East Barnet School

East Barnet School
Motto I want to learn
Established April 1937
Type Academy
Headteacher Mr Nick Christou
Location Chestnut Grove
East Barnet
London
EN4 8PU
England
Coordinates: 51°38′40″N 0°09′16″W / 51.64446°N 0.15453°W / 51.64446; -0.15453
DfE number 302/4212
DfE URN 136658 Tables
Ofsted Reports Pre-academy reports
Staff 286+
Students 1,280+
Gender Co-educational
Houses Chama, Tutu, Keller, Murray
Colours Claret and White Ties, Claret Skirts, Black Blazers and Trousers, White Shirts
Website East Barnet School
The view of the new building of East Barnet School from Oak Hill Park.

East Barnet School is a secondary school with academy status at Chestnut Grove in East Barnet, London, England. It has a specialism in technology, and is a Leadership Partner School.

History

Due to local government reorganisation, on 1 April 1965 the school ceased to be a Hertfordshire County Council school, and became part of the new London Borough of Barnet.

In September 1971, East Barnet Grammar School became East Barnet Senior High School, a comprehensive school for pupils aged 14–18; and John Hampden School in Westbrook Crescent, New Barnet, became East Barnet Junior High School. Students automatically transferred from the junior to the senior school at the end of their third year.

In 1976 the two schools were combined as East Barnet School, an 11-18 co-educational comprehensive, operating from two sites: the Lower School (Westbrook Crescent) and Upper School (Chestnut Grove). In the late 1980s the usage of the two sites was swapped. Students in Years 7 to 10 were now on the Chestnut Grove site and Years 11 to 13 were at the Westbrook Crescent site.

In 2005, JCoSS,[1] the Jewish Community Secondary School put forward a bid to the DfES to obtain the Westbrook Crescent site and for the government to pay for a new £46 million Jewish school on this site. Barnet Council agreed as long as the old Chestnut Grove site was rebuilt. The earliest possible date for a new school was 2009. The bid was rejected in autumn 2005.

In February 2006, it was announced that JCoSS had been chosen to be part of a government pilot scheme pilot to help parents influence new school provision. The Barnet Times reported that East Barnet School would be rebuilt on the Chestnut Grove site by September 2007 and JCoSS would open on the Westbrook Crescent site in September 2009.[2]

Planning applications for both schools (East Barnet & JCoSS) were submitted to Barnet Council in May 2007. On both sites new buildings would be constructed on land that is currently playing fields. This is to enable East Barnet School to continue to operate during the construction phase. Following completion of the new school buildings, the original buildings would be demolished and replaced by all weather sports pitches and car parking facilities.

In May 2007, the Barnet Times reported that the transport and environment implications of the JCoSS plan were the subject of a campaign, spearheaded by local residents who formed the Barnet Safe Children & Environment Group.[3]

Planning permission for the redevelopment of the Chestnut Grove site by East Barnet School was granted in July 2007. It was reported that construction was due to start in January 2008, with the school occupying the new building from September 2009.[4]

Planning permission for the redevelopment of the Westbrook Crescent site by JCoSS was granted by Barnet's planning committee in August 2007. The public gallery and three committee rooms at Hendon Town Hall were packed by opponents and supporters of the scheme. The Barnet Times reported that the new Jewish school would open in September 2010.[5]

In January 2008, it was reported that Barnet Council had stopped the architects working on the design of East Barnet School because of concerns over an alleged budget overrun of £6 million.[6] Building Design Partnership denied that there was a problem and could deliver the £25 million project on budget. The opening of the new Chestnut Grove building would be delayed until 2010. JCoSS did not believe that the delay would affect their plans for the Westbrook Crescent site, although they still had to raise £50 million.

A fresh planning application for the East Barnet School building was submitted by new architects Frank Shaw Associates Ltd in April 2008. The new design follows the same basic site layout as before, but the curved glass roofed elliptical building is replaced by a simple oblong box. The plans were agreed by the borough planning committee in June 2008.[7]

The new building was completed in May 2010 and work on the grounds and remaining sports areas continued until December 2010. Students and staff transferred into the school in June 2010. The Project Faraday science facilities were opened by Nobel Laureate Sir Tim Hunt F.R.S. on 5 October 2010. The new school was officially opened on 15 March 2011 by H.R.H. The Duke of Gloucester K.G. G.C.V.O. There were representatives present from all year groups since the first student intake of 1937. The Westbrook Crescent site was taken over by JCoSS, a newly built Jewish Community Secondary School, which also opened its doors to new students in the same year.

Headteachers

Chair of Governors

Notable former pupils

References

  1. ↑ JCoSS Jewish Community Secondary School
  2. ↑ First inclusive Jewish secondary school Times Series Newspapers 9 February 2006
  3. ↑ BSCAEG Barnet Safe Children and Environment Group
  4. ↑ School moves into ecofriendly future Times Series Newspapers 13 July 2007
  5. ↑ JCoSS given goahead Times Series Newspapers 8 August 2007
  6. ↑ School plans go back to the drawing board Times Series Newspapers 9 January 2008
  7. ↑ Second plans for East Barnet School unveiled Times Series Newspapers 8 May 2008
  8. ↑ East Barnet Old Grammarians December 2009 Newsletter East Barnet Old Grammarians, 2009. Retrieved 5 September 2015.

External links

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