Headteacher is Phoenix Knight

by Hammersmith and Fulham Press Office
23/06/2008

William Atkinson, head teacher at Phoenix High School in Shepherd Bush, has been made a knight in the Queen’s birthday honours for his “services to education and community relations”.

Born in Jamaica, Sir William moved to Britain at the age of seven. His first teaching appointment was in Portsmouth and he has been head at Phoenix High School since 1995. He previously held headships at Cranford Community School, Hounslow and Copland Community School, Brent.

His strong leadership at Phoenix, overcoming low results and bad behaviour, was reported to have been the inspiration for the head teacher character in the BBC's school drama, Hope and Glory. 

Earlier this year, Ofsted inspectors praised Sir William's role in the school's continuing improvement. 

"The school is exceptionally well led by a charismatic, indefatigable head teacher who receives excellent support and challenge from a fully committed governing body," said the inspectors. 

Speaking of his honour, Sir William, said: "I am absolutely delighted, not only for myself, but for the entire school community. This award belongs to the boys and girls of Phoenix High School, their parents, the teachers, the governors and the local authority who have supported the school steadfastly over the last 14 years."

Besides teaching, Sir William has been involved in a number of organisations and panels. He has sat on the Home Office Justice Task Force and the Home Office London Youth Crime Reduction Task Force. He has also been a member of the British Board of Film Classification advisory panel on children’s viewing and until 2006 was a member of the London Black and Minority Ethnic Cracking Crime Partnership Board.

Sir William has also been widely featured in the media, most recently in the Channel 4 documentary series ‘The Unteachables’. He has also contributed to a range of television and radio programmes, including Newsnight, Panorama, BBC Question Time and Breakfast Television.