Michaela Community School

Michaela Community School
Mottoes Knowledge is power.
Work hard, be kind.[1]
Established 1 September 2014 (1 September 2014)
Type Free school
Headmistress Katharine Birbalsingh
Location Arena House, North End Road, Wembley HA9 0UU
51°33′43″N 0°16′45″W / 51.56198°N 0.27913°W / 51.56198; -0.27913
Local authority Brent
DfE URN 140862 Tables
Capacity 840[2]
Students 237 as of 2016[2]
Gender Mixed
Ages 11–19
Website mcsbrent.co.uk

Michaela Community School is a free school in Wembley Park, London. The school was founded by Katharine Birbalsingh, its headmistress, and opened in September 2014[3] in a converted office block.[4] Suella Fernandes is the chair of trustees.[5][6]

Michaela is oversubscribed with places awarded by lottery. The school opened with 120 Year 7 pupils. As of 2017 it teaches pupils in years 7, 8, 9 and 10 and aims to have 840 pupils by 2020, including a sixth form.[3] As of the same year half the pupils are eligible for pupil premium funding and 21.1 per cent for free school meals, and almost half speak English as a second language.[2][7]

The school was rated as "outstanding" by Ofsted based on an inspection in May 2017,[8] including ratings of "outstanding" in all four main areas of assessment.[9]

Battle Hymn of the Tiger Teachers (2016), written by teachers at the school, describes Michaela's teaching methods.[10]

School policies

The emphasis of the school is on discipline and teaching traditional subjects, although Mandarin is offered as an option. School days start at 7:55 am and end at 4:00 pm (3 pm on Fridays).[11] There is a "zero tolerance" policy regarding poor behaviour; a "boot camp" week at the start of the year teaches the children the rules and the consequences of breaking them. The strict uniform code includes no make-up, nail varnish, unprofessional hair styles or jewellery (except for a plain watch). Praying is not allowed.[11] There is no group work; children sit in rows and learn by rote, and walk in single file between classrooms. The school website says: "Staff at Michaela tend to reject all of the accepted wisdoms of the 21st century."[12][1]

According to the school, its pupils write several essays a year, achieve at least two years of progress in their reading in just one year, memorize poems, and read five Shakespeare plays in three years. They are taught a "culture of kindness", which includes helping each other and their families, and offering adults their seats on buses and the tube.[1]

Family lunch

Lunchtime consists of a "family lunch" of pescatarian[13] dishes, where pupils sit at tables of six, plus one teacher or guest, and take responsibility for serving each other. They lay the table together, one pours the water, and another brings the food and serves it. Someone else serves dessert, and two pupils clear the table afterwards. Teachers eat with them, and the tables discuss what the children have learned that day, or a topic of the day such as the most inspirational person they have learned about in their history classes. After eating the pupils spend fives minutes thanking someone, followed by two claps from the rest of the school. By teaching gratitude, the school believes it is teaching kindness and happiness.[14][15]

The school charges £2.50 per day for a two-course lunch, as well as morning and afternoon snacks; families eligible for free school meals are reimbursed. Children are not allowed to bring food or drink to school, which includes snacks and chewing gum.[11] There was criticism in July 2016 that the school had held pupils in "lunch isolation" because their parents had not paid the meal fees. Birbalsingh responded that the practice was part of the school's focus on personal responsibility, and that no child is left without lunch.[16]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 Birbalsingh, Katharine (17 November 2016). "London headteacher: 'Boot camp' discipline and 'tough love' key to high standards in schools", ITV News.
  2. 1 2 3 "Establishment details", Michaela Community School, Department of Education.
  3. 1 2 Birbalsingh, Katharine. "Introduction: Free at Last", in Katharine Birbalsingh (ed.), Battle Hymn of the Tiger Teachers: The Michaela Way, John Catt Educational Limited, 2016, 11. ISBN 978-1909717961
  4. ↑ Vaughan, Richard (2017-05-04). "How the strictest school in Britain survives in a 'broken' system". i. Retrieved 2017-05-04.
  5. ↑ "Governance", Michaela Community School, Department of Education.
  6. ↑ Fernandes, Suella (16 September 2015). "Jeremy Corbyn should join our crusade for better education". The Daily Telegraph.
  7. ↑ Griffiths, Sian (13 November 2016). "Is this the strictest teacher in Britain?". The Sunday Times Magazine. pp. 14–21.
  8. ↑ Adams, Richard (2017-06-16). "Britain's strictest school gets top marks from Ofsted". The Guardian. Retrieved 2017-06-16.
  9. ↑ Gerard, Madeleine; Khanna, Diane; Tiplin, Matt (2017-06-22). "School report: Michaela Community School". Ofsted. Retrieved 2017-06-25.
  10. ↑ Ashford, Katie (26 November 2016). "Teaching is workload-addicted. Teachers seem to believe hard work equates to love for one's pupils". TES.
  11. 1 2 3 "General information", Michaela Community School. Retrieved 12 December 2016.
  12. ↑ "So you want to work at Michaela?", Michaela Community School. Retrieved 12 December 2016.
  13. ↑ "Weekly Meal Planner". Michaela Community School. Retrieved 2017-08-05.
  14. ↑ Taylor, Michael. "Family lunch", in Birbalsingh 2016, 118–119.
  15. ↑ "Family lunch", Michaela Community School. Retrieved 12 December 2016.
  16. ↑ Adams, Richard (29 July 2016). "Headteacher defends policy of putting pupils in 'lunch isolation'". The Guardian.


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