Welcome and Ethos

Welcome to Prendergast School! We are delighted you are taking this time to find out more about our school. We were awarded Outstanding in all five categories by OFSTED in March 2025, after being rated Outstanding in our three previous inspections, which we believe shows the strength and depth of our educational offer to the young people in Lewisham and surrounding boroughs. 

We are an academy school in the Leathersellers' Federation of Schools and you are invited to find out more here about the Federation's vision and values. Here are some of the things that make us who we are:

• Prendergast School is a small inclusive girls’ school with a mixed Sixth Form. Young people from our diverse local community receive an exceptional education in a safe, stimulating and supportive learning environment.
• We have high aspirations for our students and believe they all have the right to succeed both academically and personally. An ambitious, inclusive curriculum equips them with the knowledge and skills to be successful in the modern world.
• We celebrate and promote creativity including exceptional opportunities in music for our young people.
• Prendergast School provides high-quality teaching through our enthusiastic and highly committed teachers. Our staff are positive role models who support and foster a love of learning in our students, enabling excellent academic outcomes.
• Prendergast School is a place where people are valued, thrive and make positive contributions. This is achieved through the strong relationships shared by all members of our community, built on the foundations of Truth, Honour, Freedom, and Courtesy in our school motto.
• We are proud to be part of the Leathersellers’ Federation of Schools and, through collaboration, we believe that we are stronger together.

A message from our Headteacher

It is an honour and a privilege to be Prendergast School’s eleventh Headteacher, and to work with staff, students and families. Staff here are passionate about ensuring the very best opportunities and education for all students. Our motto and ethos is 'Truth, Honour, Freedom and Courtesy'. We are all on the same side; working to support all students to excel. We take pride in building strong relationships with students and their families, and right across our local community.

We have a long history of providing exceptional education to young people. We were founded in 1890 as Prendergast Grammar School for Girls on a site in Catford provided by the Leathersellers’ Company, which then funded the school’s move to its current site in Brockley in 1995.

We are now part of the Leathersellers’ Federation of Schools, a group of three secondary and two primary schools, as well as Prendergast Sixth Form here at this school. We are very fortunate to be part of the Federation and appreciate all the support we receive from the Leathersellers’ Company; their support and involvement is vital in helping our students succeed.

We are very proud of our most recent OFSTED award of Outstanding in all five categories, the highest possible judgement, which follows on from three previous Outstanding ratings in a row. We have been described as 'exceptional' and with 'exemplary attitudes to learning' across the school. We do achieve great academic results at Prendergast School (more information is around our website). However, as a parent or carer you will also want to know that your child is happy and safe. This is most important to us; we have an excellent pastoral approach, a focus on wellbeing, and we pride ourselves that students feel confident in school and thrive under our care.

It is important that when students leave after their time with us, that they do so as well-rounded individuals who have had many different experiences, able to overcome challenges and, importantly, to learn from their mistakes. We encourage all our students to get involved in school life as much as possible. We have a wide range of extra-curricular activities (see our prospectus page) and we do challenge all students to participate in our rich and diverse offer. We expect all students to attend school journeys, and offer many opportunities for them to do so.

Communication is very important to us. We always like to know what we do well and what we can improve on further. Students and families are invited to get in contact with us if there is something that they would like to ask or raise with us. 

Our admissions criteria are outlined in our Admissions Policy (see Key Information) and the arrangements are on the Admissions section of this website. We are non-selective, but do offer up to 10% music scholarship places in year 7 to students with a particular aptitude in music.

We also have a fantastic co-educational Sixth Form and, mindful that a young person's journey through their secondary phase of education goes all too fast, I would encourage you to spend some time looking at our Sixth Form provision on this website.

If you are not already part of the Prendergast community, we look forward to welcoming you soon.

Kelly Lovegrove

Headteacher