Barbara Speake Stage School

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Barbara Speake Stage School
Address
East Acton Lane East Acton, London , W3 7EG England
Coordinates	51°30′44″N 0°15′19″W / 51.51234°N 0.25517°W / 51.51234; -0.25517
Information
Type	Independent school Day school Co-educational school
Established	10 February 1945
Founder	Barbara Speake
Closed	15 July 2020
Local authority	Ealing Council
Department for Education URN	101948 Tables
Principal	Shereen Boucher[1]
Headteacher	David Speake
Gender	Co-educational
Age	4 to 16
Campus	Urban campus

The Barbara Speake Stage School was opened on 10 February 1945 as an independent school, and was initially set up as a dancing school, by the founding principal Miss Barbara Speake, MBE,^[2] and was located in East Acton, London. The school was fee-paying but non-selective in its admissions.^[3]

The school closed in 2020.^[1]

In 1961, June Collins (mother of drummer/singer Phil Collins) joined forces with Barbara Speake to become the school's agent. Collins supplied the entertainment industry with children for every major production in the West End, TV and Theatre. Due to the success of both the agency and dancing school, in 1963 the decision was made to turn their successes in to a full-time educational establishment for the performing arts. Collins discovered Jack Wild playing football and decided that he was a child with potential, and persuaded his family to let him attend the full-time school. Wild went on to receive an Academy Award nomination for his portrayal of "The Artful Dodger" in Oliver!^[4][5] Collins died in November 2011.^[6]

Barbara Speake was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2007 New Year Honours, for services to drama in London.^[7]

The School received an Inadequate Ofsted rating at its last inspection (30 April 2019).^[8] The decline from a Satisfactory rating began with an emergency inspection on 4 July 2014 which found that the welfare, health and safety of pupils was at risk following the installation of CCTV without appropriate changing facilities being provided. The inspection found that there were no changing facilities for female pupils.^[9]

Over the years, Collins had an eye for talent, and with Speake, the school has helped to develop some notable performers in the entertainment industry, including:

• Aml Ameen (born 1985), actor^[10]
• Amma Asante, screenwriter, film director and former actress^[11]
• Rachel Brennock actress, singer and songwriter^{[citation needed]}
• Naomi Campbell, model^[12]
• Keith Chegwin, child actor and TV presenter^[13]
• Julie Dawn Cole, actress^[14]
• Phil Collins, Genesis member and solo artist, music producer, actor (and June Collins' son)^[5][15]
• Brian Conley, comedian, actor, singer and TV presenter^[3]
• Alison Dowling, actress^[16]
• Michelle Gayle, actress and singer^[17]
• Kim Goody, actress and singer
• Nick Grant, member of 1990s boy band Ultimate Kaos
• Denise Gyngell, singer, member of the 1980s pop group Tight Fit
• Grange Hill cast members Lindy Brill (Cathy),^[18] Paul McCarthy (Tommy), Mark Baxter (Duane),^[19] Mark Savage (Gripper), Gary Love (Jimmy), Ian Congdon-Lee (Ted),^[20] Darren Cudjoe (Clarke)
• Demi Holborn (born 1992), singer^{[citation needed]}
• Keith Jayne, actor^[21]
• Kwame Kwei-Armah, actor and playwright^[22][23]
• Lindy Layton, lead vocalist of Beats International and 1989 number one single Dub Be Good to Me^[24]
• Angie Le Mar, comedian^{[citation needed]}
• Sylvestra Le Touzel, actress^[24]
• Paul J. Medford, actor
• David Parfitt, film producer^[25]
• Jeff Stevenson, comedian^[26]
• Sara Sugarman, writer, director, and actress^[27]
• Mark Summers, casting director^[28]
• Paul Varney of 1980s pop duo Yell!^[29]
• Noel Simpson and Rahsaan Bromfield of the 1990s pop group Damage
• Jack Wild, child actor ^[30]
• Kedar Williams-Stirling (born 1994), actor^[31]

• "Miss Barbara Speake, MBE..." Official website. Barbara Speake Stage School. Archived from the original on 8 February 2012. Retrieved 27 November 2020. - Official biography of Barbara Speake