Royal Hospital School
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| The Royal Hospital School | |
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| Mottoes | Reg Hosp Gren
"The Cradle of the Navy" Otia Tuta (Latin: Ease after Toil) |
| Established | 1694 Royal Charter |
| Type | Public School |
| Religious affiliation | Christian |
| Headmaster | Howard Blackett MA (Oxon) |
| Chaplain | Rev. Dr. C.E. Stewart PhD. Formerly Chaplain of the Fleet, Royal Navy |
| Founders | William and Mary |
| Location | Holbrook Suffolk IP9 2RX England |
| Students | c. 700 |
| Gender | Coeducational |
| Ages | 11 to 18 |
| Houses | 11 Boarding Houses |
| School colours | |
| Publication | "The Magazine" |
| School Visitor | HRH Prince Andrew, The Duke of York |
| Charitable Association | Greenwich Hospital |
| Former Pupils | Royal Hospital School Association |
| Website | Official site |
| Coordinates: | |
The Royal Hospital School, (usually shortened as "RHS" and historically nicknamed the "The Cradle of the Navy"[1]), is a British co-educational independent boarding school which admits pupils from age 11 to 18 (years 7 to 13) throughout the United Kingdom and abroad through a highly competitive admissions selection.
It is located in the village of Holbrook, near Ipswich, Suffolk, England, United Kingdom. The school's campus are of Queen Anne style and set in 200 acres of countryside, overlooking out the River Stour on the Shotley peninsula in an area known as Constable Country.
The Royal Hospital School was established by a Royal Charter in 1694. It was originally located in Greenwich, London, alongside with the Old Royal Naval College, Greenwich on a site which is currently occupied by the National Maritime Museum, including Queen's House. The school moved in 1933 to East Anglia.
In the Royal Hospital School, Royal Navy and seafaring traditions, are important elements of school life. Royal Navy uniforms (sailor suits) are issued to all pupils. Army, Royal Navy, Royal Air Force and Royal Marines Combined Cadet Force is the most popular extracurricular activity at the Royal Hospital School and is one of the biggest school units in the nation.
It has a very long list of distinguished former pupils, particularly Royal Navy Officers and Royal Navy veterans. Current pupils now compete for places among the top universities in the world and the British Armed Forces. Several Royal Hospital School pupils have qualified for English Speaking Union exchange scholarships to America.
The Royal Hospital School is considered among Britain's most prestigious independent schools. [2]
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[edit] Overview
Although, compulsory Royal Navy service is no longer a requirement, the Royal Hospital School still provides the largest proportion of Royal Navy officers than any other school in England. The school has been a model of several other schools, academies, nautical colleges, such as Canadian Coast Guard College[3]. The Royal Hospital School is supported by the Crown naval charity Greenwich Hospital.
The Royal Hospital School is the largest boarding school in East Anglia.
The School Visitor is HRH Prince Andrew, The Duke of York.
Commodore Bryan Burns CBE RN is the Chairman of Governors.
The school is affiliated with Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference.
The Royal Hospital School has a partnership with America's second-oldest institution of higher education and "sister institution", The College of William and Mary, Virginia, USA.
Several schools share similar historical charitable and or military characteristics with the Royal Hospital School: Pangbourne College, Christ's Hospital School, Duke of York's Royal Military School, Queen Victoria School and Gordon's School.
[edit] History
The School has been at Holbrook since 1933. The land on which the school is now situated was bequeathed to the school by Gifford Sherman Reade, along with the sum of £1 million. Originally the school was located at Greenwich Hospital and was based in what is now the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, London. The Hospital was founded by Royal Charter in 1694 but the school was not formed until 1712.[4][5] The Royal Hospital School at Greenwich was once the largest school for navigation and seamanship.[6] The school was designed by the Birmingham based arts and crafts architect Herbert Tudor Buckland. Most of the buildings are now Grade II listed with the main range and chapel being Grade II*.
[edit] Pupils
The school currently houses approximately 680 pupils. The school removed all female pupils at one stage in its early history due to their "demonic influence". However, they were allowed back into the school in the 1990s. The ratio for boys to girls is 3:2 and for all ages students are provided with a positive environment for academic learning and personal development. The school is now in the process of integrating day pupils into the school community.
[edit] Greenwich Hospital
The school was founded by Royal Charter and is maintained by Greenwich Hospital who support a number of pupils with bursaries who demonstrate sufficient charitable need. In recent years the number of pupils receiving bursaries has been cut dramatically in an effort to expand the school's wider national profile. The school also awards a number of scholarships annually based on achievement in sports, music and academics among other areas.
[edit] Traditions
Many of the modern day Royal Hospital School traditions are associated with the Royal Navy or seafaring. The school's close ties with Greenwich Hospital is highly respected and valued in school life. "Sunset Ceremonies", marching to dining halls, polishing shoes, daily uniform inspections, and Prefects referred as "Petty Officers" demonstrate strong Naval traditions in daily life.
[edit] Uniforms
In ceremonial occasions such as "Divisions," every pupil wear a Navy uniform. All boys are issued with Royal Navy junior rate Dress Blues. Until early 2008 Girls were issued with Women's Royal Naval Service Dress Blues. However, now all girls wear Royal Navy Dress Blues.
The 2004 Nelson leavers were the last Sixth Form group to wear the 1970's style blazer as a school uniform. The school uniform change is a legacy of former headmaster Nicholas Ward.
[edit] Music
The Royal Hospital School has a distinctive musical reputation. The school choir and congregation has been called "The Holbrook Sound". Eternal Father, Strong to Save and God Save the Queen are permanent hymns in Sunday services. All pupils are required to attend weekly congregation practice.
The Chapel houses the third largest pipe organ in Europe.
The Royal Hospital School marching band is a perennial part of school life. The band is usually managed by a former member of the Royal Marines Band Service. Heart of Oak, "Life on an Ocean Wave" and "Holbrook March" are some of the marches played.
[edit] Leadership
The Senior Prefect system is modelled on naval rank system. Becoming a prefect starts at fifth form. Virtually all sixth formers are considered prefects. All prefects are Petty Officers.
Individual Houses have differing leadership positions. Common house leadership positions are Head of House, Head of Seniors, Head of Juniors, and Sport Captains.
CO Heads of School (Head Boy & Head Girl), CO Deputy Heads of School and Chief Petty Officers are designated only for Upper Sixth Formers. All school wide positions are Chief Petty Officer rank.
[edit] Events
- Trafalgar Night: Sixth Form dinner in honour of Admiral Lord Nelson.
- Speech Day: Headmaster's annual "year in review".
- Remembrance Sunday
- Royal Hospital School Association Weekend: Royal Hospital School Old Boys & Girls Annual Reunion.
- Commemoration Sunday: Leaver's Divisions and Chapel Service
[edit] Royal Foundation
The Royal Hospital School has a close connection with the British Royal Family. The strong royal connections are demonstrated by The Royal Charter, School Visitor, and King's & Queen's Banners.
Many members of the Royal Family have involved themselves with the development of the school. Queen Mary's involvment with the Royal Hospital School is noted as “the darling object of her life”[7].
- William and Mary - First Benefectors.
- Queen Anne - Donated confiscated properties of Captain Kidd.
- George II - Presented assets from confiscated properties of the Earl of Derwentwater.
- George IV - Laid the foundation stone at Holbrook on 26 October 1928.
- Queen Mum - Presented the Royal Banner to the Royal Hospital School.
- Prince Andrew - "School Visitor" since 1992.
[edit] Houses
All 11 Houses at the Royal Hospital School are named in honour of a famous seafarer. Each house, is in the shape of an ‘H’ with a more modern extension where the housemaster or mistress lives built onto the front. Collingwood House was the latest to receive a multi-million pound refurbishment after the Anson House refurbishment was completed.
Most boys and girls join the School at the age of eleven or thirteen and will live on the ‘junior side’ of the house. In years seven to nine they live in bed clusters of four, known as ‘cubies’ and then as they grow older they are accommodated in small double studies and then larger doubles as they move towards the top of the house. In some cases the older pupils do have single rooms, although most enjoy the 'camaraderie' of sharing.
The boarding houses:
[edit] Boys
[edit] Girls
[edit] Upper Sixth
[edit] Royal Charter
The aim of the royal charter was to provide assistance and education to the orphans of seafarers in the Royal and Merchant Navies. Thus, until relatively recently, entry to the school was limited to the children or grandchildren of seafarers. Now, although it is not exclusively seafarers' children or grandchildren, there is still a subsidy to the school fees of these students. Until the 1950s, boys of the school were also required to join the Royal or Merchant Navies and as such the education was very much maritime focused. However, this requirement has not been in force for some time, but the school has retained certain naval traditions such as number 1 dress, divisions and an element of marching.
The school has a marching and concert band, a choir, an orchestra, a ceremonial guard and a Community Action Team, composed almost entirely of pupils.
[edit] Holbrook Coastguard
The Holbrook Coastguard, founded in 1996, has a fully operational watch station and CRV, affiliated with Her Majesty's Coastguard. The area the team covers stretches from the Dry Dock in Ipswich to Shotley and then from Shotley to the White Bridge at Manningtree, but often operate in the Wrabness area with the neighbouring team.
Holbrook Coastguard is unique since, in term-time, it is run entirely by students. While there is a student-operated coastguard in Scotland and Wales, it is the only one of its kind in England. There is a student in charge elected every year but there are adult team members who are in control during the school holidays. The student team has members aged 14-18.
[edit] Capital Challenges
Since the 1990's the school's endowment has stagnated and naval bursaries have not been up to par since. The decreasing influence of the Royal Navy and Greenwhich Hospital has brought many tuiton reforms at the school.
The notion of Alumni fundrasing is a relatively new approach at the Royal Hospital School. Calls for a development of the "Friends of the Royal Hospital School" is underway.
[edit] Royal Hospital School Association
Founded in 1925 as the Greenwich Royal Hospital School Old Boys Association. In 1992 the name changed to the Royal Hospital School Association (RHSA) in order to accommodate female alumnae. The Royal Hospital School Association has a world wide membership of about 2,500.
As of 2008 the RHSA is in the process of rebranding itself, in order to have an increasingly influential role with the development of the school.
[edit] Notable alumni
- Admiral Arthur Phillip - founder of Sydney, Australia and the Governor of the first European colony on the continent (NSW)
- Admiral Sir Phillip King Enright (1894-1960)
- Major General Jaspar Baker, CB, CBE - Director of Ordnance Services and Commandant RAOC, 1932 - 1945. (1877-1964)
- Admiral Sir Henry Felix Woods, Pasha, (1843-1929) - Admiral in the Turkish Navy
- Vice Admiral Sir Benjamin C.S. Martin, KBE, DSO - Commanded HMS Dorsetshire when she fired the torpedoes that sank the German battleship Bismarck. (1891-1957)
- Air Vice Marshall Desmond Hall, CB, CBE, AFC (1925-?)
- Rear Admiral Stanley McArdle, GM (1922- 2007)
- Don Topley - (Essex CCC and coach of Zimbabwe)
- Peter Richards (Rugby, England, Gloucester and London Irish)
- Captain Thomas Henry Tizard (1839-1924) - Oceanographer, Hydrographic surveyor and Navigator
- John Deane (1800 – 1884) and Charles Deane - inventors of the diving helmet, and discoverers of the wreck of the Mary Rose in 1839, whilst clearing the wreck of the Royal George.
- Professor Bernard de Neumann (1943- ) – Mathematician
- Commander Harry Pursey MP (1891—1980) - Member of Parliament for Kingston upon Hull East 1945-70
- Captain Oswald Tuckv (1876-1950) – Naval Chaplain and Instructor
- Malcolm Douglas Cooper (1947-2001) - British marksman who won Olympic gold medals at Los Angeles and Seoul and beat or equalled 15 world records
- Henry Davenport Sarratt (1828-1899)- Navigator, Royal Navy, Command of the Royal Yacht which brought Princess Alexandra from Denmark to marry the Prince of Wales
- Duncan Scott-Ford (1921-1942) executed for treason.
- The Brazillian footballer Pele spent a brief period at the school as an exchange student in 1956.
- Lieutenant Colonel Richard Cantelo FRCA RAMC Consultant Adviser in Anaesthetics to the Director General Army Medical Services
[edit] References
- ^ The Royal Hospital School gallery : On display : Exhibitions : What's on : Visit the museum : NMM
- ^ Elite schools 'breached law' on fees | News crumb | EducationGuardian.co.uk
- ^ Greenwich Royal Hospital School 1
- ^ "A Brief History of The Royal Hospital School", Bernard de Neumann, The City University, London
- ^ Royal Hospital School Association
- ^ The Royal Hospital School gallery : On display : Exhibitions : What's on : Visit the museum : NMM
- ^ “http://www.mariners-l.co.uk/GreenwichRoyal.html
[edit] Literature
- Turner, H.D. The Cradle of the Navy: The Story of the Royal Hospital School at Greenwhich and at Holbrook, 1694-1988, William Sessions Limited of York, United Kingdom, 1990, ISBN 1-85072-077-0
[edit] External links
- Official site
- Aerial photograph
- Holbrook Old Boys Online
- Nelson Leavers Site
- RHSA site
- Greenwich Hospital site
- Holbrook Music Society site
