Erith School

Erith School

Coat of arms of the School
Motto	Totis Viribus
Established	1967
Type	Bilateral Academy
Headteacher	Mrs Stephanie Allen
Location	Avenue Road Erith Greater London DA8 3BN England Coordinates: 51°28′27″N 0°09′58″E / 51.4742°N 0.1662°E / 51.4742; 0.1662
DfE number	303/4022
DfE URN	136330 Tables
Ofsted	Reports Pre-academy reports
Students	1980
Gender	Mixed
Ages	11–18
Former name	Erith Grammar School
Website	School homepage

Erith School (formerly Erith Grammar School) is a large mixed bilateral secondary school and sixth form in Erith in the London Borough of Bexley for students aged 11 to 18. Since October 2010, it has been an Academy. It is located just off the Bexley Road (A220).

It was designated specialisms in Sports and Mathematics & Computing. Although a comprehensive, for the bilateral intake, many are selected on academic ability. Intake is banded and transfer from one band to another takes place, with each band being successively more academically demanding.

There has been an Erith School of some description in the area since the 1890s. The current school was founded in 1967 by the amalgamation of Northumberland Heath Secondary Modern School and 'Erith Grammar School'. Initially, Erith was a ten-form entry school catering for students of all abilities. In 1972, it became a bilateral school, the only one in the London Borough of Bexley.

Between 1967 and 1997 the school was situated on two sites. The East Building, on Avenue Road, was the old Erith Grammar School and has buildings which date back to the 1950s. The West Building, on Brook Street, was built in the 1930s and was the site of the Northumberland Heath Secondary Modern School.

In 1979, a "hands off Erith School" campaign successfully allowed the school to retain its status. There were plans by Bexley council to either close the school or divide it.

Building work started in the spring of 1994 on a new, refurbished £6.5 million single-site school on the Avenue Road, and was completed by December 1996. It was opened in January 1997, with a new teaching block, sports hall and all weather Astroturf facilities. The old West site on Brook Street is now home to Northumberland Heath Primary School.

In 2005, the school was awarded Specialist Schools status, recognising its excellence in PE, Maths and ICT. This was announced in a formal opening by Sir Trevor Brooking. A new sixth form block, The David Friend Building, opened in May 2007. Its Community Sports Centre oversees usage during the evenings and weekends by a variety of teams.