Remember Abbotsfield School for Boys? It transformed. Now it is Oak Wood School. This coeducational secondary school also has a sixth form. Oak Wood School sits in the London Borough of Hillingdon. It shares its site with Swakeleys School for Girls. Ofsted rated Oak Wood School as Good in its latest inspection.
Oak Wood School’s story began long before its current name. Abbotsfield School for Boys was established in 1953. Its original location was on Clifton Gardens. The Abbotsfield and Swakeleys schools shared a site. The schools consisted of fourteen blocks. These blocks were mostly one or two stories high. They were built between the 1950s and 2005.
Big changes came. The old school was renamed Oak Wood School on July 20 2018. It became co-educational. The original closing date was planned for 2016. But this was delayed. This allowed building works to be completed. The old buildings remained in use until the new facility opened. Then the old buildings were demolished. The same happened to Swakeleys School’s buildings. The London Borough of Hillingdon funded the new buildings. The reason for Abbotsfield’s reopening as co-ed was low admission rates. Its performance also played a role.
Oak Wood School moved into its new building in January 2018. A special event marked the occasion on February 2 2018. Ray Puddifoot was there. He was the Leader of the Hillingdon Council. Boris Johnson also attended. He was the MP for Uxbridge and South Ruislip. Headteacher Mark Bland joined them. Together they unveiled a plaque in the school’s entrance hall. Interestingly Cllr Ray Puddifoot was once a pupil here himself.
The new building boasts some great facilities. It has purpose-built drama and music areas. A 4-court sports hall and external sports courts are available. A dance studio was also built. These additions increased the number of school places by 375. Oak Wood School also provides support for pupils with SEND.
Oak Wood School’s address is Sutton Court Road UB10 9HT. Its capacity is 1350 students. The school colors are green and yellow. The sixth form wears purple.
Daniel Cowling is the current headteacher. He helped the school reach Good status in 2022. Other headteachers include Gilly Hare and Mark Bland. David Henderson and Robert Preston also led Abbotsfield.
Oak Wood School organizes students into house groups. Students chose the first three house names in 2016 and 2017. Yousafzai was chosen in 2022.
So Oak Wood School stands as a testament to change. It shows commitment to education. It also provides modern facilities for its students.