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History of the LSO

The Natural Therapeutic and Osteopathic Society (NTOS) was founded in 1948 and formed a school initially titled the Croydon School of Osteopathy. The Founder and first Principal of the school was Horace Jarvis, whose philosophy and principles of osteopathy were adopted by the school. Initially, the school offered a course of nine hours per week for three years. The school has evolved steadily and rapidly from its modest beginnings in much the same way that osteopathy has evolved since its inception, in 1874, by Dr Andrew Taylor Still.

Originally the school offered students training in both Naturopathy and Osteopathy as part of their curriculum. However since 1977 the School has concentrated solely on Osteopathy. It was at this time that the school renamed itself the London School of Osteopathy (LSO).

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In the late 1980s, it was becoming increasingly clear that the profession of osteopathy was moving slowly towards graduate entry. To this end the LSO prepared the relevant documentation and a validation event for a BSc Honours degree, in Osteopathy, was held in May, 1993. The process culminated in a successful outcome, with validation for a period of five years.

In the osteopathic profession at large there were important moves afoot. Up until this time the profession was split by disunity and was represented by different organisations and groupings. The drive towards degree status by the different schools meant that educational standards had improved with a convergence of similar standards amongst the schools. The time, it was felt was right to seek statutory recognition and regulation.

In July 1993, the Osteopaths' Act was passed into law. This provided for the setting up of a regulatory body, the General Osteopathic Council (GOsC), to regulate standards and to protect the public. There are several specific and explicit functions that include:

While the process of registration of individual osteopaths was occurring the GOsC also invited schools of osteopathy to apply for Recognised Qualification (RQ) status as providers of osteopathic education. The LSO entered this process with confidence and received RQ status within the first wave of osteopathic schools. In fact, it was one of only five to be accredited and the only fully part-time course to succeed. RQ status is evidence of a provider's ability to deliver a program that develops and enables the capabilities of the student to the required standard of proficiency by the time they graduate. What this means in practice is that a school's final year students are eligible to sit a Final Clinical Competences Assessment (FCCA) where external examiners appointed by the GOsC carry out the process. Passing the FCCA automatically makes the student eligible for registration with the GOsC.

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In October 2000, Robin Kirk was appointed Principal. Fiona Hamilton became Course Leader. Later Derrick Edwards was appointed Director of Quality Enhancement. An Executive Management Committee was formed of Fiona Hamilton, Yasmin D'Souza, Derrick Edwards and Robin Kirk to devise the future pathways and strategies of the London School of Osteopathy.

In 2001, the London School of Osteopathy established itself at its present address. With the foundation of the school secure, in 2002 it was decided to seek validation from the University of Brighton to enhance professional collaboration with other healthcare disciplines. In May, 2002 a successful validation event was held. Being a partner college with the University of Brighton will increase opportunities for research and post graduate studies. Our students have access to substantial learning resources and research facilities at the University of Brighton. The university is being very innovative in promoting relationships and partner colleges with other disciplines such as oriental medicine and occupational therapy. A new medical school has been established with its first cohort of students been enrolled for the academic year 2003-4.

Some important dates

· 1874 Andrew Taylor Still founds osteopathy in the USA
· 1892 Still founds the first American school of osteopathy in Kirksville 
· 1898 J Martin Littlejohn, a student of Still, introduces osteopathy to the UK
· 1948 Croydon School of Osteopathy founded
· 1977 The school is renamed the London School of Osteopathy
· 1993 The LSO validated as a BSc degree course
· 1993 The Osteopaths Act
· 1998 General Osteopathic Council (GOsC) opens its register to osteopaths
· 2000 LSO is the only fully part-time school to gain accreditation from the GOsC
· 2001 The LSO moved to its present site
· 2004 The LSO expands its premises
· 2004 The LSO’s Accelerated Learning Program (ALP) for physiotherapists and doctors validated and accredited
· 2007 the first ALP students graduate