Hall Mead School Explained

Hall Mead School
Coordinates:51.5642°N 0.2621°W
Motto:Family for life.
Established:1960
Head Label:Headteacher
Head:Maria Ducker
Chair:Chair
Founder:J. McKernan
Address:Marlborough Gardens
Postcode:RM14 1SF
Dfeno:311/4000
Urn:137197
Ofsted:yes
Enrolment:960[1]
Gender:Mixed
Lower Age:11
Upper Age:16
Houses:Talbot, Waltham, Chapman, Dickens
Colours:Red, Yellow, Blue, Green
Website:http://www.hallmeadschool.co.uk/

Hall Mead School is a coeducational secondary school with academy status, located in Cranham area of the London Borough of Havering, England.

Faculty

Simon London (Hons.) served as Head Master for fifteen years; London stepped down from the role in July 2023. London, is now the CEO for Empower Academy Trust. He was educated at St Martin's School in Essex, and Lancaster University.

Since September 2023, Maria Ducker took the position of Headteacher; she has worked at Hall Mead for eight years and was a Deputy Headteacher before the change in leadership.[2]

General Information

Hall Mead School is designated as a Leading Edge Specialist Academy in Technology and Languages by the Department of Education. It is also the lead school in a teacher training consortium.

History

Hall Mead School opened in 1960.[3] It was originally a secondary modern school for those who were not selected to go to Grammar School by examination at the age of 11 years. It is now a comprehensive school. Well-equipped, it was one of the first schools to acquire a swimming pool, largely by the fundraising efforts of the pupils and their families. However, Hall Mead does not currently have a swimming pool to the present day.

The Hall Mead School converted into an academy in 2011.[4]

In 2013, it was the only school in Havering to receive an 'Outstanding' report from Ofsted, in the terms of Achievement of pupils, Quality of teaching, Behaviour & safety of pupils as well as Leadership & Management, while other nearby schools such as Coopers' Company and Coborn School and Gaynes School only managed to get a 'Good' report.

In 2023, after 10 years since the last Ofsted inspection the school received 'Outstanding', on all categories including: the quality of education, behavior and attitudes, personal development and learning and management.[5]

New Build

The old building, which dated back to the 1960s, was in desperate needs to be replaced, former Headteacher Simon London stated, "It wasn't fit for purpose, narrow corridors, sweltering hot in the summer, freezing cold in the winter and windows didn't all open. "We only had one hall that was also a dining room and also a drama room," he added.

In 2018, a bid for funding for a new school building was granted by the Department of Education. It was built with modern aspects designed to innovate the learning experiences of pupils. It was completed in September 2021, three years after work began.[6]

Notable Former Pupils

Location

It is located in the north side of Upminster, next to Cranham.

Notes and References

  1. "Inspection Report". Ofsted. 17 April 2008. Retrieved 23 September 2011.
  2. Web site: 2023-07-01 . Long-serving headteacher set for new role at 'most challenging' time for profession . 2023-08-24 . Romford Recorder . en.
  3. Web site: House System – Hall Mead School. 2021-02-10. en-GB.
  4. Web site: Hall Mead School - GOV.UK. 2021-02-10. www.get-information-schools.service.gov.uk. en.
  5. Web site: Ofsted - files.ofsted.gov.uk.
  6. Web site: New Build – Hall Mead School. 2021-02-10. en-GB.