Registered Charity & Independent School ABOUT US OUR SCHOOL ACHIEVEMENTS COMMUNITY NEWS & EVENTS GET IN TOUCH RECRUITMENT ABOUT US IN THIS SECTION OUR HISTORY & ETHOS OUR TEAM TUTORS & TRAINING GOVERNORS & TRUSTEES OUR PATRONS OUR HISTORY & ETHOS OBJECTIVE ‘TO ADVANCE EDUCATION, THROUGH CREATIVE MEANS’ PHIL RICHARDS FOUNDED THE COMPLETE WORKS AS A ‘THEATRE IN EDUCATION’ COMPANY AND BEGAN BY STAGING EDUCATIONAL PLAYS, CREATIVE PROJECTS AND WORKSHOPS IN MAINSTREAM SCHOOLS IN 1999. It was evident from the outset that those young people who, for one reason or another, were disillusioned with education, still somehow remained inspired by the Performing Arts. During the first year of the company’s operation, Phil was asked if he could find a way to teach a particularly difficult-to-engage young person, who was refusing to go to school, to read. Drawing from skills acquired in Drama, Phil developed the creative methods of learning that motivated this young person to re-engage with education and subsequently gain entrance to college. This initial success led to many other young people being referred to work with the company in a similar way. Those who benefitted from being taught alongside others were grouped together and, as a consequence, the company became known as an ‘Alternative Provision.’ As the company evolved, we built a strong educational infrastructure and became registered as an exam centre, in order that students could sit GCSE examinations with us. Keen to have the quality of our work inspected by Ofsted, we applied to the Department for Education for Independent School Status, which was then awarded to us in 2013. Our experience of working with young people who have become disillusioned with mainstream schooling has taught us that re-engagement with education cannot simply be achieved by recreating the same model which has been rejected. Our approach to learning is to create a safe environment where young people feel supported, then nurture their creativity, and give them opportunities to increase their knowledge. This allows students to gain confidence and self-esteem and enables them to develop their skills of communication and their ability to work with others. OUR GOAL IS TO REACH EVERY YOUNG PERSON WHO IS REFERRED TO US. TO THIS END, WE WORK TIRELESSLY TO FIND THE CREATIVE SPARK WHICH WILL IGNITE THEIR INTEREST IN LEARNING AND EMPOWER THEM TO REALISE THEIR FULL POTENTIAL. Each student is considered on an individual basis, and a tailor-made programme of education is designed to meet his or her specific needs. This may take the form of one-to-one education, group education, or a combination of both. The company’s objective has always been ‘to advance education, through creative means,’ and although the word ‘theatre’ no longer appears in the company name, creativity remains intrinsic to the work we undertake with all our students. Since the company’s incorporation, we have supported thousands of young people, both inside and outside the school setting, to re-engage with education and to learn creatively and achieve academically. In addition to the operation of our Independent School, the company continues to tour plays and delivers creative projects to other schools throughout London and the surrounding areas. VIEW PROSPECTUS SUPPORT US OUR TEAM FOUNDER: PHIL RICHARDS BA HONS. DIP RSA, MA (QTS) Phil Richards trained as a theatre practitioner at the Rose Bruford College of Theatre and Performance. He taught for 20 years in mainstream schools, which included running the Drama Department at the Brit School of Performing Arts. He has also worked extensively with students who have disabilities, special educational needs and emotional and behavioural difficulties. He teaches on the PGCE Drama course at Goldsmiths University of London and runs inset courses on using creative methods of interaction across the curriculum. He founded The Complete Works in partnership with the late Neil Powney, in 1999. CHIEF EXECUTIVE: CHRISSIE ROBERTS Chrissie attended Loughborough University where she completed a BA hons degree in Drama and then went on to study a diploma in acting at a drama school in London’s Kings Cross. Chrissie co-ran a theatre company called ‘Blurred Clarity’ based in Nottingham and toured three successful original works gaining five-star reviews at the Edinburgh fringe festival. She has recently gained a post -graduate certificate in Education Management. Chrissie has always been interested in how the arts can play an important role in the delivery of education, running drama workshops and theatre- in- education projects across England, Germany and Italy. After a two-year musical theatre tour, Chrissie decided she wanted to consolidate her interest in young people’s learning and joined TCW. She has been with the company since 2003 and has worked closely with the founder Phil Richards, first as a creative and education coordinator and then promoted to Deputy Chief Executive. In 2016 Chrissie became Chief Executive and continues to be passionate about the excellent work that The Complete Works staff deliver in order to give young people an opportunity to create a positive future for themselves. HEADTEACHER: ADAM DALTON ALCM MBA (EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP) Adam Dalton trained as an actor at The Court Theatre Training Company, London with additional studies at Harvard extension school, Boston. He proceeded to work in the West End at venues including The National and Old Vic Theatres. Throughout this career he simultaneously found the time to teach young people the skills he had learned and in 2003 joined The Complete Works as an individual offsite teacher. His passion for re-engaging the young people that TCW work with led him to cease treading the boards in favour of writing on the board and he helped create our first group centres which in turn led to our independent school status. Most recently he has completed a MBA in Educational Leadership at UCL Institute of Education. Founder: Phil Richards Chief Executive: Chrissie Roberts Headteacher: Adam Dalton Financial Controller: Clare Povah Finance Assistant: Ninthiya Rameshwara Head of Admissions: Tina Solanki CEO’s PA: Salima Khan Assistant to the Headteacher: Karina Cornwell Assistant Headteachers: Jurita Bennett Dean Phillips SENco: Liz Edwards Head of Curriculum: Beth Sargent Education Support Officers: Amy MacQuaide Liberty Hutchison Bermondsey Onsite Lead: Rahsaan McClymont Creative Hub Education Manager: Jo Kessler HR Officer: Amrit Riyat Head of Welfare: Sophie Bell Designated Safeguarding Lead: Lotta Jones Data & Health & Safety & Exams Officer: Matthew Cheesbrough Councellors: Nikita Virk Stuart Davenport Head of Interventions: Andy Davies DPO Consultant Tim Bridger Trustees ________________________________________ The school’s operation is overseen by the Trustees of The Complete Works Charity. They possess a wide range of qualifications and experience gained in both education and the arts. The Present Board consists of the following members: Chair of Trustees: Sue Clark Deputy Chair of Trustees: Brigid Jackson-Dooley Trustees: Kala Patel Maggie Pitfield Fiona Stratford Kay Turner Reji Vettasseri TUTORS & TRAINING TCW BEGAN PRIMARILY AS AN ARTS EDUCATION COMPANY, AS OUR ORIGINAL INTENTION WAS TO EDUCATE THROUGH THE ARTS. The majority of our teachers are qualified and experienced arts practitioners. Many have graduate and post-graduate qualifications in subjects such as Theatre, Drama, Film, Music, Dance and even Circus Skills. Utilising the skills they have gained from these disciplines, they are very well equipped to work in ways that enable students to engage creatively with their studies. We recognise, however, the importance of implementing a wide range of effective teaching strategies; and to this end, teachers attend weekly in-service training sessions. These sessions are designed to extend their teaching skills in regard to young people who have additional needs, and to keep them up-to-date with new education policies and developments in the National Curriculum. Training sessions are delivered by our Founder Phil Richards, our Teaching and Learning Support Consultant, Nelly Alfandari and by specialist advisors from organisations such as the NSPCC, Team-Teach and The Red Cross. Subjects covered include: Recognising Dyslexia and Dyspraxia, Managing ‘Difficult-to-Engage’ Young People, Employing Methods of De-escalation and Physical Restraint, Strategies for Teaching Students with Additional Needs, and Working with Autism. We also recognise the importance of ensuring that our teachers are proficient in lesson-planning, marking students’ coursework, and meeting the syllabus requirements for the range of examination boards with whom we work. ALL TEACHERS ARE OVERSEEN BY OUR EDUCATION CONSULTANTS, WHO HOLD QUALIFIED TEACHER STATUS, AND WHO ENSURE THAT THE WORK DELIVERED IS OF THE HIGHEST STANDARD AND CHALLENGES ALL STUDENTS TO ACHIEVE. In order to safeguard our young people, all staff regularly undergo clearance through the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS). They also receive appropriate training in child protection, and hold First Aid Certificates. As we are an Independent School, we operate our own unique form of education. This is, in many ways, very different from what a student may have experienced in the mainstream sector. However, we remain mindful of the need to maintain a wider perspective in terms of accepted educational methods and innovations. We are therefore always keen that our staff attend training delivered by other educational institutions, and we encourage them to share good practice and gain continuous professional development through partnerships with mainstream schools. We are also in the process of developing programmes that will enable our teachers to gain QTS. PATRONS LORRAINE ASHBOURNE Lorraine Ashbourne’s career spans both television and film. Some of the films she has starred in include “Fever Pitch”, “King Kong” and “The Martins”. Her many television appearances include “Playing The Field”, “Casualty”, “Thin Ice” and “The Street.” ANDY SERKIS Andy Serkis is celebrated on both stage and screen. A few of his many roles have included The fool in Max Stafford-Clark’s production of “King Lear”, Iago in Braham Murray’s adaptation of “Othello”, and of course his outstanding creation of the characters Gollum/Smeagol in “The Lord Of The Rings” and the giant gorilla in “King Kong”. ART MALIK Art Malik’s first major role came in 1982 when he was cast as Hari Kumar the critically acclaimed “Jewel in the Crown”. He also played the part of Mahmoud in the hugely successful film “A Passage to India”. He has starred in many other film and television productions including the Hollywood production “True Lies” in the role of Salim and as Zubin Kahn in “Holby City”. NITIN SAWNHEY Nitin Sawhney is widely recognised as an influential musician with versatile abilities and has released 7 studio albums and scored over 40 films. He is a world-class producer, songwriter, DJ, multi-instrumentalist, orchestral composer and cultural pioneer and has achieved 15 major national awards for his work. JAYNE ASHBOURNE Jayne Ashbourne has a long list of television credits to her name including Agatha Christie’s Poirot, Peak Practice, Casualty, Emmerdale, The Grand and regular roles in Bodies and New Street Law. Her stage credits include Trolius & Cressida for the Royal Shakespeare Company and the lead role in the 2004 West End production of Les Liasons Dangereuses. CHARLIE MORLEY Charlie Morley is a bestselling author and teacher of lucid dreaming & shadow integration. In his past life he trained and worked as an actor before running a hip hop collective in his early 20’s. He now teaches sleep & dream practices to armed forces veterans and civilians with Stress or Trauma Affected Sleep Patterns. EXPLORE OUR SITE Previous Next OUR SCHOOL Responding creatively to the specific needs of the young people who are referred to us has not only sharpened our vision but also shaped the type of provision we offer them, resulting in our metamorphosis from a Theatre-in-Education Company to an Alternative Education Provision and consequently into an Independent School. READ MORE MAKE AN ENQUIRY REFERRALS - WORKSHOPS - TALKS The Complete Works: Independent School Charity Registration 1081200 & DFE Registration 211/6006 THE COMPLETE WORKS LTD 3RD FLOOR, 88-94 WENTWORTH STREET, LONDON E1 7SA TEL: 020 7377 0280 EMAIL: INFO@TCW.ORG.UK TERMS & CONDITIONS Full-time School Admission | Individual Education POLICIES & PROCEDURES View our policy documents STUDENT REFERRALS Full referral form AQA Jack Petchey Foundation Arts award About Us Our School Achievements Community News & Events Get In Touch Recruitment © 2021 The Complete Works. Website by Fybe:one & xtwenty.