Langley Park School for Boys

Langley Park School for Boys
Langley Park School for Boys
Location
	Beckenham, Greater London, BR3 3BP; England
Coordinates	51°23′19″N 0°01′16″W / 51.3887°N 0.0212°WCoordinates: 51°23′19″N 0°01′16″W / 51.3887°N 0.0212°W
Information
Type	Academy
Motto	"mores et studia"
Established	1901
Department for Education URN	136586 Tables
Ofsted	Reports
Gender	Co-ed for 16+, boys-only from 11-16
Age	11 to 18
Colour(s)	Maroon
Former pupils	Old Beccehamians
Website	http://www.lpsb.org.uk

Langley Park School for Boys^[a] is a boys secondary academy school in Beckenham in the London Borough of Bromley, with a co-ed sixth form. On 31 March 2011, the school converted from a Foundation School to an academy and its current status is that of an "Academy Converter".^[1]

Location

It is situated near Eden Park and the Bethlem Royal Hospital on Hawksbrook Lane close to the boundary of the London Borough of Bromley with the London Borough of Croydon. Construction for the new school building was completed in December 2011, and the staff and pupils moved into the building in January 2012, following which the old buildings were demolished.

External sites

It owns a converted church in Youlgreave, used for school trips involving visits to Alton Towers, sporting, and other leisure activities.

Admissions

At 11+, admission to the school is according to the London Borough of Bromley education admissions procedures.
At 16+, the school has changed its admissions policy and it is now also dependent on the proximity of the pupil's home to the school.
At 16+, the school is co-educational.

Sport

Langley Park School for Boys is one of the few state schools that play rugby and hockey, and is one of the top three hockey schools in the country, having competed in the last four national finals.^{[citation needed]}

In 2004 the under-16 team were crowned national champions, the first comprehensive school to achieve this.^{[citation needed]}

In the 2021 Cricket season, the 1st XI won the Kent cup beating out Simon Langton Grammar School for Boys by 33 runs after 35 overs.^{[citation needed]}

In 2021/22, the U15 rugby squad made it to the semi-finals of the Schools Vase, where they lost to Torquay Boys Grammar School.^{[citation needed]}

The new buildings for the school provide private hockey facilities for the school, which are currently being shared with Langley Park School for Girls. Other sports include tennis and basketball.

Music

Langley Park School for Boys' music department offers groups from the traditional concert band, chamber orchestra, brass band and choir, to world music styles, including a Cuban band and an African drumming group.

In 2013, the brass band was one of the finalists of the national Music for Youth competition who were selected to perform at Royal Albert Hall. The band played in the Primary Proms show, and performed Take That's "Shine", the theme from The Magnificent Seven and Concierto de Aranjuez.

History

The school was originally the Beckenham Technical Institute, opening in 1901 and situated in what is now Venue 28, Beckenham. The school went through a variety of name changes in its early days: the Technical Day School, Beckenham; Beckenham Secondary School; Beckenham County School for Boys; Beckenham and Penge County School for Boys; in 1944 it was the Beckenham and Penge County Grammar School under headmaster L.W. White, MA (Cantab). In 1950 the school was mentioned in Nature (journal) the scientific journal.^[2] The article in Nature explained that a periodical named "Beckenham and Penge Grammar School : Scientific Society Proceedings" existed in which scientific work done by the boys was reported. By 1954 it was called Beckenham and Penge Grammar School for Boys.

An increase in size meant the school moved to new buildings in High St, Penge, in 1931. It moved from Penge to its present location in Eden Park, Beckenham, in January 1969, at which point it adopted its current name. In the late 1980s, schools could opt out of local government control by becoming a Grant-maintained school which were funded by a direct grant of money from the central government. This new arrangement enabled schools to have greater control of their finances than they would have had under local government control. Hansard indicates that a ballot of parents occurred on 8 March 1991 regarding the question of the school becoming a "grant maintained school". The school was given a grant of £60,000 as a transitional grant.^[3]

The school outgrew its present accommodation and a completely new building was constructed adjacent to the location of the former school, which was occupied from January 2012.

The school motto, Mores et Studia, means "good character and learning".

Headteachers

The school started in 1901, as the Beckenham Technical Institute at a site close to Beckenham's public baths the headmaster was Mr C.T.F. Watts, in 1931 he was replaced by Mr Sidney Gammon who had been at the Windsor County School. On 23 October 1940 Mr Gammon was killed by a bomb dropped during the war, he lived at 9 Foxgrove Avenue and his estate was valued at £ 4271 18 s and 5d.^[4]

Mr Gammon was replaced by Mr L.W. White who was appointed in September 1941. In December 1962, Mr white retired and was replaced with Mr D.A. Raeburn.^[5]

Five terms after the school relocated to its current site, off South Eden Park Road, headmaster David A. Raeburn retired, and was replaced by B.A. Phythian (a master from Manchester Grammar School and successful academic author), who led the school as it converted to comprehensive status. Brian Phythian had written and edited books on English language, and a book on the Manchester Grammar School.^[6]^[7]^[8]^[9]^[10]^[11] In 1993 on 23rd March Brian Arthor Phythian of Brackenden Leafy Grove (Keston) died.^[12]

In December 1989, Brian Phythian was succeeded by R.V.P. Sheffield, who was in the post until 1999, leaving the school under allegations of financial irregularities.^[13] The deputy headteacher, K McGregor, took over as acting headteacher until the appointment of R Northcott in 2001, who retired in July 2013. It is stated in the 1990 year book that Mr Sheffield had a degree in Psychology from the University of Nottingham and a MEd from Birmingham University. The yearbook also states that Mr Sheffield was working in a school in Waddington before being senior master at a school in Worcester in 1978, in 1984 he became deputy head at Newent School. In July 2022, Steve Parsons resigned as Headmaster. He had an eight-year tenure, beginning in September 2013.

The current headteacher is Richard Guy, who is acting as an interim, and begun in September 2022.

Notable former pupils

Bradley Pritchard, former Charlton Athletic footballer
Rory Allen, former Tottenham Hotspur and Portsmouth footballer
Harold Sydney Bride, wireless operator on the RMS Titanic
Norman Hunter, writer, creator of Professor Branestawm
Robert Key, former England cricketer and Kent County Cricket Club captain^[14]
Henry Mee, artist^[15]
John Tyndall, Neo-Nazi political activist^[16]
David Case, air commodore, highest ranking black officer in the British Forces
Jack McManus, singer/songwriter
Tom Misch, singer, songwriter, producer
Matt Hankin, English rugby union player^{[citation needed]}
Nick Land, English philosopher
Ben Phillips, former Kent cricketer^[17]

Beckenham and Penge County Grammar School

Hugh Bean CBE, professor of violin at the Royal College of Music 1954–2003
Carey Blyton, composer of Bananas in Pyjamas
Air Vice-Marshal Ronald Dick CB, station commander of RAF Honington 1978–80, and head of British Defence Staff – US 1984–88
Michael Finnissy, composer and professor of composition since 1999 at the University of Southampton
Patrick Ground, Conservative MP for Feltham and Heston 1983–92
John Clifford Strong CBE, Governor of the Turks and Caicos Islands 1978–82
Derek Underwood, Kent and England bowler (known as "Deadly" by the Australians)^[18]
Bill Wyman, musician, ex-member of the Rolling Stones^[15]
Keith Lewin, professor of international education and director of the Centre for International Education at the University of Sussex^{[citation needed]}

Notes

^ Also known as Langley Park Boys' School or LPBS

References

^ Edubase^{[permanent dead link]}
^ Nature (1950) 166: 768. doi:10.1038/166768b0
^ "Grant-maintained Schools (Hansard, 6 November 1992)".
^ https://probatesearch.service.gov.uk/ Probate granted in 1941
^ Langley Park Boys School Yearbook 1990
^ A Concise Dictionary of Correct English, Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 1979, ISBN 978-1442233867
^ English grammar, B.A. Phythian, Teach Yourself, Sevenoaks, 1980
^ A concise dictionary of foreign expressions, B.A. Phythian, Hodder and Stoughton, London, 1982, ISBN 034028174X
^ A concise dictionary of English idioms, B.A. Phythian, Hodder & Stoughton, London, 1993
^ Considering poetry : an approach to criticism, W. Barton and others, edited by B.A. Phythian, English Universities Press, London, 1970
^ The Manchester Grammar School, 1515–1965, Edited by J.A Graham and Brian Arthur Phythian, Manchester University Press, Manchester, 1965
^ probatesearch.service.gov.uk search probate granted 1993
^ Suspended Head Will Face Hearing, 1 January 2000, News Shopper
^ Marshall, Chris, ed. (2008). The Cricketers' Who's Who. Green Umbrella Publishing. p. 350. ISBN 978-1-906229-63-4.
^ ^a ^b "School 'Boys' Reunited". News Shopper. Retrieved 5 January 2022.
^ Copsey, Nigel (2008). Contemporary British Fascism: The British National Party and the Quest for Legitimacy (second ed.). London and New York: Routledge. p. 110. ISBN 978-0230574373.
^ The Cricketer' Who's Who 1996. Harpenden: Queen Anne Press. 1996. p. 442. ISBN 1852915684.
^ Crofton, Philip (2004). Famous Cricketers No 85 - Derek Underwood. Kit Bartlett, Association of Cricket Statisticians and Historians. Nottingham: Association of Cricket Statisticians and Historians. p. 6. ISBN 1-902171-96-9. OCLC 70172815.

External links

Langley Park School for Boys website

[1] Also known as Langley Park Boys' School or LPBS

[edubase-2] Edubase^{[permanent dead link]}

[3] Nature (1950) 166: 768. doi:10.1038/166768b0

[4] "Grant-maintained Schools (Hansard, 6 November 1992)".

[5] ttps://probatesearch.service.gov.uk/ Probate granted in 1941

[6] Langley Park Boys School Yearbook 1990

[7] A Concise Dictionary of Correct English, Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 1979, ISBN 978-1442233867

[8] English grammar, B.A. Phythian, Teach Yourself, Sevenoaks, 1980

[9] A concise dictionary of foreign expressions, B.A. Phythian, Hodder and Stoughton, London, 1982, ISBN 034028174X

[10] A concise dictionary of English idioms, B.A. Phythian, Hodder & Stoughton, London, 1993

[11] Considering poetry : an approach to criticism, W. Barton and others, edited by B.A. Phythian, English Universities Press, London, 1970

[12] The Manchester Grammar School, 1515–1965, Edited by J.A Graham and Brian Arthur Phythian, Manchester University Press, Manchester, 1965

[13] robatesearch.service.gov.uk search probate granted 1993

[14] Suspended Head Will Face Hearing, 1 January 2000, News Shopper

[15] Marshall, Chris, ed. (2008). The Cricketers' Who's Who. Green Umbrella Publishing. p. 350. ISBN 978-1-906229-63-4.

[:0-16] "School 'Boys' Reunited". News Shopper. Retrieved 5 January 2022.

[17] Copsey, Nigel (2008). Contemporary British Fascism: The British National Party and the Quest for Legitimacy (second ed.). London and New York: Routledge. p. 110. ISBN 978-0230574373.

[18] The Cricketer' Who's Who 1996. Harpenden: Queen Anne Press. 1996. p. 442. ISBN 1852915684.

[19] Crofton, Philip (2004). Famous Cricketers No 85 - Derek Underwood. Kit Bartlett, Association of Cricket Statisticians and Historians. Nottingham: Association of Cricket Statisticians and Historians. p. 6. ISBN 1-902171-96-9. OCLC 70172815.

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v t e Schools and colleges in Bromley
Secondary schools	Bishop Justus CE School Bullers Wood School Bullers Wood School for Boys Charles Darwin School Chislehurst School for Girls Coopers School Darrick Wood School Harris Academy Beckenham Harris Academy Bromley Harris Academy Orpington Hayes School Kemnal Technology College Langley Park School for Boys Langley Park School for Girls Ravens Wood School Ravensbourne School
Grammar schools	Newstead Wood School St Olave's Grammar School
Independent schools	Bishop Challoner School Bromley High School Darul Uloom London Eltham College St David's Prep
Further education colleges	Bromley College of Further & Higher Education
Defunct schools	All Saints Catholic School Holy Trinity College Walsingham School