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A history of the Greenwich Blue Coat Schools

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The millennium year 2000 was the 300th Anniversary of the founding of the original Greenwich Blue Coat Girls’ School. The governors marked this year by holding an Anniversary Conversation  on 27 September entitled “Ethnicity & Education” at St John’s Church, Blackheath, with the Rt Rev’d John Sentamu, Bishop of Stepney, and the Rev’d Michael Marshall, Vicar of St John’s and Chair of Governors. The Rev 'd Dr. Jeffrey Heskins (Rector of St Luke’s, Charlton and  Governor) chaired.

Also during September 48 pupils from the new Year 7 intake went to Ilam Hall in Derbyshire for s Team-Building Weekend. They were accompanied by a team of adult including teaching staff, support staff and a governor, and by 6 Year 11 pupils who had bee trained in the BIONIC peer counselling programme.

New facilities were opened in 2001. The Wolfe Centre for Social Inclusion had been adapted from the area at the front of Wolfe Block with separate outside access. This was partly funded through the government initiative “Excellence in Cities” The school had struggled with accommodation for Science teaching for many years and a new Science Laboratory was created through a government scheme and opened in June. A new reception area was created in the old Premises office.

Three new Director of Studies posts were created, one for each key stage and placed in the Leadership Group.

. On 30 October the second  Anniversary Conversation was held at St John’s Church. It was titled “Creed, Culture & Conflict”, with Dr Tayo  Adeyemi (Senior Minister of New Wine Church, Woolwich) and Rev’d Michael Marshall, Chair of Governors and Vicar of St Johns.

Excellence in Cities was a government initiative launched in 1999 to tackle under achievement and raise standards and to promote inclusion in inner city schools. It provided funding to develop Learning Support Units, Learning Mentors and to work with Gifted & Talented pupils. Subsequent research showed that it was partially successful and boosted results in Mathematics but failed to improve performance in English and Science.

Towards the end of 2001 a new Reception Area was created at the main entrance out of the old Premises Manager’s Office to try and make the school more welcoming to visitors. Plans were also drawn up to build a security pod  by enclosing the walkway between the main entrance and the Music block. Unfortunately the plan had to be dropped later because of financial restraints.