Woodhouse College

Woodhouse College is a single site selective state sixth form college situated between North Finchley and Friern Barnet on the eastern side of the London Borough of Barnet in North London, England. It is one of the most successful sixth form colleges in England and is a member of The Maple Group, the top sixth-form colleges. It was formerly a state grammar school, known as Woodhouse Grammar School.

Woodhouse College
Address
Woodhouse Road

Finchley
,
London
,
N12 9EY

England
Coordinates51°36′41″N 0°10′07″W
Information
TypeState Sixth Form College
Local authorityLondon Borough of Barnet
Department for Education URN130427 Tables
OfstedReports
PrincipalMr John Rubinstein
GenderCo-Educational
Age16 to 18
Enrolment1060 (2008/9)
Websitehttp://www.woodhouse.ac.uk

Admissions

The college caters mainly for full-time students aged 16 to 18 whose primary aim is to progress to Higher Education. Entrance grade criteria are similar to other high-performing sixth forms in Barnet.

History

Woodhouse Grammar School

After the First World War, the former residence of ornamental plasterer Thomas Collins (1735–1830) in the Woodhouse area of Finchley was reconstructed; the house became The Woodhouse School in 1923. A blue plaque commemorating Thomas Collins is on the wall outside the present college office. The school coat of arms with the motto 'Cheerfulness with Industry' is still displayed above the stage in the college hall.

A pink horse-chestnut tree was planted behind the main school building to mark the coronation of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth in 1937. This tree had been presented by the Third Reich authorities to a member of the British team who attended the 1936 Olympics in Berlin and subsequently became known as 'the Hitler tree'.

During the Second World War, the school continued to function while the basement was used by the ARP service. The names of the forty-seven former pupils who died during WWII are recorded in a hand-illuminated Roll of Honour which hangs at the foot of the main staircase near the front entrance to the college. The Roll of Honour also records the names of the four houses of the old grammar school: Gordon, Livingstone, Nightingale and Scott.[1]

Sixth Form College

Woodhouse Grammar School was later reconstituted as Woodhouse Sixth Form College. There were plans to merge the school with Friern Barnet County Secondary School in 1971, but these were blocked by local MP Margaret Thatcher. Thatcher gave a speech at the college in May 1983.[2]

Academic performance

The college achieves above average A-level results. Woodhouse College's 2018 results were 70% grades A* - B with 60% of students progressing to Russell Group universities and record numbers to Oxbridge and medical school [3]

Notable alumni

Woodhouse Grammar School

Woodhouse Sixth Form College

References
  1. By Word and Deed - a chronicle of Woodhouse 1922-49 by Percy Reboul published by the Friends of Woodhouse
  2. "Speech at Adoption Meeting (1983 May 19)". Margaret Thatcher Foundation. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
  3. "Woodhouse students harvest bumper crop of A level high grades". Woodhouse College. Retrieved 11 October 2018.
  4. Taylor, John (29 July 2005). "Giles Hart". The Independent. Independent News and Media. Retrieved 3 February 2009.
  5. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/obituaries/article5312941.ece Oliver Postgate obituary
  6. Hari, Johann (22 March 2011). "Johann Hari: What I've got in common with Jamie Oliver's kids". The Independent. Retrieved 28 March 2011.
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