Brentwood School is a selective,

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in Pennsylvania, United States * Independentes (English: Independents), a Portuguese artist ...

day A day is the time rotation period, period of a full Earth's rotation, rotation of the Earth with respect to the Sun. On average, this is 24 hours (86,400 seconds). As a day passes at a given location it experiences morning, afternoon, evening, ...

and

boarding school A boarding school is a school where pupils live within premises while being given formal instruction. The word "boarding" is used in the sense of "room and board", i.e. lodging and meals. They have existed for many centuries, and now extend acr ...

in Brentwood,

Essex Essex ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East of England, and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Kent across the Thames Estuary to the ...

, 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 Mixed-sex education, also known as mixed-gender education, co-education, or coeducation (abbreviated to co-ed or coed), is a system of education where males and females are educated together. Whereas single-sex education was more common up to ...

, and employs the "Diamond Model". The school is a member of the

Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference The Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference (HMC), formerly known as the Headmasters' Conference and now branded HMC (The Heads' Conference), is an association of the head teachers of 351 private fee-charging schools (both boarding schools ...

, the IAPS, and the AGBIS. Founded in 1557 and opened in 1558, 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 of land in the centre of Brentwood. The current headmaster is Michael Bond.

History

16th–18th century

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 Mary I (18 February 1516 – 17 November 1558), also known as Mary Tudor, was Queen of England and Ireland from July 1553 and Queen of Spain as the wife of King Philip II from January 1556 until her death in 1558. She made vigorous a ...

to Sir Antony (or Anthony) Browne on 5 July 1558. The first schoolmaster, George Otway, was appointed on 28 July 1558. 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.''Historical Notes'' from ''Brentwood School, School Lists'' (AKA ''The Blue Book'') 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 Transubstantiation (; Greek language, Greek: μετουσίωσις ''metousiosis'') is, according to the teaching of the Catholic Church, "the change of the whole substance of sacramental bread, bread into the substance of the Body of Christ and ...

. 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 Penance is any act or a set of actions done out of contrition for sins committed, as well as an alternative name for the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Oriental Orthodox sacrament of Reconciliation or Confession. The word ''penance'' derive ...

for Hunter's

martyrdom A martyr (, ''mártys'', 'witness' stem , ''martyr-'') is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, or refusing to renounce or advocate, a religious belief or other cause as demanded by an external party. In colloqui ...

when

Queen Elizabeth I Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. She was the last and longest reigning monarch of the House of Tudor. Her eventful reign, and its effect on history ...

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 John Donne ( ; 1571 or 1572 – 31 March 1631) was an English poet, scholar, soldier and secretary born into a recusant family, who later became a clergy, cleric in the Church of England. Under Royal Patronage, he was made Dean of St Paul's, D ...

Dean of St Paul's The dean of St Paul's is a member of, and chair of the Chapter of St Paul's Cathedral in London in the Church of England. The dean of St Paul's is also '' ex officio'' dean of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of th ...

19th century

Brentwood School

Combined Cadet Force The Combined Cadet Force (CCF) is a youth organisation in the United Kingdom, sponsored by the Ministry of Defence (MOD), which operates in schools, sub divided into Royal Navy, Royal Marines, Army and Royal Air Force sections. Its aim is to ...

(CCF) was founded in 1861 and so is one of the earliest CCFs in the country.

20th century

Sixty Old Brentwoods were killed on active service during the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

and 173 during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. 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 A direct grant grammar school was a type of selective secondary school in the United Kingdom that existed between 1945 and 1976. One quarter of the places in these schools were directly funded by central government, while the remainder attracted ...

from the 1960s until the abolition of the scheme in 1977. Brentwood was originally a

boys' school Single-sex education, also known as single-gender education, same-sex education, same-gender education, and gender-isolated education, is the practice of conducting education with male and female students attending separate classes, perhaps in se ...

, but the Governors made the decision to allow a small number of girls to enter the

sixth form In the education systems of Barbados, England, Jamaica, Northern Ireland, Trinidad and Tobago, Wales, and some other Commonwealth countries, sixth form represents the final two years of secondary education, ages 16 to 18. Pupils typically prepa ...

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

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. 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

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 Garter Principal King of Arms (also Garter King of Arms or simply Garter) is the senior king of arms and officer of arms of the College of Arms, the heraldic authority with jurisdiction over England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The position has ...

and Sir John Dunamace Heaton-Armstrong,

Clarenceux King of Arms Clarenceux King of Arms, historically often spelled Clarencieux (both pronounced ), is an Officer of Arms, officer of arms at the College of Arms in London. Clarenceux is the senior of the two provincial King of Arms, kings of arms and his juri ...

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.

The school today

Academic

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 Diamond school, diamond model, diamond shape and diamond structure are similar terms that apply to a type of independent school in the UK that combines both single-sex and coeducational teaching in the same organisation. Typically, the establishme ...

'' 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. The senior school teaches pupils from the age of 11 until the end of

GCSE The General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) is an academic qualification in a range of subjects taken in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, having been introduced in September 1986 and its first exams taken in 1988. State schools ...

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. Admission to the senior school is by

entrance examination In education, an entrance examination or admission examination is an examination that educational institutions conduct to select prospective students. It may be held at any stage of education, from primary to tertiary, even though it is typica ...

. In addition to core subjects (English, mathematics, sciences, MFL), pupils' GCSE and

IGCSE The International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) is an English language based secondary qualification similar to the GCSE and is recognised in the United Kingdom as being equivalent to the GCSE for the purposes of recognising ...

options include computer science, drama, DT, food technology, geography,

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

, history, Latin, music, RS The sixth form is for pupils aged 1618 who are studying for

'A' levels The A-level (Advanced Level) is a subject-based qualification conferred as part of the General Certificate of Education, as well as a school leaving qualification offered by the educational bodies in the United Kingdom and the educational au ...

, the

International Baccalaureate The International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO), more commonly known as the International Baccalaureate (IB), is a nonprofit foundation headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, and founded in 1968. It offers four educational programmes: the I ...

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.

Sport

Sports offered include

Association football Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...

cricket Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball game played between two Sports team, teams of eleven players on a cricket field, field, at the centre of which is a cricket pitch, pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two Bail (cr ...

fencing Fencing is a combat sport that features sword fighting. It consists of three primary disciplines: Foil (fencing), foil, épée, and Sabre (fencing), sabre (also spelled ''saber''), each with its own blade and set of rules. Most competitive fe ...

gymnastics Gymnastics is a group of sport that includes physical exercises requiring Balance (ability), balance, Strength training, strength, Flexibility (anatomy), flexibility, agility, Motor coordination, coordination, artistry and endurance. The movem ...

hockey ''Hockey'' is a family of List of stick sports, stick sports where two opposing teams use hockey sticks to propel a ball or disk into a goal. There are many types of hockey, and the individual sports vary in rules, numbers of players, apparel, ...

netball Netball is a ball sport played on a rectangular court by two teams of seven players. The primary objective is to shoot a ball through the defender's goal ring while preventing the opposing team from shooting through their own. It is one of a ...

rifle shooting Shooting sports is a group of competitive and recreational sporting activities involving proficiency tests of accuracy, precision and speed in shooting — the art of using ranged weapons, mainly small arms (firearms and airguns, in forms such ...

Rugby football Rugby football is the collective name for the team sports of rugby union or rugby league. Rugby football started at Rugby School in Rugby, Warwickshire, England, where the rules were first codified in 1845. Forms of football in which the ball ...

squash Squash most often refers to: * Squash (sport), the high-speed racquet sport also known as squash racquets * Squash (plant), the fruit of vines of the genus ''Cucurbita'' Squash may also refer to: Sports * Squash (professional wrestling), an extr ...

swimming Swimming is the self-propulsion of a person through water, such as saltwater or freshwater environments, usually for recreation, sport, exercise, or survival. Swimmers achieve locomotion by coordinating limb and body movements to achieve hydrody ...

and

tennis Tennis is a List of racket sports, racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent (singles (tennis), singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles (tennis), doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket st ...

. School teams have met with some success over the years, for example winning the Essex Schools FA Cup three times in four seasons. In netball, the girls' U13 netball team won the 2015/6 national finals to be crowned National Champions. 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. The school is set in 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 AstroTurf is an American subsidiary of SportGroup that produces artificial turf for pitch (sports field), playing surfaces in sports. The original AstroTurf product was a pile (textile), short-pile synthetic turf invented in 1965 by Monsanto. Si ...

pitch, tennis and netball courts, an athletics track and field, and woods used for cross-country runs. Ex-England test cricketer

Geraint Jones Geraint Owen Jones (born 14 July 1976) is a former cricketer who played for both England and Papua New Guinea. Born to Welsh parents in Papua New Guinea, Jones was the first-choice wicketkeeper for the England cricket team between 2004 and 20 ...

is the school's cricket coach.

Drama and music

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 ''My Fair Lady'' is a musical theatre, musical with a book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe. The story, based on George Bernard Shaw's 1913 play ''Pygmalion (play), Pygmalion'' and on the Pygmalion (1938 film), 1938 film ...

'' and ''

Habeas Corpus ''Habeas corpus'' (; from Medieval Latin, ) is a legal procedure invoking the jurisdiction of a court to review the unlawful detention or imprisonment of an individual, and request the individual's custodian (usually a prison official) to ...

'', ''

Les Misérables ''Les Misérables'' (, ) is a 19th-century French literature, French Epic (genre), epic historical fiction, historical novel by Victor Hugo, first published on 31 March 1862, that is considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century. '' ...

'' and ''

West Side Story ''West Side Story'' is a Musical theatre, musical conceived by Jerome Robbins with music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and a Book (musical theatre), book by Arthur Laurents. Inspired by William Shakespeare's play ''Romeo an ...

'' and into the Woods also. Every year the school holds inter-house music and drama competitions, often with guest adjudicators. The school has a link with Brentwood (Roman Catholic) and

Chelmsford Chelmsford () is a city in the City of Chelmsford district in the county of Essex, England. It is the county town of Essex and one of three cities in the county, along with Colchester and Southend-on-Sea. It is located north-east of London ...

(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 Steinway & Sons, also known as Steinway (), is a German-American piano company, founded in 1853 in New York City by German piano builder Henry E. Steinway, Heinrich Engelhard Steinweg (later known as Henry E. Steinway). The company's growth le ...

Schools in the country, meaning that all performance and practice pianos are Steinways. 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 A big band or jazz orchestra is a type of musical ensemble of jazz music that usually consists of ten or more musicians with four sections: saxophones, trumpets, trombones, and a rhythm section. Big bands originated during the early 1910s and ...

, which is now in its 34th year, often performs concerts for charity outside school and tours European every other year. The Big Band has released a number of albums, most recently "Music to Drive By" in 2013.

Model United Nations

Since 2013, Brentwood has hosted an annual

Model United Nations Model United Nations, also known as Model UN (MUN), is an educational simulation of the United Nations, which teaches students about diplomacy, international relations, global issues, and how the United Nations is run. During a model UN confe ...

(BREMUN) conference. In the past it has been a one-day conference, however since 2015 it lasted for two days. Students from schools across the south east attend and it has a capacity of approximately 200 students.

Sir Antony Browne Society (SABS)

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 John Whitaker Straw (born 3 August 1946) is a British politician who served in the Cabinet from 1997 to 2010 under the Labour governments of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown. He held two of the traditional Great Offices of State, as Home Secretar ...

and

Griff Rhys Jones Griffith Rhys Jones (born 16 November 1953) is a Welsh actor, comedian, writer and television presenter. He starred in a number of television series with his comedy partner, Mel Smith. He and Smith came to national attention in the 1980s for ...

are regular speakers. Other speakers have been political figures, such as

George Galloway George Galloway (born 16 August 1954) is a British politician, broadcaster, and writer. He has been leader of the Workers Party of Britain since he founded it in 2019, and is a former leader of the Respect Party. Until 2003, he was a member ...

and

Vicky Pryce Vasiliki "Vicky" Pryce (' Kourmouzi (); born 15 July 1952) is a Greek-born British economist and a former Joint Head of the United Kingdom's Government Economic Service. She is the Chief Economic Adviser at the Centre for Economics and Busine ...

, and the philosopher

A. C. Grayling Anthony Clifford Grayling (; born 3 April 1949) is a British philosopher and author. He was born in Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia) and spent most of his childhood there and in Nyasaland (now Malawi). Until June 2011, he was Professor of Philos ...

Royal visits and connections

The licence to found the school was granted by Queen Mary to Sir Antony Browne on 5 July 1558.

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...

visited the school in 1957 to open the new science department, now named ''The Queens Building'', the foundation stone of which had been laid by the Lord Lieutenant of Essex, Col. Sir

Francis Whitmore Colonel (United Kingdom), Colonel Sir Francis Henry Douglas Charlton Whitmore, 1st Baronet (20 April 1872 – 12 June 1962) was a British Army officer and landowner. Family home He was the son of Thomas Whitmore, an officer in the Royal Horse G ...

. The

Earl of Wessex Earl of Wessex is a title that has been created twice in British history – once in the pre-Norman Conquest, Conquest Anglo-Saxon nobility of England, and once in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. In the 6th century AD the region of Wessex ( ...

visited the school in 2011 for the opening ceremony of the new sixth form centre and the naming of the ''Wessex Auditorium'', and later to inspect a Combined Cadet Force Guard of Honour.

Princess Anne Anne, Princess Royal (Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise; born 15 August 1950) is a member of the British royal family. She is the second child and only daughter of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and the only sister of King ...

visited the School in November 2012.

RIBA Award

In 2012, Brentwood School's sixth form centre was winner of the

Royal Institute of British Architects The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) is a professional body for architects primarily in the United Kingdom, but also internationally, founded for the advancement of architecture under its royal charter granted in 1837, three suppl ...

(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 Victorian or Victorians may refer to: 19th century * Victorian era, British history during Queen Victoria's 19th-century reign ** Victorian architecture ** Victorian house ** Victorian decorative arts ** Victorian fashion ** Victorian literatur ...

vicarage, but with an added measure of playfulness."

Sexual abuse

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 Brighton ( ) is a seaside resort in the city status in the United Kingdom, city of Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England, south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze Age Britain, Bronze Age, R ...

. 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. 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.

Notable alumni

''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. 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 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

Also see the school's own list of Old Brentwoods. *

David Acfield David Laurence Acfield (born 24 July 1947) is an English former first-class cricketer who was also a champion fencer. Cricket career He was part of the successful Essex County Cricket Club team of the late 1970s and early 1980s and formed a not ...

(born 1947), cricketer and Olympic fencer *

Douglas Adams Douglas Noel Adams (11 March 1952 – 11 May 2001) was an English author, humorist, and screenwriter, best known as the creator of ''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy''. Originally a 1978 BBC radio comedy, ''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the ...

(1952–2001), author of ''

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy ''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'' is a Science fiction comedy, comedy science fiction franchise created by Douglas Adams. Originally a The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (radio series), radio sitcom broadcast over two series on BBC ...

'' * Keith Allen (born 1953), comedian, actor, singer and writer (father of the singer

Lily Allen Lily Rose Beatrice Allen (born 2 May 1985) is an English singer, songwriter, and actress. List of awards and nominations received by Lily Allen, Her accolades include a Brit Award, alongside nominations for a Grammy Award and a Laurence Olivi ...

) * Peter Allen (born 1946), BBC broadcaster and journalist, * Sir Hardy Amies (1909–2003), Couturier and Dressmaker by Appointment to Her Majesty The Queen * Peter Barker (born 1983), squash player and influential member of winning English team in European Team Championships 2006 *

Charles Bean Charles Edwin Woodrow Bean (18 November 1879 – 30 August 1968), also commonly identified as C. E. W. Bean, was an Australian historian and one of Australia's official war correspondents. He was editor and principal author of the 12-volume ...

(1879–1963), historian of Australian Forces in

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. * Charlie Bean (born 1953), executive director and Chief Economist of the

Bank of England The Bank of England is the central bank of the United Kingdom and the model on which most modern central banks have been based. Established in 1694 to act as the Kingdom of England, English Government's banker and debt manager, and still one ...

* Lilian Bennett (1922–2013) businesswoman, and the chairman and chief executive of Manpower UK - attended whilst it was only a boys' school *

Guy Black, Baron Black of Brentwood Guy Vaughan Black, Baron Black of Brentwood (born 6 August 1964) is Deputy Chairman of the Telegraph Media Group. He is a Conservative Party (UK), Conservative life peer member of the House of Lords. His career has spanned politics and the ...

(born 1964), former Press Secretary to Michael Howard, and Director of PCC * Norman Burrell (1900–1986), cricketer *

George Cansdale George Soper Cansdale (29 November 1909 – 24 August 1993) was a British zoologist, writer and television personality. He was Superintendent of the Zoological Society of London, and one of the best-known presenters of wildlife programmes and i ...

(1909–1993), zoologist and broadcaster *

Patrick Carter, Baron Carter of Coles Patrick Robert Carter, Baron Carter of Coles (born 9 February 1946) is a Labour life peer in the House of Lords. Early life and career Carter was educated at Brentwood School, Essex, where he was a contemporary of Jack Straw. In his autob ...

(born 1946), politician and

life peer In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the peerage whose titles cannot be inherited, in contrast to hereditary peers. Life peers are appointed by the monarch on the advice of the prime minister. With the exception of the D ...

* Colonel Sir Neville Chamberlain (1856–1944), army officer, Inspector-General of the

Royal Irish Constabulary The Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC, ; simply called the Irish Constabulary 1836–67) was the police force in Ireland from 1822 until 1922, when all of the island was part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom. A sep ...

and inventor of

snooker Snooker (pronounced , ) is a cue sport played on a rectangular Billiard table#Snooker and English billiards tables, billiards table covered with a green cloth called baize, with six Billiard table#Pockets 2, pockets: one at each corner and ...

Roger Cowley Roger Arthur Cowley, FRS, FRSE, FInstP (24 February 1939 – 27 January 2015) was an English physicist who specialised in the excitations of solids. Biography Cowley was born in Woodford Green, Essex, on 24 February 1939. His father, Cecil Ar ...

(born 1939), professor of experimental philosophy at the

University of Oxford The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...

Frank Cowper Frank Cowper (18 January 1849 – 28 May 1930) was an England, English single-handed yachtsman, explorer, author, illustrator, artist, and journalist who was influential in popularizing single-handed cruising. He has been credited as "the ...

(1849–1930), yachtsman, writer and illustrator *

Sir Robin Day Sir Robin Day (24 October 1923 – 6 August 2000) was an English political journalist and television and radio broadcaster. Day's obituary in ''The Guardian'' by Dick Taverne stated that he was "the most outstanding television journalist of ...

(1923–2000), broadcaster (attended the school 1934–1938) * George Dobson (born 1997), association footballer currently on loan at from

Sunderland Sunderland () is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It is a port at the mouth of the River Wear on the North Sea, approximately south-east of Newcastle upon Tyne. It is the most p ...

AFC Wimbledon AFC Wimbledon is an English professional association football club based in Wimbledon, London, Wimbledon, London Borough of Merton, London. The team competes in , the third tier of the English football league system. The club was founded in ...

as of 2021 * Sir David Eady (born 1943), High Court Judge *

Noel Edmonds Noel Ernest Edmonds (born 22 December 1948) is an English businessman, and former television presenter, radio DJ, writer and producer. Edmonds first became known as a disc jockey on Radio Luxembourg before moving to BBC Radio 1 in the UK, pres ...

(born 1948),

disc jockey A disc jockey, more commonly abbreviated as DJ, is a person who plays recorded music for an audience. Types of DJs include Radio personality, radio DJs (who host programs on music radio stations), club DJs (who work at nightclubs or music fes ...

and broadcaster * David Eldridge (born 1973), playwright *

Jonn Elledge Jonn Elledge is an English journalist and author. Education His secondary schooling was at the independent Brentwood School, Essex. He received a BA (Hons) in English from Trinity Hall, Cambridge, receiving a 2.1, writing dissertations on 193 ...

(born 1980), journalist and author *

Stephen Fleet Stephen George Fleet (28 September 1936 – 18 May 2006) was a Master of Downing College, Cambridge, the Cambridge University Registrary and a researcher in mineral sciences and crystallography. Stephen Fleet was educated at Brentwood School, E ...

(1936–2006), Master of

Downing College, Cambridge Downing College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge and currently has around 950 students. Founded in 1800, it was the only college to be added to the university between 1596 and 1869, and is often described as the oldest of ...

Howard Flight Howard Emerson Flight, Baron Flight (born 16 June 1948) is a Conservative Party (UK), Conservative politician in the United Kingdom and a member of the House of Lords, ''ePolitix'', 19 November 2010 who was Member of Parliament (United Kingdom) ...

(born 1948), Conservative politician *Sir

Roderick Floud Sir Roderick Castle Floud FBA (born 1 April 1942) is a British economic historian and a leader in the field of anthropometric history. He has been provost of the London Guildhall University, vice-chancellor and president of the London Metropol ...

(born 1942), academic, vice-president of the European Universities Association *

Fabian Hamilton Fabian Uziell-Hamilton (born 12 April 1955) is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Leeds North East since 1997. He served as Shadow Minister for Peace and Disarmament from November 2016 to Septembe ...

(born 1955), Labour politician * Neil Harris (born 1977), association footballer * Edward "Eddie" Hearn (born 1979), sports promoter *

Keith Hopkins Morris Keith Hopkins, FBA (London, 20 June 1934–London, 8 March 2004), was a British historian and sociologist. He was professor of ancient history at the University of Cambridge from 1985 to 2000. Hopkins had a relatively unconventional ...

(1934–2004), influential historian and sociologist, Professor of Ancient History at the

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* Chris Jarvis (born 1969), television presenter * Paul Neil Milne Johnstone (1952–2004) poet and butt of

' jokes in ''

'' *

Nic Jones Nic Jones (born Nicolas Paul Jones; 9 January 1947) is an English singer, songwriter and musician. Regarded as a prominent figure of the British folk revival, he has recorded five solo albums and collaborated with various musicians. Biography ...

(born 1947), musician *

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(born 1978), association football player and manager *

Andrew Lansley Andrew David Lansley, Baron Lansley, (born 11 December 1956) is a British Conservative politician who previously served as Secretary of State for Health and Leader of the House of Commons. He was Member of Parliament (MP) for South Cambridges ...

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2012–2014 and former

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, current member of the

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Elliot Lee Elliot Robert Lee (born 16 December 1994) is an English professional Association football, footballer who plays as a midfielder for club Wrexham A.F.C., Wrexham. Lee started his career at West Ham United F.C., West Ham United, where he was Lo ...

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(born 1991), association footballer * Frank Godbould Lee (1903–1971), civil servant and Master of Corpus Christi College,

*Sir

Ralph Murray Sir Francis Ralph Hay Murray (3 March 1908 – 11 September 1983) was a British journalist, radio broadcaster and diplomat. He was also once the head of the Information Research Department (IRD), a secret branch of the UK Foreign Office dedica ...

(1908–1983), diplomat *

Jodie Marsh Jodie Louisa Marsh (born 23 December 1978) is an English media personality, model and bodybuilder. She has appeared on numerous reality television shows, including '' Essex Wives'' (2002), ''Back to Reality'' (2004), '' Love on a Saturday Night ...

(born 1978), glamour model * Ian Martin (born 1948), Special Representative of the Secretary General of the UN & Secretary-General of Amnesty International *

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and member of the

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'' *

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model and actor * Bob Simpson (1944–2006), BBC journalist * Sir Peter Stothard (born 1951), former editor of ''

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2007–2010 *

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(born 1953), founder of the Stuckists art movement *

Michael Francis Tompsett Michael Tompsett (born 1939) is a British-born physicist, engineer, and inventor, and the founder director of the US software company TheraManager. He is a former researcher at the English Electric Valve Company, who later moved to Bell Labs in t ...

(born 1939), inventor of CCD imagers *

Paul Wickens Paul "Wix" Wickens is an English musician best known as keyboardist and musical director of Paul McCartney's touring band since 1989. In a career that started in 1973, Wickens has also worked with artists including Nik Kershaw, Bob Dylan, Joni ...

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References

External links

Official School Site

Old Brentwoods Official Alumni Portal

Society of Old Brentwoods
*
Profile
on the

Independent Schools Council The Independent Schools Council (ISC) is a non-profit lobby group that represents over 1,300 private schools in the United Kingdom. The organisation comprises seven independent school associations and promotes the business interests of its ...

website {{authority control Educational institutions established in the 1550s Private schools in Essex Brentwood (Essex town) 1558 establishments in England Member schools of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference International Baccalaureate schools in England Boarding schools in Essex Diamond schools Schools with a royal charter