Langley Park School for Boys

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]

Location

It is situated near Eden Park railway station 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. The new school campus now includes a self-contained performance centre, which is the concert home of the Bromley Symphony Orchestra and is regularly used by the Bromley Youth Music Trust.

Admissions

• At 11+, admission to the school is according to the London Borough of Bromley education admissions procedures.
• At 16+, the school has its own admissions policy which is not dependent on 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.

In 2010 the under-16 team were crowned national champions, the first comprehensive school to achieve this. In 2013 the under-18 team was nearly crowned national champions with an unbeaten record in the tournament; however, they narrowly missed out to the eventual winners Whitgift on goal difference.

LPSB offers a wide range of sports, including rugby and hockey, from year 7. 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 cricket, 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 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 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

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, who led the school as it converted to comprehensive status.

In December 1989, Brian Phythian (a master from Manchester Grammar School and successful academic author) 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 headteacher, K McGregor, took over as acting headteacher until the appointment of R Northcott in 2001, who retired in July 2013.

The current headteacher is Steve Parsons, who started in September 2013.

New buildings

In early November 2006 Bromley Council granted LPSB 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, as well as Bromley Symphony Orchestra.

Former Headteacher R 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 was 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.

The new school was formally opened in a special ceremony in 2014.

The new facilities include a 400+ seater performance space, the Bromley Hall, as well as a studio lecture/drama/cinema theatre, which seats 100+, and the centre offers several hospitality and artists' areas. There are free car parking facilities, and the Bromley Hall is wheelchair accessible. These facilities may be hired by community, local and national organisations.

There is a community choir which meets weekly and all local adults are welcome to join. In September 2012, a community cinema was founded, Filmbox, which uses both theatre spaces and currently offers a fortnightly programme of films for local adults.

Notable former pupils

• 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
• Henry Mee, artist
• John Tyndall, right-wing politician and writer
• David Case, air commodore, highest ranking black officer in the British Forces
• Jack McManus, singer/songwriter

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 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
• Keith Lewin, professor of international education and director of the Centre for International Education at the University of Sussex, author of 18 books on education and development, consultant to UN agencies, and honorary professor of Beijing Normal and Zhejiang Universities in China.

Notable former teachers

• Alan Brownjohn (1958–65)
• Harry Rée
• Francis Cammaerts

See also

• Langley Park School for Girls

Notes and references

External links

• Langley Park School for Boys website
• Summary info about LPBS
• Filmbox Community Cinema
• New build "topping out" ceremony
• EduBase current entry
• EduBase prior entry
• Sporting achievement