# Orleans Park School

Orleans Park School is a Mixed comprehensive school with academy status, located in the Twickenham area of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, England. It is situated 10 miles south-west of central London.

## Location and history

Orleans County Secondary School was established in 1914 on Napoleon Road, Twickenham, designed to accommodate 840 boys and girls. The school served the growing local population, providing mixed secondary education. In 1961, the school expanded by acquiring a sports field on Richmond Road, formerly the Exiles Football Ground, enhancing its facilities and extracurricular opportunities for students.
Demands for rebuilding the school were first made in 1946 and by 1964 a site had been acquired by Middlesex County Council in Orleans Park, although a new school had not been included in the Education Ministry's building programme up to 1967. In the mid-1960s, proposals to close or merge Orleans School with Kneller Girls' School as part of borough-wide secondary education reorganization faced significant opposition from parents and staff. A 1966 Middlesex Chronicle article documented a campaign against its closure, with over 3,250 signatures collected in protest.
By 1971, the Richmond Borough Council approved plans to replace Orleans School with a new mixed secondary school at Orleans Park, Twickenham. on four of the sixteen acres of the former Orleans House estate. The new building was designed as a 900-place school with a sixth form entry, aligning with the borough’s shift to a comprehensive system in 1972.
The pupils moved into the newly built and renamed Orleans Park School in September 1973 marking it as Richmond’s first purpose-built comprehensive school. On March 18, 1974, Margaret Thatcher, then Secretary of State for Education, was to have officially opened the new Orleans Park School on the Richmond Road site, however, these plans were postponed A second phase of building was completed in September 1975 and on Tuesday April 13 1976, Lord Boyle of Handsworth (then the vice-chancellor of Leeds University and a former Education Minister) opened the school officially.
The Headteacher who had overseen the transition of the school to the new site and name was Sidney Altman. He died in early 1977 whilst still serving as Headmaster, and the school's library was dedicated in his honour. The Altman Memorial Trophy was also presented to the school by his widow to be awarded annually for service to the school.
The school continued to expand and in 1993, Lord Richard Attenborough opened a new building at the school, contributing to the school's development. Orleans Park School gained specialist status as a Mathematics and Computing College in September 2003, as a Language College in September 2008 and it became an academy in 2012.
Sir David Attenborough, continued his family's connection with the school by opening the Attenborough Building, a new sixth form centre named in their family's honor, on March 10, 2015. During his speech, Sir David fondly remembered his brother, who had passed away the previous year, and expressed delight in the building's dedication to the Attenborough family.

## Uniform

The uniform consists of a maroon sweatshirt with an added gold band around the v., a white shirt and grey trousers or skirt; both the skirt and the jumper display the school's logo in gold, which from 2012 (when the school became as academy) became the interlocked letters O and P.
Prior to that, the school's logo was a coat of arms-style emblem with several elements associated with its location including a swan at the top, below which were the three curved seaxes (saxon swords), representing Middlesex, and a fleur-de-lis symbol beneath the swords representing the historical French influence of the Orleans name. The school's motto, "Looking Forward" was unchanged, suggesting a progressive and future-focused ethos.

## Catchment

Many pupils at Orleans Park come from the following nearby primary schools: St. Stephen's School, Archdeacon Cambridge's School, St. Mary's School, Chase Bridge Primary School, Orleans Primary, Ivybridge school, and The Vineyard School.

## Performance

The school's history has seen a number of peaks and troughs in its overall performance. In the latter quarter of the twentieth century there are references to its high quality of the teaching. However, a fuller picture and history is only available once the Ofsted inspections became more regular following the Education (Schools) Act 1992. In 1997, there was a hard hitting inspection. The school then went through a difficult period immediately following that inspection after which time Ofsted noted that substantial improvements were made, especially after the appointment of David Talbot in 1999. GCSE results rose and attendance improved. A continued improvement can be charted through subsequent Ofsted reports, becoming Outstanding (the highest level) in 2010 and maintaining that since. In the 2024 GCSE examinations, 32% of students achieved the highest two grades with 92% of students attained a pass in English and Mathematics combined. At A Level, the school surpassed the national average for A*/A grades and 85% were A*-C.
Summary table of Ofsted inspections :
| Year inspected | Ofsted grade | Headteacher | Notes |
| 2023 | Outstanding | Kathy Pacey | Inspection |
| 2017 | Outstanding | Elaine Bell | Full Inspection |
| 2010 | Outstanding | Joanna Longhurst | Full Inspection |
| 2007 | Good | David Talbot | Full Inspection |
| 2003 | No overall rating | David Talbot | Full Inspection No Ofsted single word (pre-2005). Summarised as a good school with many very strong features |

## Headteachers
### Orleans County Secondary School

* G. H. C. Spencer - 1915
* Mr. Howick - c.1942
* W. McD. Regan - c.1965-1966
* E. L. Evans (Acting Headteacher) - 1966
* Sidney Altman - 1966–1973 (then transitioned to Orleans Park School)

### Orleans Park School

* Sidney Altman - 1973–1977 (served until his death)
* Mr. Garth Freeman - 1978–at least July 1986
* Mrs. E. Clarke - before 1989–1990
* Elizabeth Selman - 1990–1998
* Mr. David Talbot - 1999–at least 2007
* Ms. Joanna Longhurst - before April 2010–2013
* Elaine Ball - 2013–2022
* Ms. Kathy Pacey - September 2022–Present

## Notable former pupils

* Joe Anderson (actor)
* Heather Cowell, professional international rugby player who plays for both England Sevens and Harlequins. Played 3 times for England Red Roses (15s). A former international gymnast.
* Cameron Cowell, professional rugby player who played 38 times for Englands Sevens team.
* Claire Allan, Olympic 2016 Rugby Sevens player
* Julian Dunkerton, co-founder of Superdry
* Edd Gould, (1988-2012) creator of the web series Eddsworld
* Josh Herdman, actor best known for playing Gregory Goyle in the Harry Potter films
* Scott Overall, Olympic Marathon runner
* Rufus Sewell, film, theatre and television actor
* Fionn Whitehead, actor best known for his role in Dunkirk and Black Mirror's Bandersnatch.
* John Yorke, TV executive and author
* Caylin Raftopoulos, British professional basketball player.
* Jesse Kewley-Graham, English footballer.

## Notable former teachers

* Greg Davies, comedian and actor who taught drama at the school prior to his entertainment career. Best known for his role as the Taskmaster in Taskmaster, and as Mr Gilbert in The Inbetweeners
* Giselle Mather (née Prangnell), English rugby union international and coach, won 34 caps for England, part of the 1994 Women's World Cup winning side, first woman to achieve level 4 coaching status from the RFU, first woman to coach a male rugby union side, first coach of the Women's Barbarians and from 2024 coach of the Great Britain Women's rugby union sevens squad. Taught PE at the school from 1996 to 1999.
* Beth Potter, Paris 2024 Olympics Individual Triathlon bronze medalist. She was a former science teacher at Orleans Park School, teaching physics A-level up until 2016