The Ellen Wilkinson School for Girls

The Ellen Wilkinson School for Girls is a comprehensive, foundation secondary school for 1400 girls aged 11–19 years, located in the London borough of Ealing. The school is named after Ellen Wilkinson, one of the first female MPs in Britain, and the first female Minister for Education. It is opposite North Ealing tube station and near to West Acton tube station.

History

Grammar school
It was known as Ealing County [Grammar] School for Girls.

Comprehensive
It became the Ellen Wilkinson School for Girls in 1974, a comprehensive school, from four schools – St Ann's Secondary Modern, the Wood End and The Grange schools. In April 1992 it became a grant-maintained school. In 1999 it became a foundation school.

Academic
The current Headteacher is Ms R Kruger, who became head teacher in 2014, succeeding Ms C Sydenham.

It was awarded beacon status by the government in recognition of its academic excellence, and as a result became a specialist school for Science and Mathematics. The school has raised standards consistently over the past five years (improving 5A*-C GCSE passes from 58% in 2003 to 76% in 2010, with 6th Form results consistently in the top 15% nationally) and currently appears in The Good Schools Guide, where it is described as 'Ealing's top performing non-selective school'. As a high-performing Specialist School, the school was awarded Training School status.

GCSE results consistently outstrip national averages, and in 2010 A Level results showed the fourth highest average points score (735) of Ealing schools, the second highest of the non-selective schools in the borough.

In 2012 the school was rated by the Department for Education as one of the 'top 100 schools in the country', when measured by how much value is added from Key Stage 2 to Key Stage 4.

The school was the first in the country to receive the SSAT Gold Award for Cultural Diversity.

Buildings

In 2023, the school was one of those identified as having buildings that could be structurally unsound because  reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) had been used in their construction. The areas out of action are the science blocks, the hall, canteen and old gym. However, works are undergoing to prop these up so will be safe for use soon.

Notable former pupils

 Tina Daheley - journalist, newsreader and presenter

Ealing Grammar School for Girls

 Shirley Becke OBE - police officer
 Honor Blackman - actress
 Julie Carter, Ealing MP
 Tina Daheley - BBC reporter
 Leonie Elliott - actor
 Dame Wendy Hall CBE - Professor of Computer Science since 1994 at the University of Southampton
 Maxine Nightingale - singer
 Gloria Obianyo - actor, nominated in the Ian Charleson Awards 2022
 Gillian Rose - philosopher
 Jacqueline Rose - Professor of English since 1992 at Queen Mary, University of London
 Sylvia Tait - biochemist and endocrinologist

References

External links
 The Ellen Wilkinson School website
 The Ellen Wilkinson School Flickr Site
 Old school website

Girls' schools in London
Secondary schools in the London Borough of Ealing
Educational institutions established in 1974
1974 establishments in England
Foundation schools in the London Borough of Ealing
Training schools in England
Acton, London