School 21

Who we are

About School 21

School 21 is a pioneering 4 to 18 school in Stratford, East London, for girls and boys and children from all starting points and backgrounds.

School 21 is a very special and different kind of place to work in. We empower staff to find their voice and their creativity. We offer collaboration and learning across ages and subjects. All staff have tailored programmes of professional development which results in extraordinary outcomes for the students. We offer multiple routes for progression through subjects and pedagogies. We believe strongly in developing the full potential of all staff. 

The mission of School 21 is to empower young people to take on the world. Through a rich curriculum of ‘head’, ‘heart’ and ‘hand’ we want children knowing a lot, understanding themselves and making things happen. Our ‘dialogic approach’ to teaching helps children learn through talk and learn to talk and give everyone a voice.

We think schools should be places where children craft stunning work with real products, for real audiences and as a result of real teacher collaboration. Over the past few years our students have created immersive theatre productions depicting the French and Russian revolutions, built mechanical toys bursting with scientific craft. They have spoken out about human rights, ran campaigns to improve the biodiversity of Stratford and charted local history through photographs and poetry. Student work has been critiqued by directors and historians, professors and artists. All work is displayed, celebrated and challenged at termly Exhibitions of Beautiful Work where children tell us their stories of learning, drawing on their deep wells of oracy and well-being.

In June 2014 School 21 was graded as ‘Outstanding’ in all categories in its first Ofsted inspection. Many of the findings reflected the impact of our innovation: "Pupils across the school make exceptional progress." "Pupils have excellent attitudes to learning, impeccable manners and show respect for everyone.” Through project-based learning "pupils achieve remarkable standards of work and demonstrated knowledge and skills at levels beyond those expected for their age group." “Pupils talk and discuss with a maturity and confidence that is remarkable for their years." “Staff morale is exceptionally high. Teachers at the early stages of their career value the ‘fantastic’ professional development and opportunities to learn from each other. Those with more experience said that they have become much better teachers since joining the school.”