Kingsland Secondary School
Kingsland Secondary School was a school located on Shacklewell Lane in the London Borough of Hackney, England. It closed in August 2003. The school, originally built as Dalston County School around 1937, was closed in August 2003, demolished and rebuilt under the new name of the 'Petchey Academy', named after Jack Petchey. Controversy. The decision to permanently close down Kingsland Secondary School was met with much opposition, as many faculty members and students felt that much progress was being made in improving the standards of teaching and academic levels, which ultimately meant that the school should not  have been branded a 'Special Measures' institution. However, the Office of The Schools Adjudicator published its decision on 14 March 2003 that the school should be discontinued by 31 August 2004. Building layout. Kingsland Secondary School consisted of four buildings, which were known as blocks A,B,C and D. GCSE pass rate. In 2002 the GCSE pass rate (A*-G) was 20%, this increased to 21% in 2003. Film location. The Granada Television series 'Murder City' used the school as a location. The 2005 TV movie 'Ahead of the Class' starring Julie Walters, used the school as a location. The  film was based on a real-life, turn-around-the-school story where Marie Stubbs took the helm at St George's School in Maida Vale, London. Among the many shots of the school inside and out, the main hall in A block featured in assembly scenes. See IMDB https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0421570/