It was founded in 1876 as The Grocers' Company's School. On its transfer to the London County Council in 1906 the school was renamed Hackney Downs School (formerly the Grocers' Company's School).
As a grammar school, it won an excellent reputation, with alumni including Nobel prize-winning playwright the late Harold Pinter, fellow playwright and actor Steven Berkoff, 1960s tycoon John Bloom, and athletics administrator Sir Arthur Gold. Many famous medical men attended including kidney transplant pioneer Ralph Shackman and pioneering nutritionist John Yudkin. Three current members of the House of Lords are former pupils: (Lord Levy, Lord Feldman and Lord Clinton-Davis). It had 600 boys with a sixth-form entry by the early 1970s.
In September 1969, it became a comprehensive school, and inherited more than its share of the problems of this deprived inner-city borough. It had voted to become comprehensive in 1969. Just before its closure, over 70 percent of the boys spoke English as a second language, half came from households with no-one in employment, and half the intake had reading ages three years below average.
Decline and closure
Things came to a head in the 1990s, when the school made national news by being described by the then Conservative government as the 'worst school in Britain'. Eventually, as a result of direct government pressure, the school was forced to close in 1995.
The decision remains controversial to this day, opponents of the closure pointing out that Hackney Downs was singled out for special treatment by the government (presumably pour encourager les autres) and that its academic results were not significantly worse than many other inner-city comprehensives, especially considering the problems it had inherited, including the steady 'decanting' of problem pupils—who had frequently been expelled from their original schools—to Hackney Downs.
The site of the old school is now occupied by Mossbourne Community Academy, founded by Sir Clive Bourne, which opened in 2004.
While the school buildings of both the original Grocers' Company's School and Hackney Downs School have been replaced by the new Mossbourne Academy, the Old Boys of Hackney Downs continue their interactions as alumni through The Clove Club, which meets regularly, has its own website, and sponsors a very active email group called The Clove eGroup (on Yahoo), and featured on The Clove Club website.
An official history of the school, written by the historian Professor Geoffrey Alderman (who was a pupil there 1955-62) was published by the Clove Club in 1972. In 2012 Alderman published an updated history: Hackney Downs 1876-1995: The Life and Death of a School, in which he took the story to the school's demise, using hitherto unpublished material.
John Kemp 1974-89Dalton Grant, high jumperLazarus Aaronson, poetGeoffrey Alderman, historianArnold Allen CBE, Chief Executive from 1982–4 of the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA)Alexander Baron, writerMorris BeckmanSteven Berkoff, actor, playwright, directorProf Gerald Bernbaum, Vice-Chancellor from 1993–2001 of London South Bank University, and Professor of Education from 1974–93 at the University of LeicesterMike Berry, singer and actorRabbi - Dayan Ivan Binstock, Rabbi of the St Johns Wood Synagogue and Dayan - Rabbinical judge - of the London Beth Din of the Court of the Chief RabbiJohn Bloom, 1960s tycoonEric Bristow, World Champion darts playerAir Vice-Marshal Reggie Bullen CB GMSir Stanley Burnton, Lord Justice of Appeal and Fellow of St Edmund Hall, OxfordSir Michael Caine (Maurice Joseph Micklewhite, Jr.), CBE, actor (attended in 1944–1945, when he was evacuated to King's Lynn during World War II)Roland Camberton, writerFrank Cass, publisherStanley Clinton Davis, Baron Clinton-Davis, Labour MP from 1970–83 for Hackney CentralIvor Compton, founder of the Hall of Cards chain which later merged with Hallmark CardsDr Paul Dean CB, Director from 1977–90 of the National Physical LaboratoryProf Cyril Domb, physicist, Professor of Theoretical Physics from 1954–81 at King's College LondonMaurice Evans (actor)Basil Feldman, Baron FeldmanFrederic Sutherland Ferguson, bibliographerProf Maurice Freedman, Professor of Social Anthropology from 1970–5 at the University of OxfordAbram Games OBE, graphic designerNorman Ginsbury, playwrightSir Arthur Gold CBE, Chairman from 1988–92 of the British Olympic AssociationDr Michael Goldstein CBE, Vice-Chancellor from 1992–2004 of Coventry University, and Director from 1987–1992 of Coventry PolytechnicArnold Goodman, Baron Goodman, Master from 1976–86 of University College, OxfordProf Douglas Gough, Professor of Theoretical Astrophysics since 1993 at the University of Cambridge, and Director from 1999–2004 of the Institute of Astronomy, CambridgeDr. Henry Grinberg, psychoanalyst (private practice); former assoc. professor, English and medieval studies, City University of New YorkProf Abraham Guz, Professor of Medicine from 1981–94 at the Charing Cross and Westminster Medical SchoolEfraim Halevy, former head of MossadProf William Harold Hutt, economist, and Professor of Commerce and Dean of the Faculty of Commerce from 1931–64 at the University of Cape TownFrank Cyril James, Principal and Vice-Chancellor from 1939–62 of McGill University, CanadaBrigadier Sam Janikoun OBEMaj-Gen Stanley Joslin CB CBE, Chief Inspector of Nuclear Installations from 1959–64 at the Ministry of PowerLeon Kossoff, painterStephen Latner, Managing Director from 1998–9 of Warburg Dillon ReadDr Gerald Levene, dermatologistMichael Levy, Baron LevyJohn Lewis, Labour MP from 1945–50 for Bolton and from 1950–1 for Bolton WestSir Ben Lockspeiser, cancelled the ground-breaking Miles M.52 supersonic project (its important features later re-incarnated as the Bell X-1), and first President of CERNDennis Lyons CB, Director from 1965–71 of the Road Research LaboratorySir Leonard Millis CBE, Director from 1939–74 of the British Waterworks AssociationProf Cyril Offord, Professor of Mathematics from 1966–73 at the London School of Economics (LSE)Stanley Orman, Director of Missiles from 1978–81 at the AWRE, and Chief Weapon System Engineer of Polaris from 1981–2Fuller Osborn, (the first) Chief Executive from 1965–78 of Northern Rock Building SocietyJerry Pam, Hollywood Agent and Member of the Finance Committee of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences; publicist of Sir Michael CaineProf Keith Pavitt, of the Science and Technology Policy ResearchMaurice Peston, Baron Peston of Mile End, English economist, Professor of Economics from 1965–88 at Queen Mary College, and father of Robert PestonHarold Pinter, CBE, CH, and 2005 Nobel Laureate (attended from 1944 to 1948; evacuated to Cornwall during World War II)Prof Derek S. Pugh, British psychologist, business theorist and Emeritus Professor of International Management at the Open University Business School (attended 1944 to 1948, evacuated to Northampton during World War II)Lt Col F. J. Roberts, editor of the 'Wipers Times'Norman Rose, biographer of Sir Winston ChurchillProf Ralph Shackman, Professor of Urology from 1961–75 at Hammersmith HospitalSir Alfred Sherman, journalistBarrie Sherman, trade unionistProf Colin Shindler, First Professor of Israeli Studies in the UK, SOASProf Aubrey Silberston CBE, Professor of Economics from 1978–87 at Imperial College London, and father of Jeremy SilberstonProf Barry Supple CBE, Professor of Economic History from 1981–93 University of Cambridge, and a former Director of the Leverhulme Trust, and father of Tim Supple (attended from 1942 to 1949)William Warbey, Labour MP from 1945–50 for Luton, and from 1953–5 for Broxtowe, and from 1955–66 for AshfieldMaurice Wohl CBE, businessmanHenry Woolf, theatre directorProf John Yudkin, Professor of Nutrition from 1954–71 at Queen Elizabeth College, known for finding links between sugar and coronary heart diseaseF. Britten Austin, playwright whose book The Drum would be made into The Last OutpostSir Robert Barlow, businessman, former Chairman of the Metal Box CompanyProf Raymond Wilson Chambers, Quain Professor of English Language and Literature from 1922-41 at University College LondonCecil Vandepeer Clarke (1888-1961) engineer, inventor and soldier.Prof Millais Culpin, Professor from 1931-9 of Medical-Industrial Psychology at London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
