New Beacon School
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| The New Beacon Preparatory School | |
| Motto | Dare Exfumo Lucem (Light before darkness) |
| Established | 1882 |
| Type | Preparatory School |
| Headmaster | Mr. Roland Constantine MA (Cantab) |
| Founder | The Norman Family |
| Location | Sevenoaks Kent TN9 1JP England  |
| Students | c. 400 |
| Gender | Boys |
| Ages | 4 to 13 |
| School colours | Red and Navy
|
| Website | http://www.newbeacon.kent.sch.uk/ |
| Coordinates: | |
The New Beacon Preparatory School is a fee-paying preparatory school, or prep school, located in Sevenoaks, Kent, United Kingdom, which caters both for day-boys and boarders, in the age range 4-13. Currently there are about 400 pupils.
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[edit] Overview
The school was founded in 1882 at St John's Hill in Sevenoaks and was known as the Beacon. In 1900 it was relocated to its current location on Britains Lane and renamed the New Beacon.
The New Beacon is situated in 21 acres of gardens and playing fields. Upon starting at The New Beacon, pupils are put into one of four "Companies"; Nelson (blue), Drake (Yellow), Marlborough (green) and Wellington (red). There is a strong Company tradition at New Beacon, with competition between the companies including Company rugby, cross country, shooting, cricket, football and quiz competitions.
At lunch time Boys eat in the main dining room, which contains the scholarship boards from 1886. Boys eat on their Company tables and are punished for sitting on other company tables.
On entering their final year, all boys are made seniors (with increased responsibilities). A few boys are made Prefects (their job is to make sure the Seniors do not flex their power unfairly.) Each year two boys are ultimately made Head boy.
Boarding used to be popular at The New Beacon, with dormitories known as Kent, Sussex, Oxford and Brighton. However, boarding was threatened with withdrawal, as the dorms were to be used as classrooms. However, after protests from a number of boys and some staff, the former lodgings of the house master were converted into new dorms, 'Osprey' and 'Avocet'. There is now a maximum of 14 boys boarding at a time, Monday to Thursday.
[edit] Uniform
Junior prep boys wear a grey shirt, grey shorts (a recent development has been that in winter, the Junior boys do not have to wear shorts and may wear trousers), a red and blue tie (silk, from Harrods), long grey socks with red and blue stripes, black shoes and the classic New Beacon cap - Black with a Red circle on the top. The blazer is black and has the school crest and the motto- "Dare Exfumo Lucem". The school shop is supplied by TopShop.
In the middle and senior school boys wear the aforementioned except for grey trousers. Boys who receive 1st's Colours may add a red band around the school crest on the blazer. The highest achievement awarded is 1st's Colours reawarded in any of the major sports, i.e. you have managed to play 2 seasons at first-team level. First's Colours are a red and gold band around the school crest.
Games kit consists of plain red or blue rugby shirts, tight fitting rugby league style blue elasticated shorts, long navy blue socks and black football boots.
[edit] Companies
| Nelson|| Boarding || Blue
|- | Drake|| Boarding || Yellow
|- | Marlborough|| Boarding || Green and
|- | Wellington || Boarding || Red
|-
[edit] Sport
Sport plays a large role at the New Beacon with teams ranging from Under 9 Es to the 1st XV. School colours are awarded for different teams above Colts B level. The School's 1st XV rugby team wear a red, gold and blue striped jersey. After playing for a season at 1st XV level, the members are allowed to keep their shirts. Boys who score a half century or a hat trick in cricket receive a cricket ball in chapel. Anyone who scores a century receives a cricket bat on Speech day.
[edit] Results
The school's principal function is to prepare boys for the Common Entrance examination, used by British public schools to select pupils, and each year many of the school's pupils succeed in gaining places either at Sevenoaks School or Tonbridge School - both consistently ranked amongst the top fee-paying secondary schools in the country in terms of A-Level/IB performance and Oxbridge entrance. Over the years ex-Beacon Boys have gone on to attend some of the country's oldest and most famous public schools, including Eton College, Harrow School, Winchester College and Westminster School.
[edit] Notable alumni
- Siegfried Sassoon, First World War poet
- Vice Admiral Timothy Laurence, second husband of Anne, Princess Royal
- Lord Mayhew of Twysden, former political advisor for Northern Ireland
- Sir Sherard Cowper-Coles, diplomat
