Colfe's School
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Colfe’s is a co-educational independent day school in Lee, London. It teaches children between the ages of 3 and 18. The headmaster of Colfe’s is Richard Russell, and the school is a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference. The official Visitor to the school is HRH Prince Michael of Kent.
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[edit] History
Colfe's is one of the oldest schools in London. The parish priest of Lewisham taught the local children from the time of Richard Walker’s chantry, founded in 1494, until the dissolution of the monasteries by Henry VIII. Rev. John Glyn re-established the school in 1568 and it was granted a Charter by Elizabeth I in 1574. Abraham Colfe became a Governor in 1613 and the school was re-founded bearing his name in 1652.
Colfe declared that the aim of the school was to provide an education for the boys from “the hundred of Blackheath”. He invited the Leathersellers' Company, one of London's livery companies, to be the trustee of his will. Links between the school and the Leathersellers' remain strong.
The school moved to its current site in the 1960s and since then there has been much change, and money has been spent improving facilities, such as an all-weather pitch and new performing arts centre as well as renovating the Leathersellers' sports ground to make it the home of senior sport (rugby football and cricket) and also last year it was the site of the 6th form leavers' ball.
Having been a voluntary aided grammar school, Colfe’s became independent again in 1977. Although founded as a school for boys, girls have been admitted to the Sixth Form for over twenty years. In 1997, it was decided to allow girls throughout the school, and there are now girls in every year group. As of the 2005/2006 academic year, Colfe's first Head Girl was Amy Tarrant. The 2006/2007 Head Boy is Adam Chapman, and his deputies are Samantha Holder and Johnnie McCormick Houston
[edit] Charity events
Colfe's organises various charity events in which students, parents and locals donate money to worthy causes:
In collaboration with various shops and services in Blackheath, Colfe's hosted its first fashion show on 9th March 2006, in aid of Cancer Research.
A (mostly musical) talent show was held on 22nd March 2006, with all proceeds going towards Colfe's chosen charity of 2006.
Over the past two years, Colfe's students and teachers have helped to build, decorate and stock a library in a now-annual trip to the Gambia
To raise money for the 2006 year 13 Leaver's Ball, the Sixth Form Committee sold, (and delivered) Valentine's Day roses, with £1 from each rose donated to the British Heart Foundation
[edit] Famous Colfeians
Famous Colfeians include:
- Geoffrey Branch, axe-murderer of Edward Dobson (see The Times (London), Saturday, 17 July, 1971; p. 2 col. C)
- Garry Bushell, journalist
- Richard Clinton, professional cricketer
- Malcolm Hardee, comedy club proprietor
- John Henry Hayes, Tory politician
- Sheku Kamara, football player
- Robert Key, England cricketer
- Jack Ryder, Eastenders Actor
- Henry Williamson, fascist and author of Tarka the Otter
[edit] References
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