Established | 1904 |
---|---|
Closed | 2012 |
Type | Comprehensive school |
Location |
Pullman Gardens Putney Heath, Putney London SW15 3DG England Coordinates: 51°27′17″N 0°13′33″W / 51.4548°N 0.2259°W |
DfE URN | 101060 Tables |
Elliott School was a school in Putney, England, founded in 1904, which evolved into the Ark Putney Academy in 2012.
Elliott School was a co-educational foundation school and sixth form college in Pullman Gardens, Putney, in the London Borough of Wandsworth. It had Language College specialist status through which it gained a European Award for Languages in 2004, the International School Award from the British Council and an Artsmark Award which reflected the school's strong tradition in the visual and performing arts. The school had a purpose-built theatre (proscenium type) as well as art studios and design technology workshops. The school's assembly hall was the location for the Christmas pageant in Richard Curtis' 2003 film Love Actually where Hugh Grant, Emma Thompson and other stars visited for the movie. One of its former pupils was actor Pierce Brosnan.
There had been a number of locations for the Elliott School. It was initially known as Southfields School when it first opened in temporary buildings at Merton Road in 1904. The school was given central school status in 1910 before changing its name to Elliott School in 1911 after Sir Charles Elliott, a governor and the first Chairman of Managers, the school's elephant badge reflecting his service in India. The school's leaving age was raised to 14 in 1918, and the Elliott (Mixed) School was reorganised into separate Boys’ and Girls’ Schools in 1925.
During World War Two, the two schools were evacuated to different locations in 1939. An Emergency School opened in Merton Road in 1940, which merged with the two Elliott Schools in 1945 when they returned to Merton Road at the end of the war.
In 1956 the two Elliott Schools and Huntingfield Secondary Modern School, amalgamated on a new site in Pullman Gardens, to become Elliott Comprehensive School, officially opened in 1957 by the Rt Hon Hugh Gaitskell. The first Head of the new school was Maurice Holmes (1956–1967). He was succeeded by Tom Davies (1968–1974), Guardino Rospigliosi (1974–1982), Victor Burgess (1982–2002), Tony Willis (2002–2005), Sharon Ferrell (2005–2009) and Margaret Peacock (2009–2010).