1931

The school,then known as Sidcup County Grammar for Boys, is founded.

First term, 1931

Thursday, 17th Sept 1931, was the very first day of school.  

A dedication ceremony took place on Friday 25th September.

62 boys were recruited of whom 52 would be fee-paying, 8 were to have free-place scholarships and 2 would be junior exhibitioners.

The first admission was Michael Carreck whose father put his name down for admission within the notice of appearing.  Peter Ost, was second to enrol.

Leonard Cole, Henry Cruttenden, Peter Hall, Geoffrey Martin, Robert Palmer, Arthur Stanyon, John Whitbread and Francis Whitehorn won scholarships and the first junior exhibitioners were Cyril Owen and Kenneth Stuart.

The position of first headmaster being given to Charles Reginald McGregor Williams, MA Docteur de I’Universite de Paris, formerly headmaster at Uckfield Grammar School. He was to continue in the role for 23 years.

Williams chose the school's motto of "Abeunt Studia in Mores", which he had taken from Ovid's Heroides, in which it is proclaimed by the poet Sappho in her love letter to Phaon. Williams also chose purple as the school's colour, supposedly because it was associated with war wounds and liturgical mourning, something that he and his wife considered appropriate following the death toll of the First World War.

The site is now home to Benedict House Preparatory School and was formely home to Bird College.