Parmiter's School

Parmiter's School is a co educational state comprehensive school with academy status in Garston, Hertfordshire, close to the outskirts of North West London, England with a long history. Although the school admits pupils of all abilities it is partially selective. It is currently the most oversubscribed school in Hertfordshire, and has often been recognised by the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) for being one of the highest performing schools in the country by value added and score as a mixed ability school.

Thomas Parmiter was a wealthy silk merchant in East London, who died in 1681. He left two farms in southwest Suffolk in his will to provide £30 per annum for six almshouses and £100 per annum for "one free school house or room for ten poor children" in Bethnal Green, London. Elizabeth Carter donated land for the school and an annual income of £10, while William Lee donated £100 for the building of a school house and a further annual £10. The building in St John Street (now Grimsby Street) was completed in 1722. The Trustees of Thomas Parmiter's Estate bought property in Cambridge Heath, London in 1723. By 1730 the school accommodated 30 boys, growing to 50 in 1809. In 1839 it moved to new premises in Gloucester Street (now Parmiter Street) after the original site was acquired by the Eastern Counties Railway. Unfortunately these buildings were destroyed by bombing during World War II. Peter Renvoize left the foundation the sum of £500 on his death in 1842. In 1913 a revised constitution created separate foundations for the school and the almshouses. The Parmiter phoenix was designed by W. A. Cross for the 40th anniversary of the Approach Road school in 1927. In 1951 the school became a voluntary aided grammar school. In 1966 and 1967 it successfully resisted plans by the Inner London Education Authority to merge it with St Jude's Church of England School to form a comprehensive school. Parmiter's Grammar School had grown to 525 boys by 1976, but the days of the grammar school were numbered. In April 2010, Parmiter's School hosted Any Questions?, a topical debate on the elections, broadcast on BBC Radio 4.

The Financial Times Secondary School rankings 2011 showed Parmiter's in 278th place out of 2190 schools. The Evening Standard places Parmiter's School in 54th place out of 269 state schools in south east England in 2010 based upon GCSE and A Level results. The Ofsted inspection in September 2011 found that Parmiter's was "an outstanding school with an outstanding sixth form."

In 1997 the Year 12 football team reached the final of the English Schools' Football Association National Cup, the title being shared with Monkseaton High School after a 0 0 draw and again in both 2005 and 2006, narrowly losing twice.

The school may admit up to 25% of pupils based on academic ability, and up to 10% on musical aptitude, once other admission criteria such as those relating to looked after children and siblings of existing pupils have been met.