammar school

In 1944 the school became a grammar school, and in 1946 was renamed the Quintin School after Quintin Hogg, who founded Regent Street Polytechnic in 1882. It was a voluntary controlled school. A new building was built in 1956 in St John's Wood. It had around 550 boys.

Comprehensive

The school was renamed Quintin Kynaston School in 1969 after Sir Kynaston Studd OBE, a former president of the Regent Street Polytechnic, and Lord Mayor of London in 1928. It was a boys' comprehensive school when the school merged with the next-door Kynaston Technical School, known as the Paddington Secondary Technical School before 1956. It became co-educational in 1976.

During the period of 1990s – 2001, the school had issues usually associated with problem schools in inner city areas. This was gradually rectified by new head teacher Nick Kemp.

In 2002 Joanna Shuter was appointed head teacher. In September 2003 the prime minister, Tony Blair, launched the 'Extended Schools' scheme at Quintin Kynaston.^[4] In May 2005, the school featured in the 30-minute BBC documentary Head on the Block, made by the headteacher's sister, Debbie Shuter. It was not broadcast as planned because the BBC decided that it broke their rules on objectivity.^[5][6] Blair visited the school again in 2006.

After being named Headteacher of the Year in a Secondary School in 2007,^[7] and receiving a CBE in 2010, Shuter resigned in May 2013 and was replaced by Alex Atherton. In May 2014 Shuter was banned for life from the classroom by the National College for Teaching and Leadership after admitting the misuse of public funds on various personal expenses during her tenure.^[8] After an appeal the decision was revised in November 2014 to allow Shuter to challenge the prohibition order after two years.^[9]

Academic performance

The school has successfully created many 'school systems' that are now being used in other schools. In September 2004 the school received an excellent OFSTED report. The Section 5 Ofsted inspection of 10 December 2008 characterised QK as "an outstanding school and exceptionally well led by its inspirational headteacher".^[10] Following the most recent Ofsted inspection in September 2014, the school has been downgraded to 'requires improvement' because standards are not consistently in line with or above the national average in all subjects.

It gets the third best GCSE results in Westminster LEA with above average results. Results at A level are weaker – below the national average, however the school performs strongly in measures of contextual value added.

Headteachers

Notable former pupils

• Shola Ama, singer
• Architechs, band
• Jak Beula entrepreneur and founder of Nubian Jak
• Richard Causton, composer
• Tulisa Contostavlos, from London hip hop act
• Fred Housego, taxi driver who went on to win Mastermind in 1980^[12]
• Jihadi John (Mohammed Emwazi), Islamic State killer^[2]
• Ashley McKenzie Judo Olympian & Celebrity Big Brother contestant
• Steve New, guitarist
• Michael Page (fighter)^[13][14]
• Dean Parrett, footballer
• Murad Qureshi, member of the London Assembly
• Suggs (Graham McPherson), musician Madness^[15]

Quintin School

• Elkan Allan, television producer and journalist
• Prof Brian Butterworth, Professor of Cognitive Neuropsychology since 1992 at University College London
• Sir George Cox, Chairman from 2004–7 of the Design Council, Director General from 1999–2004 of the Institute of Directors, and President since 2008 of the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists
• Ian Davies, flamenco guitarist
• Randolph Fields, helped to found Virgin Atlantic Airways
• Prof Andy Hopper CBE, serial entrepreneur, Professor of Computer Technology and Head of Department, Computer Laboratory since 2004 at the University of Cambridge, Professor of Communications from 1997–2004, and Research Director from 1979–84 of Acorn Computers
• Prof Martin Kilduff, currently Professor of Organizational Behaviour at UCL (https://www.msi.ucl.ac.uk/people/martinkilduff), formerly Diageo Professor of Management Studies at the Judge Business School, University of Cambridge, 2008–12.

Polytechnic Secondary School

• William Frankel, journalist
• David Gascoyne, poet
• Oswald Groenings, athlete
• Michael Ivens CBE (1924-2001), poet and rightwing/libertarian activist^[16][17]
• Gerald Kersh, novelist
• Jack Parker (cricketer)
• Sir Isidore Salmon CBE, Conservative MP from 1924–41 for Harrow
• L.C.B. Seaman, historian, published works include "From Vienna to Versailles" and "Post Victorian Britain". Scholar from 1923 to 1930, history teacher at the Quintin School ^[18] 1950–1958^[19]
• Rt Rev Albert John Trillo, Bishop of Chelmsford from 1971–85
• Sir Richard Way CB CBE, Principal from 1975–80 of King's College London

References

External links

• Quintin Kynaston Official Site
• School history
• EduBase