The King John School


The King John School, often abbreviated to King John, is a secondary academy school with a sixth form in South Benfleet, Essex, England. It is named after King John of England. The main school building was opened in 1949: contrary to popular belief this building was never designed, nor used, as a hospital. As of January 2017, the school has an enrolment of 2138 students, operating over its recommended capacity of 2000 students.
The school has been rated 'Outstanding' by Ofsted in 2013, however a report published on 26 April 2019 has seen its rating drop to 'Inadequate', the worst grading a school can get, which was mainly due to poor management, with the biggest problem in that Leaders that have not followed "statutory guidance for keeping children safe", meaning that "safeguarding is not effective." The quality of teaching, outcomes for pupils, and the sixth form are rated 'Good' by Ofsted.

History

Construction of the school was started in 1938, but suspended for the duration of the war and restarted in 1948. It was opened in May 1949 as Benfleet Secondary Modern, at which time only the South Wing was completed. The school took pupils from primary schools in Hadleigh, Thundersley, South Benfleet and New Thundersley. Before the official opening in 1953, the school was used as a shelter station after the Canvey Island flood tragedy, a gesture that led to the headmaster being awarded the OBE. It was then known as King John Secondary modern school with 1100 pupils and became a comprehensive school in the early 1960s, it is now a secondary academy school with a sixth form.