Langley Park School for Boys
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| Motto | Mores et studia |
|---|---|
| Established | 1901 |
| Type | Academy |
| Headteacher | Robert W. Northcott |
| Specialism | Maths & computing |
| Location | Hawksbrook Lane, South Eden Park Road Beckenham Greater London BR3 3BP United Kingdom |
| Local authority | Bromley |
| DfE URN | 136586 |
| Ofsted | Reports |
| Students | 1664 |
| Gender | Boys |
| Ages | 11–18 |
| Website | www.lpbs.org.uk |
Coordinates: 51°23′19″N 0°01′16″W / 51.3887°N 0.0212°W
Langley Park School for Boys[1] is a boys' secondary academy school in Beckenham in the London Borough of Bromley, with a mixed-gender 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".[2]
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[edit] Location and admissions
It is situated near Eden Park railway station and the Bethlem Royal Hospital, close to the boundary of Bromley with Croydon. Construction for the new school building was completed in December 2011, and the students moved into the building in January 2012, following which the old buildings will be knocked down in due time.
[edit] Sport
Langley Park is one of the few state schools that plays hockey, and is one of the top three hockey schools in the country, having competed in the last four national finals. In 2010 the under-16 team were crowned National Champions, the first comprehensive school to achieve this.
Langley teaches a wide range of sports, including rugby and hockey, from Year 7.
The new buildings for the school will provide private hockey facilities for the school that are currently being shared with Langley Park School for Girls. Other sports include cricket, tennis and rugby.
After the new school building is completed, the old buildings will be knocked down and will be replaced by a modern sports hall and facilities.
[edit] History
The school was originally the Beckenham Technical Institute, opening in 1901 and situated in what is now the Studio, 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). 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. The school outgrew its present accommodation and a completely new building has been constructed adjacent to the existing school. Demolition of the old buildings has yet to take place. [2]
[edit] Headmasters
Five terms after the school relocated to its current site headmaster David A. Raeburn retired, and was replaced by B.A. Phythian, MA, B.Litt. (Oxon).
In December 1989, Phythian was succeeded by R.V.P. Sheffield, who was in the post until 1999, leaving the school under allegations of financial irregularities.[3] The deputy headmaster, Keith McGregor, BA (Cantab), took over as acting headmaster until the appointment of Robert Northcott, MA.[4]
Keith McGregor left the school at the end of the spring half term, 2011.
[edit] New buildings
In early November 2006 Bromley Council granted Langley Park Boys a sum of £32.3-million as part of the Building Schools for the Future programme for a complete rebuild of the school, including state of the art facilities shared by Bromley Youth Music Trust, which currently use facilities at the Ravensbourne School.
Headteacher Rob Northcott, said at the time, "The rebuilding of our facilities will bring real benefits to the whole community. Future and current pupils will obviously gain immensely from this project, but we want to ensure that the benefits are felt even more widely."
Construction of the new main building started in early 2010 and has been completed on the site of the old rugby field. Originally the building was planned to begin construction 2008 for completion in late 2009, but due to legal issues with the neighbouring Langley Park School for Girls the building work was delayed, on the grounds that the new construction would interfere with access to their own buildings.
[edit] Notable alumni
- Rory Allen, former Tottenham Hotspur and Portsmouth F.C. footballer
- Harold Sydney Bride, wireless operator on the RMS Titanic
- Norman Hunter, writer, creator of Professor Branestawm
- Robert Key, former England cricketer and Kent captain
- Cornelius Mendez, all round great guy.
- Henry Mee, artist
- John Tyndall, right-wing politician and writer
- David Case, Air Commodore, highest ranking black officer in the British Forces
[edit] 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 1984–8
- 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 Miles, typographer, who designed all the covers of Which? 1968-88 (with Colin Banks) the logos for the Royal Mail and the former British Telecom, and all the current lettering of London Underground
- 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)
- Bill Wyman, musician, ex-member of the Rolling Stones
[edit] Former teachers
- Alan Brownjohn (1958–65)
- Harry Rée and Francis Cammaerts
[edit] See also
[edit] Notes and references
- ^ Also known as Langley Park Boys' School or LPBS
- ^ a b Edubase
- ^ http://www.newsshopper.co.uk/misc/print.php?artid=312676
- ^ http://www.lpbs.org.uk/docs/LPBS%20Documents/Departmental%20Staff%20List.pdf
