The Royal Liberty School is a

secondary school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' secondary education, lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) ...

for boys aged 11 to 16, located in

Gidea Park Gidea Park () is a neighbourhood in the east of Romford in the London Borough of Havering, south-east England. Predominantly affluent and residential, it was historically within the county of Essex and saw significant expansion in the early 20t ...

in the

London Borough of Havering The London Borough of Havering () in East London, England, forms part of Outer London. It has a population of 259,552 inhabitants; the principal town is Romford, while other communities are Hornchurch, Upminster, Collier Row and Rainham. The ...

, England. The school is situated on Upper Brentwood Road about 400 metres north of

Gidea Park railway station Gidea Park railway station is on the Great Eastern Main Line, serving the neighbourhood of Gidea Park in the London Borough of Havering, east London. It is down the line from London Liverpool Street and is situated between Romford and Harold Wo ...

, and approximately halfway between Gidea Park and

Ardleigh Green Ardleigh Green is an area in east London, England, within the London Borough of Havering. It is east-northeast of Charing Cross. This part of London is predominantly residential. Amenities and natural geography Ardleigh Green has a small s ...

to the north-east of

Romford Romford is a large town in east London and the administrative centre of the London Borough of Havering. It is located northeast of Charing Cross and is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the London Plan. Historically, Romford ...

. It is in the parish of St. Michael & All Angels, Gidea Park.St Michael & All Angels
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History

Grammar school

The school was founded in 1921 in the buildings at the grounds of Hare Hall and takes its name from the

Royal Liberty of Havering Havering, also known as Havering-atte-Bower, was a royal manor and ancient liberty whose area now forms part of, and gives its name to, the London Borough of Havering in Greater London. The manor was in the possession of the Crown from the 11th ...

. It was once a traditional English

grammar school A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching Latin, but more recently an academically oriented secondary school ...

, and also had a

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 ...

until 1992. In 2017 the school joined th
Success for all Education trust
The Royal Liberty was the first school in Europe to install an electronic computer (an Elliott 903, similar to the 920 military version) in 1965. As a grammar school, it operated a squadron of the

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, and normally includes Army, Royal Navy and Royal Air Force sections. Its aim is to "provide a ...

(CCF), incorporating basic, army, navy, and air cadets (including a training glider).

Comprehensive school

* 1974 – In accord with government policy, and in spite of manifest opposition, the school converts from a grammar to comprehensive school. * 1989 – J. P. Coles, retired as headmaster after 25 years of service, with L. B. Thomas subsequently promoted from deputy head to headmaster. * 1988 – The sixth form was twinned with the nearby

Frances Bardsley Academy for Girls Frances Bardsley Academy for Girls is a non-denominational girls school and sixth form centre in the London Borough of Havering, England. The school educates girls between the ages of 11 and 18 (school years 7 to 13). Overview The school is ...

. * 1992 – The sixth form was abolished. * 1996 – School was placed into

Ofsted The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted) is a Non-ministerial government department, non-ministerial department of Government of the United Kingdom, His Majesty's government, reporting to Parliament of the U ...

special measures Special measures is a status applied by regulators of public services in Britain to providers who fall short of acceptable standards. In education (England and Wales) Ofsted, the schools inspection agency for England and some British Overseas Ter ...

. L. B. Thomas left and S. Berwitz was appointed head. * 2000 – School removed from special measures. * 2001 – School cited by Ofsted as "one of the most improved schools in the UK". * 2003 – Julia Deery was appointed head. * 2004 – Bid launched for

specialist school Specialist schools, also known as specialised schools or specialized schools, are schools which specialise in a certain area or field of curriculum. In some countries, for example New Zealand, the term is used exclusively for schools specialis ...

status, hoping to attract additional government funds. * 2006 – School wins bid and becomes a

Science College Science Colleges were introduced in 2002 as part of the now defunct Specialist Schools Programme in the United Kingdom. The system enabled secondary schools to specialise in certain fields, in this case, science and mathematics. Schools that suc ...

. * 2014 – Julia Deery leaves, with April Saunders becoming head. * 2017 – School coverts to academy status and joins th
Success for all education trust
* 2022 - April Saunders leaves, with Lee Raftery becoming head.

Houses

The school's

houses A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air condi ...

were previously known as

Danes Danes ( da, danskere, ) are a North Germanic ethnic group and nationality native to Denmark and a modern nation identified with the country of Denmark. This connection may be ancestral, legal, historical, or cultural. Danes generally regard t ...

Normans The Normans (Norman language, Norman: ''Normaunds''; french: Normands; la, Nortmanni/Normanni) were a population arising in the medieval Duchy of Normandy from the intermingling between Norsemen, Norse Viking settlers and indigenous West Fran ...

Romans Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

and

Saxons The Saxons ( la, Saxones, german: Sachsen, ang, Seaxan, osx, Sahson, nds, Sassen, nl, Saksen) were a group of Germanic * * * * peoples whose name was given in the early Middle Ages to a large country (Old Saxony, la, Saxonia) near the Nor ...

. Then there was a period where they were known as Darwin,

Newton Newton most commonly refers to: * Isaac Newton (1642–1726/1727), English scientist * Newton (unit), SI unit of force named after Isaac Newton Newton may also refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Newton'' (film), a 2017 Indian film * Newton ( ...

, Rutherford and Salk. They are now known as

Discovery Discovery may refer to: * Discovery (observation), observing or finding something unknown * Discovery (fiction), a character's learning something unknown * Discovery (law), a process in courts of law relating to evidence Discovery, The Discovery ...

Challenger Challenger, Challengers, or The Challengers may refer to: Entertainment Comics and manga * Challenger (character), comic book character * ''Challengers'' (manga), manga by Hinako Takanaga Film and TV * ''The Challengers'' (TV series), a 1979 ...

, Endeavour, Voyager and

Apollo Apollo, grc, Ἀπόλλωνος, Apóllōnos, label=genitive , ; , grc-dor, Ἀπέλλων, Apéllōn, ; grc, Ἀπείλων, Apeílōn, label=Arcadocypriot Greek, ; grc-aeo, Ἄπλουν, Áploun, la, Apollō, la, Apollinis, label= ...

to reflect the school's status as a

Notable former pupils

Norman Baker Norman John Baker (born 26 July 1957) is a Liberal Democrat politician in the United Kingdom who was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Lewes in East Sussex from the 1997 general election until his defeat in 2015. In May 2010 he was appointed ...

, Lib Dem MP for

Lewes Lewes () is the county town of East Sussex, England. It is the police and judicial centre for all of Sussex and is home to Sussex Police, East Sussex Fire & Rescue Service, Lewes Crown Court and HMP Lewes. The civil parish is the centre of ...

from 1997 until 2015 *

Graham Bond Graham John Clifton Bond (28 October 1937 – 8 May 1974) was an English rock/blues musician and vocalist, considered a founding father of the English rhythm and blues boom of the 1960s. Bond was an innovator, described as "an important, und ...

, rock musician *

Nick Butterworth Nick Butterworth (born 24 May 1946) is a British author and illustrator of children's books. His picture book ''The Whisperer'' won the Nestlé Smarties Book Prize in 2005. His Percy the Park Keeper books became an animated television series of ...

, author and illustrator of children's books *

Andy Day Andy Day (born 15 May 1981) is an English actor, comedian, singer, dancer, songwriter and television presenter. He is best known for his work on the BBC's CBeebies channel. He is also a patron of Anti-Bullying Week. He was first on Friendly T ...

, actor and children's TV presenter for

Cbeebies CBeebies is a British free-to-air public broadcast children's television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is also the brand used for all BBC content for children aged 6 years and under. Its sister channel CBBC is aimed at older childr ...

. Star of '' Andy's Wild Adventures'' *

Ken Farnes Kenneth Farnes (8 July 1911 – 20 October 1941) was an English cricketer. He played in fifteen Test cricket, Tests from 1934 to 1939. Early life Farnes was born in Leytonstone, Essex, and was educated at the Royal Liberty School in Gidea Pa ...

, England cricket fast bowler * Doug Fisher, actor, ''Man about the House'', ''London's Burning'', ''The Bitch'' *

Mick Inkpen Mick Inkpen (born 22 December 1952) is a British author and illustrator. He is best known for his creations Kipper the Dog and Wibbly Pig. Background Inkpen was born on 22 December 1952 in Romford, Essex, England. He was educated at Roy ...

, author and illustrator of children's books * Sir Alex Jarratt CB, chancellor from 1983 to 2002 of the

University of Birmingham , mottoeng = Through efforts to heights , established = 1825 – Birmingham School of Medicine and Surgery1836 – Birmingham Royal School of Medicine and Surgery1843 – Queen's College1875 – Mason Science College1898 – Mason Univers ...

and president from 1979 to 1983 of the

Advertising Association The Advertising Association (AA) is a trade association representing advertisers, agencies, media and research services in the UK advertising industry. Its stated aim is to promote the “…role, rights and responsibilities of advertising and it ...

* Francis Jones MBE, president from 1977 to 1981 of the Engineering Industries Association, co-developer of

OBOE The oboe ( ) is a type of double reed woodwind instrument. Oboes are usually made of wood, but may also be made of synthetic materials, such as plastic, resin, or hybrid composites. The most common oboe plays in the treble or soprano range. A ...

bombing system. * Professor Alan Journet Ph.D. Professor of Biology and Environmental Science, Southeast Missouri State University 1980 - 2010; co-founder and co-facilitator of Southern Oregon Climate Action Now (https://socan.eco) *

Arthur Latham Arthur Charles Latham (14 August 1930 – 3 December 2016) was a British Labour Party politician, who was the MP for Paddington North from 1969 to 1974, and its successor seat, Paddington, from that year until 1979. Early life and education L ...

, Labour MP from 1969 to 1974 for Paddington North and from 1974 to 1979 for

Paddington Paddington is an area within the City of Westminster, in Central London. First a medieval parish then a metropolitan borough, it was integrated with Westminster and Greater London in 1965. Three important landmarks of the district are Paddi ...

* Sir Timothy O'Shea, principal and vice-chancellor from 2002 to 2018 of the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...

Andrew Clennel Palmer Andrew Clennel Palmer (26 May 1938 – 21 December 2019) was a British engineer who worked on offshore geotechnical problems of submarine pipeline design and the study of the properties of ice. He spent much of his career as a teacher and ...

, pipeline engineer * Jeff Randall, journalist and business editor of the BBC from 2001 to 2005 * Prof

John Saville John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second ...

, historian, professor of economic and social history from 1972 to 1982 at the

University of Hull The University of Hull is a public research university in Kingston upon Hull, a city in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It was founded in 1927 as University College Hull. The main university campus is located in Hull and is home to the Hull ...

* Michael Ward, Labour MP for

Peterborough Peterborough () is a cathedral city in Cambridgeshire, east of England. It is the largest part of the City of Peterborough unitary authority district (which covers a larger area than Peterborough itself). It was part of Northamptonshire until ...

from 1974 to 1979 * BERWYN, Trinidad-born rapper, producer and songwriter

References

External links

The Royal Liberty School for Boys website
{{Schools and colleges in Havering Boys' schools in London Secondary schools in the London Borough of Havering Educational institutions established in 1921 People educated at the Royal Liberty Grammar School 1921 establishments in England Academies in the London Borough of Havering