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Bancroft's School

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Coordinates: 51°37′11″N 0°01′36″E / 51.61968°N 0.026653°E / 51.61968; 0.026653
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This article is about the school in England. For the school in the United States, see Bancroft School.

Bancroft's School
Address
Map
High Road

Woodford Green
,
London
,
IG8 0RF

England
Coordinates51°37′11″N 0°01′36″E / 51.61968°N 0.026653°E / 51.61968; 0.026653
Information
TypePrivate day school
Public School
MottoUnto God Only Be Honour and Glory
Religious affiliation(s)Church of England
Established1737; 287 years ago (1737)
FounderFrancis Bancroft
Local authorityRedbridge
Department for Education URN102875 Tables
Chairman of governorsEd Sautter
Head masterSimon Marshall
Staffc. 90
GenderCoeducational
Age7 to 18
Enrolment1100 (including 260 in the preparatory school)
Houses  North
  East
  West
  School
Colour(s)Navy blue, black
Former pupilsOld Bancroftians
Websitehttp://www.bancrofts.org/

Bancroft's School is a co-educational private day school in Woodford Green, London. The school has around 1,000 pupils aged between 7 and 18, around 200 of whom are pupils of the Preparatory School and 800 of whom are pupils of the Senior School.

The school's alumni, called "Old Bancroftians", include naturalists, poets, academics, politicians, authors, sportsmen, actors, and military figures. These include two recipients of the Victoria Cross, Britain's highest military award for gallantry, Robert Edward Cruickshank and Augustus Charles Newman. More recently, alumni have included Lord Pannick KC, Mike Lynch, Alan Davies, Hari Kunzru, Anita Anand and Andy Saull.

History

[edit]
Bancroft's School in Woodford Green

The school was founded in 1737, following the death in 1728 of Francis Bancroft,[1] who bequeathed a sizeable sum of money to the Drapers' Company, which continues to act as trustee for the school and as its governors. Bancroft's began in the Mile End Road in London's East End as a small charitable day school for boys, with an attached almshouse.

The foundation was originally known as Bancroft's Hospital and until the late 19th century also acted as home for almsmen who had been freemen of the Company of Drapers.[2] In 1884 the almshouse was abolished and the school moved to a new site at Woodford Green and the original buildings were demolished; the site is now occupied by Queen Mary, University of London.

A school cricket match in front of the prep school

The current school location in Woodford Green occupies four and a half acres, and the main buildings were designed by Arthur Blomfield, who was also responsible for Selwyn College in Cambridge. Originally there were just a hundred pupils, including sixty boarders. The numbers grew steadily during the twentieth century until there were nearly one thousand on the roll. The buildings were also extended, with the original Science Block (1910) then further extended (1969/70 and officially opened by Solly Zuckerman, Baron Zuckerman), the Great Hall (1937), the Adams Building (Music Block) (1964), a new Gymnasium Block (1975), the Preparatory School (1990), the Courtyard Building (2006), new Sports Block (2007), and Preparatory School Extension (2009).

Following the Education Act 1944, Bancroft's became a direct grant grammar school. However, the removal of this status in the 1970s prompted the governors to decide on three courses of action: to discontinue boarding, to admit girls for the first time and become fully independent. Some years later the decision was also taken to build a new preparatory school. These were all completed by 1990; the school now takes half its pupils from age 7, and half the pupils are now girls. In 1997, the government abolished the Assisted Places Scheme, which had helped children from poor families to attend the school; the governors replaced these by Francis Bancroft Scholarships, which were supported by the Drapers' Company and by the residue of Francis Bancroft's original will. These awards are means-tested, and can be worth the entire school fee.

In 2004, a new major building programme began. The Courtyard Building, consisting of new kitchens, a communal atrium, staff offices, further teaching rooms and a new Sixth Form Centre, was opened by Chris Woodhead in February 2006, and a new large Sports Hall was completed at the beginning of the Summer Term 2007. In 2009, a conversion of the old gymnasium into a modern Drama Centre was finished with students enjoying the new facilities available. A large new building for the preparatory school and a second floor in the historic library for additional computer usage was completed in 2010. In 2011, an extension to the recently built 6th form block comprising a number of new facilities including a separate 6th form library was completed. The school also continues to invest heavily in its IT infrastructure with the roll-out of new hardware and software systems in 2007.

Mary Ireland became headmistress in January 2008, succeeding Peter Scott. She last worked at Christ's Hospital, where she was deputy head to Peter Southern, himself a previous headmaster at Bancroft's. It was announced in October 2015 that Mary Ireland would be succeeded by Simon Marshall as Head following the 2015–2016 academic year.[3]

The school team, led by English teacher Kevin Gallagher, won the Kids' Lit Quiz in 2009 at the world final in South Africa.[4]

In September 2023, headmaster Simon Marshall announced to the school that he would be stepping down at the end of the 2023-2024 academic year. In December 2023 it was announced that Alex Frazer, currently a teacher at North London Collegiate School would replace Marshall as headmaster from September 2024.[5]

Year groups

[edit]
Preparatory School
Year Name
Year 3 Alpha
Year 4 Beta
Year 5 Prep 1
Year 6 Prep 2
Senior School
Year Name
Year 7 Thirds
Year 8 Removes
Year 9 Lower Fourth
Year 10 Upper Fourth
Year 11 Fifth Form
Year 12 Lower Sixth
Year 13 Upper Sixth

Preparatory School

[edit]
Bancroft's Preparatory School
Location
Map
Information
TypePreparatory day school
Established1990
Department for Education URN132134 Tables
HeadJoe Layburn
GenderCoeducational
Age7 to 11
Enrolment200~
Websitehttp://www.bancrofts.org/index.php/prep-school

The Preparatory School was founded in 1990 after the senior school had converted from a direct grant grammar to an independent school. Unlike most traditional preparatory schools, the final year is Year 6 (age 11) and not Year 8 (age 13).

Curriculum

[edit]

For the first two years, students study the following subjects: English, Maths, Spanish, German, Combined Science, Drama, Religious Studies, Geography, Learning for Life, History, PE, Games, Music, Design & Technology and Art.

In the Removes year (Year 8), students choose two languages to study out of French, German, Spanish, and Russian, and also study Latin.

In the Lower Fourth year (Year 9) students choose three subjects from Latin, Classics, Ancient Greek, Russian, French, Spanish and German and two subjects from Art, Music, Design & Technology, Drama and Computer Science.

At GCSE level, all pupils take the following core subjects: English Language, English Literature, Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, and Biology. Four additional subjects are chosen from the following, one of which must be a language: Art, Design & Technology, Music, Spanish, German, French, Russian, Latin, Classical Civilisation, Classical Greek, Religious Studies, Physical Education, Drama, Computer Science, Geography, and History.

The school follows the IGCSE syllabi in Mathematics and English. Around a third of pupils take Mathematics a year early, going on to do an FSMQ in Additional Mathematics in the Fifth Form.

A-Level students choose three, or sometimes four of the subjects offered by the school: Art, Biology, Business Studies, Chemistry, Classical Civilisation, Classical Greek, Computer Science, Design Technology, Drama, Economics, Electronics, English Literature, French, Geography, German, History, Latin, Mathematics, Further Mathematics, Music, Politics, Physics, Religious Studies, Russian and Spanish.

Some students taken an Extended Project Qualification in the Lower Sixth (Year 12) along with three A-levels. This EPQ is completed at the end of the Lower Sixth.[6]

Heads

[edit]
Name Joined Left Reference
Herbert Clement Playne 1906 1931 [7]
Thomas Grantham Wells 1931 1943 [7]
Sydney Adams 1944 1965 [7]
Ian MacDonald Richardson 1965 1985 [7]
Peter Campbell David Southern 1985 1996 [7]
Peter Scott 1996 2008 [8]
Mary Ireland 2008 2016 [9]
Simon Marshall 2016 2024 [10][5]
Alex Frazer 2024 - [5]

Notable alumni

[edit]
See also: Category:People educated at Bancroft's School
Name Born Died Known For
Frederic Newton Williams[11] 1862 1923 Physician and botanist
Sir Allan Powell[12] 1876 1948 Chairman of Governors of the BBC, 1939–1946
Gilbert Waterhouse[13] 1883 1916 Trench poet
Sir Reader Bullard[14] 1885 1976 Ambassador to Iran, 1943–1945
Robert "Eddie" Cruickshank[15] 1888 1961 World War I Victoria Cross
Henry Self[16] 1890 1975 Civil Servant
Sir Kenneth Peppiatt[17] 1893 1983 20th Chief Cashier, Bank of England, 1934–1949
Joseph Harold Sheldon[18] 1893 1972 Physician, surgeon, and gerontologist
Edgar Middleton[19] 1894 1939 Playwright and Author
Victor Purcell[20] 1896 1965 Civil servant
Sir Wilfrid Percy Henry Sheldon, KCVO[21] 1901 1983 Consulting physician; physician-paediatrician to Queen Elizabeth II
Lieutenant-Colonel Augustus Charles Newman[22] 1904 1972 World War II Victoria Cross
Norman Suckling[23] 1904 1994 Biographer, composer, pianist, writer on music, and educator
Sir Frederick Warner[24] 1910 2010 Chemical engineer
Leslie Broderick[25] 1921 2013 "Great Escape" survivor
Alan Palmer[26] 1926 2022 Historian and teacher at Highgate School
Richard Pankhurst[27] 1927 2017 Historian, grandson of Emmeline Pankhurst
Denis Quilley[28] 1927 2003 Actor
Sir Keith Williamson[29] 1928 2018 Marshal of the Royal Air Force
Fred Emery[30] 1933 TV presenter and investigative journalist for the BBC
Sir Neil Macfarlane[31] 1936 Member of Parliament for Sutton and Cheam 1974–1992
John F. Dewey[32] 1937 Structural geologist, authority on the development and evolution of mountain ranges
Colin Barker[33] 1939 2019 Marxist sociologist
Mike Leander[34] 1941 1996 Singer, songwriter, and music producer
Alan Thurlow[35] 1947 Organist and former director of music at Chichester Cathedral
Martyn Turner[36] 1948 Political cartoonist
Peter Salsbury[37] 1949 Former Chief Executive of Marks & Spencer
Peter Erskine[38] 1951 Former Chief Executive of O2 (UK)
Peter Perrett[39] 1952 Lead singer of The Only Ones
Lord Pannick KC[40][41] 1956 Barrister and cross-bench member of the House of Lords
His Honour Judge Pelling KC[42] 1956 Judge in Charge of the London Circuit Commercial Court[43]
Mike Lynch[44] 1965 2024 The first British-based internet billionaire entrepreneur
Stuart D. Lee[11] 1966 J. R. R. Tolkien scholar and professor of E-learning at Oxford University
Alan Davies[45] 1966 Comedian, writer and actor
David Prever[11] 1967 Radio presenter; 4x winner of the Radio Academy Awards
Samantha Spiro[46] 1968 Olivier Award-winning actress (Cleo, Camping, Emmanuelle and Dick)
Hari Kunzru[47] 1969 British Indian novelist (The Impressionist)
Patrick Leman[48] 1970 Psychologist and professor at University of London, University of Cambridge, and University of Waikato
Samantha Smith[49] 1971 Former British No. 1 ladies tennis player
Anita Anand[50] 1972 Radio and television presenter and journalist
Sara Campbell[51] 1972 Freediver and former world record holder in multiple disciplines
Adam Foulds[52] 1974 Novelist and poet
Louisa Leaman[11] 1976 Author
Neg Dupree[11] 1979 Comedian, writer, and actor
Russell Lissack[53] 1981 Lead Guitarist, Bloc Party
YolanDa Brown[54] 1982 Musician, Double MOBO winning saxophonist
Bobby Friedman[55] 1985 Barrister, writer (biographer of John Bercow) and former Cambridge Union President[56][57]
Andy Saull[58] 1988 Rugby Player, best known for playing for Saracens F.C. and Oxford University

The Old Bancroftians Association

[edit]

The Old Bancroftians Association (OBA) was founded in 1892 when the Old Bancroftians' Football Club was formed, although there were already a few unofficial groups which had been around since the 1860s. The first meeting was held in 1896 at the Haunch of Venison in Fleet Street. However, a constitution was not agreed until 1909, when the first President, H.C Playne[59] (who was also the school's Head Master), was appointed. The idea of the association was to keep young and old members together.

The association grew rapidly over the years, to a size of 3175 members in 2005, when membership for life was introduced for all Bancroftians.[60]

The association provides a range of services for former members of the school, including the organisation of reunions and sports activities, including cricket, rugby golf, and football.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ The Drapers' Company – Francis Bancroft's Trust. Retrieved May 2008 Archived 15 August 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  2. ^ Low, Sampson (1862). The Charities of London in 1861: Comprising an Account of the Operations, Resources, and General Conditions of the Charitable, Educational, and Religious Institutions of London. S. Low, son, & Company. p. 248.
  3. ^ "New school leader named as headteacher set to leave". The Guardian. 13 October 2015.
  4. ^ "Kids' Lit Quiz 2009". Archived from the original on 13 July 2011. Retrieved 22 October 2010.
  5. ^ a b c "Bancroft's School". 14 December 2023.
  6. ^ Kitchen, The Web. "Bancroft's School". Bancroft's. Retrieved 3 June 2019.
  7. ^ a b c d e "The Bancroftian Network". The Old Bancroftian's Association. Archived from the original on 12 December 2013. Retrieved 10 December 2013.
  8. ^ "WOODFORD GREEN: First female headteacher at top school". East London and West Essex Guardian Series. 6 December 2007. Retrieved 18 February 2024.
  9. ^ "Pupils and teachers pay tribute to retiring headteacher". East London and West Essex Guardian Series. 11 July 2016. Retrieved 18 February 2024.
  10. ^ Kitchen, The Web (12 October 2015). "Bancroft's School". Bancroft's. Retrieved 18 February 2024.
  11. ^ a b c d e "List of People educated at Bancroft's School - FamousFix List". FamousFix.com. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
  12. ^ Francombe, Daniel (March 1948). "The Bancroftian". The Bancroftian. 50 (1): 1.
  13. ^ "Epexio". heritage.bancrofts.org. Retrieved 7 February 2024.
  14. ^ Lambton, Ann (24 December 2009). "Sir Reader William Bullard". Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies. 40: 130–134. doi:10.1017/S0041977X00040489. S2CID 178019942 – via JSTOR.
  15. ^ "Old Bancroftians' Association". Old Bancroftians.
  16. ^ "Obituary: Sir Henry Self – Distinguished civil servant". The Times. 17 January 1975. p. 16.
  17. ^ "Epexio". heritage.bancrofts.org. Retrieved 7 February 2024.
  18. ^ "Joseph Harold Sheldon | RCP Museum". history.rcplondon.ac.uk. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
  19. ^ "Mr. Edgar Middleton". The Times (48276). London, England: 13. 11 April 1939. Retrieved 28 September 2013.
  20. ^ Leeming, J.S (May 1962). "The Bancroftian". The Bancroftian. 57 (5).
  21. ^ Tizard, Peter (2004). "Oxford Dictionary of National Biography". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/31674. Retrieved 5 March 2015. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  22. ^ Crickmay, N.H (November 1972). "The Bancroftian". The Bancroftian. 63 (2).
  23. ^ Freeman, W.A (February 1925). "The Bancroftian". The Bancroftian. 33 (1).
  24. ^ Sutton, Jane; Duckett, Adam (27 July 2010). "Sir Frederick Warner". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 7 February 2024.
  25. ^ "Flight Lieutenant Leslie Broderick". The Times. 7 February 2024. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 7 February 2024.
  26. ^ Obituaries, Telegraph (21 April 2022). "Alan Palmer, teacher who brought history to life for his pupils and became a prolific and respected author – obituary". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
  27. ^ "Professor Richard Pankhurst, expert on Ethiopia – obituary". The Telegraph. 20 February 2017. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
  28. ^ Barker, Dennis. "Denis Quilley – Gifted actor whose versatility belied his great strengths", The Guardian, 7 October 2003, p. 29
  29. ^ Probert, p. 90
  30. ^ "WOODFORD GREEN: Old Bancroftonian and former Times journalist goes back to school". East London and West Essex Guardian Series. 25 September 2012.
  31. ^ "The Bancroftian". The Bancroftian. June 1974.
  32. ^ "My most important teacher – John Dewey - Metageologist". 27 March 2012. Retrieved 7 February 2024.
  33. ^ Dale, Gareth (14 February 2019). "Colin Barker obituary". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 7 February 2024.
  34. ^ "Obituary: Mike Leander". The Independent. 3 May 1996. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
  35. ^ Tobin, Edmund (5 June 2009). "LOUGHTON: New organ to be put through its paces". Guardian-Series.
  36. ^ "Epexio". heritage.bancrofts.org. Retrieved 7 February 2024.
  37. ^ Clarke, Hilary (29 November 1998). "Interview: Peter Salsbury - Made to measure at Marks". Independent.
  38. ^ Bradford, J.D (February 1968). "The Bancroftian". The Bancroftian. 60 (4).
  39. ^ "Transpontine: Music Monday: Peter Perrett 'How the West was Won'". Transpontine. 17 July 2017. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
  40. ^ Rubinstein, W.; Jolles, Michael A. (27 January 2011). The Palgrave Dictionary of Anglo-Jewish History. Palgrave Macmillan UK. p. 1441. ISBN 978-0-230-30466-6.
  41. ^ Rozenberg, Joshua (9 December 2016). "David Pannick: the lawyer who makes challenging Brexit look easy". The Jewish Chronicle.
  42. ^ ‘PELLING, (Philip) Mark’, Who's Who 2014, A & C Black, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing plc, 2014
  43. ^ "His Honour Judge Pelling KC". Courts and Tribunals Judiciary. 14 March 2022. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
  44. ^ "OBA President's Report - 2009" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 23 July 2011. Retrieved 14 August 2010.
  45. ^ "WOODFORD: Caretaker recalls era of skinheads after Alan Davies show". East London and West Essex Guardian Series. 13 September 2010. Retrieved 7 February 2024.
  46. ^ "Game of Thrones Actor Attends Arts Celebration at Former School". Pressburst.news. Retrieved 21 August 2020.
  47. ^ "Epexio". heritage.bancrofts.org. Retrieved 7 February 2024.
  48. ^ "LinkedIn".
  49. ^ "Bancroft's School | James Lee Consultancy". www.jamesleeconsultancy.com. Retrieved 7 February 2024.
  50. ^ 'Guide to Independent Schools' – Bancroft's School – Former pupils Archived 11 February 2012 at the Wayback Machine Guide to Independent Schools Retrieved: 22 November 2011.
  51. ^ "WOODFORD: Fearless free-driver up for national award". East London and West Essex Guardian Series. 14 October 2009. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
  52. ^ "Rising Star: Adam Foulds, poet and novelist - Features, Books - The Independent". Independent.co.uk. 27 December 2008. Archived from the original on 27 December 2008. Retrieved 7 February 2024.
  53. ^ McLean, Craig (7 January 2007). "21st-century boy". The Observer. ISSN 0029-7712. Retrieved 7 February 2024.
  54. ^ "Bancroftian Network: Yolanda Brown (OB 1994–1999) - BBC Breakfast". www.bancroftians.net. Retrieved 22 November 2019.
  55. ^ "Star results". News Shopper. 30 August 2001. Retrieved 7 February 2024.
  56. ^ "Bobby Friedman". East London and West Essex Guardian Series. 7 March 2004. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
  57. ^ "Andrew Lownie Literary Agency :: Authors :: Bobby Friedman". Andrew Lownie Literary Agency. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
  58. ^ "Bancroft's School Prospectus" (PDF).
  59. ^ "The Old Bancroftians Association". Archived from the original on 23 October 2009. Retrieved 23 December 2007.
  60. ^ "Bancroftian Network: A Brief History of the OBA". bancroftians.net. Retrieved 3 June 2019.
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