Bancroft's School
Encyclopedia
Bancroft's School is a co-educational independent school in Woodford Green
, London
. The school has around 1,000 pupils aged between 7 and 18. The Preparatory School has 200 pupils and the Senior School has 800.
, which continues to act as trustee for the school. 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 for 24 elderly gentlemen, and over the next 250 years it evolved steadily to its present form.
The foundation was originally known as Bancroft's Hospital and until the late 19th century also acted as home for the almsmen. The school then moved to a new site at Woodford Green and the original buildings were demolished; the site is now occupied by Queen Mary College
, one of the colleges of the University of London
.
The new school 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, but the numbers grew steadily during the twentieth century until there were nearly one thousand on the roll. The buildings were also extended, with the Science Block (1910), a new Assembly Hall (1937), the Adams Building (1964), a new Gymnasium Block (1975), the Prep School (1990), the Courtyard Building (2006), new Sports Block (2007), and Prep 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. These were to discontinue boarding, to admit girls for the first time and to build a new Preparatory Department. 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 prep school and a second floor in the historic library for additional computer usage was completed in 2010. Most recently in 2011, an extension to the recently built 6th form block compromising of a number of new facilities including a separate 6th form library was completed. The school also continues to invest heavily in it's IT infrastructure with the roll out of new hardware and software systems recently being completed.
Mrs Mary Ireland became headmistress in January 2008, succeeding Dr Peter Scott. She last worked at Christ's Hospital
where she was deputy head to Dr Peter Southern, himself a previous headmaster at Bancroft's.
The school team won the Kids' Lit Quiz
in 2009 at the world final in South Africa
.
The senior school has its own naming system, in ascending age order:
In the Lower Fourth year, students choose a second language (Spanish, German or Ancient Greek) and to drop two creative subjects (from Art, Music, Design Technology & Electronics, and Drama).
At GCSE level, all pupils take the following common core subjects: English, English Literature, Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry and Biology. Four additional subjects are chosen, one of which must be a modern language: Art, DT, Electronics, Music, Spanish, German, French, Latin, Ancient Greek, Greek Civilization, Religious Studies, Geography and History.
The school has opted to follow the IGCSE syllabus in Mathematics. About 2 fifths of the pupils take this a year early, and go on to take Additional Maths in the Fifth Form. A similar proportion take French a year early, and then go on to study a third of the AS Level course and now Critical Thinking as well, with the option to take the AS exam in Critical Thinking at the end of the year.
A-Level students pick four of the subjects from the list that the school offers: Art, Biology, Business Studies, Chemistry, Classical Civilisation, Critical Thinking, Design Technology, Drama, Economics, Electronics, English Literature, French, Geography, German, Greek, History, Latin, Mathematics, Further Mathematics, Music, Physical Education, Physics, Religious Studies and Spanish. There are also courses to AS level in Government and Politics, and Music Technology.
Play Directing, German (beginners), Spanish (beginners), Circuit Training, Creative Writing, Music Theory, Financial Studies, Medicine, ICT (ECDL) and Critical Analysis are also offered to students choosing to continue with only three of their A-Level choices in the Upper Sixth.
Floreamus pueri,
Vivat et memoria,
Fundatoris nostri.
Nobis en aeternum,
Magni sint honores,
Floreat Bancroftia,
Floreant rectores.
. However, a constitution was not agreed until 1909, when the first President, H.C Playne (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 and in 2005 membership for life was introduced for all Bancroftians, by which time there were 3,175 members.
The association provides many services for former members of the school including reunions and various sports teams, including cricket
, rugby
and golf
.
Woodford Green
Woodford Green, formerly in the county of Essex, is part of the North East London suburb of Woodford, on the edge of Epping Forest, mostly within the London Borough of Redbridge with a small part on the western side of the green within the London Borough of Waltham Forest .-History:Woodford Green...
, 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...
. The school has around 1,000 pupils aged between 7 and 18. The Preparatory School has 200 pupils and the Senior School has 800.
History
The school was founded in 1737, following the death of Francis Bancroft, who gave a sizeable sum of money to the Drapers' CompanyWorshipful Company of Drapers
The Worshipful Company of Drapers is one of the 108 Livery Companies of the City of London; it has the formal name of The Master and Wardens and Brethren and Sisters of the Guild or Fraternity of the Blessed Mary the Virgin of the Mystery of Drapers of the City of London but is more usually known...
, which continues to act as trustee for the school. 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 for 24 elderly gentlemen, and over the next 250 years it evolved steadily to its present form.
The foundation was originally known as Bancroft's Hospital and until the late 19th century also acted as home for the almsmen. The school then moved to a new site at Woodford Green and the original buildings were demolished; the site is now occupied by Queen Mary College
Queen Mary, University of London
Queen Mary, University of London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and a constituent college of the federal University of London...
, one of the colleges of the University of London
University of London
-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...
.
The new school in Woodford Green occupies four and a half acres, and the main buildings were designed by Arthur Blomfield
Arthur Blomfield
Sir Arthur William Blomfield was an English architect.-Background:The fourth son of Charles James Blomfield, an Anglican Bishop of London helpfully began a programme of new church construction in the capital. Born in Fulham Palace, Arthur Blomfield was educated at Rugby and Trinity College,...
, who was also responsible for Selwyn College
Selwyn College, Cambridge
Selwyn College is a constituent college in the University of Cambridge in England, United Kingdom.The college was founded by the Selwyn Memorial Committee in memory of the Rt Reverend George Selwyn , who rowed on the Cambridge crew in the first Varsity Boat Race in 1829, and went on to become the...
in Cambridge. Originally there were just a hundred pupils, including sixty boarders, but the numbers grew steadily during the twentieth century until there were nearly one thousand on the roll. The buildings were also extended, with the Science Block (1910), a new Assembly Hall (1937), the Adams Building (1964), a new Gymnasium Block (1975), the Prep School (1990), the Courtyard Building (2006), new Sports Block (2007), and Prep School Extension (2009).
Following the Education Act 1944
Education Act 1944
The Education Act 1944 changed the education system for secondary schools in England and Wales. This Act, commonly named after the Conservative politician R.A...
, Bancroft's became a direct grant grammar school
Direct grant grammar school
A direct grant grammar school was a selective secondary school in England and Wales between 1945 and 1976 funded partly by the state and partly through private fees....
. However, the removal of this status in the 1970s prompted the Governors to decide on three courses of action. These were to discontinue boarding, to admit girls for the first time and to build a new Preparatory Department. 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
Assisted Places Scheme
The Assisted Places Scheme was established in the UK by the Conservative government in 1980. Children who could not afford to go to fee-paying independent schools were provided with free or subsidised places - if they were able to score within the top 10-15% of applicants in the school's entrance...
, 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
Chris Woodhead
Sir Christopher Anthony Woodhead was Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Schools In England from 1994 until 2000 and is one of the most controversial figures in debates on the direction of English education policy...
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 prep school and a second floor in the historic library for additional computer usage was completed in 2010. Most recently in 2011, an extension to the recently built 6th form block compromising of a number of new facilities including a separate 6th form library was completed. The school also continues to invest heavily in it's IT infrastructure with the roll out of new hardware and software systems recently being completed.
Mrs Mary Ireland became headmistress in January 2008, succeeding Dr Peter Scott. She last worked at Christ's Hospital
Christ's Hospital
Christ's Hospital is an English coeducational independent day and boarding school with Royal Charter located in the Sussex countryside just south of Horsham in Horsham District, West Sussex, England...
where she was deputy head to Dr Peter Southern, himself a previous headmaster at Bancroft's.
The school team won the Kids' Lit Quiz
Kids' Lit Quiz
The Kids' Lit Quiz is an annual literature competition, in which teams of four students, aged 10 to 13, work together to answer wide-ranging literary questions. The winning team from each region competes in the national final. The winner of the national final is then invited to the World Final...
in 2009 at the world final in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
.
Year groups
The preparatory school has four years which are known as:- Alpha (Year 3); Beta (Year 4); Prep One (Year 5); Prep Two (Year 6)
The senior school has its own naming system, in ascending age order:
- Thirds (Year 7); Removes (Year 8); Lower Fourth (Year 9); Upper Fourth (Year 10); Fifth Form (Year 11); Lower Sixth (Year 12); Upper Sixth (Year 13)
Curriculum
For the first two years, students study the following subjects: English, Maths, French, ICT, Combined Science, Drama, Classics (in Thirds, Year 7), Religious Studies, Geography, Latin (from Removes, Year 8) and upwards, PSHE, History, PE, Games, Music, Technology and Art.In the Lower Fourth year, students choose a second language (Spanish, German or Ancient Greek) and to drop two creative subjects (from Art, Music, Design Technology & Electronics, and Drama).
At GCSE level, all pupils take the following common core subjects: English, English Literature, Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry and Biology. Four additional subjects are chosen, one of which must be a modern language: Art, DT, Electronics, Music, Spanish, German, French, Latin, Ancient Greek, Greek Civilization, Religious Studies, Geography and History.
The school has opted to follow the IGCSE syllabus in Mathematics. About 2 fifths of the pupils take this a year early, and go on to take Additional Maths in the Fifth Form. A similar proportion take French a year early, and then go on to study a third of the AS Level course and now Critical Thinking as well, with the option to take the AS exam in Critical Thinking at the end of the year.
A-Level students pick four of the subjects from the list that the school offers: Art, Biology, Business Studies, Chemistry, Classical Civilisation, Critical Thinking, Design Technology, Drama, Economics, Electronics, English Literature, French, Geography, German, Greek, History, Latin, Mathematics, Further Mathematics, Music, Physical Education, Physics, Religious Studies and Spanish. There are also courses to AS level in Government and Politics, and Music Technology.
Play Directing, German (beginners), Spanish (beginners), Circuit Training, Creative Writing, Music Theory, Financial Studies, Medicine, ICT (ECDL) and Critical Analysis are also offered to students choosing to continue with only three of their A-Level choices in the Upper Sixth.
Grading system
The pre-GCSE students (Thirds, Removes and Lower-Fourths [up to the last half-term of Lower-Fourth]) are still given grades with A to D measuring effort (With A representing the highest level of effort given) and 6 to 1 measuring achievement (With 6 representing the highest level of achievement). Now the grading system for GCSE students has changed. The numbers of achievement scale from 1 to 9, 9 being a high A*, 8 being an A*, 7 being a A/A*, 6 being an A, and so on. Three letter grades are given - one for Attitude, one for Classwork and one for Homework. In the sixth form, the grading system changes. Effort is still measured by letters from A to D but achievement is measured on a scale of 1 to 9 against a baseline grade (This is calculated based on GCSE grades and Centigrade tests conducted in earlier years) The numeric grade is an indication of a pupil's expected AS or A level results.School song (Latin and translation)
Floreat Bancroftia,Floreamus pueri,
Vivat et memoria,
Fundatoris nostri.
Nobis en aeternum,
Magni sint honores,
Floreat Bancroftia,
Floreant rectores.
Previous headmasters
| Name | Joined | Left |
|---|---|---|
| Peter Southern | 1985 | 1996 |
| Peter Scott - left | 1996 | 2008 |
| Mary Northern Ireland | 2008 | - |
Notable alumni
| Name | Birth | Death | Achievements |
|---|---|---|---|
| Connop Thirlwall Connop Thirlwall Connop Thirlwall was an English bishop and historian.-Early life:Thirlwall was born at Stepney, London, of a Northumbrian family. He was a prodigy, learning Latin at three, Greek at four, and writing sermons at seven.He went to Charterhouse School, where George Grote and Julius Hare were among... |
1797 | 1875 | Bishop of Saint David's, 1840–1874, and historian |
| Sir Allan Powell | 1876 | 1948 | Chairman of Governors of the BBC BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff... , 1939–1946 |
| Henry Mess | 1884 | 1944 | Social work Social work Social Work is a professional and academic discipline that seeks to improve the quality of life and wellbeing of an individual, group, or community by intervening through research, policy, community organizing, direct practice, and teaching on behalf of those afflicted with poverty or any real or... er and sociologist Sociology Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity... |
| Sir Reader Bullard Reader Bullard Sir Reader William Bullard KCB KCMG CIE was a British diplomat and author.Reader Bullard was born in Walthamstow, the son of Charles, a dock labourer, and Mary Bullard... |
1885 | 1976 | Ambassador to Iran Iran Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia... , 1943–1945 |
| Robert "Eddie" Cruickshank Robert Edward Cruickshank Robert Edward Cruickshank VC was an Anglo-Canadian recipient of the Victoria Cross , the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.... |
1888 | 1961 | World War I World War I World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918... Victoria Cross Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories.... |
| Sir Leslie Peppiatt | 1891 | 1968 | Solicitor Solicitor Solicitors are lawyers who traditionally deal with any legal matter including conducting proceedings in courts. In the United Kingdom, a few Australian states and the Republic of Ireland, the legal profession is split between solicitors and barristers , and a lawyer will usually only hold one title... |
| Gilbert Waterhouse Gilbert Waterhouse Gilbert Waterhouse , was an English architect and, later, war poet. He was killed on the first day of the Battle of the Somme, in World War I, while serving as a second lieutenant in the 2nd Bn Essex Regiment... |
1893 | 1916 | Trench Trench A trench is a type of excavation or depression in the ground. Trenches are generally defined by being deeper than they are wide , and by being narrow compared to their length .... poet |
| Sir Kenneth Peppiatt | 1893 | 1983 | 20th Chief Cashier, Bank of England, 1934-1949 |
| Anthony Jacques Mantle, DFC | 1899 | 1988 | World War I World War I World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918... Distinguished Flying Cross Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom) The Distinguished Flying Cross is a military decoration awarded to personnel of the United Kingdom's Royal Air Force and other services, and formerly to officers of other Commonwealth countries, for "an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying in active operations against... |
| Sir Wilfrid Sheldon | 1901 | 1983 | Paediatrician Pediatrics Pediatrics or paediatrics is the branch of medicine that deals with the medical care of infants, children, and adolescents. A medical practitioner who specializes in this area is known as a pediatrician or paediatrician... |
| Lieutenant-Colonel Augustus Charles Newman Augustus Charles Newman Lieutenant-Colonel Augustus Charles Newman VC, OBE, TD, DL was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.... |
1904 | 1972 | World War II World War II World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis... Victoria Cross Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories.... |
| Flt Lieutenant Leslie Brodrick | World War II World War II World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis... List of Allied airmen from the Great Escape |
||
| Sir Frederick Warner Frederick Warner (engineer) Sir Frederick Edward Warner FRS, FREng was a British chemical engineer. He was knighted in 1968, FRS 1976, Leverhulme Medal 1978, Buchanan Medal 1982. He was a founding Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering.... |
1910 | 2010 | Chemical engineer Chemical engineering Chemical engineering is the branch of engineering that deals with physical science , and life sciences with mathematics and economics, to the process of converting raw materials or chemicals into more useful or valuable forms... |
| Denis Quilley Denis Quilley Denis Clifford Quilley OBE was an English theatre, television and film actor who was long associated with the Royal National Theatre.... |
1927 | 2003 | Actor Actor An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity... |
| John Bromley John Bromley John Bromley may refer to:*John Bromley * John Bromley , British Labour Party Member of Parliament for Barrow-in-Furness 1924–1931* John Bromley Designer of Royal Doulton Figurines... |
1934 | 2002 | Sports broadcasting executive |
| Sir Neil Macfarlane Neil Macfarlane (politician) David Neil Macfarlane, known as Neil Macfarlane, is a British Conservative Party politician.Macfarlane was elected Member of Parliament for Sutton and Cheam in February 1974, regaining the seat from the Liberal Graham Tope who had won the seat in a by-election two years earlier... |
1936 | Member of Parliament Member of Parliament A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,... for Sutton and Cheam Sutton and Cheam (UK Parliament constituency) Sutton and Cheam is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election. The current MP is Paul Burstow of the Liberal Democrats, first elected at the 1997 general election... 1974–1992 |
|
| Graham Edward Alfred Kentfield | 1940 | The 28th Chief Cashier - Bank of England (1991–1998) | |
| Martyn Turner Martyn Turner Martyn Turner is an English political cartoonist, caricaturist and writer. His cartoons appear daily in The Irish Times parodying current events.... |
1948 | Political cartoonist | |
| David Pannick David Pannick David Philip Pannick, Baron Pannick QC is a leading barrister in the United Kingdom, and crossbencher in the House of Lords. He practises mainly in the areas of public law and human rights... |
1956 | Barrister Barrister A barrister is a member of one of the two classes of lawyer found in many common law jurisdictions with split legal professions. Barristers specialise in courtroom advocacy, drafting legal pleadings and giving expert legal opinions... |
|
| Michael Richard Lynch Michael Richard Lynch Dr Michael Richard Lynch OBE, FREng is the co-founder and Chief Executive of Autonomy Corporation. His entrepreneurship is associated with Silicon Fen. He is a leader in the area of computer understanding of unstructured information, an area which is becoming known as meaning-based computing... |
1965 | The first British-based internet billionaire entrepreneur Entrepreneur An entrepreneur is an owner or manager of a business enterprise who makes money through risk and initiative.The term was originally a loanword from French and was first defined by the Irish-French economist Richard Cantillon. Entrepreneur in English is a term applied to a person who is willing to... |
|
| Alan Davies Alan Davies Alan Davies is an English comedian, writer and actor best known for starring in the TV mystery series Jonathan Creek and as the permanent panellist on the TV panel show QI.- Early life :... |
1966 | Comedian and actor | |
| Martin Fitzpatrick | 1967 | Head of Music ENO English National Opera English National Opera is an opera company based in London, resident at the London Coliseum in St. Martin's Lane. It is one of the two principal opera companies in London, along with the Royal Opera, Covent Garden... |
|
| Hari Kunzru | 1969 | Novelist | |
| Samantha Smith Samantha Smith (tennis) Samantha Smith was the number 1 ranked British ladies tennis player from 1996–1999, and now commentates on the game, predominantly for the BBC, Sky Sports and Eurosport, as well as Channel Seven in Australia during the Australian Open.-Early life:Smith was born in Essex, and educated at Bancroft's... |
1971 | Former British No. 1 ladies tennis player | |
| Peter Erskine | Chief Executive Officer, O2 plc O2 plc Telefónica Europe plc is a European broadband and telecommunications company that trades as O2 . The company originated as a collection of worldwide telecommunications companies, known in the later half of the 1990s as BT Wireless, and a global mobile data business known then as Genie Internet,... |
||
| Joe Lovejoy | Chief Football Writer, The Sunday Times The Sunday Times (UK) The Sunday Times is a Sunday broadsheet newspaper, distributed in the United Kingdom. The Sunday Times is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News International, which is in turn owned by News Corporation. Times Newspapers also owns The Times, but the two papers were founded... |
||
| Adam Foulds Adam Foulds Adam Foulds is a British novelist and poet.-Biography:Foulds was educated at Bancroft's School, read English at St Catherine's College, Oxford under Craig Raine, and graduated with an MA in creative writing from the University of East Anglia in 2001. Foulds published The Truth About These Strange... |
1974 | Novelist and poet | |
| Russell Lissack Russell Lissack Russell Dean Lissack is an English musician best known as the lead guitarist of London based indie rock band, Bloc Party. Lissack is also in the electronica band Pin Me Down; a duo of himself and Milena Mepris... |
1981 | Lead Guitarist, Bloc Party Bloc Party Bloc Party are a British Indie rock band, composed of Kele Okereke , Russell Lissack , Gordon Moakes , and Matt Tong... |
|
| Andy Saull Andy Saull Andy Saull is a rugby union player who plays at flanker for Saracens F.C. in the Aviva Premiership.He was educated at Bancroft's School and Birkbeck, University of London.... |
1988 | Professional Rugby Player, Saracens FC | |
| Samantha Spiro Samantha Spiro Samantha Spiro is an Olivier Award-winning English actress. She is known for portraying Barbara Windsor in the stage play Cleo, Camping, Emmanuelle and Dick and the television film Cor, Blimey!, and DI Vivien Friend in M.I.T.: Murder Investigation Team.-Background:Born in Mill Hill, Spiro grew up... |
1968 | Actress | |
| Norman Suckling Norman Charles Suckling Norman Charles Suckling was an English biographer, composer, pianist, and writer on music. Born in the Forest Gate neighborhood of London, he studied at the Bancroft's School in Woodford Green, Essex in his youth. He then entered The Queen's College, Oxford where he earned a diploma in History... |
1904 | Biographer, composer, pianist, writer on music, and educator | |
| Ed Gleave | 1985 | Showbiz reporter, Daily Star Sunday newspaper | |
| Bobby Friedman | 1985 | Author, John Bercow biography made bestseller list | |
The Old Bancroftian Association
The Old Bancroftian Association (OBA) started 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 StreetFleet Street
Fleet Street is a street in central London, United Kingdom, named after the River Fleet, a stream that now flows underground. It was the home of the British press until the 1980s...
. However, a constitution was not agreed until 1909, when the first President, H.C Playne (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 and in 2005 membership for life was introduced for all Bancroftians, by which time there were 3,175 members.
The association provides many services for former members of the school including reunions and various sports teams, including 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...
, 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...
and golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
.