Raynes Park High School

Raynes Park High School is a co-educational comprehensive school which educates around 2500 students aged 11 to 19. It is located in Raynes Park, England, coming under the London Borough of Merton^[1]

Introduction

Raynes Park High School is situated at the junction of the Kingston bypass (A3) and Bushey Road (A298). To the east, it is bounded by West Barnes Lane (B282), and just east of the boundary between the boroughs of Kingston upon Thames (New Malden) and Merton, and just north of the Shannon Corner junction of the A3/B282.

History

The school first came into being as a boys only grammar school in 1935. It remained as such for the next 34 years until 1969 when it became a 13–18 boys' comprehensive. In September 1990, when as along with the rest of the borough's schools, it became a 12-16 mixed comprehensive. Finally in September 2010 like all other high schools in the borough, the school's sixth form was re-instated. The school is now an official mixed 11-19.^[2]

Sixth form

Following the conversion of Merton's education system to a two tier structure in the 1990s, the school's sixth form was closed. Students wishing to take A-levels enrolled at various colleges or sixth forms in the area. Subsequently sixth form centres were re-introduced for all Merton High Schools and in September 2010 the purpose built sixth form block opened its doors to Year 12 students.

School organisation

The Head Teacher is Kirsten Heard and the Chair of Governors is Michael Ross. The school last had an Ofsted inspection in October 2015, when it was graded Good.

There have been eight Headteachers:

• John Garrett,
• Charles Wrinch
• T. Henry Porter
• G. David N. Giles
• Brian Butler
• John D. Massey
• Ian Newman
• Phillip Wheatley
• Kirsten Heard

Traditions

W.H. Auden composed the words for the school song.^[3]

Raynes Park has four Houses: Miltons, Gibbs, Halliwells and Newsoms. The Houses are all identified by distinctive ties (Miltons:white, Gibbs:red, Halliwells:yellow and Newsoms:purple). These names were taken from four of the first five teachers. The fifth, Cobb, also had a House but (Cobbs:green) and the name remained in use for some buildings until December 2002^[4]

Awards

• FA Charter Standard Development School Award for outstanding contribution to Football^[5]
• Sport England Sports Mark Award for delivery of national PE^[6]

Guinness world record

The Guinness world record for the largest egg and spoon race was broken by 859 pupils, from Raynes Park High School, in October 2003.^[7][8]

Notable former pupils

Raynes Park County Grammar School

• Gordon Cook, tropical disease expert, medical historian, and President of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene from 1993-5
• Derek Cooper OBE, BBC Radio 4 broadcaster of the Food Programme, and President from 1988-95 of the Guild of Food Writers
• Sir Howard Dalton, Professor of Microbiology from 1983-2008 at the University of Warwick, and Chief Scientific Adviser at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) from 2002-7
• Jon Davey, Director General of the Cable Authority from 1985–90
• Charles Higham, archaeologist
• John Hopkins, TV writer
• Maj-Gen Anthony Jeapes CB OBE MC, Commander of Land Forces Northern Ireland from 1985-7, and Commander of 22 Regiment SAS from 1974-7 and 5 Airborne Brigade from 1982-5
• Prof Peter J. Parsons, Regius Professor of Greek at the University of Oxford from 1989–2003
• Robert Robinson, TV quiz presenter, and radio presenter of Brain of Britain until 2005
• Prof Tony Tanner, Professor of English and American Literature from 1989-98 at the University of Cambridge
• Sir David Christopher Veness, CBE, QPM, Assistant Commissioner for Specialist Operations, Metropolitan Police 1994–2005, leaving to serve as United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Safety and Security.
• Paul Vaughan, TV and radio broadcaster

Raynes Park High School

• Chris Powell, Former professional footballer who was capped five times for England.
• Mike Lindup, Keyboard player for the band Level 42.
• Andy Thorn, FA Cup winner and current football manager.
• Carl Asaba, Former professional footballer
• Leon Britton, Current English Premier League professional footballer at Swansea City A.F.C.

References

External links

• Official site
• Directgov school's finder