The Rev. Robert Stewart Fleming was a church minister and in 1892 he moved from Pitlochry, deep in the Scottish highlands (a very quiet place), to become minister at Elm Road Baptist Church in Beckenham, which even then was a fairly busy London suburb. The salary he earned was £300 per year.

Rev. Stewart Fleming had a passionate interest in children and young people and Elm Road Church was extended to house the Sunday school. In 1892, 151 children attended Sunday school but by 1912, there were 465 children attending, some in the morning, some in the afternoon.

There would have been twenty classes in the Hall and it must have been very crowded as there were 41 teachers as well! In August 1929, after being quite poorly, Rev. Stewart Fleming announced his retirement. He had been minister at Elm Road Church for 37 years. For a retirement present he was given a cheque for £300 and two armchairs, upholstered in leather. Due to his reputation of doing so much for local children, the new school being built in Witham Road, Anerley – which was opened on September 30th 1939 – was called: “The Stewart Fleming School” In June 2011 The Reverend Stewart Fleming’s grandchildren visited our school for the very first time.

Rev. Robert Stewart Fleming