Sydenham School
Community secondary school in London (Lewisham).
Location
iSchool location from Get Information about Schools. Nearby schools are coloured by phase. Open Map+ for a full-screen map with neighbourhood deprivation (England only).About
Whether you left Sydenham last year or many decades ago, you remain an important part of our school community. Since 1917, Sydenham School has been educating and empowering young women, and you are part of that proud legacy. Our motto Aim High continues to guide everything we do.
Todays students, like you once did, embody the Sydenham Characteristics of ambition, determination and respect as they pursue their goals and passions. We remain committed to providing a nurturing environment where every student feels safe, confident and happy to achieve academic excellence.
Our curriculum still goes beyond the national curriculum requirements, instilling a genuine passion for learning in every subject. We celebrate creativity, active learning, problem solving and collaboration in the classroom so that our students know more, remember more and become more confident and engaged.
As an inclusive school, we are proud that every student can achieve highly regardless of their starting point a principle that has defined Sydenham throughout our history.
In the school’s own words, from the school website.
Enrichment
8 activitiesiFound on the school website by WhatSchool. Not verified by Governance Register; the school website is the authority.- Cooking
- Dance
- Duke of Edinburgh
- Football
- Rugby
- Stem
- Tennis
- Textiles
Awards
3 awardsiFound on the school website by WhatSchool. Not verified by Governance Register; the school website is the authority.- Duke of EdinburghPersonal development
- Music MarkMusic
- Healthy SchoolsHealth and wellbeing
Key facts
- URN
- 100741
- Type
- Community school
- Phase
- Secondary
- Ages
- 11 to 18
- Gender
- Girls
- Admissions
- Non-selective
- Sixth form
- Has a sixth form
- Nursery
- No Nursery Classes
- Local authority
- Lewisham
- Constituency
- Lewisham West and East Dulwich
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
Governing body (13 current, 2 former)
Maintained school governing body.
Leadership
| Name | Role | How appointed | Term |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mr Patrick Cullen | Chair of Governors | Elected by parents | since 2024 · until 2027 ends 2027 |
Full governing body
| Name | Role | How appointed | Term |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ms Helen Careswell | Governor | Elected by parents | since 2026 · until 2030 |
| Mr Thomas Griffith | Governor | Elected by school staff | since 2025 · until 2029 |
| Ms Gugu Hlophe | Governor | Appointed by LA | since 2025 · until 2029 |
| Ms Rebecca Ingram | Governor | Appointed by GB/board | since 2024 · until 2028 |
| Mr Simon Ossai | Governor | Appointed by GB/board | since 2024 · until 2028 |
| Mr Volker Kauschel | Governor | Appointed by GB/board | since 2024 · until 2028 |
| Ms Obi James | Governor | Appointed by GB/board | since 2023 · until 2027 ends 2027 |
| Ms Victoria Wade | Governor | Appointed by GB/board | since 2023 · until 2027 ends 2027 |
| Mr Jordan Belgrave | Governor | Appointed by GB/board | since 2023 · until 2027 ends 2027 |
| Ms Wing Chow | Governor | Appointed by GB/board | since 2023 · until 2027 ends 2027 |
| Mrs Emma Wijnberg | Governor | Ex-officio by virtue of office as headteacher/principal | since 2023 |
| Mr Matthew Wingate | Governor | Elected by parents | since 2023 · until 2027 ends 2027 |
| Mr Hugh Dames Former | Governor | Elected by parents | since 2024 · term ended 2026 |
| Ms Kate Slater-Vance Former | Governor | Elected by parents | since 2022 · term ended 2026 |
Source: Department for Education, Get Information about Schools (governance records, as at 25 October 2026). Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Names are shown as published; there are no addresses or contact details. Current and former are worked out from term end dates when the page loads. Object or ask for removal · Report an issue with this record