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2011-05-08 04:51:48
By Clare Spencer BBC News
Some schools are able to boast extraordinary clusters of the great and good or
the just plain famous. But is it something the schools do or just coincidence?
Go and look at your old school's Wikipedia page. Roughly three-quarters of the
way down the page there is usually a section listing notable past pupils.
Some are household names - musicians and TV presenters. Others are unknown to
most, but are still at the top of their field - captains of industry, research
scientists and diplomats.
If you can't find that alumni section it may be because no-one from your school
went on to become famous. It could be that your classroom wasn't in one of
these "celebrity schools".
Major public schools like Eton are well-known for their track record of turning
out famous alumni. David Cameron was the 19th British prime minister to attend
the school near Windsor. But what about ordinary state schools? There are
plenty with clusters of famous ex-pupils.
Just a few miles from Eton is Drayton Manor High School in London. Past pupils
at the comprehensive include singer Jay Kay, the front man for Jamiroquai,
England and Tottenham footballer Peter Crouch and rock star Rick Wakeman.
(from left to right) rapper Tinchy Stryder, Conservative MP David Amess and
footballer Jermain Defoe The rapper, MP and footballer all went to St
Bonaventures in Forest Gate, east London
Over on the other side of the capital is St Bonaventure's Catholic
Comprehensive School. Nicknamed St Bons, the east London boys' school produced
England and Tottenham footballer Jermain Defoe, chart-topping rapper Tinchy
Stryder, 2005 Apprentice winner Timothy Campbell and Conservative MP David
Amess.
There are plenty of clusters outside London as well.
The Liverpool Institute, now closed, had Beatles George Harrison and Paul
McCartney, along with their road manager Neil Aspinall, the newsreader Peter
Sissons and theatre producer Bill Kenwright all at the school at the same time.
Belfast's St Malachy's College is the oldest Catholic grammar school in
Northern Ireland. Many former students went on to positions of influence. But
as well as the judges, politicians and bishops that attended the school, so did
TV presenter Eamonn Holmes, actor Ciaran Hinds and football manager Martin
O'Neill.
High aspirations
North London comprehensive Haverstock School also boasts a mixed set of famous
students. The leader of the Labour Party, Ed Miliband, and his brother David
went there. But so did all three members of the successful hip-hop group N-Dubz
and former Labour MP Oona King. Footballers John Barnes and Joe Cole are also
former students, as is actor Steve McFadden who plays Phil Mitchell in
Eastenders.
Lesser known independent schools
Helena Bonham Carter and Olivia Williams
presenter Esther Rantzen
Cole
Head teacher John Dowd says the school has a diverse set of students. Half its
pupils are entitled to free school meals, more than half are bilingual and 23%
are refugees. He believes N-Dubz's feats demonstrate that success can also come
for students who aren't just academic.
"We try to generate a culture of high aspiration and success in any field is
something to be lauded, whether that's in sport or politics or on television."
Some successful former students also come back to help the current pupils.
David Milband comes into the school on Tuesdays to teach politics and mentor
pupils.
That belief in students is something Michael Portillo thinks is important in a
school - but is lacking in many. He went to Harrow High School - not to be
confused with the famous fee-paying Harrow School. He graduated the year before
his school moved from grammar to comprehensive status - going on to become a
government minister and later a TV personality - along with a cloud of famous
alumni.
Michael Portillo stands (centre row, third from left) next to classmate TV
presenter Clive Anderson on Harrow County Grammar's school photo Former
Conservative MP Michael Portillo stands next to classmate TV presenter Clive
Anderson
In an old school photo he is standing next to the former barrister and TV
presenter, Clive Anderson. Their classmate was Sir Nigel Sheinwald, the current
British ambassador to the US. In the same year over at the girls' school was
Diane Abbott, who went on to become the first black woman to be elected to the
House of Commons and is Portillo's partner in punditry on the weekly politics
programme This Week.
Portillo attributes his success to "warm", educated, intelligent and dedicated
teachers. He also adds that he and his classmates had ambitious parents who had
"lots of books in their houses".
But for him the main reason the school was successful was the competitive
environment.
"Twice a year we got our exam results and everyone would know each other's
results," he says. "In my class there were three of us who competed for the top
spot."
Paul Nurse was two years above Portillo. He went on to become Sir Paul, the
Nobel prize-winning president of the Royal Society.
Location, location, location
House music DJ Judge Jules says it wasn't what was taught in the classroom that
made many pupils in his former school successful; it was down to its location
in a middle-class area. He says it meant there were a high proportion of "pushy
parents".
He went to Highgate Wood comprehensive in north London, as did the BBC's
business editor Robert Peston, DJ and singer Sonique, former England footballer
Laurie Cunningham and fashion designer Ozwald Boateng.
Jules says his parents expected a lot from him academically, which was typical
for his "suburban" area. He got into DJing while he was studying law at
university.
footballer Shaun Wright-Phillips and newsreader Fiona Bruce Footballer Shaun
Wright-Phillips and newsreader Fiona Bruce went to the same school
But for the former chief inspector of schools, Chris Woodhead, the main
determinant of a successful school with a healthy output of golden alumni is
the head teacher.
He picks out Elizabeth Sidwell. Currently England's schools commissioner, Dr
Sidwell was the headteacher at Haberdashers' Aske's Hatcham College in New
Cross, south-east London. The alumni of this school include newsreader Fiona
Bruce, footballer Shaun Wright-Phillips and singer-songwriter Katy B.
It would seem, anecdotally at least, that many of these "celebrity schools" are
in London. That might be down to anything from the economic dominance of the
capital to the fact that many of the great and good gravitate there and so
school their children there.
What is clear is that there are plenty of diverse opinions on why schools might
produce famous alumni, often from the alumni themselves, but nobody can really
establish a formula for a good school.
In the end, it might all be coincidence.