HRH - The Prince of Wales

To see a video of the visit, click here.

One of The Prince's Teaching Institute's community of schools was delighted to welcome a visit by The Prince of Wales today. His Royal Highness has followed progress at the school for years, and wanted to see first-hand how the school has been spectacularly turned around by the dedicated staff.

Based in East London, the Robert Clack School is in Dagenham's most economically and socially deprived area. Ten years ago it came extremely close to being designated as a failing school by Ofsted. In 1995, a report described weak staff morale, staff recruitment and retention problems, poor pupil behaviour and motivation and budgetary deficits. However, the turnaround, led by Head Teacher Paul Grant, has been impressive. It is now one of the most successful in the UK and has been rated "outstanding" by Ofsted. It plays an active role in the local community and great emphasis is placed on extra curricular activity such as Art, Drama, Music and Sport.

The Head Teacher of Robert Clack, Paul Grant, spoke about his school at The Prince of Wales’s Education Summer School in Norfolk in 2003. Collaborating with Bernice McCabe, Co-Director of the PTI, he has also led joint projects with North London Collegiate School. Mr Grant said he was “absolutely delighted” that The Prince had been able to visit the school and was “honoured” that His Royal Highness had taken such an interest in the progress of the school over the years. Mr Grant said that The Prince was "blown away" by what he had seen, and had not been able to stop marvelling at all the activities the children were doing.

Activities that The Prince attended included a Year Nine lesson held by the Head of History, Scott Baker, about propaganda in the First World War. Scott Baker, Head of History at the school, is a member of the PTI Academic Steering Group, and will be a History Teacher Leader again at this year's Summer School, to be held at Homerton College Cambridge from July 2 to 5.

His Royal Highness also visited an English class who entertained him with sections of Shakespeare's Richard III. He said: "It is always great to see who has the acting ability. Nobody has played the two princes in the tower yet have they?"

The Prince's also met another PTI Teacher Leader, chemistry teacher David Moody. In Mr Moody's class, the pupils had prepared "rockets" made of hydrogen and oxygen, and set them off as a salute to The Prince when he attended their lesson. The rockets made of water bottles erupted with a loud bang, prompting The Prince to put his fingers in his ears. His Royal Highness and the pupils then burst out laughing when one of the bottles hit David Moody on the head.

Mr Moody said: "You are probably used to 21 gun salutes but the children wanted to give you their own personal tribute."

A catalyst was used to make the bottle rockets containing hydrogen and oxygen explode and produce water, which is a technique that could be used to power car pistons.

The Prince also saw the school's dancers and gymnasts in action as they performed an impressive display of somersaults, ballet and modern dance, and was treated to a performance of Duke Ellington’s Night Train by the school's big band before the choir sang an lively rendition of Elton John’s Can You Feel The Love Tonight?

After a private reception with school governors, parents and local dignitaries, The Prince was presented with a plaque marking his visit and an enormous bunch of flowers for The Duchess of Cornwall.