St. Michael's school was founded in 1872 when Father Arthur Tooth established a school and home for orphaned boys at Hatcham in New Cross. The school was not strictly an orphanage as it was intended for sons of the Clergy, officers of the Army and Navy and of professional men whose homes had been marred by bereavement or by some form of domestic unhappiness.   Much has been written about Arthur Tooth who as a young priest fell foul of Disraeli's Public Worship Regulation Act and was imprisoned for 28 days in Horsemonger Lane goal. He was

the first priest to be gaoled to protect the public from "ritualism and the Mass". After his imprisonment, he devoted his life to the school which moved to Woodside in Croydon and then in 1925 to Beechy Lees in Otford which had previously served as a hunting lodge for Londoner Barclay Field's family.

A log book, started by the Senior Master Charles Manning Jaggard, and continued by Michael Cork covers the years from 1916 to 1941 and gives a fascinating insight into the day to day lives of the 40 or so boys who boarded at the school.

Father Tooth died in 1931 and was succeeded as Warden by Father Charles Harcourt Blofeld, who was succeeded on his death in 1938 by his younger brother Father Thomas Guest Blofeld.   In 1937, the Warden took on a young man, Donald Cormack, as Senior Master, a role he held until his retirement in 1981 (the post became known as headmaster upon the death of Warden T G Blofeld in 1964).

Father Paul Cox succeeded Cormack as Head, and was succeeded in turn by Simon Cummins in 1990. Dr Peter Roots was Headmaster from 1996 to 2002, and an interim Headmaster, Frank Skipwith held the post until the latest Headmaster, Keith Crombie was appointed in September 2003.

For almost 100 years all St Michael's boys were full-time boarders and averaged 50 pupils. Until the 1930's there was only one holiday during the year!

In the 1980's, the school started to expand and the then Headmaster, Father Paul Cox, introduced both a pre-prep section (Based in the old stable block) and girls (Though they were only introduced into the Main School in 1991).

Boarding was finally abandoned in the 1990's and the expansion of the school continued under the headship of Simon Cummins. The grounds were landscaped to accommodate several pitches and a new sports centre was built.

The school is now considered 'full' with 420 pupils, but the expansion of the building work continues in order to provide new facilities.

St Michael's is now online http://www.stmichaels-otford.co.uk