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Tulse Hill School
is claimed to be a brave experiment in comprehensive education for London.
Located in Upper Tulse Hill - in the Borough of Lambeth in SW London - the
school opened on 11 September 1956 under the Headmastership of Mr. Clifford
Thomas and survived until closure in 1990 and demolition in early
1990s. Changing population figures for the area have been argued as the reason
for closure.
The school is rapidly
fading in the South London consciousness. This site is focused on filling
the gaps before all is forgotten.
Following demolition, the site was bought by a housing association and homes for 160 people
have since been built on the ex-school site. As at 1997, the school
entrance and the caretaker's cottage remained on site. House builders on site
said that the school building basement (plant) level remained, as it had simply been "filled" in.
Tulse Hill was a large school. A glass curtain
building of eight floors, it had an enrolment of almost two thousand
students. Unusual for a school, four lifts serviced the building. Student management was originally based on Public School lines
with Houses and Housemasters, and School and House Prefects. Reflecting that
Public School model was the establishment of Upper and Lower Schools, Upper and Lower Sixth
Forms and the promotion of "Remove" classes. Classics (Latin and
Greek) were available to the "L" forms. Later, the School moved
away from a House system, replacing it with pastoral group units. The 11+
examination had its own particular impact on Tulse Hill School.
LETS BRING IT BACK TO LIFE!
Any comments, information (particularly
interested in Year Books and House Photos and memories - has anyone got
anything about the Last Day? please contact
info@tulsehillschool.co.uk
Please use the
Message Board to make contact with anyone
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Welcome
to the Tulse Hill School Website
Lambeth
S.W. London
All updates are now covered in the
"What's New"
section.
-=*
Read about the new book on
Brockwell Park Lido *=-
The School was
well equipped with facilities such as workshops and labs oriented to vocational
education streams. Classroom and teaching support for pursuit of the arts
was at a high level, including dedicated kiln rooms for
ceramic work. Theatre and music were important to the School. The
Great Hall boasted an entirely professional stage lighting system and Music
Rooms were equipped with an orchestra of instruments. The massive ex-Rose Hill Cinema organ had pride of
place in the Great Hall and provided a unique musical experience as it blasted
out items including the Trumpet Voluntary and the school song.
With six gyms, extensive open and paved grounds, bus transport to
Priest Hill Playing Fields at Ewell, use of a boathouse at Putney, and keen staff, the school provided superior support to physical and
sporting activities. An on-site swimming pool was mooted in the early
sixties but that proposal never matured.
The School had a commitment to off-site activities. Trips to various parts of
the UK and Europe - and even to the Caribbean - for cultural, sporting, artistic and social purposes were
common. Headmaster Long's drive in the early 70s to purchase The Croft in the lovely village of Etchingham in
Sussex provided the School with an almost - for a State School - unique study
centre.
Drawing from South London suburbs - including Streatham, Brixton, Herne Hill,
Clapham and
Brockwell Park - the school had its share of social problems. Teachers have
referred to it as "a rather rough school" (John Robertshaw
www.shelia-markham.com/Archives/jrobert.htm
), "an interesting (but not an easy) place to work" (Mike Stevens
www.mike-stevens.co.uk/
See Mike's site for excellent stuff also on
waterways and waterways navigation), "a tough teach but
I...learnt a great deal from it..." remembers Paul Ellison.
Ex-pupil and rap
artist Kao Bonez describes Tulse Hill as a "nutter school".
As a pupil in the 80s, Mark Azoulay used to muse "does anyone know what's going on here"?
Teacher Tony Taylor says "My decision to teach at Tulse Hill was onfrdexe of the best I made in my
career ..". Bob Moon, now at the Open University, suggests that
"Tulse Hill very much
reflects the story of secondary education in the latter part of the twentieth
century" . Clearly an interesting School and one not to be forgotten by
pupils, teachers or Community.
As we knew and loved it
It's all over Rover !!
After the demolition
Pics by Tony E -Thanks Tony
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