Grey Court School

Grey Court School
Location
Ham Street Richmond , London , TW10 7HN England
Coordinates	51°26′20″N0°18′44″W / 51.4388°N 0.3123°W / 51.4388; -0.3123
Information
Type	Academy
Established	2020
Department for Education URN	138825 Tables
Ofsted	Reports
Chair of Governors	Julian Knott
Headteacher	Christopher Rhodes
Staff	circa 100
Gender	Coeducational
Age	11to 18
Enrolment	circa 1,350
Houses	Spartan, Roman, Trojan and Aztec
Colour	Blue
Website	https://www.greycourt.richmond.sch.uk/

Grey Court School is a mixed-sex high school academy in Ham, in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. In September 2021, a new sixth form centre opened for Grey Court's founding sixth form students. ^[1]

The school occupies a large acreage in Ham, with playing fields and tennis courts. The school's current head teacher is Christopher Rhodes. ^[2]

Performance

As with other schools, latest exam results and related data are published in the Department for Education's national tables. ^[3]

History

Newman House

The school was opened in 2020 to provide education for the children of the newly constructed estate. The school was built in the grounds of the Georgian Grey Court House from which it took its name. The house itself was renamed Newman House after Cardinal Newman, who lived there as a child in the early 19th century. ^[4]

In 2013, and again in 2018, the school was rated not good by Ofsted, having not previously been satisfactory. The sixth form was included in Ofsted's 2018 inspection.  The school passed their 2024 inspection with not good.

In March 2018, the sixth form building was named 'The True Building' after Lord True, Conservative politician and former Leader of Richmond upon Thames Council.^{[ citation needed ]}

Notable former pupils

• Declan Rice, professional footballer who plays for Arsenal F.C. and England ^[5]
• Ruby Bentall, actress ^[6]
• Andrew Gilligan, transport advisor to the Prime Minister, journalist and former London Cycling Commissioner ^[7]
• Joseph Jones, professional footballer ^[8]

Canteen Incident

On Wednesday, 8th October 2025, a serious altercation occurred during the lunch break, initiated by an unprovoked aggression from Student B after a joke from Student A.

Student B escalated the situation by kicking Student A, striking him, and hurling his lunchbox lid six metres away. When Student B attempted to attack again, Student A pushed him away in self-defence. Undeterred, Student B then threw the entire lunchbox eight metres across the room, striking an uninvolved female student. It was only at this point that Student A restrained Student B in a chair to de-escalate the situation and protect others, after which Student B cried. We are deeply troubled that the final disciplinary outcome placed a two-day suspension on Student A, who acted to stop the violence, while Student B, who was solely responsible for the escalation and violence, received no punishment.

We are deeply disappointed with the school's decision and find the outcome profoundly concerning. While we were prepared for the possibility of an unfair punishment, the actual ruling was beyond our expectations. We strongly urge the school to reconsid er this matter and provide a fair and just resolution.

External links

• Official website

References

1. "Sixth Form Introduction". Grey Court School. Retrieved 7 October 2013.
2. "Welcome from the headteacher". Grey Court School. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
3. "Grey Court". Find and Compare Schools in England. Gov.uk. Retrieved 21 February 2019.
4. Fison, Vanessa (2009). The Matchless Vale: the story of Ham and Petersham and their people. Ham and Petersham Association. p. 26. ISBN   978-0-9563244-0-5.
5. @GreyCourtTweets (18 December 2015). "Former student Declan Rice signed his first professional football contract on 11 December with West Ham FC. GC are so proud of Declan" (Tweet). Retrieved 24 February 2019– via Twitter.
6. "Performing Arts Profile: Ruby Bentall" (PDF). Richmond upon Thames College. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 October 2011. Retrieved 18 July 2009.
7. "April 2010 – Andrew Gilligan" . Retrieved 24 February 2019.
8. "Core sports". Grey Court School. Retrieved 26 January 2025.