Parmiter's School
Encyclopedia
Parmiter's School is a co-educational school in Garston, Hertfordshire
on the outskirts of North West London
, England with a long history. Although the school admits pupils of all abilities it is partially selective
(see below). It is currently the most oversubscribed school in Hertfordshire, and has often been recognised by the DfES for being one of the highest performing schools in the country by value added and score as a mixed ability school.
He left two farms in southwest Suffolk
in his will to provide £30 per annum for six almshouses and £100 per annum for "one free school house or room for ten poor children" in Bethnal Green
, London.
Mrs Elizabeth Carter donated land for the school and an annual income of £10, while William Lee donated £100 for the building of a school house and a further annual £10.
The building in St John Street (now Grimsby Street) was completed in 1722.
Over the years the Trustees of Thomas Parmiter's Estate looked after its investments carefully.
A notably prescient move was the purchase in 1723 of property in Cambridge Heath
using money lent by Edward Mayhew.
By 1730 the school accommodated 30 boys, growing to 50 in 1809.
In 1839 it moved to new premises in Gloucester Street (now Parmiter Street) after the original site was acquired by the Eastern Counties Railway
.
(These buildings were destroyed by bombing during World War II.)
Peter Renvoise left the foundation the sum of £500 on his death in 1842.
In 1870, the Great Eastern Railway
acquired most of the Cambridge Heath property for the sum of £27,000.
The Charity Commission, acting under the Endowed Schools Act 1869
, forced a new constitution on the foundation, directing one third of the income to the almshouses and two thirds to the school, which was by this time providing secondary education to 70 boys.
Fees were to be introduced, with 40 foundation scholarships for boys from St Matthew's parish, Bethnal Green.
The Gloucester Street school closed in 1885, reopening in new buildings in Approach Road (51.5312°N 0.0511°W) in 1887.
In 1913 a revised constitution created separate foundations for the school and the almshouses.
The Parmiter phoenix was designed by W.A. Cross for the 40th anniversary of the Approach Road school in 1927.
In 1951 the school became a voluntary aided grammar school.
In 1966 and 1967 it successfully resisted plans by the Inner London Education Authority
to merge it with St Jude's Church of England School to form a comprehensive school
.
Parmiter's Grammar School had grown to 525 boys by 1976, but the days of the grammar school were numbered.
In that year the Governors placed before the Secretary of State for Education and Science a proposal to build a mixed comprehensive school on a new site in Garston, Hertfordshire
, which was approved in February 1977.
The first intake of 1st Year students entered the Hertfordshire School in September 1977 and expanded by annual intakes until the full complement of forms from 1st Year (Year 7) to
Upper Sixth (Year 13) had been achieved in September 1983.
Parmiter's School in Garston was officially opened by Her Majesty The Queen in December 1981, the year of the Tercentenary of Thomas Parmiter's bequest.
The grammar school in Bethnal Green closed in the same year.
The school acquired grant maintained status in 1991, and returned to voluntary aided status in September 1999.
In both 2005 and 2006, the current Year 12 football team reached the final of the ESFA National Cup, narrowly losing twice.
In April 2010, Parmiter's School hosted Any Questions?
, a topical debate on the elections, broadcast on BBC Radio 4
.
Secondary School rankings 2011 showed Parmiter's in 278th place out of 2190 schools.
The Evening Standard places Parmiter's School in 54th place out of 269 state schools in south-east England in 2010 based upon GCSE and A-Level results.
The Ofsted inspection in September 2011 found that Parmiter's was "an outstanding school with an outstanding sixth form."
in Harpenden, replaced Brian Coulshed, who steps down after 18 years at the school.
Former pupils of the mixed comprehensive in Hertfordshire:
Garston, Hertfordshire
Garston is a village in Hertfordshire, England, more or less contiguous with Watford and now, despite retaining a local identity, is effectively, a suburb...
on the outskirts of North West London
North West London
North West London may refer to:*NW postcode area*Western part of North London...
, England with a long history. Although the school admits pupils of all abilities it is partially selective
Partially selective school (England)
In England, a partially selective school is one of a few dozen state-funded secondary schools that select a proportion of their intake by ability or aptitude, permitted as a continuation of arrangements that existed prior to 1997....
(see below). It is currently the most oversubscribed school in Hertfordshire, and has often been recognised by the DfES for being one of the highest performing schools in the country by value added and score as a mixed ability school.
History
Thomas Parmiter was a wealthy silk merchant in East London, who died in 1681.He left two farms in southwest Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
in his will to provide £30 per annum for six almshouses and £100 per annum for "one free school house or room for ten poor children" in Bethnal Green
Bethnal Green
Bethnal Green is a district of the East End of London, England and part of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, with the far northern parts falling within the London Borough of Hackney. Located northeast of Charing Cross, it was historically an agrarian hamlet in the ancient parish of Stepney,...
, London.
Mrs Elizabeth Carter donated land for the school and an annual income of £10, while William Lee donated £100 for the building of a school house and a further annual £10.
The building in St John Street (now Grimsby Street) was completed in 1722.
Over the years the Trustees of Thomas Parmiter's Estate looked after its investments carefully.
A notably prescient move was the purchase in 1723 of property in Cambridge Heath
Cambridge Heath
Cambridge Heath is a place in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. The earliest recorded use of the name is as Camprichthesheth in 1275.It forms part of the East End of London and is located north of Bethnal Green. The area is the location, at Patriot Square, of the former Bethnal Green Town Hall...
using money lent by Edward Mayhew.
By 1730 the school accommodated 30 boys, growing to 50 in 1809.
In 1839 it moved to new premises in Gloucester Street (now Parmiter Street) after the original site was acquired by the Eastern Counties Railway
Eastern Counties Railway
The Eastern Counties Railway was an early English railway company incorporated in 1836. It was intended to link London with Ipswich via Colchester, and then on to Norwich and Yarmouth. Construction began in late March 1837 on the first nine miles, at the London end of the line.Construction was...
.
(These buildings were destroyed by bombing during World War II.)
Peter Renvoise left the foundation the sum of £500 on his death in 1842.
In 1870, the Great Eastern Railway
Great Eastern Railway
The Great Eastern Railway was a pre-grouping British railway company, whose main line linked London Liverpool Street to Norwich and which had other lines through East Anglia...
acquired most of the Cambridge Heath property for the sum of £27,000.
The Charity Commission, acting under the Endowed Schools Act 1869
Endowed Schools Act 1869
The Endowed Schools Act 1869 was introduced in Britain during William Ewart Gladstone’s first ministry.An Endowed Schools Commission was created to draw up new schemes of distribution for schools which received funding from the government; previous endowments had been seen as poorly distributed and...
, forced a new constitution on the foundation, directing one third of the income to the almshouses and two thirds to the school, which was by this time providing secondary education to 70 boys.
Fees were to be introduced, with 40 foundation scholarships for boys from St Matthew's parish, Bethnal Green.
In 1913 a revised constitution created separate foundations for the school and the almshouses.
The Parmiter phoenix was designed by W.A. Cross for the 40th anniversary of the Approach Road school in 1927.
In 1951 the school became a voluntary aided grammar school.
In 1966 and 1967 it successfully resisted plans by the Inner London Education Authority
Inner London Education Authority
The Inner London Education Authority was the education authority for the 12 inner London boroughs from 1965 until its abolition in 1990.-History:...
to merge it with St Jude's Church of England School to form a comprehensive school
Comprehensive school
A comprehensive school is a state school that does not select its intake on the basis of academic achievement or aptitude. This is in contrast to the selective school system, where admission is restricted on the basis of a selection criteria. The term is commonly used in relation to the United...
.
Parmiter's Grammar School had grown to 525 boys by 1976, but the days of the grammar school were numbered.
In that year the Governors placed before the Secretary of State for Education and Science a proposal to build a mixed comprehensive school on a new site in Garston, Hertfordshire
Garston, Hertfordshire
Garston is a village in Hertfordshire, England, more or less contiguous with Watford and now, despite retaining a local identity, is effectively, a suburb...
, which was approved in February 1977.
The first intake of 1st Year students entered the Hertfordshire School in September 1977 and expanded by annual intakes until the full complement of forms from 1st Year (Year 7) to
Upper Sixth (Year 13) had been achieved in September 1983.
Parmiter's School in Garston was officially opened by Her Majesty The Queen in December 1981, the year of the Tercentenary of Thomas Parmiter's bequest.
The grammar school in Bethnal Green closed in the same year.
The school acquired grant maintained status in 1991, and returned to voluntary aided status in September 1999.
In both 2005 and 2006, the current Year 12 football team reached the final of the ESFA National Cup, narrowly losing twice.
In April 2010, Parmiter's School hosted Any Questions?
Any Questions?
Any Questions? is a topical debate radio programme in the United Kingdom.-Format:It is broadcast by BBC Radio 4 on Friday evenings and repeated on Saturday afternoons, when it is followed by a phone-in response programme, Any Answers?, previously a postal response slot...
, a topical debate on the elections, broadcast on BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
.
Performance of School
The Financial TimesFinancial Times
The Financial Times is an international business newspaper. It is a morning daily newspaper published in London and printed in 24 cities around the world. Its primary rival is the Wall Street Journal, published in New York City....
Secondary School rankings 2011 showed Parmiter's in 278th place out of 2190 schools.
The Evening Standard places Parmiter's School in 54th place out of 269 state schools in south-east England in 2010 based upon GCSE and A-Level results.
The Ofsted inspection in September 2011 found that Parmiter's was "an outstanding school with an outstanding sixth form."
Admissions
The school used to be highly selective (though always taking siblings regardless of ability, so making it technically a non-selective school), however following a judgment by the School Adjudicator for England the school was forced to cap its intake based on academic ability at 25%.Recent Changes
On 1st September 2010, Nick Daymond, the headteacher at Roundwood Park SchoolRoundwood Park School
Roundwood Park School is a mixed, 11-18 secondary school situated in Harpenden, Hertfordshire, UK. Opened in 1956, it currently has around 1200 pupils, most of whom live in the local area, and surrounding villages Roundwood Park School is a mixed, 11-18 secondary school situated in Harpenden,...
in Harpenden, replaced Brian Coulshed, who steps down after 18 years at the school.
Notable former pupils
Former pupils of the boys' grammar school in Bethnal Green:- John CrowJohn CrowJohn William Crow was the fifth Governor of the Bank of Canada from 1987 to 1994, succeeding Gerald Bouey. He was succeeded by Gordon Thiessen....
(former governor of the Bank of CanadaBank of CanadaThe Bank of Canada is Canada's central bank and "lender of last resort". The Bank was created by an Act of Parliament on July 3, 1934 as a privately owned corporation. In 1938, the Bank became a Crown corporation belonging to the Government of Canada...
) - Terence KnappTerence KnappTerence Richard Knapp is an English actor, director, educator, and author. He is an Emeritus Professor of Theatre, University of Hawaii at Manoa, a Churchill Fellow and a Royal Academy of Dramatic Art Associate....
(actor, director, educator, and author) - Alfie StokesAlfie StokesAlfie Stokes . Born in Hackney and educated at the Parmiter's School he was a former professional footballer who played for Tottenham Hotspur, Fulham, Cambridge City, Watford and represented England at England B and schoolboy level.- Football career :Stokes joined Tottenham from non-league side...
(professional footballer) - Tommy Walsh (TV gardener, Ground ForceGround ForceGround Force was a British garden makeover television series originally broadcast by the BBC between 1997 and 2005. The series was originally hosted by Alan Titchmarsh, Charlie Dimmock and Tommy Walsh and was produced by Endemol for the BBC.-Production:...
) - Geoffrey WoolleyGeoffrey Harold WoolleyGeoffrey Harold Woolley VC OBE MC was the first Territorial Army officer to be awarded the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.Woolley was the son of a clergyman, Rev...
(Victoria CrossVictoria CrossThe Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
recipient) attended the school up to the age of 10. - Alp MehmetAlp MehmetAlp Mehmet is a former British diplomat and one of the United Kingdom's first two ethnic minority ambassadors, along with Anwar Choudhury....
(UK Ambassador to IcelandIcelandIceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
) - Richard Davies (actor, dancer and singer)
- Sir Terence Clarke (ambassador to Iraq, Oman etc)
- Emrys Davies (ambassador to Vietnam, etc)
- Norman Jacobs (author of 24 books)http://www.normanjacobs.com
- Graham StilwellGraham StilwellGraham Stilwell is a former professional tennis player from the United Kingdom. He was born in Denham, Buckinghamshire, England....
(England no.2 tennis player) - Mickey Carter (Olympic Boxer for England at bantamweight)
- Dave PearsonDave Pearson (painter)Dave Pearson, , was an English painter and educator who was "a great example of an artist whose life was completely dedicated to serving the imagination". Highly prolific, throughout his life he produced a prodigious quantity of work.- Life :Dave Pearson was born in Clapton, London in 1937...
(painter)
Former pupils of the mixed comprehensive in Hertfordshire:
- Nick LeesonNick LeesonNicholas "Nick" Leeson is a former derivatives broker whose fraudulent, unauthorized speculative trading caused the collapse of Barings Bank, the United Kingdom's oldest investment bank, for which he was sent to prison...
(single-handedly responsible for the bankruptcy of Barings BankBarings BankBarings Bank was the oldest merchant bank in London until its collapse in 1995 after one of the bank's employees, Nick Leeson, lost £827 million due to speculative investing, primarily in futures contracts, at the bank's Singapore office.-History:-1762–1890:Barings Bank was founded in 1762 as the...
) - Jordan ParkesJordan ParkesJordan David Parkes is an English professional association footballer, playing as a full-back for Barnet.Parkes left Parmiter's School in Garston, Hertfordshire aged sixteen in order to pursue a football career at Watford...
(former Watford F.C.Watford F.C.Watford Football Club is an English professional football club based in Watford, Hertfordshire. It is often referred to as Watford F.C., Watford, or by the team's nickname The Hornets . Watford Rovers, Founded in 1881, entered the FA Cup for the first time in 1886, and the Southern League a decade...
now Barnet F.C.Barnet F.C.Barnet Football Club is an English football team from High Barnet, London, England, currently playing in Football League Two. The ground is in the town of Barnet within the London Borough of Barnet....
footballer) - Captain Everything!Captain Everything!Captain Everything! are a punk band from Watford, United Kingdom. They met at Parmiter's School. Formed in 1998, the band play high tempo pop-punk, which was branded "Bubblegum Thrash". Renowned for their heavy touring schedule, they have played all over the UK and Europe, touring with bands such...
(punk rock band) - Young Husband (band)
- Steven FinnSteven Finn (cricketer)Steven Thomas Finn is an English cricketer. He is a right-handed batsman and a right-arm fast-medium bowler.Educated at Parmiter's School in Garston, at the age of 16 Finn became Middlesex County Cricket Club's youngest debutant in first-class cricket, beating the record set by Fred Titmus in 1949...
(Middlesex and EnglandMiddlesex County Cricket ClubMiddlesex County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Middlesex. It was announced in February 2009 that Middlesex changed their limited overs name from the Middlesex Crusaders, to the...
cricketer) - David Bovingdon (radio presenter)
- Harry Crawford (footballer)Harry Crawford (footballer)Harry Crawford is a professional English footballer who plays as a forward for Southend United.-Club:Crawford made his debut on 23 March 2010 for Southend United in their 3–0 home win over Walsall in League One, replacing Scott Spencer in the 82nd minute as a substitute...
(Southend United F.C.Southend United F.C.Southend United Football Club is an English football club based at Roots Hall Stadium, Prittlewell, Southend-on-Sea, Essex, who play in Football League Two. Their home ground is Roots Hall, and the club plan to move into a new 22,000-seater stadium located at Fossetts Farm.-Stadium:The club has had...
Professional Footballer) - Tom Carroll (English footballer)Tom Carroll (English footballer)Thomas James Carroll is an English professional footballer who plays for Tottenham Hotspur.-Career:Carroll attended Parmiter's School in Garston, Hertfordshire, near his home town of Watford, and he captained the school football team at district and county level...
- Will CozensWill CozensWill Cozens is a British radio presenter and DJ currently employed by Global Radio as a presenter on The Capital FM Network.Cozens was spotted by the Bauer Radio owned Kiss 100 in 2005, after featuring on Channel 4's Soundclash, originally he presented early breakfast but was later moved to...
(The Capital FM NetworkThe Capital FM NetworkCapital is a radio network of nine Independent Local Radio stations in the United Kingdom which are owned and operated by Global Radio, launching on 3 January 2011. Capital was previously known as Mix, One, Galaxy and Hit Music at various times...
Radio DJ)
Notable teachers
- Stuart BatesStuart 'Pinkie' BatesStuart 'Pinkie' Bates is a musician notable for playing the Hammond organ with Neil Hannon's band, The Divine Comedy. Bates was the band's organ player on all of The Divine Comedy's records from Casanova to Regeneration...
(member of pop band The Divine ComedyThe Divine Comedy (band)The Divine Comedy are a chamber pop band from Ireland, fronted by Neil Hannon. Formed in 1989, Hannon has been the only constant member of the group, playing, in some instances, all of the non-orchestral instrumentation bar drums. To date, ten studio albums have been released under the Divine...
)