The Petchey Academy

I'm currently in the Petchey Academy as a year 7 and I already have bullies and it hasnt been 5 months! Thank god that there is staff that can help us all. Great lessons
Dec 22nd, 2022

Aug 5th, 2022

Jul 26th, 2022

this school is sooooo good
Jul 23rd, 2022

I was surprised to discover that what was formerly Dalston County High School (and more latterly Dalston Mount and then Kingsland School) had undergone yet another name change. It is often the way with failing businesses that they wrongly believe that a name change will hide the deficiencies. I should explain that my knowledge of the school arises from the fact that my bedroom as a child, overlooked it on the Cecilia Rd aspect. Having been quite a sickly child. much of my early life was spent staring out of the window onto the girls playground. At the time, the school was highly regarded as a leading girls Grammar School. Unfortunately, that was all to change under the Labour Government of Harold Wilson when the Grammar Schools were abolished in favour of comprehensives. In my experience (which stretches back to the mid-1950's) the school has very much reflected the neighbourhood. I can recall very few girls from ethnic minorities being enrolled there in my younger years, but I can also remember when there was only one Afro Caribbean (AC) family in Downs Park Road. As the white population left that street, it seemed that the school make-was changing at the same rate. I can imagine that for many AC families who valued education they must have been very proud when their daughters were enrolled in such a prestigious school. Unfortunately, it was no longer being run by the London County Council, but by the Inner London Education Authority, which had more than it's fair share of "Loony Lefties". I am sure that as people read this, I am coming across as some sort of right wing reactionary. I am not, but I think it's fair to say, that the dissolution of the Grammar schools was not a good idea. So as the AC population increased so did the number of AC pupils. Though I moved from Cecilia Rd before 1970, my parents continued to reside there until 1989, so I was able to keep up with the changes through my occasional visits. By the mid 1970's the balance was about 50% AC, but the really noticeable change was the number of young (and not so young) AC males who were hanging about outside the school, every time there was a break in the lessons. Clearly you cannot interfere in the course of love, but I think I were the father of one of the pupils, I would would be wondering why when everybody else was at work, the boy was not gainfully employed and was hanging around outside a girls school? One possible explanation was that when passing by on foot, I was occasionally accosted by these young lads who were not averse to offering mind altering substances. So perhaps they were gainfully employed? Alas, I am sorry to say, that just the Grocers Company School in Downs Park Road, two of the finest schools ever to open in Hackney were destroyed by the ideology of "Comprehensive Education". The idea was a mis-conceived attack on elitism, but the real elitists were unaffected as they still had theie Eton's and Harrows. I am not in a position to give a rating to Petchey Academy as I have not been anywhere near it in twenty years, but from what I have seen of the website, I fear that another name change cannot be ruled out. The website refers to terms as "semesters". Clearly someone has been watching too much US TV. A semester is a half year term, but the school has three "semesters". In other words, it has three half yearly terms annually. So for me, the question is do you fail the Maths dept for failing to explain that there are only two half years in a year, or the English Dept for not understanding the meaning of "semester"? Regardless, it would be great to see them reach the academic standards of Dalston County. It's unfortunate that Google compels me to rate the school in order that I can publish this post. Please ignore my rating on 1*
Nov 14th, 2022