Nestled in the heart of Brixton, Evelyn Grace Academy is a new, purpose-built secondary school. The school, which is just a few minutes’ walk from Brixton’s famous market, is already making waves in the local community thanks to its award-winning buildings, cutting-edge facilities and track record of giving great opportunities to its students.
Amongst those students is sixth former Nayane Pires, who moved to the UK with only basic English less than three years ago. Originally from Brazil, Nayane says: ““The school’s teacher for students who spoke English as an additional language, Miss Tralhao, put me in for extra English lessons. It really helped me improve my English.” Thanks to that extra support, Nayane passed both her English GCSEs, as well as getting good results in maths and geography.
Head of Design Technology Mervin Kissoon says: “EGA is a very community-focused school and there’s a real sense of teamwork amongst the staff. I remember in the lead-up to our last Ofsted inspection, we were encouraging each other in the hallways and really reinforcing the idea that we could do this and we would impress Ofsted together.
“Personally, I believe that the staff here are the best I’ve worked with. They’re excited about the school and they are very, very talented.
“The culture at EGA is very different, even from lots of Ark’s schools. The students come from really eclectic backgrounds and they’re very special. When you see the way students respond to learning here, you get a real sense that the school can achieve really incredible things.”
History teacher and published playwright Ben Fogarty says: “There’s a lot of challenges at EGA, but it’s somewhere where you have a real opportunity to spread your wings. I was interested in setting up Duke of Edinburgh Award and New Views Theatre programmes in the school and I’ve been given the tools and freedom to lead really great schemes.
“You really feel part of the Brixton community here and it’s amazing seeing the impact your teaching is having on that community.”
