Purley High School for Boys
Encyclopedia
Purley High School for Boys existed from 1914 to 1988. It was located in Placehouse Lane, Old Coulsdon
, London Borough of Croydon
. The school was Purley County Grammar School from 1914 to 1969, becoming Purley High School for Boys after the abolition of the Grammar School system and the implementation of the Comprehensive System.
As Purley High School for Boys it was a senior secondary school, for students aged 14 to 18.
Purley High School had a reputation for strictness and for the frequent use of corporal punishment; records showing a peak in canings of 43.7 per 100 pupils in the year 1977/78. Its record on caning
s came to the attention of STOPP during the 1970s and 1980s. This was because STOPP happened to be based in Croydon at the time, and managed to get the Local Education Authority to publish an analysis of statistics collated from school punishment books, the first time this had happened in the UK. This resulted in Purley High School for Boys being mentioned in numerous articles in the national press regarding what was criticised as its excessive corporal punishment record. However, statistics for the use of corporal punishment later appeared from other areas of England and Wales, suggesting that Purley's caning record, compared with some other boys' secondary schools, was not quite as extraordinary as STOPP had originally claimed, once the fact that Purley was a 14-18 school (and therefore had about twice the proportion of 14- to 16-year-olds as an 11-18 school) was taken into account, 14-16 being almost invariably the peak age group for getting into trouble at school.
The school motto was Fas et Patria, meaning Faith and Country. The Headmaster from 1968 to 1988 was Mr Derek Akers (Oxon).
Old Coulsdon
Old Coulsdon is a small village near Coulsdon in London, England and part of the London Borough of Croydon.The nearest station is Coulsdon South.-Schools:*****Oasis Academy Coulsdon was formerly Coulsdon High School...
, London Borough of Croydon
London Borough of Croydon
The London Borough of Croydon is a London borough in South London, England and is part of Outer London. It covers an area of and is the largest London borough by population. It is the southernmost borough of London. At its centre is the historic town of Croydon from which the borough takes its name...
. The school was Purley County Grammar School from 1914 to 1969, becoming Purley High School for Boys after the abolition of the Grammar School system and the implementation of the Comprehensive System.
As Purley High School for Boys it was a senior secondary school, for students aged 14 to 18.
Purley High School had a reputation for strictness and for the frequent use of corporal punishment; records showing a peak in canings of 43.7 per 100 pupils in the year 1977/78. Its record on caning
Caning
Caning is a form of corporal punishment consisting of a number of hits with a single cane usually made of rattan, generally applied to the offender's bare or clothed buttocks or hand . Application of a cane to the knuckles or the shoulders has been much less common...
s came to the attention of STOPP during the 1970s and 1980s. This was because STOPP happened to be based in Croydon at the time, and managed to get the Local Education Authority to publish an analysis of statistics collated from school punishment books, the first time this had happened in the UK. This resulted in Purley High School for Boys being mentioned in numerous articles in the national press regarding what was criticised as its excessive corporal punishment record. However, statistics for the use of corporal punishment later appeared from other areas of England and Wales, suggesting that Purley's caning record, compared with some other boys' secondary schools, was not quite as extraordinary as STOPP had originally claimed, once the fact that Purley was a 14-18 school (and therefore had about twice the proportion of 14- to 16-year-olds as an 11-18 school) was taken into account, 14-16 being almost invariably the peak age group for getting into trouble at school.
The school motto was Fas et Patria, meaning Faith and Country. The Headmaster from 1968 to 1988 was Mr Derek Akers (Oxon).
Notable alumni
- Nigel HarmanNigel HarmanNigel Derek Harman is an English actor, most famous for his role as Dennis Rickman in the UK soap opera EastEnders. He has worked extensively in theatre, with the stage being described as his "first love"...
, actor - Simon JordanSimon JordanSimon Jordan is an English businessman who made his fortune in the mobile phone industry. In 2000 he purchased Crystal Palace Football Club and remained chairman of the club until they entered administration in early 2010....
, entrepreneur, Chairman of Crystal Palace football club - Kevin LewisKevin LewisKevin Lewis may refer to:*Kevin N. Lewis, RAND strategic analyst, political satirist*Kevin Lewis , American football linebacker...
, author of best selling novel The Kid - Graham Nearn, founder of Caterham Cars
Purley County Grammar School
- Michael Atkinson CMG MBE, Ambassador to Romania from 1989–92, and to Ecuador from 1985-9
- Prof Stanley Chrimes, Professor of History at Cardiff University from 1953–74
- David Clayman, Managing Director fo Esso UKEssoEsso is an international trade name for ExxonMobil and its related companies. Pronounced , it is derived from the initials of the pre-1911 Standard Oil, and as such became the focus of much litigation and regulatory restriction in the United States. In 1972, it was largely replaced in the U.S. by...
from 1986–95, and President of UKPIA from 1988–90 - Arthur Collins OBE, High Commissioner to Papua New Guinea from 1982-5
- Peter CushingPeter CushingPeter Wilton Cushing, OBE was an English actor, known for his many appearances in Hammer Films, in which he played the handsome but sinister scientist Baron Frankenstein and the vampire hunter Dr. Van Helsing, amongst many other roles, often appearing opposite Christopher Lee, and occasionally...
, actor, horror movies - Prof Gary GibbonsGary GibbonsGary William Gibbons , FRS, is a British theoretical physicist. Gibbons studied in Cambridge,where in 1969 he became a research student under the supervision of Dennis Sciama. When Sciama moved to Oxford, he became a student of Stephen Hawking, obtaining his PhD from Cambridge in 1973...
, Professor of Theoretical Physics since 1997 at the University of Cambridge - Donald Harper, Chief Scientist of the RAFRoyal Air ForceThe Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
from 1980-3 - Brian HordBrian HordBrian Howard Hord CBE is a British chartered surveyor and politician. He served for one term as a Member of the European Parliament and has maintained his involvement in the Conservative Party and in public life; he was Chairman of a health authority for six years.-Professional career:Hord was...
CBE, Member of the European Parliament for London West from 1979–84 - Captain Keith Leppard CBE, Station Commander of RNAS Yeovilton from 1972-4
- Rear-AdmRear AdmiralRear admiral is a naval commissioned officer rank above that of a commodore and captain, and below that of a vice admiral. It is generally regarded as the lowest of the "admiral" ranks, which are also sometimes referred to as "flag officers" or "flag ranks"...
Jack Llewellyn CB, commander of HMS VictoriousHMS Victorious (R38)HMS Victorious was the second Illustrious-class aircraft carrier ordered under the 1936 Naval Programme. She was laid down at the Vickers-Armstrong shipyard at Newcastle-Upon-Tyne in 1937 and launched two years later in 1939...
from 1960-3 - Roger Maynard, British AirwaysBritish AirwaysBritish Airways is the flag carrier airline of the United Kingdom, based in Waterside, near its main hub at London Heathrow Airport. British Airways is the largest airline in the UK based on fleet size, international flights and international destinations...
executive - Alec Mitchell, Director of the Admiralty Marine Technology Establishment from 1977–84
- Gordon PirieGordon PirieDouglas Alistair Gordon Pirie was an English long-distance runner and orienteerer.He was born in Leeds, West Riding of Yorkshire, England and died of stomach cancer in Lymington, Hampshire....
, multi world track record holder and silver medal winner at 5000m at the 1956 Melbourne Olympic Games - Prof Colin Smith CBE, Professor of Oral Pathology at the University of SheffieldUniversity of SheffieldThe University of Sheffield is a research university based in the city of Sheffield in South Yorkshire, England. It is one of the original 'red brick' universities and is a member of the Russell Group of leading research intensive universities...
from 1973–2003, President of the British Society for Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology from 1980-1