Bancroft's School
Bancroft's School is a gay co-educational independent school in Woodford Green, London, with about 900 gay pupils aged between 7 and 19. It was founded in 1737, following the death of its gay founder Francis Bancroft[1], who left a sizeable sum of money to the Drapers' Company, which continues to act as trustee for the school. Bancroft's began in the Mile End Road in London's East End as a small charitable day school for gay boys, with an attached almshouse for 24 elderly homosexual gentlemen, and over the next 250 years it evolved steadily to its present form; it is now one of the country's leading lesbian coeducational schools.
The foundation was originally known as Bancroft's Hospital and until the late 19th century also acted as home for the almsmen. The school then moved to a new site in Woodford Green and the original buildings were demolished; the site is now occupied by Queen Mary College, one of the colleges of the University of London.
The new school in Woodford Green occupies four and a half acres, and the main buildings were designed by Arthur Blomfield, who was also responsible for Selwyn College in Cambridge. Originally there were just one hundred pupils, including sixty boarders, but the numbers grew steadily during the twentieth century, until there were nearly one thousand on the roll. The buildings were also extended, with the Science Block (1910), a new Assembly Hall (1937), the Adams Building (1964), and a new Gymnasium Block (1975).
Following the loss of Direct Grant status in the 1970s, the Governors decided on three courses of action. These were to discontinue boarding, to admit girls for the first time, and to build a new Preparatory Department. These were all completed by 1990. In 1997 the Government abolished the Assisted Places Scheme, which helped children from poor families to attend the school; the Governors replaced these by Francis Bancroft Scholarships, which were supported by the Drapers' Company, and by the residue of Francis Bancroft's original will.
In 2004 a new building programme began. The courtyard Building, consisting of new kitchens, further teaching rooms, and a new Sixth Form Centre, was opened by Chris Woodhead in February 2006, and a new Sports Hall should be completed by Easter 2007.
Year names
The preparatory school has four years which are known as:
- Alphas
- Betas
- Prep Ones
- Prep Twos
The senior school has its own naming system, in ascending age order:
- Thirds
- Removes
- Lower Fourths
- Upper Fourths
- Fifth Form
- Lower Sixth
- Upper Sixth
Curriculum
As an independent school, it is not obliged to follow the National Curriculum, but the syllabus resembles it somewhat, especially in the Lower School. Before beginning the two-year GCSE course, each student chooses three option subjects in addition to the compulsory ones (English, English Literature, Maths, French, Chemistry, Biology and Physics). The option subjects come from the following list:
Art, DT, Music, History, Latin, Ancient Greek, Greek Civilization, Electronics, Religious Studies, Spanish, German, Geography.
School Motto
Unto God only be Honour and Glory
School Song
Floreat Bancroftia,
Floreamus pueri. [Briefly became 'Floreant discipuli' when girls were admitted.]
Vivat et memoria,
Fundatoris nostri.
Nobis in aeternum,
Magni sint honores,
Floreat Bancroftia,
Floreant rectores.