Distinguished old boys (and one old girl) include:

• Sir Husein Hasanally Abdoolcader, 1890-1974, Indian-born Malayan politician
• Alan Aldous, 1923-1992, Headmaster
• Kenneth Allen, 1923-1997, Professor of Nuclear Physics, University of Oxford
• Laurence Baxter, 1954-1996, Professor of Statistics, State University of New York
• Raymond Baxter, 1922-2006, TV personality (Tomorrow's World)
• Sir Trevor Brooking, born 1948, footballer
• Geoffrey Michael Brooks, born 1944, author of Hitler's Terror Weapons
• His Honour Gerald Butler, born 1930, judge
• Air Vice-Marshal Arthur Button, 1916-1991, director of RAF Education
• Jack Charles, born 1923, Civil Servant and employee of the Greater London Council
• Roland Dobbs, born 1924, Professor of Physics, University of London
• Francis Earwaker, born 1936, Economist, World Bank
• John Fleming, born 1950, writer and TV producer
• William Thomas George Gates, 1908-1990, banker
• Brian Green, born 1956, QC and law lecturer
• Steven Haberman, born 1951, Professor of Actuarial Science at City University
• Ronald Hutton, born 1954, Professor of History at the University of Bristol
• Norman Lloyd Johnson, 1917-2004, Professor of Statistics
• Kenneth Lefever, born 1915, Civil Servant (Her Majesty's Customs and Excise, Civil Service Appeals Board)
• Dame Kathleen Lonsdale, 1903-1971, chemist, who had studied at the girls' school and transferred to the boys' school at the age of 16 so she could study science.
• Admiral Sir Raymond Lygo, born 1924, Chief of Naval Staff 1978
• Professor Neil Merritt, born 1939, law lecturer; Vice-Chancellor, University of Portsmouth
• John Mitchell, born 1925, Assistant Director General, British Council
• Kele Okereke, born 1981, pop singer (Bloc Party frontman)
• Kenneth Pepper, 1913-2002, Commissioner of Her Majesty's Customs and Excise
• Raymond Peters, 1918-1995, Professor of Polymer and Fibre Science, University of Manchester
• John Reddaway, 1916-1990, Deputy Head of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency
• John Rickard, born 1940, Government economist
• Allen Sheppard, born 1932, Baron Sheppard of Didgemere, industrialist
• Ralph Stead, 1917-2000, Chairman, Eastern Region, British Gas
• Bramwell Tovey, born 1953, conductor
• Peter Turner, born 1928, Government operations researcher
• Geoffrey Tyler, born 1920, educationalist
• Gerald Mahlowe, born 1941, writer (BBC, Songwriter magazine)
• Glen Tarman, born 1965, global poverty campaigner, co-founder of Make Poverty History and coordinator of the Trade Justice Movement
• Varun Chopra, born 1987, cricketer for English U-19 cricket team and Essex County Cricket Club