Schools in Southwark
Southwark has a range of secondary, special and supplementary schools, as well as educational support from other sources (such as libraries and youth groups) for young people and parents. This information sheet describes what's available.
1. Secondary schools
2. Special needs schools
3. Beacon schools
4. Supplementary schools
5. Homework help clubs
6. Holiday schemes
7. Summer university
8. Specialist schools
9. Useful links and contacts
1. Secondary schools

Click on the school names below to visit their websites.

Bermondsey:
St Michael's Roman Catholic School
Address: John Felton Road, London, SE16 4UN
Telephone: 020 7237 6432
Fax: 020 7252 2411
Email: contact@stmichaelsschool.org.uk
Description: Mixed comprehensive, foundation secondary school with Christian ethos.
Age range: 11 - 16
Size: Around 610 pupils
Walworth Lower School
Address: Trafalgar Street, London, SE17 2TP
Telephone: 020 7450 9570
Fax: 020 7450 9634
Email: walworth@walworth.southwark.sch.uk
Description: Mixed comprehensive, community secondary school under county control.
Age range: 11 - 13
Size: Approximately 520 pupils
Walworth Upper School
Address: Shorncliffe Road, London, SE1 5UJ
Telephone: 020 7450 9570
Fax: 020 7450 9615
Email: walworth@walworth.southwark.sch.uk
Description: Mixed comprehensive community secondary school under county control.
Age range: 13 - 16
Size: Around 680 pupils

Borough/Bankside
Geoffrey Chaucer Technology College
Address: Harper Road, London, SE1 6AG
Telephone: 020 7407 6877
Fax: 020 7403 8922
Email: gchaucerschool@rmpl.co.uk
Description: Mixed comprehensive community secondary school. In 2001, it became a Technology College with special focus on Design Technology and Science.
Age range: 11 - 16 years
Size: 930 pupils
Notre Dame Roman Catholic Girls' School
Address: 118 St. Georges Road, London, SE1 6EX
Telephone: 020 7261 1121
Fax: 020 7620 2922
Email: admin@notredame.southwark.sch.uk
Description: Voluntary aided, comprehensive secondary school for girls from practicing Roman Catholic families. Achieved Beacon School status in January 2000.
Age range: 11 - 16
Size: Around 630 pupils
St. Saviour's and St. Olave's CE School
Address: New Kent Road, London SE1 4AN
Telephone: 020 7407 1843
Fax: 020 7403 9163
Email: office@ssso.southwark.sch.uk
Description: Voluntary aided, comprehensive Christian secondary school for girls. Achieved Beacon School status in 1999.
Age range: 11 - 18
Size: Around 700 pupils, including 76 in sixth form

Camberwell
Archbishop Michael Ramsey Technology College
Address: Farmers Road, London SE5 0UB
Telephone: 020 7701 4166
Fax: 020 7701 8461
Email: wparmley@rmplc.co.uk
Description: Mixed, voluntary aided, comprehensive Church of England secondary school. It is a specialist school (a technology college) and there are more than twice as many boys than girls.
Age range: 11 - 18
Size: Around 970 pupils
Sacred Heart School
Address: Camberwell New Road, London SE5 0RP
Telephone: 020 7274 6844
Fax: 020 7737 1713
Email: eba@admin.southwark.sch.uk
Description: Mixed voluntary aided, comprehensive Roman Catholic secondary school.
Age range: 11 - 16 years
Size: 635 pupils

Dulwich
Alleyn's School
Address: Townley Rd, London SE22 8SU
Telephone: 020 8557 1500
Fax: 020 8557 1462
Email: enquiries@alleyns.org.uk
Description: Mixed, registered independent, Christian foundation school
Age range: 11 - 18 years
Size: About 950 pupils
Dulwich College
Address: Dulwich Common, London SE21 7LD
Telephone: 020 8693 3601
Fax: 020 8693 6319
Email: info@dulwich.org.uk
Description: Registered independent, selective school for boys. It is a Christian foundation with its own Chaplain, but there is provision of regular meetings and worship for all the main faiths represented.
Age range: 7 - 18 years
Size: 1400 pupils
James Allen's Girls School
Address: 144 East Dulwich Grove, London SE22 8TE
Telephone: 020 8693 1181
Fax: 020 8693 7842
Email: shirleyc@jags.org.uk
Description: Registered independent school for girls.
Age range: 11 - 18 years
Size: 780 pupils
Kingsdale School
Address: Alleyn Park, London SE21 8SQ
Telephone: 020 8670 7575
Fax: 020 8766 7051
Email: info@kingsdale.southwark.sch.uk
Description: Mixed comprehensive community secondary school.
Age range: 11 - 16 years
Size: 1120 pupils
The Charter School
Address: Red Post Hill, London SE24 9JH
Telephone: 020 7346 6600
Fax: 020 7346 6601
Email: info@charter.southwark.sch.uk
Description: Mixed, non-selective, community secondary school. It is relatively new so there will be no Year 10 teaching until the school's current pupils reach that level in September 2003. The Sixth Form will open at latest in 2005.
Age range: 11 - 19 years
Size: 180 pupils in each year group

Peckham
St Thomas The Apostle College
Address: Hollydale Road, Nunhead, London SE15 2EB
Telephone: 020 7639 0106
Fax: 020 7277 5471
Email: st.thomas.london.se@campus.bt.com
Description: Comprehensive, self-governing, grant maintained, voluntary aided, Roman Catholic, foundation secondary school for Christian boys.
Age range: 11 - 16 years
Size: 750 pupils
Peckham Academy
Address: Peckham Road, London SE15 5DZ
Telephone: 020 7703 4417
Fax: 020 7703 4305
Email: admin@peckhamacademy.southwark.sch.uk
Description: Mixed comprehensive, community secondary school which has recently become a Performing Arts Academy.
Age range: 11 - 16 years
Size: Around 960 pupils
Waverley School for Girls
Address: Homestall Road, London SE22 ONR
Telephone: 020 7732 2276
Fax: 020 7277 7785
Email: info@waverleyschool.org
Description: Comprehensive, community secondary school for girls. It serves pupils from six London boroughs.
Age range: 11 - 16 years
Size: Over 800 pupils

Rotherhithe
Aylwin Girls' School
Address: 55 Southwark Park Road, London SE16 3TZ
Telephone: 020 7237 9316
Fax: 020 7237 9204
Email: headteacher@aylwings.biblio.net
Description: Comprehensive community secondary school for girls. The school is part of the Education Action Zone.
Age range: 11 - 16 years
Size: Around 850 pupils
Bacon's College
Address: Timber Pond Road, London SE16 6AT
Telephone: 020 7237 1928
Fax: 020 7237 4501
Email: info@baconsctc.co.uk
Description: Mixed, independent secondary school with a Christian ethos, sponsored by the Church of England. It does, however, welcome applications from children of all faiths.
Age range: 11 - 18 years
Size: Approximately 180 places in each year group

Finding out more about schools:


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2. Special needs schools
All mainstream schools in Southwark provide Special Education Needs support but there is also more specialist help available in special schools (details below). To find out more about Special Education Needs assessments, support organisations, etc, please see our Special Education Needs information sheet.

Bredinghurst Special School
Address: Stuart Road, Peckham Rye, London SE15 3AZ
Telephone: 020 7639 2541
Fax: 020 7732 5502
Email: None
Description: County and residential special day school for boys with emotional and behavioural difficulties.
Age range: 11 - 16 years
Size: 12 residential and 35 day pupils
Cavendish School
Address: Surrey Docks Stadium, Salter Road, Rotherhithe, London SE16 5LH
Telephone: 020 7394 0088
Fax: 020 7394 1015
Email: cavendish@surreydocks.freeserve.co.uk
Description: Mixed, independent, non-selective school for pupils with emotional and behavioural difficulties. Pupils should be referred by the Local Authority.
Age range: 11 - 16 years
Size: 36 places
Guy's Evelina Hospital School
Address: 12th Floor Guy's Tower, St Thomas' Street, London SE1 9RT
Telephone: 020 7955 4841
Fax: 020 7955 4197
Email: school@guys-evelina.demon.uk
Description: Mixed, community, special school situated in Guy's Hospital for either hospital in-patients, or those who receive home tuition and are able to attend the school on a daily basis. Education is also provided for frequently attending out-patients, to siblings, when the whole family is resident at the hospital, and in a class attached to the adolescent psychiatric unit.
Age range: 2 - 19 years
Size: Up to 35 pupils
Highshore School
Address: Bellenden Road, Peckham, London SE15 5BB
Telephone: 020 7639 7211
Fax: 020 7252 9024
Email: jackathighshore@tiscali.co.uk
Description: Mixed, maintained, county special day school for pupils with mixed needs.
Age range: 11 - 16 years
Size: Around 130 pupils
Spa Special School
Address: Monnow Road, London SE1 5RN
Telephone: 020 7237 3714
Fax: 020 7237 6601
Email: jreddavies@hotmail.com (Headteacher)
Description: Mixed, community, special day school, which caters primarily for students with autistic spectrum disorders and moderate learning difficulties.
Age range: 11 - 19 years
Size: Around 80 pupils
Tuke School
Address: 4 Woods Road, Peckham, London SE15 2PX
Telephone: 020 7639 5584
Fax: 020 7635 8937
Email: tuke@dircon.co.uk
Description: Mixed, community, special school for pupils with severe and profound learning difficulties. Some of the pupils also have autistic spectrum disorders.
Age range: 11 - 19 years
Size: Around 45 pupils

Find out more about these schools by reading OFSTED's inspection reports.

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3. Beacon schools
Beacon schools are schools that have been identified as having successfully raised standards and offer examples of good practice that can be shared with other schools. In this way, Beacon schools can help raise standards in schools throughout the borough.

Some examples of areas in which Beacon schools may be able to offer advice and share expertise include:

  • specific curriculum subjects
  • pupil monitoring
  • school management
  • provision for gifted and talented children
  • improving parent involvement
  • special educational needs
  • anti-bullying strategies.

Beacon schools share their experiences and advice with other schools through a range of activities, including: seminars for teachers, mentoring, training and consultancy.

The secondary Beacon schools in Southwark are:

  • Notre Dame RC Girls School - More details about this Beacon school on the DfES website.
  • St Michael's RC School - More details on the DfES website.
  • St Saviour's & St Olave's School - More details on the DfES website.
For more information on Beacon Schools, please see www.standards.dfes.gov.uk/beaconschools.

For contact details for these schools, see the secondary schools section of this information sheet.

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4. Supplementary schools
Supplementary schools provide out-of-school-hours learning and provide National Curriculum support in subjects such as ICT, Literacy and Numeracy.

Some examples of supplementary schools in Southwark include:

  • Dachwyng Supplementary School, Thomas Carlton Centre, Alpha Street, SE15 4NX. Tel: 020 7564 3712.

    Description: Saturday school teaching Maths, English, Science, IT and French, open to any child aged 4 to 16 in Southwark. Contact the school for price details.

  • Southwark Turkish Education Group, Thomas Carlton Centre, Alpha Street, SE15 4NX. Tel: 020 7277 6829.

    Description: Saturday school, 9.45am – 12.45pm, for 5 to 18 year olds. Preparation for Turkish GCSE and A Level taught by qualified teachers. There are different classes to cater for different ages and abilities.

To find out about other supplementary schools, contact Southwark Leisure (Southwark Council) on 020 7525 1527 for the latest list.

You can also find out more about supplementary schools at www.supplementaryschools.org.uk

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5. Homework help clubs
Southwark libraries run Homework Help Clubs, offering one-to-one support for children and young people of any age. They are run by dedicated Homework Helpers who are employed by the Library Service; many are teachers and all have an understanding of the National Curriculum.

Blue Anchor Library, Southwark Park Road, SE16 3UQ
Tel: 020 7231 0475
Times: Monday 3.30 – 7pm

Camberwell Library, 17 – 21 Camberwell Church Street, SE5 8TR
Tel: 020 7703 3763
Times: Tuesday and Thursday 3.30 – 7pm

Dulwich Library, 368 Lordship Lane, SE22 8NB
Tel: 020 8693 5171
Times: Tuesday and Friday 3.30 – 7pm

East Street Library, 168-170 Old Kent Road, SE1 5TY
Tel: 020 7703 0395
Times: Thursday 3.30 – 7pm

Grove Vale Library, 25-27 Grove Vale, SE22 8EQ
Tel: 020 8693 5734
Times: Monday and Thursday 3.30 – 7pm

John Harvard Library, 211 Borough High Street, SE1 1JA
Tel: 020 7407 0807
Times: Mon 3.30 - 7pm, Wed 3.30 – 6pm

Kingswood Library, Seeley Drive, SE21 8QR
Tel: 020 8670 4803
Times: Tuesday and Friday 3.30 – 6pm

Peckham Library, 122 Peckham Hill Street, SE15 5JR
Tel: 020 7525 0200
Times: Monday and Friday 3.30 – 7pm

Rotherhithe Library, Albion Street, SE16 1JA
Tel: 020 7237 2010
Times: Tuesday 3.30 – 6pm

All Southwark libraries provide special collections of materials to help primary and secondary school age students with homework, which are available to use whenever the library is open.

There are also community-based Homework Help Clubs. For example:

  • The Caribb Out of School Service is run by tutors who offer help with English, Maths and IT to all children aged eight years and above (there are 60 places available). Cost: £25 per week. 166 Benhill Road, Camberwell, London SE5 7LL. Tel: 020 7701 9400. Email: me2tou@hotmail.com. Times: Monday – Friday 3.30pm – 6pm.

  • Southwark Turkish Education Group (for Turkish pupils and Turkish speakers, aged 5 – 18 years). Teachers provide help with Maths, English and Humanities subjects. Thomas Carlton Community Centre, Alpha Street, Peckham SE15 4NX. Tel: 020 7277 6829. Times: Wednesday 5 – 7pm.

    Many schools in the borough also run Homework Clubs and revision sessions for their pupils. For example:

    • St Saviour's & St Olave's School runs a Homework Club every weekday evening in every subject for GCSE students.

    • Charter School has study clubs built into the school timetable. Its slightly longer school day means the school has two extra months taught time compared with most other secondary schools.

    • Kingsdale School has a Saturday school. (Pupils are expected to wear a uniform.)

    • Archbishop Michael Ramsey Technology College and Waverley School run weekly study clubs. Warwick Park School also runs a Homework Club.

    • At Geoffrey Chaucer School, all departments offer lunchtime and after school sessions for pupils who wish to undertake extra work. This includes Piano, Drama, Art, School trips, French conversation, Computer, Sports, Chess and Choir.

    To find out more about Homework Help Clubs run by these and other schools, please contact them individually. You can find contact details in the secondary schools section of this information sheet.
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6. Holiday schemes
Many schools in the borough, such as Archbishop Michael Ramsey Technology College and Waverley School, run holiday revision programmes designed to enhance students' achievements. For more details on these, please contact your (or your child's if you are a parent) school.

Kickstart is just one local youth organisation organising holiday activities, including cinema trips, bowling, drug advice, sexual health workshops in the Rockingham and Heygate Estates. For more information on youth organisations, please contact Southwark Youth Service on 020 7732 1847.

Afasic, the UK charity representing children and young adults with communication impairments, have organised Summer Schools in the past but are not running one in 2002. To find out more visit the Afasic website.

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7. Summer university
Southwark Youth Service Summer University is a free scheme run every Summer for 3 weeks for Year 6 to Year 13 pupils who live in or go to school in Southwark. Not all courses are academic – there are, for example, courses in DJ & Rap, Judo, Samba, Scuba Diving, Football and Chess.

Summer University Achievement Certificates are awarded to pupils who achieve at least 80% attendance and can be used as part of your National Record of Achievement. Places are allocated on a first come, first served basis.

To receive a prospectus and application form, please telephone Southwark Summer University (details below). You will need to select the courses you wish to do and fill in the application form, including the parental/carer consent and medical sections.

Then, either post it to Southwark Summer University or take it along in person to one of the enrolment sessions. Enrolment sessions are normally in June and July – to find out dates contact Southwark Summer University:

Southwark Summer University, Fast Forward, 19 Buller Close, Peckham SE15 6UJ. Telephone: 020 7732 6291 (Hotline), 020 7732 7917 or 020 7732 1847.

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8. Specialist schools
Any maintained secondary school in England may apply to be designated as a specialist school in one of eight specialist areas. These are as follows:
  • technology
  • languages
  • sports
  • arts (visual, performing or media)
  • business and enterprise
  • engineering
  • science
  • mathematics and computing

The aim is that these schools can then produce high standards of teaching and achievements in their chosen specialism.

The specialist schools in Southwark are:

  • Archbishop Michael Ramsey Technology College (Camberwell)
    Specialism: Technology College
  • Geoffrey Chaucer Technology College (Borough/Bankside)
    Specialism: It became a Technology College in 2001 and has a special focus on Design Technology and Science.
  • Kingsdale School (Dulwich)
    Specialism: applying to be a specialist school for Science and the Performing Arts (2002).
  • Warwick Park School (Peckham)
    Specialism: Performing Arts

You can find contact details in the secondary schools section of this information sheet.

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9. Useful links and contacts
Local Education Authority (LEA): Southwark

Southwark Education and Lifelong Learning, John Smith House, 144-152 Walworth Road, London SE17 1JL Tel: 020 7525 2912/2913.

Family learning - helping parents support their children:

Updated 09 February 2004
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