Holland Park School is a coeducational secondary school and sixth form located in Holland Park, London, England. Opened in 1958, the school was considered a flagship for comprehensive education, nicknamed 'the socialist Eton', and at one time had over 2,000 students.
History
The school was built in 1957 by Sir Ahmed Omar and Daniel J Noel, with his father, Michael Noel.
The school had its first pupil intake in 1958. The formal school opening took place on 23 October 1959 and was made by politician and local resident Lady Norman.
In 1969, Hilary Benn represented the school in Top of the Form. Journalist George Gale in 1970 whilst editor of The Spectator claimed that Holland Park girls were running a vice ring at the school. The school snubbed the 1973 wedding of Princess Anne by working through the national holiday granted to schools and giving children another holiday in lieu.
There was up to £50,000 in damage due to arson, around Saturday 22 February 1975.
In 1977, punk band The Slits, supported by The Moors Murderers, performed a benefit concert for the NSPCC at the school.
In 1985 the then headmaster Derek Rushworth, was beaten up and had both his ankles broken.
By 1997, the school was heavily criticised by Ofsted for poor academic standards and lack of discipline.
In 2000, the school was visited by Nelson Mandela. The next year, the school received its new headmaster, Colin Hall, assigned with the job to turn its fortunes around. Hall reintroduced mandatory school uniforms. and banding in place of teaching mixed-ability classes. In 2006, fingerprint activated locks were installed on lockers, while the decision to sell parts of the school grounds to finance a new school building caused controversy in 2007.
Fourteen years after being criticised for poor academic standards, the school was classed as "outstanding" by Ofsted. A new school building opened in 2012, and in 2013, the school was converted to academy status.
In September 2021, over 100 alumni published an open letter to its governors, Ofsted, and the government alleging that they experienced a "toxic and abusive" environment while at Holland Park. The letter also included a 25-page appendix featuring personal testimonies from former students. Some key allegations were "serious failings in pastoral care and safeguarding of pupils, including 'off-rolling' of some students and failure to act appropriately in peer-on-peer sexual assault.". Further criticism followed in January 2022 with the decisions of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea called into question for enabling the allegedly 'toxic culture' engendered by the school's management with payments totaling £95 million pounds having been awarded by the council to the school, which included a £280,000 salary paid to headteacher Colin Hall.<ref>{ { cite web|url= council slammed for spending £95 million on school with 'toxic culture|first=Jacob|last=Phillips|work=My London News|date=January 28, 2022}}</ref>
In light of the developments in January 2022, Hall announced he would retire at the end of 2021-22 academic year, however on 2 February 2022 a media statement was released by the school to confirm that Hall's tenure was to be ended with immediate effect and he would be replaced by Arwel Jones.
After receiving a Notice to Improve from the Education and Skills Funding Agency in November 2021, Holland Park's governing body decided that the school should join the United Learning multi-academy trust (MAT). The decision to join the academy chain, which is based in Peterborough, triggered reports of disorder together with protests and by students and parents, who threatened to issue governors with a judicial review. Kensington and Chelsea Council proposed that the school join a local academy trust with Kensington Aldridge Academy, and Felicity Buchan, the member of Parliament for Kensington, wrote that she has "had very real concerns about the decision-making process surrounding the future of Holland Park School", including "the lack of consultation with parents and local stakeholders" and "the lack of transparency in the process".
The school formally joined United Learning in January 2023.