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Brentwood School, Essex

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Brentwood School
Address
Map
Middleton Hall Lane

Brentwood
,
Essex
,
CM15 8EE

England
Information
TypePublic School
Independent day and boarding
MottoesVirtue, learning and manners
Incipe
Latin: Make a good start
Religious affiliation(s)Church of England
Established1557; 467 years ago (1557)[citation needed]
FounderSir Antony Browne
Department for Education URN115429 Tables
Chairman of GovernorsLord Black of Brentwood [2]
HeadmasterMichael Bond [1]
Staff137
GenderCoeducational (Diamond Model)[3]
Age3[3] to 19[3]
Enrolment1,531[3]
Capacity1570[3]
Houses  North
  South
  East
  West
  Weald
   Mill Hill (female boarders)
   Hough (male boarders)
Colour(s)  Blue
PublicationThe Brentwoodian (student produced)
Brentwood School Times
The Chronicle of the Society of Old Brentwoods
AlumniOld Brentwoods
Campus size72 acres (29 ha)
School yearsPreparatory–sixth form
WebsiteOfficial website

Brentwood School is a selective, independent day and boarding school in Brentwood, Essex, England in the public school tradition. The school comprises a preparatory school, senior school and sixth form, as well as boarding provision for both boys and girls. The school is coeducational, and employs the "Diamond Model". The school is a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference, the IAPS, and the AGBIS.

Founded in 1557 and opened in 1558,[citation needed] the school has a Tudor schoolroom, a Victorian chapel and several Grade II listed buildings. Situated on Ingrave Road, astride Middleton Hall Lane and Shenfield Road, the school is set in over 72 acres (29 hectares) of land in the centre of Brentwood.[4] The current headmaster is Michael Bond.

History

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16th–18th century

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Brentwood School and the Martyr's Elm, 1847

The licence to found the school as The Grammar School of Antony Browne, Serjeant at the Law, in Brentwood was granted by Queen Mary I to Sir Antony (or Anthony) Browne on 5 July 1558. The first schoolmaster, George Otway, was appointed on 28 July 1558.[5]


In 1568, a year after Browne's death, the school moved to a purpose-built schoolroom, which is extant. The commemoration stone was laid by Browne's stepdaughter, Dorothy Huddleston, and her husband Edward, Browne's marriage having been childless.[6]

The school room is beside the site of the execution of nineteen-year-old William Hunter, who was burned at the stake for denying the doctrine of transubstantiation. The Martyr's Elm grew, allegedly, on the spot of his immolation. It was Browne who, as a Justice of the Peace under Queen Mary, had sentenced Hunter. Some believe the school was founded as Browne's penance for Hunter's martyrdom when Queen Elizabeth I came to the throne; however, the school was already in operation under Mary's licence when Elizabeth succeeded.

Although Browne had drawn up statutes for the school, they were never legally adopted and so were re-drawn in 1622 by his descendants and John Donne, Dean of St Paul's.[6]

19th century

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Brentwood School Combined Cadet Force (CCF) was founded in 1861 and so is one of the earliest CCFs in the country.[7]

20th century

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Sixty Old Brentwoods were killed on active service during the First World War and 173 during the Second World War. Their names are listed in the school chapel, and commemorated by the Memorial Hall for the first war and the pavilion for the second. The school was a direct grant grammar school from the 1960s until the abolition of the scheme in 1977.

Brentwood was originally a boys' school, but the Governors made the decision to allow a small number of girls to enter the sixth form in 1974. By the early 1980s there were 23 girls in the sixth form. Initially based in Newnum House, the girls' school opened in 1988, admitting girls from ages 11 to 18.

21st century

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In 2007, Brentwood School celebrated its 450th anniversary with a commemorative service in St Paul's Cathedral.

The school's Combined Cadet Force (CCF) celebrated its 150th anniversary on 8 October 2011 by holding a special afternoon of events featuring a Guard of Honour by Lt General Brown CBE. The Royal British Legion Youth Band of Brentwood played at the start and end of the afternoon.[8]

In 2012, The Earl of Wessex visited the school to open the new sixth form centre, featuring a 400-seat auditorium, named The Wessex Auditorium in his honour.

School arms

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Coat of arms of Brentwood School, Essex
 
Notes
Granted 19 July 1957.[9]
Escutcheon
Gules, a chevron between three lions' gambs erased and a bordure Argent, in the honour point a fleur-de-lys Or, on a chief also Argent an eagle displayed looking to the sinister Sable, beaked and legged and anciently crowned gold (Browne), impaling Quarterly, first and fourth Argent, a chevron Gules between three lions' faces Sable (Farington), second Gules three pierced cinquefoils Argent, (Farington), third Argent a cross engrailed Sable between four torteaux (Clayton); the whole within a bordure Gules.
Motto
'Virtue, Learning, Manners'

The arms of Brentwood School are derived from those of the founder, Sir Antony Browne, and his wife.

As part of the commemoration of the 400th anniversary of the school's founding, a special variant of Sir Antony Browne's Coat of Arms was granted by the Honourable Sir George Rothe Bellew, Garter Principal King of Arms and Sir John Dunamace Heaton-Armstrong, Clarenceux King of Arms on 19 July 1957. A red border was added to the arms to distinguish them as the school's, as opposed to those of Browne.[10]

The school today

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Academic

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The school is separated into three sections: the preparatory school (ages 3 to 11), the senior school (ages 11 to 16) and the sixth form (ages 16 to 18). Brentwood operates in a diamond school format, in which the preparatory school and sixth form are co-educational while the senior school teaches boys and girls separately.

Brentwood Preparatory School teaches children aged 3–11, from Nursery through to Year 6. Classes are usually small, with an average size of 20 per class. The prep school follows the National Curriculum but teaches some supplementary subjects such as French and Latin. There is also a broad extracurricular programme, which all pupils are encouraged to follow, featuring dance, drama and music, as well as sports such as hockey and golf.[11]

The senior school teaches pupils from the age of 11 until the end of GCSE courses at 16+. Many pupils move into the senior school from the preparatory school, but others are drawn from other local primary and preparatory schools; around 1/3 of pupils join the school from the maintained sector.[12] Admission to the senior school is by entrance examination. In addition to core subjects (English, mathematics, sciences, MFL), pupils' GCSE and IGCSE options include computer science, drama, DT, food technology, geography, Greek, history, Latin, music, RS[13]

The sixth form is for pupils aged 16‑18 who are studying for 'A' levels, the International Baccalaureate and BTec Extended Diploma in Sport or Business. There are currently c.300 pupils in the sixth form. 'A' level options include classics, computer science, DT, economics, English literature, history, mathematics and MFL.[14]

Sport

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Sports offered include Association football, cricket, fencing, gymnastics, hockey, netball, rifle shooting, Rugby football, squash, swimming and tennis. School teams have met with some success over the years, for example winning the Essex Schools FA Cup three times in four seasons.[15] In netball, the girls' U13 netball team won the 2015/6 national finals to be crowned National Champions.[citation needed]

In 2008 the school U13 cricket team won the National Schools Cup (Bunbury Cup), to be crowned National Champions, having finished as runners up in 2007.

The school has a 25-metre indoor swimming-pool and learner pool, a fitness suite, 4 additional squash courts and an indoor rifle range.[citation needed] The school is set in 72 acres (29 ha) of grounds and has two playing-fields; one is situated directly on the school site and another, The Heseltines, adjacent to the school. These contain football, rugby, cricket and hockey pitches, an all-weather AstroTurf pitch, tennis and netball courts, an athletics track and field, and woods used for cross-country runs.

Ex-England test cricketer Geraint Jones is the school's cricket coach.

Drama and music

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The school hosts various theatrical performances and shows. In any academic year the theatrical line-up will include a winter/spring play/musical, a sixth-form comedy charity show and a dance show. Recent shows have included My Fair Lady and Habeas Corpus, Les Misérables and West Side Story and into the Woods also. Every year the school holds inter-house music and drama competitions, often with guest adjudicators.[citation needed]

The school has a link with Brentwood (Roman Catholic) and Chelmsford (Anglican) cathedrals; a number of pupils and staff sing in the choir of each cathedral. The music department has 5 full-time teaching staff and 20 visiting teachers. A Sibelius suite is available in the school's music department for student and staff use. The School is one of only 14 Steinway Schools in the country, meaning that all performance and practice pianos are Steinways.[16]

There is a symphony orchestra, brass and string ensembles, a junior choir, a choral society and a barbershop group. Recent choral performances have included Belshazzar's Feast (Walton), the Requiems of Mozart, Verdi and Fauré, and Gloria by Poulenc. The Brentwood School Big Band, which is now in its 34th year, often performs concerts for charity outside school and tours European every other year.[17] The Big Band has released a number of albums, most recently "Music to Drive By" in 2013.[citation needed]

Model United Nations

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Since 2013, Brentwood has hosted an annual Model United Nations (BREMUN) conference.[18][19] In the past it has been a one-day conference, however since 2015 it lasted for two days.[20] Students from schools across the south east attend and it has a capacity of approximately 200 students.

Sir Antony Browne Society (SABS)

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SABS is a society that focuses on furthering the education of sixth formers through a series of guest speakers and debates. Junior SABS is available for the younger pupils. Regular meetings are held in Old Big School, at which students are able to experience lectures on societal issues or topics to concerning science, the arts and sport, or a members' debate. Old Brentwoods such as Jack Straw and Griff Rhys Jones are regular speakers. Other speakers have been political figures, such as George Galloway[21] and Vicky Pryce,[22] and the philosopher A. C. Grayling.[23]

Royal visits and connections

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The licence to found the school was granted by Queen Mary to Sir Antony Browne on 5 July 1558.[24] Queen Elizabeth II visited the school in 1957 to open the new science department,[25] now named The Queens Building, the foundation stone of which had been laid by the Lord Lieutenant of Essex, Col. Sir Francis Whitmore.[26] The Earl of Wessex visited the school in 2011 for the opening ceremony of the new sixth form centre and the naming of the Wessex Auditorium,[27] and later to inspect a Combined Cadet Force Guard of Honour. Princess Anne visited the School in November 2012.[28]

RIBA Award

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In 2012, Brentwood School's sixth form centre was winner of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) East of England Award. The institute described the development as having drawn "inspiration from the existing Victorian vicarage" and that "the new design is expressed in a language that is both contextual and contemporary. The sculpting of the roofs creates non-standard, domestic-scaled classrooms filled with natural light, reminiscent of the gabled roofs of the Victorian vicarage, but with an added measure of playfulness."[29]

Sexual abuse

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In 1997, Gareth Stafford-Bull, who taught fencing at the school (and was also a coach for the England under-20s fencing team), went missing and was sacked by the school in his absence following allegations that he had indecently assaulted pupils. The 41-year-old was later found dead in his car near Brighton.[30]

In August 2024, David Pickthall, the school's former Head of Music, was charged as part of an investigation into child sexual offences spanning more than forty years. The investigation related to alleged offences against nineteen people between 1980 and 2021 in Brentwood and the Havering area.[31] In October 2024, Pickthall pleaded guilty to all charges. He was sentenced to 12 years in prison with a further four on extended licence at Chelmsford Crown Court on 11 November 2024.[32]

Notable former pupils

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The official alumni logo for the Old Brentwoods community

Old Brentwoods are those who have attended the school (preparatory, senior school or sixth form) for any length of time. The logo used to represent Old Brentwoods and the Society of Old Brentwoods is the wing and claw, derived from the arms of Sir Antony Browne. A crown was added to the logo in 1957 to celebrate The Queen's visit to the school.[33]

The colours of Old Brentwoods are dark blue, light blue and gold. Light blue and dark blue were traditionally featured as stripes on the blazers of Old Brentwoods[citation needed] and are still used today to represent the alumni community. The colours were carried across to the alumni logo, with the addition of gold on the inclusion of the crown in 1957.

Old Brentwoods

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See also: Category:People educated at Brentwood School, Essex

Also see the school's own list of Old Brentwoods.[34]

References

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  1. ^ "Ian Davies to retire as Head of Brentwood School". www.brentwoodschool.co.uk. Archived from the original on 26 April 2018. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
  2. ^ https://www.brentwoodschool.co.uk/about/staff-governors/
  3. ^ a b c d e "Brentwood School". education.gov.uk. HM Government. Archived from the original on 5 March 2017. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
  4. ^ Brentwood Borough Council Web Team. "Brentwood Borough Council". Brentwood.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 2 April 2012. Retrieved 16 May 2014.
  5. ^ "Our History". Brentwood School. Retrieved 29 August 2024.
  6. ^ a b Historical Notes from Brentwood School, School Lists (AKA The Blue Book)
  7. ^ "Combined Cadet Force". Brentwoodschool.co.uk. 12 January 2012. Archived from the original on 17 May 2014. Retrieved 16 May 2014.
  8. ^ "CCF 150th Anniversary at Brentwood School". Brentwoodschool.co.uk. 17 October 2011. Archived from the original on 15 April 2012. Retrieved 16 May 2014.
  9. ^ "Brentwood School". Heraldry of the World. Retrieved 16 May 2023.
  10. ^ Christe-Murray, David. The Arms of Brentwood School. Middlesex; Hubners Ltd.
  11. ^ "Preparatory School". Brentwoodschool.co.uk. Archived from the original on 5 October 2014. Retrieved 16 May 2014.
  12. ^ John Sugden; et al. "Integrated Inspection Report 2013". isi.net. ISI. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
  13. ^ "GCSE Course content" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 20 November 2016. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
  14. ^ "Sixth Form Academic Prospectus" (PDF). .netdna-ssl.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 November 2016. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
  15. ^ "Brentwood School footballers lift U15 Essex Cup". Brentwoodschool.co.uk. 3 May 2013. Archived from the original on 15 May 2014. Retrieved 16 May 2014.
  16. ^ "Steinway Schools". London: Steinway & Sons. Retrieved 26 March 2022.
  17. ^ [1] Archived 20 August 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  18. ^ "Want your own website? | 123 Reg". Archived from the original on 11 August 2018. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
  19. ^ "School hosts inaugural MUN event". Archived from the original on 16 February 2015. Retrieved 16 February 2015.
  20. ^ "Model United Nations". Archived from the original on 16 February 2015. Retrieved 16 February 2015.
  21. ^ "Outspoken MP revisits Brentwood School". Brentwoodschool.co.uk. 21 January 2013. Archived from the original on 28 May 2014. Retrieved 16 May 2014.
  22. ^ "Economist Vicky Pryce speaks at SABS". Brentwoodschool.co.uk. Archived from the original on 13 April 2014. Retrieved 16 May 2014.
  23. ^ "Famous English Philosopher, Dr Anthony Grayling, lectures at Brentwood School". Brentwoodschool.co.uk. 11 September 2013. Archived from the original on 28 May 2014. Retrieved 16 May 2014.
  24. ^ "SDS Heritage (1500-1599) - 1558".
  25. ^ "Reunion Evening for 1957 Leavers". Brentwoodschool.co.uk. Archived from the original on 17 May 2014. Retrieved 16 May 2014.
  26. ^ "StackPath". Archived from the original on 22 April 2021. Retrieved 11 February 2012.
  27. ^ "Archive | Homepage – Echo". Echo-news.co.uk. Archived from the original on 22 March 2014. Retrieved 16 May 2014.
  28. ^ "The Enquirer :: Princess Royal makes flying visit to local school". Archived from the original on 21 April 2013. Retrieved 4 February 2013.
  29. ^ "Brentwood School Sixth Form Centre & Assembly Hall". Architecture.com. 29 May 2012. Archived from the original on 13 April 2014. Retrieved 16 May 2014.
  30. ^ "Suspect dies; News in brief.(Home news) – Version details – Trove". Trove.nla.gov.au. Archived from the original on 28 April 2014. Retrieved 16 May 2014.
  31. ^ "Brentwood: Man charged with 37 sexual offences". www.essex.police.uk. Retrieved 27 August 2024.
  32. ^ "Brentwood/Havering: Former teacher and choirmaster jailed for 12 years". www.essex.police.uk. Retrieved 11 November 2024.
  33. ^ "School History". Brentwoodschool.co.uk. Archived from the original on 17 May 2014. Retrieved 16 May 2014.
  34. ^ "Famous OBs". Brentwoodschool.co.uk. Archived from the original on 21 October 2008. Retrieved 16 May 2014.
  35. ^ "David Acfield; England". www.espncricinfo.com/. ESPN. Archived from the original on 21 November 2016. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
  36. ^ Adams, Douglas (2002). The Salmon of Doubt: Hitchhiking the Galaxy One Last Time. London: Macmillan. ISBN 0-333-76657-1.
  37. ^ Billen, Andrew (2006). "I had a great time in borstal". The Times. Archived from the original on 2 April 2017. Retrieved 19 March 2011.
  38. ^ "BBC - Press Office - Peter Allen". Archived from the original on 16 February 2007. Retrieved 2 December 2006.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  39. ^ McDowell, Colin (6 March 2003). "Obituary: Sir Hardy Amies". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 21 November 2016. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
  40. ^ "PSA Squash". psa-squash.com. Archived from the original on 24 June 2011. Retrieved 30 December 2007.
  41. ^ "C E W Bean". The Western Herald. 10 October 1958. Archived from the original on 21 November 2016. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
  42. ^ Staff writer (1907). "Cowper, Frank, M.A. Ox.". Who’s Who (UK). A & C Black, London. p. 399
  43. ^ "Famous OBs". Archived from the original on 21 October 2008. Retrieved 16 May 2014. Brentwood School Records
  44. ^ Waller, Robert; Criddle, Byron (2002). The Almanac of British Politics. Psychology Press. ISBN 9780415268332.
  45. ^ "Eddie Hearn reveals boxing's first ever $1bn deal with streaming giant". The Independent. 11 May 2018. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
  46. ^ Betts, Graham (2006). England: Player by player. Green Umbrella Publishing. p. 181. ISBN 1-905009-63-1.
  47. ^ "F1 World Council". Grand Prix.com. Archived from the original on 11 July 2011. Retrieved 13 February 2011.
  48. ^ Air Museum copy of letter Archived 26 October 2007 at the Wayback Machine retrieved 4 February 2009.
  49. ^ Ruff, Peter (31 July 2006). "Obituary : Bob Simpson". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 12 February 2014. Retrieved 4 September 2011.
  50. ^ "Obituary of Sir Denis Wright". The Telegraph. London. 21 May 2005. Archived from the original on 29 June 2011. Retrieved 13 February 2011.
  51. ^ "SIR DENIS WRIGHT". www.pressmon.com. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 4 July 2013.
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