Tulse Hill School
Encyclopedia
Tulse Hill School was a large comprehensive school
for boys in Upper Tulse Hill
, in the London Borough of Lambeth
in south
London
, England. The school spanned eight floors and had almost two thousand pupils. It opened in 1956 and closed in 1990. Notable alumni included Ken Livingstone
, ex London Mayor
.
.
Later, the School moved away from a House system, replacing it with pastoral group units. The school operated this system until its closure in 1990. Changing population figures for the area have been argued as the reason for closure.
examination.
Special facilities were also provided for work in engineering, building, art, music and commercial subjects to prepare boys for industry, commerce and the professions. Pupils were also prepared for student and craft apprenticeships.
, Brixton
, Herne Hill
, Clapham
and Brockwell Park
.
The school badge depicts paschal lamb supporting a cross atop a strip of blue and white wavy lines. In itself atop a shield decorated with blue and white wavy lines. The top half of the emblem (the lamb on the strip of blue and white wavy lines) is borrowed from the crest of the London Borough of Lambeth in which the school was situated. The only difference being that the Lambeth crest has a Pennon flowing from the cross, whereas Tulse Hill School's emblem has no pennon. The lower half (shield decorated with blue and white wavy lines) is the bottom half of London County Council's Arms.
The blue and white wavy lines represent the River Thames
(with which the Borough has considerable frontage); the paschal lamb with cross has always formed part of the seal of Lambeth (be it the late Vestry or the Borough Council), and in heraldic terms is a "canting" or punning reference to the name of the Borough.
Ad unum omnes was employed meaning All for One; One for All.
and Clapham South, and later Temples' of Brixton and Streatham, presented themselves as Outfitters to the School offering Bespoke Tailoring linked to Exclusive Craftsmanship. The School Badge could be bought as a single item and then sewn to a proprietary blazer although this was hated by Mr Thomas as he claimed it looked more like a wolf than a lamb.
In the 1960s the 6th Form tie was dark blue decorated with multiple images of the school emblem and the Upper School tie was royal blue with diagonal stripes, the stripes being dark blue with a white centre . One striking feature of the early years of Tulse Hill School uniform were the house colours displayed on school caps. When the school first opened the boys had to wear a black school cap with the school badge on the front section and the house denoted by a coloured button at the apex of the cap. In later years (c.1958) the cap was redesigned with the rear section in one of eight house colours.
All students were expected to wear school uniform with the exception of sixth formers (who in later years (after 1966) were allowed modest discretion. House prefects had a measure of disciplinary control over pupils in the same house and were distinguished by small oak leaves sewn under the school badge. School Prefects had greater authority and wore large oak leaves. In the late 1950s school prefects also wore a short gilet style gown with blue facings around the school. This gown was worn by School prefects until at least 1966.
The eight school houses were named after eminent men who had associations with the borough of Lambeth.
Each house had its own colours:
The Army Cadet Force unit was established as 23 (City of London) Company, affiliated to the Royal Fusiliers. After 1968, this changed to 74 Company South East London ACF and the regimental affiliation was changed to the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers.
The first Officer Commanding was Captain A J "Jerry" Hall who was also a German language teacher in the school.
and the school song. Cracks which developed in the rear wall of the building were thought to have been caused by enthusiastic use of the lower registers on the instrument.
In addition to the main educational building there was a gym block, containing 6 gymnasiums, and a workshop block where woodwork, engineering and building trades were taught.
The main building suffered from serious structural subsidence in the 1980s and it was necessary to install huge wooden props at the Great Hall end to stabilise the structure. (actually wooden props in the great hall were in place in the early to mid 1960s and were there in 1966 due to severe cracks in the building - It was a common rumour amongst the pupils that the original design was for two four storey buildings but cost led to them being combined as one) The buildings were demolished in the early 1990s. Following demolition, the site was bought by a housing association and homes for 160 people have since been built on the ex-school site, most infamous as the estate from which Jean Charles de Menezes
emerged on the day of his fatal shooting. As at 1997, the school entrance and the caretaker's cottage remained on site. House builders on site said that the school building basement (plant) level remained, as it had simply been "filled" in. After the school had been demolished in the 1990s, excavations revealed an early Saxon settlement which included eight sunken-floored buildings.
, and use of a boathouse at Putney. An on-site swimming pool was mooted in the early sixties but that proposal never matured as the Headmaster somewhat controversially devoted fund raising efforts towards the purchase of the school organ. Sports played included football, cricket, hockey, tennis, field sports and athletics and even fencing.
were common and there were other trips to various parts of Europe
- and even to the Caribbean
and the USA- for cultural, sporting, artistic and social purposes were common. Chief sites were Priest Hill Sports Grounds at Ewell
, The Croft at Etchingham
, and Davos
in Switzerland.
in Sussex
. It was a former hotel, converted in 1971 during Ray Long's time as Head for the School's use and stood in 14 acres (56,656 m²) of its own grounds. Every Monday in term time a party of up to 30 boys with one or more teachers would leave the school to spend up to five days at the Croft on specially designed study courses. Activities for first-year students included visits to Bodiam Castle
and Hastings
, visits to farms and route-finding exercises using the Croft's own resources, which included an assault course. Cycling enthusiasts at the School would bike the 50 miles (80.5 km) to the Croft and back some weekends. The Croft continues in operation as a Lambeth Council initiative.
team to Jamaica
(where they lost every game of cricket
but won every game of football played as an unofficial addition to the trip), a Rugby
XV to the USA, and a drama production to Berlin
when the school's version of The Tempest
, adapted as a Caribbean Musical, was selected to represent Britain
at an international Youth Arts Festival in that city.
Other locations included: Germany
; Holland; Italy
; France
; and Belgium
.
Comprehensive school
A comprehensive school is a state school that does not select its intake on the basis of academic achievement or aptitude. This is in contrast to the selective school system, where admission is restricted on the basis of a selection criteria. The term is commonly used in relation to the United...
for boys in Upper Tulse Hill
Tulse Hill
Tulse Hill is a district in the London Borough of Lambeth in South London, England. It lies to the south of Brixton, east of Brixton Hill, north of West Norwood and west of West Dulwich.-History:...
, in the London Borough of Lambeth
London Borough of Lambeth
The London Borough of Lambeth is a London borough in south London, England and forms part of Inner London. The local authority is Lambeth London Borough Council.-Origins:...
in south
South London
South London is the southern part of London, England, United Kingdom.According to the 2011 official Boundary Commission for England definition, South London includes the London boroughs of Bexley, Bromley, Croydon, Greenwich, Kingston, Lambeth, Lewisham, Merton, Southwark, Sutton and...
London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England. The school spanned eight floors and had almost two thousand pupils. It opened in 1956 and closed in 1990. Notable alumni included Ken Livingstone
Ken Livingstone
Kenneth Robert "Ken" Livingstone is an English politician who is currently a member of the centrist to centre-left Labour Party...
, ex London Mayor
Mayor of London
The Mayor of London is an elected politician who, along with the London Assembly of 25 members, is accountable for the strategic government of Greater London. Conservative Boris Johnson has held the position since 4 May 2008...
.
History
The school was opened on 11 September 1956 under the Headmastership of Mr. Clifford Thomas. Student management was originally based on Public School lines employing a House System, and having Prefects (both School and House). Originally, there were Upper and Lower Schools, and within the sixth forms Upper and Lower Sixth, with the Lower Sixth being called the Remove similar to its close neighbour Dulwich CollegeDulwich College
Dulwich College is an independent school for boys in Dulwich, southeast London, England. The college was founded in 1619 by Edward Alleyn, a successful Elizabethan actor, with the original purpose of educating 12 poor scholars as the foundation of "God's Gift". It currently has about 1,600 boys,...
.
Later, the School moved away from a House system, replacing it with pastoral group units. The school operated this system until its closure in 1990. Changing population figures for the area have been argued as the reason for closure.
Education
Originally, the school had a very broad curriculum providing for the normal grammar school academic courses, including Latin, Greek, French, Physics, Chemistry, Biology and other general subjects These subjects were taken to the advanced level (A-level) of the General Certificate of EducationGeneral Certificate of Education
The General Certificate of Education or GCE is an academic qualification that examination boards in the United Kingdom and a few of the Commonwealth countries, notably Sri Lanka, confer to students. The GCE traditionally comprised two levels: the Ordinary Level and the Advanced Level...
examination.
Special facilities were also provided for work in engineering, building, art, music and commercial subjects to prepare boys for industry, commerce and the professions. Pupils were also prepared for student and craft apprenticeships.
Catchment
The school drew from South London suburbs - including StreathamStreatham
Streatham is a district in Surrey, England, located in the London Borough of Lambeth. It is situated south of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.-History:...
, Brixton
Brixton
Brixton is a district in the London Borough of Lambeth in south London, England. It is south south-east of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London....
, Herne Hill
Herne Hill
Herne Hill is located in the London Borough of Lambeth and the London Borough of Southwark in Greater London. There is a road of the same name which continues the A215 north of Norwood Road and was called Herne Hill Road.-History:...
, Clapham
Clapham
Clapham is a district in south London, England, within the London Borough of Lambeth.Clapham covers the postcodes of SW4 and parts of SW9, SW8 and SW12. Clapham Common is shared with the London Borough of Wandsworth, although Lambeth has responsibility for running the common as a whole. According...
and Brockwell Park
Brockwell Park
Brockwell Park is a 50.8 hectare park located between Brixton, Herne Hill and Tulse Hill, bordered by Brixton Water Lane, Norwood Road, Tulse Hill , and Dulwich Road in South London....
.
School Badge
The blue and white wavy lines represent the River Thames
River Thames
The River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...
(with which the Borough has considerable frontage); the paschal lamb with cross has always formed part of the seal of Lambeth (be it the late Vestry or the Borough Council), and in heraldic terms is a "canting" or punning reference to the name of the Borough.
School Motto
The LatinLatin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
Ad unum omnes was employed meaning All for One; One for All.
Uniform
Thomas's of Herne HillHerne Hill
Herne Hill is located in the London Borough of Lambeth and the London Borough of Southwark in Greater London. There is a road of the same name which continues the A215 north of Norwood Road and was called Herne Hill Road.-History:...
and Clapham South, and later Temples' of Brixton and Streatham, presented themselves as Outfitters to the School offering Bespoke Tailoring linked to Exclusive Craftsmanship. The School Badge could be bought as a single item and then sewn to a proprietary blazer although this was hated by Mr Thomas as he claimed it looked more like a wolf than a lamb.
In the 1960s the 6th Form tie was dark blue decorated with multiple images of the school emblem and the Upper School tie was royal blue with diagonal stripes, the stripes being dark blue with a white centre . One striking feature of the early years of Tulse Hill School uniform were the house colours displayed on school caps. When the school first opened the boys had to wear a black school cap with the school badge on the front section and the house denoted by a coloured button at the apex of the cap. In later years (c.1958) the cap was redesigned with the rear section in one of eight house colours.
All students were expected to wear school uniform with the exception of sixth formers (who in later years (after 1966) were allowed modest discretion. House prefects had a measure of disciplinary control over pupils in the same house and were distinguished by small oak leaves sewn under the school badge. School Prefects had greater authority and wore large oak leaves. In the late 1950s school prefects also wore a short gilet style gown with blue facings around the school. This gown was worn by School prefects until at least 1966.
Houses
Games and social activities were originally organised on a House system, with boys being allocated a house on entering the school and thereafter being guided by a housemaster. It was the House masters job to get to know their individual house members and there were often house meetings after morning assembly. Inter-house sporting fixtures were another feature of school life, together with house outings and social activities. The house system at Tulse Hill was eventually replaced by pastoral group units.The eight school houses were named after eminent men who had associations with the borough of Lambeth.
Each house had its own colours:
| House | Founded | Colours | Named After | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blake | 1956 | Light Blue | William Blake William Blake William Blake was an English poet, painter, and printmaker. Largely unrecognised during his lifetime, Blake is now considered a seminal figure in the history of both the poetry and visual arts of the Romantic Age... |
|
| Brunel | 1956 | Pink | Isambard Kingdom Brunel Isambard Kingdom Brunel Isambard Kingdom Brunel, FRS , was a British civil engineer who built bridges and dockyards including the construction of the first major British railway, the Great Western Railway; a series of steamships, including the first propeller-driven transatlantic steamship; and numerous important bridges... Engineer |
|
| Dickens | 1956 | Green | Charles Dickens Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens was an English novelist, generally considered the greatest of the Victorian period. Dickens enjoyed a wider popularity and fame than had any previous author during his lifetime, and he remains popular, having been responsible for some of English literature's most iconic... |
|
| Faraday | 1956 | Black until about 1959, then Dark Blue | Michael Faraday Michael Faraday Michael Faraday, FRS was an English chemist and physicist who contributed to the fields of electromagnetism and electrochemistry.... |
|
| Temple | 1956 | Yellow | William Temple, Archbishop of Canterbury | |
| Turner | 1956 | Maroon | Joseph Mallord William Turner, Landscape Artist | |
| Webb | 1956 | Grey | Sidney Webb Sidney James Webb, 1st Baron Passfield Sidney James Webb, 1st Baron Passfield PC OM was a British socialist, economist, reformer and a co-founder of the London School of Economics. He was one of the early members of the Fabian Society in 1884, along with George Bernard Shaw... and Beatrice Webb Beatrice Webb Martha Beatrice Webb, Lady Passfield was an English sociologist, economist, socialist and social reformer. Although her husband became Baron Passfield in 1929, she refused to be known as Lady Passfield... |
|
| Wren | 1956 | Brown (56-79) | Christopher Wren Christopher Wren Sir Christopher Wren FRS is one of the most highly acclaimed English architects in history.He used to be accorded responsibility for rebuilding 51 churches in the City of London after the Great Fire in 1666, including his masterpiece, St. Paul's Cathedral, on Ludgate Hill, completed in 1710... |
|
Cadet Forces
Unlike most comprehensive schools, Tulse Hill established detachments of the Army Cadet Force and the Air Training Corps. The Cadet Corps had regular weekend training and annual camps away from the school grounds. Initial accommodation in the school was non-existent but a permanent building was erected at the end of the cycle sheds in 1962 with each unit occupying half.The Army Cadet Force unit was established as 23 (City of London) Company, affiliated to the Royal Fusiliers. After 1968, this changed to 74 Company South East London ACF and the regimental affiliation was changed to the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers.
The first Officer Commanding was Captain A J "Jerry" Hall who was also a German language teacher in the school.
Buildings and Grounds
To house in excess of two thousand boys attending the school, its buildings were necessarily large, the main focus of which was a large glass clad building of eight floors, serviced by four lifts (until the late 1970s a lift operator would press the desired floor button for the students). In an attached annex was the Administration Block which also contained the kitchens and the Great Hall. Morning assembly was held in the hall which boasted an entirely professional stage lighting system by Strand Electric. Off this hall were a number of music rooms equipped with an orchestra of instruments. The massive ex-Rose Hill Gaumont Cinema organ, a two-manual Compton which had such entertainment effects as drums, cymbals and whistles removed before re-installation, had pride of place in the Great Hall and provided a unique musical experience as it blasted out items including the Trumpet VoluntaryTrumpet Voluntary
Trumpet Voluntary is the name given to some English keyboard pieces from the Baroque era. A trumpet voluntary is most commonly played on the organ using the trumpet stop, hence the name...
and the school song. Cracks which developed in the rear wall of the building were thought to have been caused by enthusiastic use of the lower registers on the instrument.
In addition to the main educational building there was a gym block, containing 6 gymnasiums, and a workshop block where woodwork, engineering and building trades were taught.
The main building suffered from serious structural subsidence in the 1980s and it was necessary to install huge wooden props at the Great Hall end to stabilise the structure. (actually wooden props in the great hall were in place in the early to mid 1960s and were there in 1966 due to severe cracks in the building - It was a common rumour amongst the pupils that the original design was for two four storey buildings but cost led to them being combined as one) The buildings were demolished in the early 1990s. Following demolition, the site was bought by a housing association and homes for 160 people have since been built on the ex-school site, most infamous as the estate from which Jean Charles de Menezes
Jean Charles de Menezes
Jean Charles de Menezes was a Brazilian man shot in the head seven times at Stockwell tube station on the London Underground by the London Metropolitan police, after he was misidentified as one of the fugitives involved in the previous day's failed bombing attempts...
emerged on the day of his fatal shooting. As at 1997, the school entrance and the caretaker's cottage remained on site. House builders on site said that the school building basement (plant) level remained, as it had simply been "filled" in. After the school had been demolished in the 1990s, excavations revealed an early Saxon settlement which included eight sunken-floored buildings.
Sporting Facilities
Sport was seen as an important component of school life from its very inception even though the restricted size of the site did not allow for the provision of the required facilities for field sports. The school had six gyms, extensive paved grounds, coach transport to Priest Hill Playing Fields at EwellEwell
Ewell is a village in the borough of Epsom and Ewell in Surrey, close to the southern boundary of Greater London. It is located 14 miles south-south-west of Charing Cross and forms part of the suburbia that surrounds Greater London. Despite its growing population it is still referred to as a...
, and use of a boathouse at Putney. An on-site swimming pool was mooted in the early sixties but that proposal never matured as the Headmaster somewhat controversially devoted fund raising efforts towards the purchase of the school organ. Sports played included football, cricket, hockey, tennis, field sports and athletics and even fencing.
Offsite Activities
Tulse Hill School displayed a commitment to off-site activities. School trips around the UKUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
were common and there were other trips to various parts of Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
- and even to the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
and the USA- for cultural, sporting, artistic and social purposes were common. Chief sites were Priest Hill Sports Grounds at Ewell
Ewell
Ewell is a village in the borough of Epsom and Ewell in Surrey, close to the southern boundary of Greater London. It is located 14 miles south-south-west of Charing Cross and forms part of the suburbia that surrounds Greater London. Despite its growing population it is still referred to as a...
, The Croft at Etchingham
Etchingham
Etchingham is a village and civil parish in the Rother District in East Sussex, southern England. The village is approximately twelve miles north-west of Hastings, on the A265, half a mile west of its junction with the A21....
, and Davos
Davos
Davos is a municipality in the district of Prättigau/Davos in the canton of Graubünden, Switzerland. It has a permanent population of 11,248 . Davos is located on the Landwasser River, in the Swiss Alps, between the Plessur and Albula Range...
in Switzerland.
The Croft
The Croft was Tulse Hill School's study centre situated in the village of EtchinghamEtchingham
Etchingham is a village and civil parish in the Rother District in East Sussex, southern England. The village is approximately twelve miles north-west of Hastings, on the A265, half a mile west of its junction with the A21....
in Sussex
Sussex
Sussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
. It was a former hotel, converted in 1971 during Ray Long's time as Head for the School's use and stood in 14 acres (56,656 m²) of its own grounds. Every Monday in term time a party of up to 30 boys with one or more teachers would leave the school to spend up to five days at the Croft on specially designed study courses. Activities for first-year students included visits to Bodiam Castle
Bodiam Castle
Bodiam Castle is a 14th-century moated castle near Robertsbridge in East Sussex, England. It was built in 1385 by Sir Edward Dalyngrigge, a former knight of Edward III, with the permission of Richard II, ostensibly to defend the area against French invasion during the Hundred Years' War...
and Hastings
Hastings
Hastings is a town and borough in the county of East Sussex on the south coast of England. The town is located east of the county town of Lewes and south east of London, and has an estimated population of 86,900....
, visits to farms and route-finding exercises using the Croft's own resources, which included an assault course. Cycling enthusiasts at the School would bike the 50 miles (80.5 km) to the Croft and back some weekends. The Croft continues in operation as a Lambeth Council initiative.
Trips Abroad
Tulse Hill School sent pupils to a number of foreign locations for sporting, educational and recreational/cultural activities. The school sent a cricketCricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
team to Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
(where they lost every game of cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
but won every game of football played as an unofficial addition to the trip), a Rugby
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
XV to the USA, and a drama production to Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
when the school's version of The Tempest
The Tempest
The Tempest is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1610–11, and thought by many critics to be the last play that Shakespeare wrote alone. It is set on a remote island, where Prospero, the exiled Duke of Milan, plots to restore his daughter Miranda to her rightful place,...
, adapted as a Caribbean Musical, was selected to represent Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
at an international Youth Arts Festival in that city.
Other locations included: Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
; Holland; Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
; France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
; and Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
.
Alumni
- Linton Kwesi JohnsonLinton Kwesi JohnsonLinton Kwesi Johnson is a UK-based dub poet. He became the second living poet, and the only black poet, to be published in the Penguin Classics series. His poetry involves the recitation of his own verse in Jamaican Patois over dub-reggae, usually written in collaboration with renowned British...
- the world's first reggae poet - Danny WilliamsDanny Williams (boxer)Daniel "Danny" Williams is an English professional heavyweight boxer.-Amateur:As an amateur boxing out of the famous Lynn AC boxing gym in SE London, Williams learned his trade quickly, often sparring with the likes of clubmates Henry Akinwande and Derek Angol...
– Boxer and current Commonwealth Heavyweight champion - Ken LivingstoneKen LivingstoneKenneth Robert "Ken" Livingstone is an English politician who is currently a member of the centrist to centre-left Labour Party...
– Mayor of LondonMayor of LondonThe Mayor of London is an elected politician who, along with the London Assembly of 25 members, is accountable for the strategic government of Greater London. Conservative Boris Johnson has held the position since 4 May 2008...
2000-2008 and Politician - Steve BucknallSteve BucknallSteven Lee Bucknall is a retired English professional basketball player, and former head coach of British Basketball League expansion franchise London Capital....
- One of England's finest ever basketball players, played in the NBA and Captain of the English team - Insane Macbeth - veteran of the UK Hip Hop scene
- Smiley CultureSmiley CultureDavid Victor Emmanuel , better known as Smiley Culture, was a British reggae singer and deejay known for his 'fast chat' style. During a relatively brief period of fame and success, he produced two of the most critically acclaimed reggae singles of the 1980s...
/ David Emmanuel – Musician; UK-based reggae artist - Dennis Bailey - Played for Queens Park Rangers (New Year's Day 1992 hat-trick vs. Manchester United)
- Les BrileyLes BrileyLes Briley is an English former footballer who played as a midfielder in the Football League for Hereford United, Wimbledon, Aldershot, Millwall and Brighton & Hove Albion. He began his career as an apprentice with Chelsea, without playing for the first team...
- Footballer (Midfield/Striker) - Michael Alldis 79/82 boxer. Former British & commonwealth champion
Former Teachers
- Ken MorleyKen MorleyKen Morley is an English comedian and actor who is best known for his role as Reg Holdsworth in Coronation Street. He played the role from 1989 until quitting the show in 1995...
- Actor - Kenneth CranhamKenneth CranhamKenneth Cranham is a film, television and stage actor. He starred in the title role in the popular 1980s comedy drama Shine on Harvey Moon. He also appeared in Layer Cake, Gangster No. 1, Rome, Oliver! and many other films. He is probably best known to horror genre fans as the deranged Dr...
- Actor - Douglas Fielding - Actor(Z-Cars)
- Mike EdwardsMike Edwards (cricketer)Michael John 'Mike' Edwards is a former English cricketer who played for Cambridge University from 1960 to 1962 and for Surrey from 1961 to 1974. He was a batsman who had only limited success until he became an opener in 1966. He was also a fine short-leg fielder.- Early struggles :After attending...
(Ex-Deputy Head) – Played Cricket for Surrey (between 1961 and 1974); Director of cricket development at