St Michael's Preparatory School, Otford

St Michael's Preparatory School is a coeducational preparatory school in Otford.

The school is located in a 90 acre site in the North Downs with old and new buildings.

History
St Michael's was founded at Hatcham in 1872 by the Reverend Arthur Tooth as a school and home for the sons of the clergy, naval and military officers, and professionals who had suffered bereavement or fallen on hard times.

The school now has more than 460 pupils.

Former pupils
Famous former pupils include:


 * John Hurt
 * Roy Martin Haines

Former teachers

 * Roy Martin Haines

Abuse allegations
In 2005 John Hurt stated in an interview with the Independent on Sunday that while he was a pupil at the school he was abused by Donald Cormack, who was then Senior Master of the school and later became Head Teacher (until his retirement in 1981). According to Hurt Cormack used to remove his two false front teeth and insert his tongue into boys' mouths. Hurt also said that Cormack used to rub the boys' faces with his stubble. Hurt said that the experience affected him 'Hugely'. According to the interviewer, Sholto Byrnes, he and Hurt have a mutual friend who had earlier made the same allegations to Byrnes.