RIDDLESDOWN HIGH SCHOOL

----


'Riddlesdown High School' is a secondary school located in the Riddlesdown area of the London Borough of Croydon, England. Riddlesdown is a mixed school, of about 1500 pupils. There is also a Sixth Form Centre with over 250 post-16 students on the campus. The School takes its pupils mainly from the Sanderstead, Selsdon, Purley, South Croydon and Tandridge areas, and recently gained Specialist Science College status. Its current motto, as of 2007, is ''"Learners of today, Leaders of tomorrow"'' as voted for by the schools student body.
At Riddlesdown High School they strive to provide a pleasant and motivational environment in which students can excel to the best of their ability. Riddlesdown High School is arguably well on its way to becoming Croydon's best state run high schools, with others constantly improving as well.
The London Bourgh of Croydon has the largest youth population in London and there are many state run High schools, so competition for better grades between them can be fierce at times.

Contents
History
Introduction
Timeline
1957
1968
1987
1992
1999
2004
2006
Aims of the School
Governor's Statement
School Website

History

Introduction

The school has changed a lot throughout the years. Although it is surrounded by a Green Belt, it has been able to expand greatly, usually upwards. largely thanks to the fact It can make some Expansions under Permitted Development of the site.
some notable extensions that have occurred in the last 5 years are as follows;
school foyer built (with 3 new classrooms above allowing for one to be made bigger)
glass corridor built on the side of the school Canteen (although dining hall is often preferred)
an extension to the Science department was built, with 16 new classrooms, though disappointingly for many pupils It was for post 16 students only.
a glass bridge was built to join the two buildings of Human Relationship's
The technological department is extended so it is now conjoined with the sports hall allowing for new class rooms including a new food technology room (cookery) however in the absence of a teacher able to teach the subject the equipment was hardly ever used and donated to charity (or Is believed to have been)
An extension to the Centre of the Arts was built, situating 8 sound proofed (not very well sound proofed) practice rooms, and two music tech class room and a separate Music technology class room in which the computer equipment needed is used. this also allowed for a performance hall to be made more accessible to all.

Timeline

The following timeline is a basic list of Riddlesdown's history.

1957

The school was first built in 1957, and had just 230 pupils and 14 teachers. The first headmaster was Mr. Donald MacKay.

1968

In 1968, Mr. MacKay retired, and Mr. Bernard Goss took over as headmaster. During the 19 years that he worked at the school, it expanded to over 1250 pupils - more than five times its original size.

1987

When Mr. Goss retired in 1987, the next headmaster was Dr. David Dibbs, who had previously been head of another London school.

1992

Riddlesdown was the first school in Croydon to be awarded Grant Maintained status by the Secretary of State for Education, and since then about 300 pupils have been admitted to the school by the Board of Governors each year.

1999

In 1999, a Sixth Form Centre was established on the site and Riddlesdown became a Voluntary Aided School under the Bourne Foundation.

2004

From the 1st September 2004 Riddlesdown was designated as a Specialist Science College.

2006

Dr. Dibbs retired in September and the current Principal is Mr. Gordon H. Smith. although it is interesting that he does call himself Principal, which is an American term as opposed to headmaster. however this is accepted by many though a few do find this distastful.
A popular idea for why Mr. Smith calls himself Principal is that perhaps he feels overshadowed by his previous headmaster, Dr, Dibbs, who in fact had several titles succeeding and preceding his name. A prime example would be the fact he was titled "Doctor". Smith, only has a mere one, and would be addressed as "Mr Smith" which may be seen as inferior and therefore calling himself Principal in his eyes gives him a title no one else has.

Aims of the School

The school aims:^[1]
#To ensure that pupils leave us educated to their highest possible potential.
#
★ To assist pupils in the development of lively, questioning minds.
#
★ To assist pupils in the development of rational attitudes and values.
#
★ To encourage the development of creativity, imagination and physical well-being.
#
★ To provide a wide and balanced variety of experiences.
#To ensure that pupils leave the School thoughtful, considerate and mature.
#
★ To provide an environment in which pupils are positively motivated to work hard, but without oppression
#
★ To encourage self-discipline and the acceptance of responsibility for one's own actions.
#
★ To develop respect for moral and religious values and an acceptance of other races, religions and ways of life.
#
★ To develop a sense of unity and purpose among the staff so that differences in viewpoint or emphasis do not present barriers to progress.

Governor's Statement

"We believe that Riddlesdown High School should strive for all-round excellence by adopting a quality approach in all that it does for pupils and parents. Our underlying sense of purpose is to promote individual achievement for pupils of all abilities by acknowledging and building on our strengths, values and traditions, thus creating a school, of which all the staff, pupils and parents can be proud."

School Website

The Riddlesdown School website can be located at: http://www.riddlesdown.org