Highgate School

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Highgate School
Image:Highgate1.jpg
Motto Altiora In Votis
Established 1565
Type Independent
Founder Roger Cholmeley
Headmaster Mr Adam Pettitt MA
Faculty 125 full-time
Students 1,243
Grades Reception - Year 13
Location Highgate, London, England
Website http://www.highgateschool.org.uk/

Highgate School is an old and prestigious English public school in Highgate, North London. It comprises three separate schools, combined to create the Highgate Foundation, which manages the Senior School, as well as both a prep and a pre-prep school. The school probably took on its name, Highgate, in its foundation as a leading Victorian public school thus competing with public schools with area names such as Eton, Harrow and Winchester.

Contents

[edit] History

The school was established, in 1565, by a Royal Charter patented by Elizabeth I giving permission for Sir Roger Cholmeley to erect a free grammar school for boys, making it one of the older schools in the United Kingdom. Significant expansion of the school only occurred under the Headmaster John Bradley Dyne (Fellow of Wadham College, Oxford) between 1838-1874. Over this period the current chapel and main buildings were erected, designed by Reginald Blomfield (who had also designed Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford). A fragment of the older school building, a gateway with a rusted bell mechanism above, is still intact between the porter's lodge and the main school building.

During the Second World War the school was appropriated by the government and the pupils evacuated to Westward Ho! in Devon, returning eventually in 1943. This return was maybe slightly premature because one afternoon the following year a V-1 Doodlebug flying bomb landed and exploded in the field behind the Junior School, luckily there were no serious casualties except for a cricket scorebox.

By 1965 the school occupied a large site in Highgate Village, as well as extensive sports fields and several boarding houses in the surrounding area. Recently the school has taken the move to become fully co-educational ending over 400 years of single-sex education.

[edit] Administration

Due to the Foundation's significant ownership of land and properties around the school, it has been able to invest greatly in the school's facilities; the relatively recent conversion from boarding to day school has increased the space available for this to continue. The Foundation's governing body consists of 12 members; 5 are nominated (one each by the Universities of Oxford, Cambridge, and London, by the Bishop of London, and by the Lord Chief Justice), and the rest are co-opted. The school is a member of the St Aloysius Group of leading independent schools.

[edit] Notable Members of Staff

[edit] Houses

Chapel Quad, with 'Big School' on the left, and the chapel
Chapel Quad, with 'Big School' on the left, and the chapel

The school operates a house system like many other public schools, and on entering pupils are placed in a house according to where they live (although the system does appear inaccurate, on occasions). Each house has a Housemaster in charge of the pastoral, as well as academic well-being of house-members, and tutors for each year group. This system was established to create 'house spirit' among the students, allowing for both academic and sporting competitions among the houses. Some of these, like School House, Grindal, and The Lodge used to be boarding houses. However other houses, such as Kingsgate, are newer, having been created by a dissaffected group of Westgateans in the 1970s.

Currently the houses are as follows:

  • Eastgate [Housemaster Dr V E C Stubbs]
  • Fargate [Housemaster Mr W J Atkins]
  • Grindal House [Housemaster Mr K M Pullinger]
  • Heathgate [Housemaster Mr S Evans]
  • Kingsgate [Housemaster Mr J A Fisher]
  • Midgate [Housemaster Mr M J Short]
  • Northgate [Housemaster Mr P R Aston]
  • Queensgate [Housemaster Mr J P Murphy]
  • School House [Housemaster Miss K P Norris]
  • Southgate [Housemaster Mrs C L Heindl]
  • The Lodge [Housemaster Mr D G Brandt]
  • Westgate [Housemaster Mrs J F Morelle]

[edit] Departments

Highgate's Senior School has numerous departments, covering a range of subjects. These are as follows:

  • Physical Education [Head: Mr A G Tapp]
  • Design Technology [Head: Mr P R Aston]
  • Art/History of Art [Head: Mrs T A Jay]
  • History and Politics [Head: Mr P C K Rowe]
  • Modern Languages [Head: Mr P X Pillet]
  • Classics [Head: Mr R W Halstead/ Ms D Picton (acting head)]
  • Religious Education [Head: Revd P J J Knight]
  • Information Technology [Head: Mr D J Abramson]
  • Biology [Head: Dr J C Y Welch]
  • Physics [Head: Mr D J Smith]
  • Chemistry [Head: Mr K S Bains]
  • Mathematics [Heads: Mr D J Noyce/ Mr J W Partridge]
  • Music [Head: Mr J Q March]
  • Economics [Head: Mr D Amatt]
  • English [Head: Mr G J H Catherwood]
  • Geography [Head: Mr M R Price]
  • Drama [Head Mr M L Bowden]

[edit] Alumni

Former pupils are known as "Old Cholmeleians" after the school's founder, Sir Roger Cholmeley, and Highgate has a diverse range of well-known old boys, most notably in the arts and literature. All former pupils are inducted into the Old Cholmeleians' Society upon leaving; the society has several events at the school and elsewhere for old pupils. Members past and present include:

[edit] Politics

[edit] Law

[edit] Popular Music

[edit] Classical Music

[edit] Film and Television

[edit] Sport

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