Harris Academy Beckenham (formerly Kelsey Park Sports College) is a secondary school and

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

located in

Beckenham Beckenham () is a town in Greater London, England, within the London Borough of Bromley, in Greater London. Until 1965 it was part of the historic county of Kent. It is located south-east of Charing Cross, situated north of Elmers End and E ...

in the

London Borough of Bromley The London Borough of Bromley () is the southeasternmost of the London boroughs that make up Greater London, bordering the ceremonial county of Kent, which most of Bromley was part of before 1965. The borough's population is an estimated 332,3 ...

. The academy is run by the

Harris Federation Harris Federation is a multi-academy trust of 52 primary and secondary academies in and around London. They are sponsored by Philip Harris (Lord Harris of Peckham). Description With 52 academies in London and Essex, the Harris Federation educates ...

History

Harris Academy Beckenham started life as Alexandra Boys School, in Parish Lane,

Penge Penge () is a suburb of South East London, England, now in the London Borough of Bromley, west of Bromley, north east of Croydon and south east of Charing Cross. History Penge was once a small hamlet, which was recorded under the name Pence ...

. The school opened in 1875 and consisted of one room.Background: Kelsey Park Sports College
In the mid-1950s, it was decided to move to a new school which would be built on the Elgood Playing Fields in Beckenham. However, it took more than 10 years for these plans to become a reality. On 23 April 1968, Kelsey Park School for Boys opened. In 2005 it achieved

Sports College Sports Colleges are senior secondary schools which promote sports alongside secondary education. United Kingdom Sports Colleges were introduced in 1997 as part of the Specialist Schools Programme in the United Kingdom. The programme enabled seco ...

status resulting in Kelsey Park changing its identity and renaming to 'Kelsey Park Sports College'.

Harris Federation

Following growing pressure from local parents in the Beckenham area for a

co-educational 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 t ...

school a public consultation in February 2011 regarding the future of the school concluded that Kelsey Park Sports College was to become a co-educational academy sponsored by the

from September 2011 with the Kelsey Park name being scrapped. The first co-educational year began in September 2012.

References

{{authority control Academies in the London Borough of Bromley Secondary schools in the London Borough of Bromley

Educational institutions established in 1968 1968 establishments in England