City of London School
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| Motto | Domine Dirige Nos |
|---|---|
| Established | 1834 |
| Type | Public Boys Day School |
| Affiliations | City of London Corporation HSBC |
| Chairman | W. H. Dove |
| Headmaster | D. R. Levin |
| Second Master | G. S. Griffin |
| Assistant Headmaster | C. B. Fillingham |
| Founder | John Carpenter |
| Location | Queen Victoria Street, London, United Kingdom |
| Website | CLSB |
The City of London School (CLS) is a boys' independent school on the banks of the River Thames in the City of London. It is the brother school of the City of London School for Girls (a girls' school within the Barbican) and of the co-educational City of London Freemen's School. Intake is from age 10 to 18, although the majority of its pupils enter at age 11, with somewhat fewer at age 13 and some at age 16.
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[edit] History
The City of London School traces its origins to a bequest of land by John Carpenter, town clerk of London in 1442, "for the finding and bringing up of four poor men's children with meat, drink, apparel, learning at the schools, in the universities, etc., until they be preferred, and then others in their places for ever." (Stow's Survey of London). This bequest was administered by the City of London Corporation.
Over the centuries, the value of the bequest vastly exceeded the expenses of the boys' education and it was in order to make fuller use of the endowment that the City of London School was founded by a private Act of Parliament in 1834. It has always been under the governance of the City of London Corporation (the governing body of the City of London headed by the Lord Mayor of the City of London, as opposed to Greater London). [1]
The City of London School, a day school (which derived from a mediæval foundation of 1442) was reconstituted by a private Act of Parliament in 1835 and was held to be a public school by the Divisional Court in the case of Blake v City of London in 1886.
[edit] Establishment at Milk Street
The foundation stone of the new school was laid by Lord Brougham at premises in Milk Street, in the City of London near Cheapside, on the site of the old Honey Lane Market, in 1835. The school was remarkable for its time in three respects:
- It did not discriminate against pupils on the grounds of religious persuasion (at a time when most public schools had an Anglican emphasis); it included many pupils from non-conformist and Jewish families.
- Unlike other established independent schools, it was a day school (although there were in early days a handful of boarders, no boarding department ever became established).
- Most importantly, it promoted a rigorously practical and progressive scheme of education which was well ahead of its time. It was the first school in England to include science on the curriculum and to include scientific experiments as part of its teaching; it was also the first school to teach English literature (and not just classical literature). It also offered education in commercial subjects. This did not, however, diminish the excellence of its teaching in the subjects traditionally favoured by independent schools, and it sent many brilliant classical and mathematical scholars to Oxford and Cambridge throughout the nineteenth century. These included the mathematician Edwin Abbott Abbott (whose exploration of a world in other than three dimensions, "Flatland", is still in print and who returned to the school as headmaster) and, among classical scholars, H. H. Asquith, who went on to become the British Prime Minister.[2]
[edit] Move to Blackfriars
The school outgrew its original site and, by a further Act of Parliament (the City of London School Act 1879), it was empowered to move to a new site at Blackfriars on the Victoria Embankment overlooking the Thames (still in the City of London). A grand building said to be in the Italian Renaissance style (but actually in a high Victorian style with a steep pitched roof resembling that of a French chateau) was constructed by John Mowlem & Co at a cost exceeding £100,000 - a colossal sum in modern values.
On the front are statues of Shakespeare, Milton, Bacon, Newton and Sir Thomas More, the first four apparently nodding to its literary and scientific traditions, the last being a religious martyr, a famous lawyer, and the author of Utopia. This building still stands and is now protected by a preservation order; it is presently occupied by the investment bank JPMorgan and appears on the left of the famous Thames Television ident.
The Victoria Embankment building remained the home of the City of London School for the next hundred years, although the site expanded to include, not only the original building on the Victoria Embankment itself, but a range of buildings at right angles along the whole of John Carpenter Street (which was named after the founder of the school) and further buildings constructed at the back along Tudor Street, with the school playground, Fives courts and cloisters enclosed within this island site. (All but the original Victoria Embankment building were demolished when the school left the site).
In this position, it was next door to the City of London School for Girls (which was founded by the City of London Corporation as a sister school in 1894 and moved in 1969 to its present site in the Barbican) and to the Guildhall School of Music (which has also since moved to the Barbican). It was also next to the traditional home of the British newspaper industry in Fleet Street.
The musical excellence of the school was fostered by an arrangement whereby all the boy choristers of the Temple Church (the church serving the barristers and judges of the Inner and Middle Temple Inns of Court, which are two blocks west of the old Victoria Embankment site of the school) and all the boy choristers of the Chapel Royal at St. James's Palace, were given scholarships at the City of London School. They included Ernest Lough whose recording of Mendelssohn's "O for the Wings of a Dove" with the Temple Choir in 1927 made him world famous; it was the first classical record to sell (by 1962) more than a million copies. Other musicians educated at the City of London School include the cellist Stephen Isserlis.
[edit] Current premises
In 1986, the City of London School moved to its present site in purpose-built facilities facing on to Queen Victoria Street (where it is opposite the College of Arms and just below St Paul's Cathedral) on one side and facing onto the banks of the River Thames on the other side. The Millennium Bridge (a footbridge opened in 2000) is next to the school buildings. It is a wholly modern building, although some of the stained glass and sculpture from the Victoria Embankment building has been relocated to this new building.[3]
[edit] School life
[edit] Houses
City of London School has six Houses, named after important Old Citizens or school benefactors: Abbott, Beaufoy, Carpenter, Hale, Mortimer and Seeley. Boys are assigned to a House in the 3rd Form (13 years old), which they stay in throughout their school career. There are many interhouse competitions (e.g. Sports, Literature among others).
[edit] School uniforms
The school requires school uniforms[4] for all pupils up to the fifth form. Sixth formers do not have to wear uniforms, but they have to wear suits and school ties. The uniform is a red blazer with black stripes or a black blazer, white shirt, black shoes, trousers and socks, and school tie (black with red stripes). There are a selection of other ties; some are awards for achievements within the school. These include House colours, Junior colours, Sports colours, the Prefect tie and a few others.
[edit] Curriculum
City of London School offers a number of subjects, including: Geography, History and Politics, Economics, Mathematics, Language and Literature, Modern Languages, Chemistry, Biology, Physics, Drama and Theatre, Classical Languages/Studies, Design and Visual Arts, Religious Education, Information Technology and Physical Education. Full staff listing can be found at the CLS website.
Some popular subjects not offered at any level include Business Studies, Philosophy, Sociology, Psychology, Geology, General Studies and Human Biology.
In 2005, the Daily Telegraph placed the school 34th (the second school in its "First Division") in its League Table of Independent School A-level results, with 89.6% of pupils gaining A or B grades at A-level.[5]
[edit] School fees
Although the City of London School has always charged fees to most of its pupils, those fees have been moderate relative to other independent schools, and it has always offered many scholarships, both on the basis of academic and musical ability. In addition, due to the withdrawal of the Government Assisted Places scheme in 1998, the school has been able to offer full-fee bursaries (or Sponsored Awards) to pupils from families on lower incomes.
For the 2007-08 academic year, the annual school fees were £12,032.[6]
[edit] Trivia
- The pedestrian crossing of busy Queen Victoria Street near the entrance to the school is monitored by Sheila Gallagher MBE, who has performed this daily duty since 1991 and is the only "lollipop lady" in the City of London.
- It is home to the London Classical Reading Competition, held annually and entered by schools across the U.K.
[edit] Headmasters
- 1837-1840: J. A. Giles (first head)
- 1840-1865: Rev. Dr. G. F. Mortimer
- 1865-1889: Edwin Abbott Abbott
- 1889-1905: Arthur Pollard
- 1905–1929: Rev. Dr. Arthur Chilton
- 1929–1950: F. R. Dale
- 1950–1965: Dr. Arthur Willoughby Barton
- 1965–1984: James Ashley Boyes
- 1984–1990: Martin Hammond
- 1990–1995: Bryan G. Bass
- 1995–1998: Roger J. Dancey
- 1998–1999: David J. Grossel (acting)
- 1999–date: David R. Levin
[edit] Notable current pupils
- Actor Skandar Keynes, of The Chronicles of Narnia film series.
- Actor Harry Michell, of Tom Brown's Schooldays and Feather Boy.
- Footballer Toby Smyth goalkeeper for "England ISFA".
- Fencer Jonathan May represents the United Kingdom in the junior cadets team, and is ranked 5th in the world in the Under 17 class. [7]
Information about these pupils can be found in a publicly available school newsletter and has also been reported on in the national press.[8]
[edit] Notable former pupils
Former pupils of the City of London School are known as Old Citizens. Over 140 people listed in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography were educated at the City of London School, and that includes only those who were already dead at the time of writing. The following is, therefore, a very small selection. See also: List of notable Old Citizens
- Author Kingsley Amis
- H. H. Asquith, British Prime Minister, 1908-1916
- Author Julian Barnes
- War Correspondent David Blundy, killed in El Salvador, 17 November 1989
- Mike Brearley, captain of the England cricket team, 1977-1981
- Lawyer Victor Mishcon, Baron Mishcon, represented Princess Diana in her divorce. Home affairs spokesman in the House of Lords from 1983-1990 and shadow Lord Chancellor 1990-1992.
- Writer and broadcaster Denis Norden
- Actor Daniel Radcliffe, of the Harry Potter film series.
[edit] References
- ^ City of London School for Boys - Charity Information
- ^ City of London School for Boys - Charity Information
- ^ http://www.clsb.org/media/SchoolReport%20isi%2005.pdf
- ^ City of London School for Boys - Uniform
- ^ http://www.education.telegraph.co.uk/news/graphics/2005/08/27/ngcse27.pdf
- ^ City of London School for Boys - Fees
- ^ http://www.nahouw.net/rnk_rfn/37504/MAY_Jonathan.html
- ^ Mr Shrek is in line to bewitch the wardrobe | the Mail on Sunday
[edit] Further reading
- Carpenter's Children: History of the City of London School, T. Hinde (1995).
- The City of London School, A. E. Douglas-Smith (1st edition 1937, 2nd edition 1965)
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- City of London School web site
- Brief history of CLS
- John Carpenter Club (Old Citizen's Association)
- Tatler Schools Guide
