FRANCE Hill was a “good school” according to the Office for Standards in Education inspection in 1999, not a “sink” school as implied in your article, (TES, Surrey local focus, November 22).
France Hill school’s best exam year was 2001 when 51 per cent of GCSE pupils gained at least A* to C grades not the 36 per cent reported in your article.
This was a particularly remarkable achievement as France Hill (since renamed Kings International) was coping with all the demands of creating a new school. The results reflect the good teaching and learning that was present then.
The initiative to create a new school came from France Hill governors and staff. They sought help from Surrey education authority to improve further the education on offer in the Camberley area.
I was disappointed there was no acknowledgement in your article of this unique and successful partnership, which gained significant support from the wider school community.
Mrs JM Pearson
Ex-headteacher France Hill
Head, The Matthew Arnold school
Kingston Road
Staines, Middlesex
