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The American School in London (ASL) is a private, independent school in St John's Wood, London, England, for students from kindergarten through high school.
| The American School in London | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Location | |
 | |
United Kingdom | |
| Information | |
| Type | International school Non-profit |
| Established | 1951 |
| Department for Education URN | 101168 Tables |
| Grades | K–12 |
| Enrollment | 1,350 |
| Color(s) | Orange and Black |
| Mascot | Eagle |
| Alumni | 12,653 |
| Head of School | Matt Horvat |
| Website | http://www.asl.org |
ASL is accredited by the Department for Education and The Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools. ASL is a member of the National Association of Independent Schools, the Council of International Schools, the Independent Schools Association, and the Association for the Advancement of International Education.[1]
The American School in London is amongst the U.K.’s most expensive day schools, with tuition fees set at £40,900 for Grades 9-12.[2] it has a strong track record of Ivy League and top American and Oxbridge placements.[3]
The school was given an "Outstanding" score upon inspection by Ofsted in 2023.[4]
History
editThe school was established in 1951 by journalist Stephen Eckard. Eckard, an American national, was employed by the BBC at the time.[5] It was first situated in Eckard's home, and was a school primarily for 13 students. The school's colours, orange and black, are inspired by Eckard's alma mater, Princeton University. Prior to that, the school's official colours were red and black. The newly-founded school soon added three teachers and moved to a space in London's Chelsea neighbourhood. The school's first graduation took place in 1960.[5]
Visitors to the school have included U.S. Presidents Harry Truman, Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama during their visits to London.[6] At a visit to The American School In London, President Obama made a short speech in which he talked about the US-UK relationship and the importance of children as the future.[7]
According to the Good Schools Guide, 80% of the 1,350 students hold United States passports, and half of those are multi-passport holders from dual national families.[8]
A 2018 Ofsted inspection report rated ASL as "outstanding" in all fields inspected.[9]
In 2021, The Head of the School Robin Appleby announced her resignation as the school had been accused of indoctrinating its pupils in critical race theory.[10][11][12] Following a December 2021 inspection, the school was downgraded two ratings by Ofsted to "requires improvement". Ofsted had inspected the school following media reports of political indoctrination. While the school was found to give "strong importance to equality and inclusion", the report continued "Sometimes, however, teaching places much more weight on the school’s approach to social justice than on learning subject-specific knowledge and skills". Reporting on the teaching of humanities in the lower school, Ofsted found that pupils "spend much time repeatedly considering identity (including analysing their own characteristics) rather than learning, for example, geographical knowledge".
In a follow up inspection in October 2022, Ofsted determined that following changes the school once again met all independent school standards. [10]
In January 2024, the school announced it had received an "Outstanding" score from Ofsted upon inspection.[4]
Current and former heads
edit- Stephen Eckard, founder, head of school 1951–1971
- Jack Harrison, head of school 1971–1986
- William E. Harris, head of school 1986–1991
- William Greenham, interim head of school 1991–1992
- Judith L. Glickman, head of school 1992–1998[13]
- William C. Mules, head of school 1998–2007[citation needed]
- Coreen R. Hester, head of school 2007–2017[14]
- Robin S. Appleby, head of school 2017–2021
- Coreen R. Hester, interim head of school 2022–2023
- Matt Horvat, head of school 2023–
Notable students
edit- Prabowo Subianto, 8th President of Indonesia, businessman, 3 star Army General and former Minister of Defence
- Devon Aoki, Japanese-American actress
- Nina Axelrod, American actress
- Stewart Copeland, American musician, drummer for The Police
- R. Luke DuBois, American composer and artist
- Cassie Mogilner Holmes, professor at UCLA Anderson School of Management
- Steve-O, British American Canadian stunt performer and TV personality
- Andrew Luck, NFL quarterback
- Lloyd Sam, professional association football player
- Laurie Styvers, American singer-songwriter
- Kathleen Turner, Hollywood actress, director, and two-time Golden Globe recipient
- Charles Walker, Conservative British Member of Parliament for Broxbourne[15]
- Aditya Mittal, CEO, ArcelorMittal
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Accreditation - The American School in London". www.asl.org. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
- ^ "2024-25 tuition - The American School in London". www.asl.org. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
- ^ "The best American Schools in London for expat and international families". Lumos Education. 30 April 2020. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
- ^ a b "Inspection of The American School in London" (PDF). Ofsted. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
- ^ a b "History". asl.org.
- ^ "History". The American School in London.
- ^ "G20 summit: Crowds gather to meet Barack Obama as he speaks of close US-UK ties". The Telegraph.
- ^ "The American School in London". The Good Schools Guide.
- ^ "American School in London". Ofsted. 5 November 2010.
- ^ a b Weale, Sally (7 March 2022). "Ofsted downgrades American School in London over focus on social justice". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 10 March 2022.
- ^ Woolcock, Nicola. "American School in London accused of 'racial indoctrination'". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 27 November 2021.
- ^ Quetteville, Harry de; Steafel, Eleanor (25 November 2021). "Educating snowflakes: Why our public schools have gone woke". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 27 November 2021.
- ^ "American School in London 2018" (PDF). Accents. 8 – via Resources.
- ^ "News Post". The American School in London.
- ^ "OBE for Broxbourne MP Charles Walker". Hertfordshire Mercury. 30 December 2013. Archived from the original on 26 July 2015. Retrieved 25 March 2017.