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  • 21 Aug, 2019

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Michaela Community School
Michaela Community School (referred to as simply MCS or Michaela) is an 11–18 mixed, free secondary school and sixth form in Wembley, Greater London, England. It was established in September 2014 with Katharine Birbalsingh as headteacher and Suella Braverman as the first chair of governors. It has been described as the "strictest school in Britain", and achieved among the best GCSE results in the nation among its first cohort of students. In 2022, 2023 and 2024 the value-added (progress) score at GCSE was the highest for any school in England.

History

Michaela Community School was established in 2014 in a converted office block. It opened with 120 Year 7 pupils. It was named after Birbalsingh's former colleague Michaela Emanus, a West Indian teacher from Saint Lucia, who died of cancer in 2011. A number of figures associated with the Conservative Party were involved with establishing the school, including Suella Braverman.

The school was rated as "outstanding" in all categories by Ofsted in 2017 and 2023. In 2018, it applied to the Department for Education to open a second free school in Stevenage, with a planned opening in 2023. It was approved in 2019, and plans were submitted in 2022.

The school has been called "contentious" and received significant media attention. It has been described as having an ethos generally associated with pre-1960s or private schools and for a time marketed itself as "Private School Ethos—No Fees". One commentator described the school as an example of a discipline-focused method of teaching children becoming increasingly popular in the UK.

A documentary about the school entitled "Britain's Strictest Headmistress" was broadcast on ITV in 2022.

The school has been described as a beneficiary of former UK Education secretary Michael Gove’s support, both financially and bureaucratically.

Policies

The school emphasises discipline and has a traditional style of teaching. There is a "zero tolerance" policy regarding poor behaviour. A "boot camp" week at the start of the year teaches the new year 7 pupils the rules and the consequences of breaking them. There is a strict uniform code and no group work. Children sit in rows and learn by rote and walk in single file between classrooms. Staff at the school "tend to reject most of the accepted wisdoms of the 21st century." Pupils must be silent in school corridors and are forbidden to gather in groups larger than four. The school policies have been described as "neo-strict" because it combines the use of punishments with rewards; "merit points" are given for good behaviour and achievement.

Pupils write several essays a year, memorise poems, and read five Shakespeare plays in three years. The school aims to teach a "culture of kindness", which includes helping each other and their families, and offering adults their seats on buses and the Tube.

In March 2023, in response to pupils praying in the yard, the school introduced a ban on "prayer rituals", stating that allowing prayers risked "undermining inclusion and social cohesion between pupils'. A Muslim pupil subsequently sued the school on discrimination and human rights grounds. In April 2024 the High Court upheld the ban on appeal. The school's founder and head teacher Katharine Birbalsingh said the ruling was a "victory for all schools".

Lunch

Lunchtime consists of a pescatarian meal described as a "family lunch". Pupils sit at tables of six, with one teacher or guest, and take responsibility for serving each other. They lay the table together. One pours water. Another brings in and serves the food. Another serves dessert. Two clear the table following the meal. Teachers eat with their students, 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 five minutes thanking someone, followed by two claps from the rest of the school. The school believes that by teaching gratitude, it teaches kindness and happiness.

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. There was criticism in July 2016 when it was discovered families who were errant in paying had their children held in "lunch isolation" where pupils eat and do schoolwork in a separate room for the full lunchtime. The school upholds the practice as part of its focus on personal responsibility, and reports that no child is left without lunch.

Academic profile

In its first set of GCSE results in August 2019, half of the pupils who sat exams got Grade 7 or above in at least five subjects and almost a quarter got Grade 7 or better in all their subjects. Overall 18% of entries received grade 9, the highest grade, compared to 4.5% nationwide. In maths, one entry in four achieved grade 9. The school's Progress 8 benchmark score placed it fifth nationally. In 2021, the first A-Level cohort, 82% of the school's students were offered places at Russell Group universities. In 2022 and 2023, Michaela achieved the highest Progress 8 scores in the country.

The school has received coverage for its policies and academic results. In September 2019, the school was cited by Education Secretary Gavin Williamson as "an example of a free school in a tough area that had achieved excellent results". In November, it was praised by Andreas Schleicher, coordinator of the OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). In December, the school was selected by The Good Schools Guide as one of its "12 Schools of Christmas", describing it as "Not for the faint hearted, the cynical or the fragile. Strict, but with a warm heart beating below the surface, Michaela creates a safe, but stimulating environment, and the chance to fly".

Publications

A book written by teachers at the school, Battle Hymn of the Tiger Teachers, published in 2016, describes Michaela's teaching methods. A second book, Michaela: The Power of Culture, was published in 2020.

Notable staff

See also

References

  1. ^ Birbalsingh, Katharine (17 November 2016). "London headteacher: 'Boot camp' discipline and 'tough love' key to high standards in schools". ITV News. Retrieved 31 October 2018.
  2. ^ "Michaela Community School". Get information about schools. GOV.UK. Retrieved 17 May 2022.
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  4. ^ Carr, Flora (20 April 2018). "What It's Like to Study at the Strictest School in Britain". Time. Retrieved 29 January 2020.
  5. ^ Harris, Arlene (17 February 2017). "What can we learn from the strictest school in Britain?". The Irish Times. Retrieved 29 January 2020.
  6. ^ Adams, Richard (16 June 2017). "Britain's strictest school gets top marks from Ofsted". The Guardian. Retrieved 16 June 2017.
  7. ^ Horton, Helena (22 August 2019). "Britain's strictest school's first GCSE results are four times better than national average". The Telegraph. Retrieved 22 August 2019.
  8. ^ Busby, Eleanor (14 June 2019). "Britain's strictest school to open second free school after government backing". The Independent. Archived from the original on 14 May 2022. Retrieved 14 June 2019.
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  15. ^ Birbalsingh, Katharine, ed. (2016). Battle Hymn of the Tiger Teachers: The Michaela Way. John Catt Educational Limited. ISBN 978-1909717961.
  16. ^ Braverman, Suella (26 June 2019). "I started a free school: the new PM should ensure every town has one". The Times. Retrieved 14 August 2019.
  17. ^ Vaughan, Richard (4 May 2017). "How the strictest school in Britain survives in a 'broken' system". i. Retrieved 4 May 2017.
  18. ^ "Britain's Strictest Headmistress". Retrieved 23 May 2022.
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  20. ^ https://files.ofsted.gov.uk/v1/file/50222824. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  21. ^ Roberts, John (7 November 2018). "Plan for new Michaela Community free school revealed". TES. Retrieved 8 November 2018.
  22. ^ McEvoy, Louise (16 October 2018). "Plans for new secondary school in Stevenage to be submitted to Department for Education". The Comet. Retrieved 8 November 2018.
  23. ^ Lough, Catherine (14 June 2019). "'Strictest school' gets green light for new secondary". TES. Retrieved 14 June 2019.
  24. ^ McEvoy, Louise (5 May 2022). "Plans submitted for new Stevenage secondary school". The Comet. Retrieved 19 May 2022.
  25. ^ 16 January 2023. "Why super-strict classrooms are in vogue in Britain". The Economist. ISSN 0013-0613. Retrieved 21 January 2023.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  26. ^ Daouda, Marie K. (20 May 2022). "Michaela's unspeakable truths". The Critic. Retrieved 20 May 2022.
  27. ^ Shaw, Adam (19 May 2022). "'Strictest' headteacher to be documentary subject". Brent & Kilburn Times. Retrieved 19 May 2022.
  28. ^ Singh, Anita (22 May 2022). "Britain's Strictest Headmistress: it may look draconian, but Birbalsingh seems to get results". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 23 May 2022.
  29. ^ Josiah Mortimer and Max Colbert (11 July 2023). "Braverman and Birbalsingh: The Close Tory Ties of the Right Wing's Beloved 'Strictest Headmistress'".
  30. ^ Fraser Nelson (24 May 2024). "The glories and blunders of Michael Gove".
  31. ^ "So you want to work at Michaela?". Michaela Community School. Archived from the original on 31 October 2018. Retrieved 16 August 2019.
  32. ^ "Recruitment". Michaela Community School. Retrieved 16 August 2019.
  33. ^ Adams, Richard (30 December 2016). "'No excuses': inside Britain's strictest school". The Guardian. Retrieved 16 August 2019.
  34. ^ "Michaela School: Muslim student loses school prayer ban challenge". BBC News. 16 April 2024. Retrieved 16 April 2024.
  35. ^ Kenber, Billy; Ames, Jonathan (21 January 2024). "Michaela schoolgirl in prayer row was suspended for stab threat". The Times UK. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
  36. ^ Weale, Sally (16 January 2024). "Top London school taken to high court over prayer ban". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 January 2024.
  37. ^ "Weekly Meal Planner". Michaela Community School. Retrieved 5 August 2017.
  38. ^ "Family lunch". Michaela Community School. Retrieved 12 December 2016.
  39. ^ "General information". Michaela Community School. Retrieved 31 October 2018.
  40. ^ Adams, Richard (29 July 2016). "Headteacher defends policy of putting pupils in 'lunch isolation'". The Guardian. Retrieved 30 July 2016.
  41. ^ "'It's good to have rules, children know where they stand'". BBC News. 22 August 2019. Retrieved 22 August 2019.
  42. ^ Adams, Richard (17 October 2019). "Pupils with behavioural issues failing to meet exam benchmark". The Guardian. Retrieved 18 October 2019.
  43. ^ Turner, Camilla (17 October 2019). "More than half of state school pupils failing to achieve 'strong pass' in English and maths GCSEs". The Telegraph. Retrieved 18 October 2019.
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  45. ^ "Why super-strict classrooms are in vogue in Britain". The Economist. 16 January 2023. Retrieved 2 May 2024.
  46. ^ Birbalsingh, Katherine (16 April 2024). "The Michaela court ruling is a victory for all schools". The Spectator. Retrieved 2 May 2024.
  47. ^ Bennett, Rosemary (6 September 2019). "Free schools should focus on troublemakers, says Gavin Williamson". The Times. Retrieved 29 January 2020.
  48. ^ Civinini, Claudia (20 November 2019). "'Strictest school' gets top marks from Pisa chief". TES. Retrieved 20 November 2019.
  49. ^ Griffiths, Sian; Henry, Julie (1 December 2019). "England to storm up league table for reading". The Sunday Times. Retrieved 1 December 2019.
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  52. ^ Ashford, Katie (26 November 2016). "'Teaching is workload-addicted. Teachers seem to believe hard work equates to love for one's pupils'". TES. Retrieved 26 November 2016.
  53. ^ Griffiths, Sian (3 May 2020). "Super-head Katharine Birbalsingh puts dead white men back on the timetable". The Times. Retrieved 3 May 2020.
  54. ^ Thompson, Sonia (19 June 2020). "Review: Michaela. The Power of Culture". Schools Week. Retrieved 4 September 2020.
  55. ^ "Team". Michaela Community School. Retrieved 14 August 2019.
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