Chestnut Grove Academy

Chestnut Grove Academy
A mural celebrating alumnus Jade Johnson
Address
45 Chestnut Grove, Balham London , SW12 8JZ England
Coordinates	51°26′40″N 0°09′19″W
Information
Former name	Chestnut Grove School
Type	Academy
Established	September 1986; 38 years ago (1986-09)
Local authority	Wandsworth
Trust	Wandle Learning Trust
Specialist	Arts (visual arts)
Department for Education URN	136883 Tables
Ofsted	Reports
Headteacher	Christian Kingsley [1]
Gender	Mixed
Age range	11–19
Enrolment	1279[2]
Capacity	1100[2]
Houses	Blake Da Vinci Hepworth Kahlo Kapoor Turner Kusama [3]
Website	www.chestnutgrove.wandsworth.sch.uk

Chestnut Grove Academy (often abbreviated as CGA) is an 11–19 mixed partially selective secondary school with academy and Visual Arts College status in Balham, London, England.[4][5] In January 2019, Chestnut Grove was assessed in an OFSTED inspection report as good.[6]

History

It was formed as Chestnut Grove School in September 1986 by the amalgamation of Henry Thornton School (named for Henry Thornton) and Hydeburn School[7] before achieving academy status in July 2011.[8]

It selects 40% of its pupils for places based on aptitude in art and design or language. It was the first Arts College in the United Kingdom.[9]

Site and Buildings

The Chestnut Grove site has many buildings, each dedicated to their own specialised facilities.

• North Block - Textiles, Languages, History, Geography, Government & Politics, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and Food Tech classrooms. Also contains the library.
• South Block - Drama, Dance, Music, IT, Business, Film, and Sport classrooms. Also contains the canteen, drama theatre, indoor sports hall, and dance studio.
• West Block - Philosophy, Beliefs, and Ethics (Religious Studies), Sociology, Psychology, and Sport classrooms. Also contains the Sixth form study and multigym.
• Hearnville Building - English, Maths, Further Maths, and Economics classrooms.
• Pavilions - Fine Art and Digital Art classrooms. Also contains the art studio.

Outside these buildings, Chestnut Grove has two sports pitches: an upper pitch dedicated to football and a lower pitch that can hold a wide-ranging selection of sports. Additionally, Chestnut Grove has an eating area with benches outside the canteen and a green.

Tutor groups

Chestnut Grove's house system consists of 7 tutor groups: Blake, Da Vinci, Hepworth, Kahlo, Kapoor, Kusama, and Turner. Every year group is separated into these 7 tutor groups, each of which contains 30 students. Each tutor group has its own corresponding coloured tie:

• Blake - Green
• Da Vinci - Yellow
• Hepworth - Cobalt Blue
• Kahlo - Red
• Kapoor - Maroon
• Kusama - Violet
• Turner - Light Blue

The Kusama tutor group was introduced in September 2020 in order to meet the large numbers of new Year 7s. KS3 students were given the choice to vote on the name and corresponding tie colour of the tutor group. [10]

The sixth form

Chestnut Grove's sixth form offers a range of subjects to study at A-level. It is open for application to both internal students (students that studied at Chestnut Grove), and external candidates (students that received their secondary education elsewhere).

The sixth form offers subjects that were not available to take at GCSE level, such as Film Studies, Government & Politics, Sociology, and Psychology. Students can also retake GCSEs during their sixth form course. The sixth form has minimum entry requirements of grade 6s at GCSE level for subjects that students want to further study at A-Level. For a student to graduate from year 12 to year 13, they must have attained minimum grades of two Es at AS level.

Headteachers and principals

• Margaret Peacock (1990 – 2014) [11]
• Christian Kingsley (2014 – Present)

Notable Alumni

• Adele, singer and songwriter[12]
• Cadet, rapper[13]
• Jade Johnson, retired track and field athlete[14][15]

References

1. "Message from the Headteacher". Chestnut Grove Academy. Retrieved 7 December 2018.
2. "Chestnut Grove School". Get information about schools. GOV.UK. Retrieved 7 December 2018.
3. "House System". Chestnut Grove Academy. Retrieved 7 December 2018.
4. "Chestnut Grove Academy: Addressing Equality Through Debate". Local Newsie. 23 April 2019.
5. "Art & Design | Chestnut Grove Academy". www.chestnutgrove.wandsworth.sch.uk. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
6. "OFSTED Report | Chestnut Grove Academy". www.chestnutgrove.org.uk. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
7. "A Short History of Henry Thornton Grammar School". Old Thorntonians Golf Society. Archived from the original on 26 April 2012. Retrieved 1 February 2013.
8. "Chestnut Grove Academy". www.chestnutgrove.wandsworth.sch.uk. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
9. School website http://www.chestnutgrove.wandsworth.sch.uk
10. "Chestnut Grove News, Issue #106" (PDF). www.chestnutgrove.org.uk. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
11. "Community thank you to dedicated Chestnut Grove headteacher Margaret Peacock". Your Local Guardian. 12 August 2014. Retrieved 20 December 2023.
12. Atkinson, Emily (21 November 2021). "Adele breaks down in tears during surprise reunion with old teacher". The Independent. Retrieved 21 November 2021.
13. "Chestnut Grove". Genius. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
14. Harding, Eleanor (7 November 2009). "Strictly star Jade Johnson visits Chestnut Grove School". Your Local Guardian. Retrieved 29 April 2022.
15. Jade Johnson [@JadeLJohnson7] (10 May 2015). "Think the world can just about cope w ONE life size me😳😜lol #ArtDept @ my old school did a GREAT job!#ChestnutGrove" (Tweet) – via Twitter.