Mayfield School, Portsmouth


Mayfield School is a mixed all-through school for pupils ages 4 to 16 located in North End, Portsmouth.

The school

The majority of the school building retains its original 1930s architectural style, with wooden door panels and wooden tile flooring; other parts of the school feature later stylised corridors.
Funding for a new building was agreed in 2017, with a plan to demolish the existing building.

History

Grammar school

The school is located in the buildings of the former Portsmouth Northern Grammar School for Boys and Portsmouth Northern Grammar School for Girls, which were opened in 1932.. After wartime evacuation, the two secondary schools were re-established in 1946 as a result of the 1944 Education Act. The boys' school housed approximately 550 boys in 1970 and was run by the City of Portsmouth Education Committee.

Comprehensive

In 1975 the two schools were amalgamated with Brunel School and North End Modern Girls' School to form the largest comprehensive school in Portsmouth, with approximately 1800 pupils. The roll was later reduced by the setting up of Portsmouth's Sixth Form College with the school losing its sixth form.
In 1999, the school was failing academically and was placed in "special measures" after an Ofsted inspection said it was failing to provide an acceptable standard of education. With new teachers the school has experienced a slight increase in academic achievement, with a 4% rise in GCSE achievement in 2004, compared with 2003.
In 2005, 150 students of the school launched a protest against the deportation of a fellow student, Lorin Sulaiman, who had previously immigrated from Syria in 2003 after fearing for her safety.

All-through

In September 2014 the school opened an infant and junior section of the school meaning that pupils can attend from the age of 4 to 16.

Performing Arts

In 2007, the school received the Special Performing Arts Status after raising £50,000. The school spent the money on a new Dance/Drama Studio.

School productions

The school adopted a house system in 2011. The houses are Endeavor, Discovery, Intrepid and Victory, all named after historic British ships.

Notable former pupils

Northern Grammar School for Boys