Schools cannot compensate for the problems of society. Following a series of 'failing' inspection reports, the school was placed under the control of an Education Association appointed by the Local Education Authority in June 1995. RM A0XM3A - Mossbourne Community Academy, Downs Park Road, Hackney, London. Learn how and when to remove this template message, Stanley Clinton Davis, Baron Clinton-Davis, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Hackney_Downs_School&oldid=1138809857, Former buildings and structures in the London Borough of Hackney, Defunct schools in the London Borough of Hackney, Educational institutions established in 1876, Educational institutions disestablished in 1995, Articles with dead external links from February 2023, Articles with permanently dead external links, Short description is different from Wikidata, Infobox mapframe without OSM relation ID on Wikidata, Articles needing additional references from August 2020, All articles needing additional references, Wikipedia articles needing clarification from February 2018, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Eric Hollingsworth, Head Coach, Australian Athletics, Paul Dean CB, Director National Physical Laboratory 1977-90, Michael Goldstein CBE, Vice-Chancellor of. . Our beautiful building creates an environment like no other. We'd also like to use analytics cookies so we can understand how you use the service and make improvements. The closure was not sympathetic euthanasia but premeditated murder by the Government with an instrument of its own creation . The P.S.I. Untouched by the amalgamations of local schools in the 1980s (from 16 to 10 secondary schools) its roll declined. Its closure was described in a TES editorial ( 1 December 1995 behind paywall) as 'not sympathetic euthanasia but premeditated murder by the Government.' The Hackney Teachers Association arranged a picket outside the police station to try to persuade the Headteachers not to attend the meeting. In our opinion, it is quite out of order that the police should have such direct access to information about children without their parents being aware of it, and it is outrageous that a boy can be picked up by the police in this way without his parents being made aware of it prior to the event. If we are to maintain credibility with many of our black pupils and parents then we cannot be seen to be associated with the Police. Maureen O'Connor is a freelance education journalist (previously education editor at the Guardian); Sally Tomlinson is at Oxford University, having been a Professor at Goldsmiths; Elizabeth Hales was Head at Hackney Downs; Jeffrey Davies was Deputy Head at the school. Sadly the end of last year was a sad time with the news that three former teachers of the school had passed away: Basil Dowling, English (see page 3); Ione Hoskins, Commerce and Irene Munn (56-65 . by 14 vol. At this point, given a permanent headteacher, stability, capital investment in unsafe buildings and targeted support for the disproportionate number of children with special educational needs, the school could have progressed. (A response from a Hackney policeman is included at the end of the pamphlet). It is my opinion that they themselves would be better off living in their native lands so send them packing, carpet bags, funky music, curries, all their relatives and stereo transistor radios. English playwright, actor and theatre director, Community school in Lower Clapton, Greater London, United States Army personnel of World War II, People with acquired American citizenship, L'cole Internationale de Thtre Jacques Lecoq alumni, English people of Romanian-Jewish descent, 20th-century English dramatists and playwrights, Best British Screenplay BAFTA Award winners, Professional Darts Corporation Hall of Fame, Professional Darts Corporation founding players, I'm a CelebrityGet Me Out of Here! In the light of what we have noted before about the racism of the police and their irregular methods of questioning minors, the attitude of the schools inspectorate is stupid and uninformed. An experience borne out by the CRE report cataloguing the cases of 46 black people wrongfully arrested in Hackney. Hackney Downs has received overwhelming support from parents since October 1994. Typeset by Breadn Roses, 2 St Pauls Road, London N1. I am very pleased to be able to republish here. There have been some developments. Our community is . The brutality of the police, which is felt daily by black residents of London, frequently spills over into the schools. The misnamed report The Future of Hackney Downs School shows a failure of imagination and a failure of nerve. However, the researchers did find that there was one significant effect. We have also shown that there is no educational value at all to be had from a police presence in schools. The age range that the establishment is legally allowed to make provision for. Hackney is an area with a multi-ethnic population, run down, poverty-stricken with very high levels of unemployment especially among black youths. Hackney Downs, formerly the Grocers' Company School, was established as a new middle-class day school for boys in 1876. He was found innocent in court, but events such as these give white teachers a glimpse of the everyday experience of many of their black students. In our view, following this policy is the only way of ensuring an environment conducive to learning. There was a smattering of strikes by students in schools across the country at the time, inspired by the student unrest of the late 1960s and counter-cultural publications such as 'The Little Red School Book.' Find the travel option that best suits you. In 1979 the Hackney branch of the National Union of teachers (HTA) started a policy of non-co-operation with the police. There is not much sign that anything very much is changing. The evidence of the Hillingdon Research findings indicate that the police are not the best people to do this. It has been replaced by the Mossbourne Community Academy. However, the report makes no attempt to distinguish between the educative and policing tasks of the police we saw how this same problem came up in the Hillingdon Report and the Inspectors are not in the slightest concerned about the potential difficulties; for example, they say at one point: Police forces generally attach considerable importance to the advantages to be gained through unofficial contact with schools. A series of displays organised in this way is obviously likely to be attractive to some young people as it highlights the adventurous crimebusting aspect of police work. It notes that on the protest march following the Deptford fire, for example. It is obvious that teachers cannot allow such events to occur. Find the perfect hackney downs secondary school stock photo, image, vector, illustration or 360 image. A working party of ILEA Officers, Headteachers and Police (the CRE were originally involved but they withdrew) have met to re-consider policy. includes handwritten notes [by ST] on the subsequent careers of HD teachers, Copy minutes of the Meeting of Heads and Chairs, 21 Nov 1994, Handwritten note and evidence relating to a 'racist incident book', 1990, Gus John memo and other papers re mid-term entrants, 1993, Letters re a meeting of the 'Hackney Downs School Parents Against Low Educational Standards Group', 1994, Papers relating to a disciplinary case and the resignation of Mervyn Hinds (Head of Maths), 1994 (linked to the above group), Letters etc 'evidence of promises of financial cushioning' - letter from Chair of Governors and documents presented to Governors, 1993, Letters between Governors and DfE regarding the headship of HD, Oct/Nov 1994, PTA notes of Parent's Meeting, 16 Jan 1995 - comments by Dianne Abbott MP, Notes of appraisal meeting of Betty Hales, Acting Head, 11 May 1995, 'Hackney Downs School: the last thirty years', by John Kemp, Secondary School Performance Tables 1996 - Hackney (DFE booklet), London Borough of Hackney: its people, facts and figures', 1996. This is astonishing for a body with a team of inspectors at its disposal and which normally bases its reports on minute examination of what goes on in schools. This was particularly so in Hackney where the local police force has a brutal reputation and where black families have learned to their cost the police will not protect them from racial harassment and attack. Salary: Ark MPS or UPS (Outer London) 33,209- 44,274 or 46,477- 49,981, depending on experience. A suggested privacy notice for schools is available for download: 1 History. This includes education, health, leisure and social care. (Published by Cassell, 1999), Newspaper articles about the school and the book (including letters exchanged in the TES between Michael Barber and Sally Tomlinson), Letters from B G Bass (member of Education Association), John Kemp (former Head), Tony Burgess (Chair of Governors) and other staff related to Hackney Downs. Find a keyboard in London on Gumtree, the #1 site for Stuff for Sale classifieds ads in the UK. teachers; also industrial class of 10 G. . (LogOut/ beta Location: Enfield - easily accessible from central, north and east London, as well as surrounding areas. Why not begin your tour with our welcome video. 01-226 0580, Pingback: Police Out of School, 1985 | The Radical History of Hackney, Pingback: 1985 TV news report: Police charm offensive in Hackney | The Radical History of Hackney, Pingback: When Hackney (almost) defunded the Police | The Radical History of Hackney, Pingback: Ten years of the radical history of Hackney | The Radical History of Hackney, Pingback: Today in London policing history, 1983: Colin Roach dies in Stoke Newington Police Station | past tense, Pingback: Exclusive: More London children speak out about horrific police strip searches | SRI LANKA. At an infant school, the headmistress called in the police to deal with four black children between the ages of four and six, because they had money on them which she suspected they should not have. However, the researchers found out that this effect was completely cancelled out by the behaviour of the police outside the school. Prior to these open displays, the Headteachers of local schools were asked along to Stoke Newington Police Station to discuss how to arrange the event. When the teacher intervened the police became abusive towards him, arrested him, took him down to the station and charged him with assault. Subscribe now for regular news, updates and priority booking for events, All content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0, except where otherwise stated, 1862-1907: governors' minutes, letter books, financial records, register of scholarships, London Metropolitan Archives: City of London, 1876-1970: headmaster's journals, administrative records, pupils' records, societies' records and photographs, 2007-2013: obituaries and articles by former pupils, members of the Clove Club, Old Boys Association, c1920: photographs of pupils and teachers, About our Hackney Downs School had a future. The teachers also had another reason for not supporting the police they had become aware of the distrust and suspicion which many black children and their families felt for the police. We'd like to use additional cookies to remember your settings and understand how you use our services. Shop-keepers were warned by police to be on their guard against pickpockets; local residents were told burglaries and muggings were up. It notes that on the protest march following the Deptford fire racist comments abounded: some described the march as hundreds of rampaging niggers. PLEASE NOTE THAT WE ARE HAVE PROBLEMS WITH THE PANORA LINKS -THE LINK NOW GOES THROUGH TO THE MANCHESTER ARCHIVES - JUST PUT YOUR SCHOOL NAME IN THE ANY TEXT . During the 1980s Hackney Downs School had been above average or average in the Inner London Education Authority exam rankings. A number of schools NUTs have adopted the policy and effectively stopped the police coming into their schools on all but legal matters. A Turkish family, the Hasbudaks, have recently been deported. Those pupils exposed to the programme did not seem to know a great deal more about the law than those with no exposure. Travelling by rail from central London: Our nearest overground station, Turkey Street, is a 10-minute walk from the school and stops at Seven Sisters, Stoke Newington, and Hackney Downs on the way to Liverpool Street. Eventually the police presence around the mortuary seemed to ease, but at approximately 11 pm their presence escalated yet again. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Michael Barber claims there was no alternative to closure (The school that had to die, TES, November 17). Last year the senior Inspector for Race Relations for the Metropolitan Police Force had to resign because he made what he referred to as a slip of the tongue and referred to black people at an annual police conference as nig nogs. Just the heroic cops and robbers stuff that Hackney Police Station wants us to applaud. By the time of its closure, over 70 percent of the boys spoke English as a second language, half came from households with no-one in employment, and half the intake had reading ages three years below average. The school had been an innovator. No one denies the need for a subsidy. ParentPay Welcome Video Admissions Contact us Next Previous Salary: Ark MPS or UPS (Outer London) 33,209- 44,274 or 46,477- 49,981, depending on experience. They compiled their report by writing to all the police forces in England and nearly all the 97 Local Education Authorities. No other had such disproportionately high numbers of children with special needs, educational and behavioural problems and second language needs. Hackney Downs was founded as the Grocers Company School in 1876. Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Police Out of School Hackney Teachers Association,1985, A peoples account of the Hackney anti-poll tax demonstration on March 8th1990, Police Out of School, 1985 | The Radical History of Hackney, 1985 TV news report: Police charm offensive in Hackney | The Radical History of Hackney, When Hackney (almost) defunded the Police | The Radical History of Hackney, Ten years of the radical history of Hackney | The Radical History of Hackney, Today in London policing history, 1983: Colin Roach dies in Stoke Newington Police Station | past tense, Exclusive: More London children speak out about horrific police strip searches | SRI LANKA. We use some essential cookies to make this service work. Many people around the scene felt disturbed at the attitude the police now adopted. In their description they referred to a part of town where they claimed the council had a special squad whose job it was to clean out filthy council houses. [Our emphasis.] It was established in 1876 and closed in 1995. Excellent classroom teacher, or potential to be one, with the ability to reflect on lessons and continually improve their own practice Effective and systematic behaviour management, with clear. and articles by former pupils, members of the Clove Club, Old Boys Association This record is held by Hackney Archives See contact details; Details of 2013/23; Reference: 2013/23 . The follow-up inspection noted numerous areas of improvement and by June this year we had convinced the LEA to reverse its closure decision. National Rail services are also a 10-minute walk and stop at Tottenham Hale and Hackney Downs before finishing at Liverpool Street. On one occasion the children were invited out into the playground to inspect a police car, but the main focus of the activity was in the classroom. `Hackney Downs, the School that Dared to Fight', by Maureen O'Connor, Elizabeth Hales, Jeff Davies and Sally Tomlinson, is published by Cassell, price pounds 12.99 More about Hackney Hackney . It was always a boys school. A number of recent studies have lent support to this policy. Its contents suggest the six-person hit squad swallowed Government propaganda on surplus places and were given a heavy briefing along the lines of dont support the school if its not financially viable. The police programme involved showing the children films or slides which dealt with topics ranging from general police duties across to specific questions such as shoplifting and child assault. Michael Barber talks fatalistically about why the school had to die, without acknowledging the sure signs of life and progress the school exhibited to any unbiased observer. They must start by tackling racism in the force. Do you have.. For example, the essays written by trainees were typified by such passages as,Quite frankly I dont particularly have any liking whatsoever for Wogs, nig nogs and Pakies. The low roll was engineered by the LEA. It seems that they organised at least one social event as well as political work: Hackney Peoples Press #36 September 1978 The clip is taken from a longer Thames Television documentary which you can see here: It voted to become comprehensive in 1969,[clarification needed] and in September it became a comprehensive school. But Professor Barber goes further and swallows wholesale Government assertions about surplus places, claiming that even after the closure of Hackney Downs there will be 1,700 spare places in the boroughs secondary schools. A letter from T.Hurley of the Hackney Police Monitoring Group to the Hackney Gazette describes the incident: At approximately 9pm many Hackney residents will have witnessed a helicopter flying over their rooftops, spinning round in circles and making a hell of a noise. The school became a comprehensive in 1975 and closed in 1995. But even there, any good the police did for their image was outweighed by their behaviour on the street. Average salary for Havant & South Downs College A Level Psychology Teacher in Woodham Ferrers, England: [salary]. Then PC Mark Fridham and the other officers decided to risk life and limb by climbing onto the roof, which could not, if they had reflected, bear their weight. What horrendous crime had this boy committed to justify it? It is now time to spread the case for no police in schools and make it part of each schools anti-racist policy. Change). This information is compiled from the data returned by establishments for their establishment's situation Hackney Downs School was an 1116 boys, community comprehensive secondary school in Lower Clapton, Greater London, England.