Coopers School is a mixed secondary school with academy status in Chislehurst in the

London Borough of Bromley The London Borough of Bromley () is a London Borough, borough in London, England. It is the largest and southeasternmost borough in London, and borders the county of Kent, of which it formed part until 1965. The borough's population in the 2021 ...

, England. The current Head of School is Claire Bessa. The site is on land between Chislehurst Common and the

National Trust The National Trust () is a heritage and nature conservation charity and membership organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The Trust was founded in 1895 by Octavia Hill, Sir Robert Hunter and Hardwicke Rawnsley to "promote the ...

's Hawkwood Estate, an area of working farmland and woodland, and is above the Chislehurst Caves. As of 2013 the school had some 1,357 students, of whom approximately 200 were in 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 ...

. The school was inspected by

Ofsted The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted) is a non-ministerial department of His Majesty's government, reporting to Parliament. Ofsted's role is to make sure that organisations providing education, training ...

in 2023 and rated good.

History

The school was first established in 1939 as the Sidcup Day Commercial School, with headmistress Miss Scorrer. After

World War II 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 ...

, in 1946, a second site linked to the Sidcup school was established at Hawkwood Lane, Chislehurst. The new school eventually became known as the Chislehurst and Sidcup Technical High School for Girls and in 1949 Mary Anderson was appointed head teacher. By 1969 the Chislehurst site had been further developed, with several new buildings, and the two schools split. The Chislehurst school became Coopers School, named after the Coopers Mansion House which stood on the site. The house is still standing, and has recently been refurbished to become the school's sixth form centre. Later, in 1969 later school accepted its first intake of 37 boys. In 1981 the school became an all-ability

comprehensive school A comprehensive school is a secondary school for pupils aged 11–16 or 11–18, that does not select its intake on the basis of academic achievement or aptitude, in contrast to a selective school system where admission is restricted on the basis ...

. The school became a specialist

Technology College In the United Kingdom, a Technology College is a specialist school that specialises in design and technology, mathematics and science. Beginning in 1994, they were the first specialist schools that were not CTC colleges. In 2008, there were 598 ...

in 2002, and was renamed Coopers Technology College. In February 2012 the school converted to an

academy An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tertiary education. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 386 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the go ...

. It subsequently renamed itself Coopers School. In late 2018, the school joined the Orion Education multi-academy trust (formerly Education for the 21st Century(E21C)). The house system was removed in 2021. The system previously divided students into the houses Pankhurst, Wilberforce, Newton and Franklin. Until 2023, the school shared a site with the community

special school Special education (also known as special-needs education, aided education, alternative provision, exceptional student education, special ed., SDC, and SPED) is the practice of educating students in a way that accommodates their individual d ...

Marjorie McClure. Marjorie McClure School moved to a new purpose-built site in Chislehurst on 5 July 2023.

Achievements

The school won a national award for ICT in 2006, for using computers to improve the way in which it is run. The school's website allows extensive interactive access to school information by staff, students, parents and governors through its learning gateway.

Notable alumni

* Tom Allen – comedian *

Rob Beckett Robert Anthony Beckett (born 2 January 1986) is an English comedian, actor, and presenter. He was a co-host on the ITV2 spin-off show '' I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! NOW!'' from 2012 to 2014. Since 2016, Beckett has been a team captain ...

– comedian * John Loveday – physicist * Charlie Clements – actor * Michael Gunning - swimmer * Sam Matterface - sports presenter and commentator * Lewis Burton - tennis player *

George Porter George Porter, Baron Porter of Luddenham, (6 December 1920 – 31 August 2002) was a British chemist. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1967. Education and early life Porter was born in Stainforth, near Thorne, in the then West ...

- footballer * JJ Hooper - footballer * Grant Basey - footballer * Ade Azeez - footballer

References

External links

Coopers School WebsiteImages of Coopers School on cityoflondon.gov.uk
{{authority control Academies in the London Borough of Bromley Educational institutions established in 1939 1939 establishments in England Secondary schools in the London Borough of Bromley Chislehurst