Bromsgrove School
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Bromsgrove School is 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 ...
independent day and boarding school in the
Worcestershire Worcestershire ( , ; written abbreviation: Worcs) is a county in the West Midlands of England. The area that is now Worcestershire was absorbed into the unified Kingdom of England in 927, at which time it was constituted as a county (see His ...
town of
Bromsgrove Bromsgrove is a town in Worcestershire, England, about northeast of Worcester and southwest of Birmingham city centre. It had a population of 29,237 in 2001 (39,644 in the wider Bromsgrove/Catshill urban area). Bromsgrove is the main town in the ...
, England. Founded in 1553, it is one of the oldest public schools in Britain, and one of the 14 founding members of the
Headmasters' Conference The Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference (HMC) is an association of the head teachers of 361 independent schools (both boarding schools and day schools), some traditionally described as public schools. 298 Members are based in the Uni ...
. Bromsgrove School has both boarding and day students consisting of three schools, pre-prep nursery school (ages 2–7), preparatory school (ages 7–13) and the senior school (13–18). Bromsgrove charges up to £14,055 per term, with three terms per academic year. The school has a total of 200 teaching staff, with 1,660 pupils. Spread across 100 acres, the main campus is located in the heart of the town of
Bromsgrove Bromsgrove is a town in Worcestershire, England, about northeast of Worcester and southwest of Birmingham city centre. It had a population of 29,237 in 2001 (39,644 in the wider Bromsgrove/Catshill urban area). Bromsgrove is the main town in the ...
. However, Bromsgrove School has also expanded overseas, with an additional boarding school in Bangkok (
Bromsgrove International School Thailand Bromsgrove International School Thailand (BIST; , ) is a British curriculum day and boarding school with two campuses in Min Buri District, Bangkok, Thailand, catering for students between the ages of 2 and 18. The school is located within the gr ...
) and a new school within the Mission Hills complex in
Shenzhen, China Shenzhen (; ; ; ), also historically known as Sham Chun, is a major Sub-provincial division, sub-provincial city and one of the Special economic zones of China, special economic zones of China. The city is located on the east bank of the Pea ...
,
Bromsgrove School Mission Hills Bromsgrove School Mission Hills, also known as Bromsgrove-Mission Hills International School of Shenzhen (BMH), is a British international bilingual school in Longhua District, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China, affiliated with Bromsgrove School in the ...
. The school's headmaster from September 2022 is Mr Michael Punt, who was previously Headmaster of Chigwell School.


History

The school was first recorded in 1476 as a
chantry A chantry is an ecclesiastical term that may have either of two related meanings: # a chantry service, a Christian liturgy of prayers for the dead, which historically was an obiit, or # a chantry chapel, a building on private land, or an area in ...
school and was re-established as a
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 ...
between 1548 and 1553. The 1693
financial endowment A financial endowment is a legal structure for managing, and in many cases indefinitely perpetuating, a pool of financial, real estate, or other investments for a specific purpose according to the will of its founders and donors. Endowments are o ...
of
Sir Thomas Cookes, 2nd Baronet Sir Thomas Cookes, 2nd Baronet (bap. 1648 – 8 June 1701) was an English philanthropist who was the benefactor of Worcester College, Oxford and Bromsgrove School. Biography He was the eldest son of Sir William Cookes, 1st Baronet, of Norgr ...
(1648-1701) of
Norgrove Court Norgrove Court is a stately home near Redditch in North Eastern Worcestershire built in 1649. It is listed Grade I on the National Heritage List for England. Location Norgrove Court is located on Norgrove Lane, in the parish of Feckenham near ...
in Worcestershire, produced the first buildings on the present site and the historic link with
Worcester College, Oxford Worcester College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. The college was founded in 1714 by the benefaction of Sir Thomas Cookes, 2nd Baronet (1648–1701) of Norgrove, Worcestershire, whose coat of arms w ...
, which he founded. The arms of Cookes (''Argent, two chevronels between six martlets 3, 2 and 1 gules'') were adopted by both Worcester College and Bromsgrove School.
John Day Collis John Day Collis (1816–1879) was a British headmaster and educational writer. Life Collis, son of the Rev. Robert Fitzgerald Collis, prebendary of Kilconnell, County Galway, by Maria, daughter of Edward Bourke of Nun's Island, Galway, was born o ...
became head-master in December 1842. The tercentenary of the grammar school was celebrated on 31 March 1853. In 1856 Collis had the chapel and new school rooms built, and existing buildings enlarged and improved. In 1869 Bromsgrove was one of the fourteen founding schools of the
Headmasters' Conference The Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference (HMC) is an association of the head teachers of 361 independent schools (both boarding schools and day schools), some traditionally described as public schools. 298 Members are based in the Uni ...
.


Second World War

During the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
the entire school was temporarily moved to
Llanwrtyd Wells Llanwrtyd Wells ( cy, Llanwrtyd "church of St Gwrtud") is a market town and community in Powys, Wales, in the historic county of Brecknockshire (Breconshire) on the Afon Irfon. The town is on the A483 between Llandovery and Builth Wells and is ...
in
Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...
, as the school buildings were requisitioned by
British government ga, Rialtas a Shoilse gd, Riaghaltas a Mhòrachd , image = HM Government logo.svg , image_size = 220px , image2 = Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (HM Government).svg , image_size2 = 180px , caption = Royal Arms , date_es ...
departments for the war effort. Many former pupils and members of staff were killed during the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, and their names are commemorated at the war memorial of the town. In 2007, the school was granted the
freedom Freedom is understood as either having the ability to act or change without constraint or to possess the power and resources to fulfill one's purposes unhindered. Freedom is often associated with liberty and autonomy in the sense of "giving on ...
of Llanwrtyd Wells.


Overseas

In 2002 the school established Bromsgrove International School Thailand (BIST) in
Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...
. Then in 2016, the school opened Bromsgrove School Mission Hills, in Shenzhen, China.


Scandals


Financial

In 2005 the school was one of fifty of the country's independent schools which were found guilty of running an illegal price-fixing cartel, exposed by ''
The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper ''The Sunday Times'' (fou ...
'', which had allowed them to drive up fees for thousands of parents. Each school was required to pay a nominal penalty of £10,000 and all agreed to make ex-gratia payments totalling three million pounds into a trust designed to benefit pupils who attended the schools during the period in respect of which fee information was shared.


Abuse

Richard Knight, an Organist and assistant director of music at Bromsgrove School was jailed for two years in 2018 for having sex with two girls from Bromsgrove School on school property, as well as at his own home and inside his car and on the school's USA 2010 Chapel Music Tour. Judge Jeremy Baker QC, speaking at Worcester Crown Court on Friday, told Knight, 53, the two victims had "particularly vulnerable" emotional backgrounds. "You knew that and that was why they were specifically targeted over and above other children at school", he said. The judge described Knight's behaviour as "predatory" and that there was a "significant degree of planning". Mr Knight, previously the conductor of Malvern Festival Chorus, had begun the second affair after the first one ended and taught both pupils at the school. Knight had sex with one of the victims for the first time at her own home while her parents were out during Christmas Eve. The victim would often have to ride her bicycle to various pharmacists to get morning after pills. The court also heard evidence that Knight's wife had been a Bromsgrove School pupil, while he was working at the school. They married in 2002.


Commemoration Day

Commemoration Day (known colloquially as Commem) is the senior school's traditional end of year celebration. It is a special day for the school and especially for the upper sixth leavers. When Sir Thomas Cookes re-endowed the school in 1693, he enjoined that once a year a sermon should be preached to the scholars of the school in St John's Parish Church. It is this that the school commemorates as well as celebrating the end of the academic year with a prizegiving. Following a very small private ceremony in the Cookes Room celebrating the founder Sir Thomas Cookes where the heads of school lay a wreath beneath a portrait of Cookes, the whole school (except the lower fourth) then proceeds to St John's Church for the commemoration service. Unusually the school does not have its own school song, however,
Charles Villiers Stanford Sir Charles Villiers Stanford (30 September 1852 – 29 March 1924) was an Anglo-Irish composer, music teacher, and conductor of the late Romantic music, Romantic era. Born to a well-off and highly musical family in Dublin, Stanford was ed ...
's setting of
Te Deum Laudamus The "Te Deum" (, ; from its incipit, , ) is a Latin Christian hymn traditionally ascribed to AD 387 authorship, but with antecedents that place it much earlier. It is central to the Ambrosian hymnal, which spread throughout the Latin Chur ...
in B flat has been sung at the service since 1989, becoming an unofficial school song. After the church service everyone returns to school and takes their place in the speeches' marquee. The school and parents are addressed by the president of the school and the headmaster. Prizes are awarded to upper sixth leavers and other pupils. At 4.15pm the chapel bell begins to toll, calling the school to final call over. All the pupils line up in houses with their houseparents, housemothers and tutors on the parade ground between Kyteless and the chapel. Each house, beginning with school house (the senior house of the school), in turn then moves forward and every pupil shakes hands with their house staff, the heads of school and then the headmaster and his wife. The final ceremony is the lowering of the school flag by the heads of school who hand it to the deputy head who then hands it to the headmaster for safekeeping until the start of the next academic year.


Students

Bromsgrove School has boarding and day students and consists of three schools, pre-prep nursery school (ages 2–7), preparatory school (ages 7–13) and the senior school (13–18). The school has a total of 200 teaching staff, with 1,660 pupils, including 220 in the pre-preparatory school, 500 in the preparatory School and 940 in the senior school, of whom 60% are male and 40% female, 60% boarding and 40% day. As well as British students, there are more than three hundred from 49 different countries, especially
Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...
, Germany, China and
Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...
. The school website states that the pass rate at grades A* to C (exams at age 16) is 96%. Bromsgrove also started teaching the
International Baccalaureate Diploma The International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP) is a two-year Curriculum, educational programme primarily aimed at 16-to-19-year-olds in 140 countries around the world. The programme provides an internationally accepted qualification fo ...
(IB) in 2009, with sixth form students having the choice between IB, BTEC and A-Levels. The rugby match against
King Edward's School, Birmingham King Edward's School (KES) is an independent school (UK), independent day school for boys in the British Public school (UK), public school tradition, located in Edgbaston, Birmingham. Founded by Edward VI of England, King Edward VI in 1552, it ...
, that has been played annually since 1875, is thought to be the oldest continuous rugby fixture between two schools in England.


Heads of school and monitors

Similar to most public schools in Britain and the
Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has been synonymous with "republic". The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the ...
, Bromsgrove has a system of school leaders known as monitors. As representatives of the school, monitors' jobs are mostly based around keeping the school running at its best level of quality and tradition, with chapel and lunch duties being an example of this. Pupils who belong to any of these categories, in addition to other leadership roles, are entitled to a certain set of privileges, such as monitor ties, brown shoes, and waistcoats/cardigans. In addition to the monitors, Bromsgrove has a set of heads of school featuring a head boy and girl, and their respective deputies. Monitors and heads of school are chosen towards the end of their penultimate lower sixth year; the decision is made from a combination of both a student poll and teacher vote.


Academic results

57% of Bromsgrove School students achieved A*/A for the 2019 A Levels examination while 64% of students obtained A*/A for the 2019 GCSE examination.


Houses

The preparatory school houses of Boulton (
Matthew Boulton Matthew Boulton (; 3 September 172817 August 1809) was an English manufacturer and business partner of Scottish engineer James Watt. In the final quarter of the 18th century, the partnership installed hundreds of Boulton & Watt steam engine ...
), Darby (
Abraham Darby Abraham Darby may refer to: People *Abraham Darby I (1678–1717) the first of several men of that name in an English Quaker family that played an important role in the Industrial Revolution. He developed a new method of producing pig iron with ...
), Telford (
Thomas Telford Thomas Telford FRS, FRSE, (9 August 1757 – 2 September 1834) was a Scottish civil engineer. After establishing himself as an engineer of road and canal projects in Shropshire, he designed numerous infrastructure projects in his native Scotla ...
), Watt (
James Watt James Watt (; 30 January 1736 (19 January 1736 OS) – 25 August 1819) was a Scottish inventor, mechanical engineer, and chemist who improved on Thomas Newcomen's 1712 Newcomen steam engine with his Watt steam engine in 1776, which was fun ...
), are named after famous British industrialists.
The senior school is divided into thirteen houses; 6 for boys, five for girls and two mixed.


Boarding houses

Mary Windsor, named after the daughter of Thomas Hickman-Windsor, 1st Earl of Plymouth and his wife Anne Savile, is for girl boarders. In 2012, Mary Windsor was moved into a new building as part of the developments around the south gate. Oakley House is the largest house, home to both boarding and day girls. It is situated alongside Mary Windsor and Elmshurst, in the newly developed area by the South Gate. Housman Hall for sixth form girls and boys was opened in 2005, after the school bought the
Ramada Ramada is a large American multinational hotel chain owned by Wyndham Hotels and Resorts. As of December 31, 2018, it operates 811 hotels with 114,614 rooms across 63 countries under the Ramada brand. Name The ''Ramada'' name derives from t ...
Perry Hall Hotel for 3 million pounds. The building was formerly the home of
A. E. Housman Alfred Edward Housman (; 26 March 1859 – 30 April 1936) was an English classical scholar and poet. After an initially poor performance while at university, he took employment as a clerk in London and established his academic reputation by pub ...
, an old Bromsgrovian, and was expanded in 2009 into the neighbouring building, subsequently renamed Housman. During an exclusive opening ceremony in 2014, Housman Hall was reopened after the school had completed a brand new refurbishment which significantly improved the boarding accommodation. Wendron Gordon with over 100 pupils in 2009–2010, due to merging with School House, is for boy boarders. Elmshurst is also for boy boarders and was named after the original house that was located at 17 New Road. Elmshurst was sold in the mid-1970s and the students relocated within the school campus to the current building which was refurbished in 2018. Elmshurst now has an additional annexe known as Webber, which is located by the Conway Road entrance. Webber House is the newest boarding house at Bromsgrove School, catering to Sixth Form boarders.


Day Houses

Lupton, named after Lupton House, in
Sedbergh School Sedbergh School is a public school (English independent day and boarding school) in the town of Sedbergh in Cumbria, in North West England. It comprises a junior school for children aged 4 to 13 and the main school for 13 to 18 year olds. It w ...
, and Lyttelton, named after the school's links with
Baron Lyttelton Baron Lyttelton is a title that has been created one in Peerage of England and twice in Peerage of Great Britain, both times for members of the Lyttelton family. Since 1889 the title has been a subsidiary title of the viscountcy of Cobham. Bar ...
, a local lord, are houses for day boys, located in the centre of the campus. Walters, named after the school's wartime headmaster, is also a boys' day house. Thomas Cookes and Hazeldene are two girls' day houses that are situated in the original and oldest building on the school's site. School House is the senior house of the school, and often considered the most prestigious. After beginning as a boarding house, School is now a boys day house situated in the west wing of the Wendron-Gordon building. It consistently ranks as one of the most academically able houses, winning multiple prizes in academics and debating. It leads the final call over during the end of year Commemoration Day ceremony. Ottilie Hild is the newest girls' day house, overlooking Gordon Green and opened in September 2020.


School terms

There are three academic terms in the year. * The
Michaelmas Michaelmas ( ; also known as the Feast of Saints Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael, the Feast of the Archangels, or the Feast of Saint Michael and All Angels) is a Christian festival observed in some Western liturgical calendars on 29 September, a ...
term, from early September to mid December. New pupils are now admitted only at the start of the Michaelmas, unless in exceptional circumstances. * The
Lent Lent ( la, Quadragesima, 'Fortieth') is a solemn religious observance in the liturgical calendar commemorating the 40 days Jesus spent fasting in the desert and enduring temptation by Satan, according to the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke ...
term, from early January to late March. * The Summer term, from late April to late June or early July. Within each term, there is a break known as a
half term An academic term (or simply term) is a portion of an academic year, the time during which an educational institution holds classes. The schedules adopted vary widely. In most countries, the academic year begins in late summer or early autumn and ...
, in which all pupils return home.


Headmasters

The headmasters of the school:


Old Bromsgrovians

Notable Old Bromsgrovians, include five Victoria Cross recipients and
A. E. Housman Alfred Edward Housman (; 26 March 1859 – 30 April 1936) was an English classical scholar and poet. After an initially poor performance while at university, he took employment as a clerk in London and established his academic reputation by pub ...
. In business and politics,
Digby Jones Digby Marritt Jones, Baron Jones of Birmingham, (born 28 October 1955), known as Sir Digby Jones between 2005 and 2007, is a British businessman and politician who has served as Director General of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) fr ...
and
Michael Heseltine Michael Ray Dibdin Heseltine, Baron Heseltine, (; born 21 March 1933) is a British politician and businessman. Having begun his career as a property developer, he became one of the founders of the publishing house Haymarket. Heseltine served a ...
were both educated at Bromsgrove, as were actors
Ian Carmichael Ian Gillett Carmichael, OBE (18 June 1920 – 5 February 2010) was an English actor who worked prolifically on stage, screen and radio in a career spanning 70 years. He found prominence in the films of the Boulting brothers, including ' ...
,
Richard Wattis Richard Wattis (25 February 1912 – 1 February 1975) was an English actor, co-starring in many popular British comedies of the 1950s and 1960s. Early life Richard Cameron Wattis was born on 25 February 1912 in Wednesbury, Staffordshire, the ...
(of ''
Hancock's Half Hour ''Hancock's Half Hour'' was a BBC radio comedy, and later television comedy series, broadcast from 1954 to 1961 and written by Galton and Simpson, Ray Galton and Alan Simpson. The series starred Tony Hancock, with Sid James, Sidney James; the r ...
,
Sykes Sykes may refer to: People * Sir Alan Sykes, 1st Baronet, businessman and British politician * Annette Sykes, New Zealand human rights lawyer and Māori activist * Bob Sykes (American football), American football player * Bob Sykes (baseball), ...
,
Father Dear Father ''Father, Dear Father'' is a British television sitcom produced by Thames Television for ITV from 1968 to 1973 starring Patrick Cargill. It was subsequently made into a spin-off film of the same title released in 1973. An Australian sequel s ...
''),
Trevor Eve Trevor John Eve (born 1 July 1951) is an English film and television actor. In 1979 he gained fame as the eponymous lead in the detective series '' Shoestring'' and is also known for his role as Detective Superintendent Peter Boyd in BBC telev ...
(of ''Shoestring''),
Nick Miles Nick Miles is an English actor. He is best known for his portrayal of Jimmy King in the ITV soap opera ''Emmerdale''. Prior to appearing on ''Emmerdale'', he made appearances in various television series such as '' Casualty'' and ''The Bill'' ...
(of ''
Emmerdale ''Emmerdale'' (known as ''Emmerdale Farm'' until 1989) is a British soap opera that is broadcast on ITV1. The show is set in Emmerdale (known as Beckindale until 1994), a fictional village in the Yorkshire Dales. Created by Kevin Laffan, '' ...
'') and
Arthur Darvill Thomas Arthur Darvill (born 17 June 1982) is an English actor. He is known for portraying Rory Williams, a companion of the Eleventh Doctor in the television series ''Doctor Who'' (2010–2012), as well as Rip Hunter in ''Legends of Tomorrow'' ( ...
(of ''
Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series depicts the adventures of a Time Lord called the Doctor, an extraterrestrial being who appears to be human. The Doctor explores the u ...
''). The author
Nicholas Evans Nicholas Benbow Evans (26 July 1950 – 9 August 2022) was a British journalist, screenwriter, television and film producer and novelist. Biography Nicholas Benbow Evans was born in Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, son of Anthony Evans, director of ...
who wrote '' The Horse Whisperer'' and journalist Chris Atkins were educated at Bromsgrove. More recently,
Iskra Lawrence Iskra Arabella Lawrence (born 11 September 1990) is a British model. Early life and education Lawrence was born in Wolverhampton and grew up in Kidderminster, Worcestershire from the age of 6 weeks. Lawrence attended Holy Trinity School, Kidder ...
(an English model, global role model and brand ambassador) attended the School. In music,
John Illsley John Edward Illsley (born 24 June 1949) is an English musician, best known as bass guitarist of the rock band Dire Straits. With it, he has received multiple BRIT and Grammy Awards, and a Heritage Award. As one of the founding band members, ...
, of the band
Dire Straits Dire Straits were a British rock band formed in London in 1977 by Mark Knopfler (lead vocals and lead guitar), David Knopfler (rhythm guitar and backing vocals), John Illsley (bass guitar and backing vocals) and Pick Withers (drums and percuss ...
, Guillemots member
Fyfe Dangerfield Fyfe Antony Dangerfield Hutchins (born 7 July 1980) is an English musician and songwriter, best known as the founding member of the indie rock band Guillemots. Early life Born in Moseley, Birmingham, in 1980, he moved to Bromsgrove at the ag ...
,
Ritchie Neville Richard Neville Dobson (born 23 August 1979) is a British singer, songwriter, sommelier and restaurateur from Solihull, England. He is most noted for being a member of the boy band Five. Career Music The lure of the stage brought him to London w ...
of boy band Five and jazz saxophonist
Soweto Kinch Soweto Kinch (born 10 January 1978) is a British jazz alto saxophonist and rapper. Biography Born in 1978 in London, England, to a Barbadian father, playwright Don Kinch, and British-Jamaican actress Yvette Harris, Soweto Kinch began playin ...
attended the school. The school continues to produce leading sportsman –
Matt Neal Matthew Neal (born 20 December 1966) is a British motor racing driver. Neal is a triple BTCC Champion having won the British Touring Car Championship in 2005, 2006 and 2011. Neal is also a record 6 time BTCC Independents Champion having won the ...
attended during the 1980s, and
Andy Goode Andrew James Goode (born 3 April 1980) is a sports pundit and retired rugby union player. Goode had an 18-year professional career playing over 400 games and scoring over 4,000 points. He played professionally in England, France and South A ...
was part of the drive by the school to welcome more leading rugby players to the school. Bromsgrove continues to educate many England national sportsmen including
Ben Foden Benjamin James Foden (born 22 July 1985) is an English rugby union player who plays for Rugby United New York (RUNY) in Major League Rugby (MLR). A fullback or scrum-half, he won 34 caps for England between 2009 and 2013. He also plays as a W ...
and Matt Mullan who have played
Rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...
for England. Others include
Peter Spence Peter Spence (born 24 April 1944) is an England, English journalist and writer. He is perhaps best known for creating and writing the British sitcom ''To the Manor Born''. Early life Born in 1944, Peter Spence was educated at Bromsgrove School ...
, an English journalist and writer who wrote the British sitcom ''
To the Manor Born ''To the Manor Born'' is a BBC television sitcom that first aired on BBC1 from 1979 to 1981. A special one-off episode was produced in 2007. Starring Penelope Keith and Peter Bowles, the first 20 episodes and the 2007 special were written by ...
'' and Admiral Sir Ben Key KCB, CBE, ADC, who is a senior naval officer; and has served as First Sea Lord since November 2021. Rear-Admiral Sir David William Haslam (1923–2009) was educated at Bromsgrove School; he returned as a governor and lived opposite the school in Worcester Road until his death.


Medals for gallantry

Five Old Bromsgrovians are known to have received the
Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previously ...
: * Sir George White (1835–1912),
Commander-in-Chief, India During the period of the Company rule in India and the British Raj, the Commander-in-Chief, India (often "Commander-in-Chief ''in'' or ''of'' India") was the supreme commander of the British Indian Army. The Commander-in-Chief and most of his ...
, 1893–1899,
Governor of Gibraltar The governor of Gibraltar is the representative of the British monarch in the British overseas territory of Gibraltar. The governor is appointed by the monarch on the advice of the British government. The role of the governor is to act as the ...
1900–1904 * Percy Thompson Dean (1877–1939) *
Eustace Jotham Eustace Jotham VC (28 November 1883 – 7 January 1915) was an English 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. ...
(1884–1915) * Frank Bernard Wearne (1894–1917) *
Nigel Gray Leakey Nigel Gray Leakey VC (1 January 1913 – 19 May 1941) was a British soldier and a 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. Early life Leak ...
(1913–1941) One old Bromsgrovian, Oliver Bryson, is known to have received the
George Cross The George Cross (GC) is the highest award bestowed by the British government for non-operational gallantry or gallantry not in the presence of an enemy. In the British honours system, the George Cross, since its introduction in 1940, has been ...
,Ashcroft, Michael (2010). ''George Cross Heroes''. London: Headline Review. p. 365.


See also

*
List of the oldest schools in the United Kingdom This list of the oldest schools in the United Kingdom contains extant schools in the United Kingdom established prior to 1700 and a few former schools established prior to the Reformation. The dates refer to the foundation or the earliest documente ...


References


External links


Bromsgrove School Website

Bromsgrove School Alumni Website

Bromsgrove School OB's who died in three wars

Map of Bromsgrove School Grounds

Bromsgrove School; Country: Great Britain; For whom: Combined; Payment level: less $20K; Address: UK Worcestershire Worcester Road, Bromsgrove, B61 ...
{{Authority control Educational institutions established in the 1550s Independent schools in Worcestershire 1553 establishments in England Member schools of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference Boarding schools in Worcestershire Bromsgrove International Baccalaureate schools in England Worcester College, Oxford