All Saints Catholic School, West Wickham
| Closed | 2007 |
|---|---|
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
| Location |
Layhams Road West Wickham London BR4 9HN England Coordinates: 51°21′51″N 0°00′22″W / 51.36421°N 0.00612°W |
| Local authority | Bromley |
| DfE URN | 101677 Tables |
| Ofsted | Reports |
| Gender | Coeducational |
| Ages | 11–18 |
All Saints Catholic School was a Catholic secondary school located on Layhams Road, West Wickham, London Borough of Bromley. Formerly known as 'St. John Rigby Catholic College', its name was changed in 2004 as a rebranding because of falling pupil numbers and substantial debts following the departure of former headmistress Colleen McCabe.
Fraud and closure
Colleen McCabe was convicted in 2003 of stealing around £500,000 from her school over a period from 1994 to 1999, which she spent lavishly both on herself and on gifts for her friends. The story was the subject of the 2006 BBC docudrama, The Thieving Headmistress[1] Money was diverted away from the school's budget resulting in the children being without books in a dirty, unheated school. The fraud was only detected when the school's grant maintained status was reverted and control was returned to the local education authority. McCabe was sentenced to five years in prison.[2][3][4]
After a consultation period, in April 2006 Bromley Council approved the proposal to close the school with effect from August 2007.
Notable former pupils
- Skream, DJ and producer
- Jason Puncheon, professional footballer
- Liam Fontaine, professional footballer
- Michael Carberry, cricketer
- James Dasaolu, athlete, 100m & 4 × 100 m
- Lee Martin, professional footballer
- Mekel Bailey, Celebrity Fashion Stylist/ Consultant
References
- School closure - Bromley Council
- Headteacher's legacy jeopardising school - News Shopper
- Head 'spent £7,000 on shoes' - BBC News
External links
- Map sources for All Saints Catholic School, West Wickham