Soho Schools; how do they fare?

It’s back to school time for hundreds of kids in Soho and many will be starting school for the very first time or will be returning for their final year. For many children and parents alike, the prospect of finding a suitable school or a place at any school at all, seems to get tougher and tougher each year, especially in inner London schools.

The only school that can claim to actually reside in Soho itself is the Soho Parish School on Great Windmill Street, a Church of England School who, according to their website 'work with the whole community to promote the wellbeing of every child and family'. ‘With seven classes presided over by eight full-time teachers and one part-time and is rather different to the schools I’m use to which have rather large class sizes, often exceeding 30 pupils, Soho Parish School’s class sizes are limited by the lack of space as defined by the small, Victorian building it occupies, capping numbers at 20 per class. I’ve always been quite fascinated by this bijou, inconspicuous place of learning, set amongst the distinctly adult-orientated buildings of Great Windmill Street and Soho in general. I think it’s great to have the school as a reminder that Soho is also a home to people and not just a place for people’s amusement. According to the school’s Ofsted report there is ‘a very high proportion of pupils (48.5 per cent) who speak English as an additional language and the majority of these are at the early stages of English language acquisition. Occasionally, pupils join the school from overseas with little or no spoken English. There are currently 15 different home languages spoken by pupils. At 23.7 per cent, the proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is slightly above the national average’, which really reflects the high level of ethnic and cultural diversity in Soho and the fact that Soho is home to people dependant on social housing and not just those who have an income which affords a four story town house on Meard Street or penthouse apartment on Wardour.

In 2004 Ofsted inspectors noted that Soho Parish School was a ‘very good school that is improving at a good rate due to very good leadership and management. Overall, very good teaching enables pupils to make good progress and achieve well by the time they leave the school’. Interestingly enough, the report also noted that ‘the attendance rate is poor in comparison with that in other schools nationally’. It was good to read that the Ofsted inspectors agreed that ‘Parents and pupils have a high regard for the school. Parents are fully involved in the education of their children. The views of both parents and pupils are actively sought, valued and acted upon by the school’. A fantastic accolade for the only primary school in Soho.

I spoke to a handful parents who have children that attend the school and they all largely echoed my thoughts about the importance of having a good school actually in Soho itself. One mother told me that she was happy for her child “to mix in amongst the more bars, clubs and pubs in Soho, as they are as much a part of community as the school is. The legal ones anyway!” Another told me that they thought the location of the school was more of an advantage than a disadvantage as “there are so many great museums, theatres and galleries in the area, that it’s great for school trips. They have the whole of the West End on their doorstep”. I couldn’t agree more and the high number of parents attempting to get their children into the school, which educates only around 140 children, is testament to the many positives of the school and indeed its Soho location.

So if Soho Parish School caters for the needs of Soho’s 4-11 year olds, where do the older kids of Soho go to be educated? Well further afield it seems and the closest I found for Soho residents was St Marylebone CE School described in its Ofstead report as an ‘oversubscribed girl’s school that accepts boys into sixth form’. Located on Marylebone Road, the school’s 2001 report noted that the school served ‘a community that is subject to significant social deprivation, for example, entitlement to free school meals is about three times the national average’ a reminder that even though these schools are surrounded by multi-million pound businesses and commercial chains, for those actually living in the area, things are not quite as comfortable. Despite this, the school received a glowing report, with the inspectors giving bestowing high praise; ‘St Marylebone is an extraordinary school because not only do students feel a profound sense of security and well-being and achieve exceptionally high academic standards, but staff also flourish as well. Its sense of community is deeply felt by everyone connected with the school. This creates an atmosphere where both students and adults feel that they really belong, and where everyone can be successful’. High praise indeed for a school which is situated in a community where it was claimed is ‘subjected to significant social deprivation’. Yet, like the Soho Parish School, St Marylebone’s sense of community drives the school, its pupils and its teachers forward and seems to me like a great place to educate 11-19 year olds.

It was a pleasant surprise to pick two schools in the area and find that they were both highly valued institutions of learning in the community and had both received such glowing praise for their educational endeavours. With many more schools in the area, I could have gone on, but I would like to hear from you. Where do you send your children to school? Perhaps you were a former, or indeed a current student of a school close by? I would like to know what you think about the local schools and the education system in general. Have your say here!