Riddlesdown Collegiate

Riddlesdown Collegiate (formerly Riddlesdown High School) is a secondary school with academy status located in the Riddlesdown area of the London Borough of Croydon, UK. It is a coeducational school, of between 1800 and 2000 students (400 of those being post–16 students)[citation needed]. The school takes its pupils mainly from the Sanderstead, Selsdon, Purley, Kenley, New Addington and South Croydon areas, and specialises in science. Riddlesdown is the largest school in Croydon in terms of pupil numbers, and one of the most over-subscribed schools in the area.[1]

Riddlesdown Collegiate
Address
Map
Honister Heights

, ,
CR8 1EX

United Kingdom
Coordinates51°19′33″N 0°05′16″W / 51.32572°N 0.08791°W / 51.32572; -0.08791
Information
Former nameRiddlesdown High School (until 2009)
TypeAcademy
MottoLearners of Today, Leaders of Tomorrow
OpenedJanuary 1958
Sister schoolAs part of The Collegiate Trust:
  • Courtwood Primary School
  • Gilbert Scott Primary School
  • Gossops Green Primary School
  • Kenley Primary School
  • Quest Academy
  • Waterfield Primary School
Department for Education URN138178 Tables
OfstedReports
PrincipalParimal Bhatt
Teaching staffapprox. 120
Years offered7-13
GenderCoeducational
Age11 to 18
Enrolmentapprox. 1900
Colour(s)Blue, green, purple, maroon, dark blue, yellow
Websitehttp://www.riddlesdown.org

History

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Riddlesdown school was built in 1957 and opened in January 1958[2] as a mixed secondary modern school. In 1971 it converted to comprehensive status, reopening as Riddlesdown High School, and remained a local authority mixed comprehensive school until 31 December 1991 when it was give grant maintained status.[3] In 1996, a Sixth Form Centre was established on the site and Riddlesdown became a voluntary aided school under the Bourne Foundation in 1999.[citation needed]

In September 2009, the school's name changed from Riddlesdown High School to Riddlesdown Collegiate, featuring six colleges; four of which hold a mixture of years 7–11, a Creative Performing Arts college and a Sixth Form college.[citation needed] The school gained Academy status on 1 June 2012.[2]

In 2017, the collegiate was awarded the World-class schools award, one of about 60 in the UK.[4]

Colleges

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Each of the six colleges has a distinctive uniform colour variation based on the college colour. Four of the six colleges in the collegiate are 11–16 colleges with another for sixth form (16–19) and a Creative and Performing Arts College.

List of Colleges
College name Age/type Main colour
Aquila 11–16 Blue
Orion 11–16 Green
Pegasus 11–16 Purple
Phoenix 11–16 Red
Creative Performing Arts CPA Dark blue
College VI Post–16 Yellow/orange

Ofsted

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In a full Section 5 Ofsted inspection in 2016, the school was rated outstanding;[5] however, an initial Section 8 inspection in 2021 suggested that a full inspection might have resulted in a lower rating, necessitating a full inspection next.[6]

Notable alumni

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References

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  1. ^ "Revealed: The most popular secondary schools in Croydon". Your Local Guardian. Retrieved 28 April 2022.
  2. ^ a b "Our History". Riddlesdown Collegiate. Retrieved 21 December 2022.
  3. ^ "Riddlesdown High School". Museum of Croydon. Retrieved 21 December 2022.
  4. ^ Jarmyn, Luke (8 December 2017). "This Croydon school has just been named one of the best in the world". Croydon Advertiser. Retrieved 21 May 2020.
  5. ^ "Ofsted report for Riddlesdown Collegiate" (PDF). Ofsted. 13 July 2016. Retrieved 23 November 2017.
  6. ^ "Inspection of an outstanding school: Riddlesdown Collegiate". Ofsted. November 2021. Retrieved 20 December 2022.
  7. ^ Hatfield, Stefano (26 September 2005). "Stefano Hatfield On Advertising". The Independent. Independent News and Media Limited. Archived from the original on 7 March 2011. Retrieved 27 October 2008.
  8. ^ "Cracking read". Your Local Guardian. 2007. Retrieved 20 December 2022.
  9. ^ "The Big Interview: Nigel Reo Coker". The Times. London. 7 May 2006. Retrieved 3 June 2007.[dead link]
  10. ^ Klariza Clayton (20 January 2012). "Reminiscing about my Riddlesdown High School days!". Retrieved 26 May 2022 – via Twitter.