Hampstead School

• Name — Hampstead School • Motto — Learning together, achieving together • Established — 1862 • Type — Community school • Head Label — Headmaster • Head — Matthew Sadler • Address — Westbere Road • City — London • Country — United Kingdom • Postal Code — NW2 3RT • Local Authority — Camden • Ofsted — yes • Urn — 100052 • Enrolment — 1,300 • Gender — Co-educational • Lower Age — 11 • Upper Age — 19 • Colours — Red, black and white • Website — http: www.hampsteadschool.org.uk

The main school building on Westbere Road is one of West Hampstead's oldest buildings. It was originally the site of Haberdashers' Aske's Hampstead School after relocating from its original Hoxton premises in January 1903 and before moving in 1961 to its present location when it became Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' School, Elstree. Hampstead School was founded as a secondary modern in 1961 and incorporated Harben Secondary Modern School in Netherwood Street, Kilburn, before becoming a comprehensive. The main building façade still displays the old Latin motto Is est emendo; tendo quod macula iocus notitia – To correct faults, give direction and impart knowledge.

Hampstead School was awarded a 'gold star' accolade by Ofsted in 2001, which placed it within the top 6% of schools in the country. This was despite half of its 1,275 pupils speaking English as a second language and 10 per cent being refugees. Compared with similar schools, Hampstead was rated well above average for exam results and given an 'A' grade. Some aspects of the school's performance according to Ofsted dipped after the 2005 inspection. In particular, attendance and GCSE results fell sharply in 2006. However, according to Ofsted this dip was corrected by 2008. GCSE students sitting their examinations in 2010 achieved the school's highest key stage 4 results to date, surpassing the record set by the 2009 cohort. The 2012 Ofsted report graded the school as 'good' for both achievement of pupils and quality of teaching.

Hampstead School's approach, many of whose students enter the Sixth Form with below average standards, enables most go on to university.

The school's Debating Society meets every Friday and includes students from all year groups. In 2005, 21 students from Hampstead School became the first team from a comprehensive school to win top prize for being best delegation at the Model United Nations (MUN) forum held at Belfast. Providing participants with the opportunity to debate issues of international concern, the MUN Forum was attended by over 250 delegates from 20 selected schools throughout England, Canada, Burkina Faso and America. Hampstead School students also received several awards for outstanding individual performances. Entering two teams to compete in the biennial competition hosted by Woodhouse College in North Finchley, one of Hampstead School's teams (representing North Korea) won the 2017 MUN Best Delegation Award.

In 2013 headmaster Jacques Szemalikowski reported to the police a pupil who had set up a website critical of Hampstead School.

In the 1998 New Year Honours, then-headmistress Tamsyn Imison was appointed DBE: citing that Dame Tamsyn Imison had introduced initiatives to improve standards and ensured the best were spread to local schools.