Frank Halford (Prep deputy head)

An exemplary sense of fairness inspired his pupils

A former deputy head of Brentwood Prep, Francophile and football coach, Frank Halford died at home, aged 95, on 18th September 2026. The funeral took place at St Mary's Church, Shenfield on 12th October.

He was born in 1931 into a working-class home and grew up in Camberwell. At eight, he was evacuated to Kent and for three years was in the care of two kind elderly people. Their tiny cottage had no telephone, wireless, electric light or bathroom and a lavatory in a shed in the garden. 

In 1942, Frank was awarded a scholarship for Alleyn's School, Dulwich where he enjoyed languages and was awarded a French travelling scholarship. For much of the conflict, Alleyn’s was evacuated to Rossall School in Lancashire.

Leaving school in 1949, he was called up for two years National Service, being stationed in Bodmin, Leicester---attached to an ack-ack battery—and Lincoln. He became a sergeant in the Royal Army Education Corps.

From 1952 to 1954, he studied at the teachers' training College of St Mark and St John in Chelsea, specialising in French. In his first post at a primary school in Pimlico, he fell in love with Lacey Garner, a teacher in the Infants' section. After marriage in 1956, he spent a few months as the English assistant at a lycee in Arras, followed by a spell in a primary school in St Albans.

In 1959, he answered an advertisement to teach at Brentwood Preparatory School. At interview, he faced both Principal Jack Higgs and main School Headmaster Charles Allison. The latter had overseen Frank’s scholarly destiny at Alleyn’s. Jack and Chas approved and he joined the staff as form master of Remove 2, teaching English, French, maths, geography and history.

He stayed at the Prep for 32 years until retirement in 1991, most of that time as Deputy Head.

In 2010, he recalled: “In the early days, it was a world of blackboards and easels, chalk and upright desks with sloping lids. Meals were taken at long tables with staff and pupils. We grew our own vegetables where the Nuffield Hopital now stands. Boys came to school by
bus, bike or on foot.”

Frank’s primary forte was French, especially for the two upper classes. He laid the foundations for serious study of languages in the senior school and at university. He took a soccer coaching course, supervised the Under 10s and then managed the 1 st XI. He remembered: “On Tuesdays and Fridays, lunchtimes would be spent pumping up footballs and threading the laces ready for the afternoon matches.”

In his time, three classrooms and an assembly hall were built, a swimming pool was installed and tennis courts laid down. On the sporting front, the boarding house Hall was the most competitive. In 1959, there were ten staff and nine forms compared with 13 full-time and two part-time staff in 1991.

In his retirement speech, Frank said tears would come into his eyes at some of what the boys had written. He mused: ‘How could such young boys write so well?’ One of those boys was Douglas Adams who, after he became famous, wrote: ‘When I have a dark night of the
soul as a writer and think I can't do this anymore, what I reach for is not that I have had best sellers or huge advances. It is the fact that Frank Halford once gave me ten out of ten. So, at some fundamental level, I must be able to do it.’  

Lord Black, now Chairman of Brentwood School Governors, whom he also taught, haswritten: ‘You have always meant a great deal to me and continue to do so, and have played an important part in my life.’

After moving to Shenfield, Lacey and Frank attended St. Mary's Church. He served as adeputy church warden; chaired the committee that started the Parish Giving Scheme; edited the magazine; and looked after the church records. 

Frank had a great love of music and literature. At school and in college, he sang in choirs and at St Mary's. He was a fan of Samuel Johnson of dictionary fame, of books in French, of the classics and Jane Austen.  He was an Associate of the Institute of Linguists.

In retirement, he took classes in cooking and became proficient.  As Lacey became physically restricted, Frank became her carer. According to his eldest son John, who delivered the eulogy at the funeral: “His devotion never wavered, caring for her right up until a few weeks ago. Just six days before he died, he was in Sainsbury's buying the ingredients for the next batch of soup.”

John felt that an article in The Brentwoodian in 1970 exemplified the sense of fairness that his father exuded his whole life.  He ended a report on the wins and losses of the School’s Under 11 First XI thus: “The team is again a strong one, and a pleasure to take.

Skills apart, the great joy of taking football in the Prep School is the wonderful sportsmanship that prevails on the field.  No protesting at the referee's decision; even when I had to give a penalty against us, the immediate reaction of the team was to say hard luck to the offender for having handled the ball.”

The family had come together ten weeks before his death to help Frank and Lacey celebrate their platinum (70 th ) wedding anniversary. “That Mum and Dad loved each other is something which was evident to all who knew them as a couple, and a superb example to the three of us boys.” All had attended Bretwood’s Prep and Senior Schools: John (1965-75), Peter (1966-77) and David (1969-80).

Frank Halford is survived by his wife Lacey, his sons, five grandchildren and four great
grandchildren.