Strand School
 |
|
| Motto | Advance |
|---|---|
| Established | 1893 |
| Closed | c.1979 |
| Type | Grammar School |
| Religion | Church of England |
| Founder | William Braginton |
| Location |
Elm Park Tulse Hill, Lambeth London England 
|
| Gender | boys |
| Ages | 11–18 |
| Alumni | Old Strandians |
Strand School was a boys' grammar school in the Tulse Hill area of South London. It moved there in 1913 from its original location in the Strand. Distinguished in its heyday for its contribution of young men to the civil service, it finally closed its doors, after contested attempts by municipal education authorities from the early 1950s onwards to turn it into a comprehensive, in 1979.
Former pupils included a leader of the Greater London Council, figures prominent in the world of entertainment, and the scientist and environmentalist James Lovelock, originator of the Gaia hypothesis.
Strand School got its name from its original location. "The Strand School originated in the Evening Department of King's College London. The teaching of evening classes commenced there in 1848, but under Alfred Barry, Principal between 1868 and 1883, these were considerably extended".
"In 1875, the government extended the range of the entry examination to the Civil Service and William Braginton set up private classes for those seeking entry into the lower grades. That year he suggested that a connection be established with King's College, allowing him to use rooms in the College and to benefit from its prestige. When in 1875 the government extended the range of the civil service entry examination, William Braginton had set up private classes in rooms at King's College in the Strand for those seeking entry into the lower grades. The prestige of being associated with the university college was an added benefit." The Civil Service Department, as it was known in the early years, started with an intake of 172 men: it did not yet constitute a school for boys. In 1892 Braginton got permission to run a correspondence course, and day classes, for pupils wishing to compete for "boy clerkships" and "boy copyistships". Thus, in 1893, began Strand School.
The name was not apparent, however, till 1897, when King's College School moved to Wimbledon, making it possible for the commercial school to move into the college basement. Examinations on offer had by this time increased beyond those of the civil service as such, to include telegraph learners, assistant surveyorships, as well as those for customs and excise appointments. The success rate of Strand pupils was noteworthy. Many Old Strandians, as they became known, went on to distinguished careers in the civil service. In 1900 the London County Council (LCC) agreed that intermediate county scholarships could be held there, and in 1905 it was allowed to become a centre for the training of pupil teachers.
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