A Catholic inner-London comprehensive school : an analysis

Abstract

Our Lady's Convent High School is a voluntary aided Roman Catholic comprehensive situated in North London, in the Borough of Hackney. Currently 525 girls attend the lower school and there are 126 students in the Sixth Form. The school is in the Education Action Zone and has achieved Beacon School status, Specialist Language College status, and a Gold Star award after the last OFSTED inspection. The school successfully strives to bring the best out of its pupils and statistically Our Lady's students perform very well in national exams. This can be attributed to the good climate within the school and hard work on the part of the staff and pupils. The school is especially strong in music and languages. Negative aspects within the school, however, are the limited resources available especially with regard to space and sports facilities; the moderate nature of teacher participation within the decision-making process and insufficient two-way communication between staff and Head.