Queens Park Community School

Admissions

There are, as of January 2015, 1202 pupils aged between 11 and 19 on roll who come from a range of backgrounds. QPCS is situated south of the A4003, in Brondesbury Park, about a mile west of Kilburn.

Former schools

Kilburn Grammar School was founded by the Rev. Henry George Bonavia Hunt in 1897. The former building became the Islamia Primary School on Salusbury Road near Brondesbury Park railway station, which was founded by Yusuf Islam, and which opened in 1983.

Merger

Opened in 1989, Queens Park Community School is the result of an amalgamation of three schools during the 1980s. The three schools that were merged were South Kilburn High School (formally Percy Road School), Aylestone Community School and Brondesbury and Kilburn High (commonly abbreviated to B&K, formerly Kilburn Grammar School). The new school's logo, an image of three trees, represents this union of the three schools. The headteacher chosen to head the new school was Ms Mary Norton. Ms Norton headed the school from its formation through to her retirement from education in 2002.

Present-day QPCS

The school is located in a relatively middle class area of Brent, but many less affluent communities lie within its catchment area. Initially many parents held back from sending their children to the school but once the school began to achieve results heading towards the national averages, the school became heavily oversubscribed.

The school benefited from a brand new block funded through the millennium National Lottery fund at an estimated cost of £34.3 million. The building of this block involved demolishing one of the existing buildings. The new building was officially opened by Ken Livingstone with a plaque commemorating his visit. The school has been granted specialist school status in Business and Enterprise.

QPCS secured additional funding through the government's Excellence in Cities programme, which provided resources for schools, to provide extended activities and work for gifted and talented pupils.

In March 2012, QPCS applied for Artsmark status - it received the Gold award.

Queens Park Community School converted to academy status on 1 September 2012.

QPCS City Learning Centre

The QPCS City Learning Centre (CLC) was one of 105 CLCs built by the DfES throughout the country. It was completed in 2003.

In 2015, funding for CLCs ceased and the CLC building has become part of the school’s teaching accommodation. In order to preserve the valuable work undertaken by the CLC team it still runs projects for both QPCS and local primary schools.

Uniform

Before the school opened, there was a consultation with parents about whether a uniform should be introduced or not. The vote was overwhelmingly in favour of a school uniform. The Queens Park Community School uniform was featured in the local press for its unconventional uniform, consisting of a black tracksuit bottom, with a red or black T-shirt featuring the school three trees logo,a red or black polo shirt with the three trees logo in small on the top left hand side, and a black tracksuit jumper. The design of the uniform was intended to be comfortable, attractive, practical, economical and one that students would enjoy wearing. In the academic year of 2012/13, the school decided to change the uniform, but only the tracksuit bottoms with a more formal tailored trousers.

Tutor group naming

QPCS uses a lettering system to divide the eight tutor groups in years 7-11. The letters are taken from the full name of the school. For example, year 9 would be the following: 9Q 9N 9P 9K 9C 9Y 9S 9L.

The QPCS sixth form (referred to as years 12 and 13) has fewer tutor groups than the rest of the school, due to having fewer students. Nevertheless, the same naming scheme is used.

Teachers' awards

QPCS teaching staff that have received recognition in the National Teaching Awards:

Global Link

February 2012 - A global link is being developed between QPCS and Kayamandi High School, Stellenbosch in South Africa. This is part of the British Council Global Schools project. The project is a natural extension of QPCS's partnership with the Lexi Cinema who raise funds for the Lynedoch Community in Stellenbosch. The aim is to explore different ways that the two schools can potentially share valuable learning opportunities for the mutual benefit of the two communities.

This morning with Richard and Judy

QPCS was featured on This Morning with Richard and Judy for its uniform which was seen as an 'original' idea for a uniform.

Robert Symons

QPCS was featured in the media in 2004 as the school at which Robert Symons, who left his high paid job to give back to his community, taught as a newly qualified teacher. Robert Symons was murdered in his home in October 2004 defending his family from Yousef Bouhaddaou when Yousef attempted to rob his house.

Classroom Chaos

QPCS was also one of the six schools featured on the controversial 2005 Channel 5 programme Classroom Chaos in which a retired teacher under the pseudonym 'Sylvia Thomas' returned undercover as a supply teacher after 30 years. Her stated objective was to show the 'chaos' which teachers must deal with in the modern classroom. With the use of hidden cameras, she filmed chairs being thrown, pupils fighting in class and swearing at teachers and other such behaviour.

Notable former pupils

Kilburn Grammar School

Brondesbury and Kilburn High School