The Howard School

Challenging the stereotypical view of underachievement in young men

By Head of School, Terry Millar

At the start of 2008, The Howard School was hitting national headlines for all the wrong reasons. “Most violent school in Britain” was the Daily Mail description, even if the reality was somewhat different. Paul Morris, now CEO of The Howard Academy Trust, had taken over as Principal the previous year and was under no illusions as to the task he faced. Yet by the end of 2008, behaviour had been sorted and Ofsted had visited to confirm that the school had moved from satisfactory to good.

The Howard School is a non-selective bilateral boys’ school with a mixed sixth form in Medway, which is a selective area, with 1500 students on roll. Every year a very small number of students join us who have passed their 11+ exam, with the majority either not passing or not having taken the test. In this context it would be easy to have low aspirations and low standards: not at The Howard School.