Chigwell School

Chigwell School

Motto	aut viam inveniam aut faciam
Established	1629
Type	Independent School
Religion	Church of England
Headmaster	Michael Punt
Founder	Samuel Harsnett
Location	Chigwell Essex England
Students	730
Ages	7–18
Houses	(Senior School): Caswall's     , Lambourne     , Penn's      and Swallow's      (Junior School) Windsors, Stuarts, Tudors, Hanovers.
Website	www.chigwell-school.org

Chigwell School is an English co-educational independent day and boarding school in Chigwell, in the Epping Forest district of Essex. It was founded in 1629 by Samuel Harsnett, a former Archbishop of York (even though G. Stott suggests it was more likely founded around 1620-3). There are around 730 pupils aged between 7 and 18 years. Up until 1997 girls were only admitted in the 6th form. However the school is now entirely co-educational from the preparatory school to the sixth form.

The school is situated in 70 acres of land between Epping Forest and Hainault Forest, ten miles from London. It is represented on the Headmasters’ and Headmistresses’ Conference (HMC) and the Independent Association of Preparatory Schools (IAPS).

The school motto is aut viam inveniam aut faciam, a Latin phrase which translates literally as Either I shall find a way or I will make one".

There are four day houses, named Caswalls', Lambourne, Penn's, and Swallow's. The boarding houses are Grange Court, Sandon Lodge, and Hainault House, although all boarders are members of one of the day houses. In the junior school there are another four houses, named Windsors, Hanovers, Stuarts, and Tudors.

Senior House system

The senior school is primarily built around the four day houses. All students and most teachers are in one of the four houses. Each house will have a Housemaster/mistress with different year groups organised split into form groups tutors arranged from the teachers assigned to the House. Each House has a main common room, with most Houses having a separate Sixth Form room. Penn's and Swallow's have several separate rooms. Pupils will attend Call Over in their House's main common room every morning, and will sit in Chapel, Church and School Assemblies in their House groups. Each House has a budget, which usually is spent on things such as entertainment (e.g. pool tables), maintenance (e.g. mending damaged furniture) and House Music (coordinated costumes).

Furthermore, pupils wear ties which note their House and age group. The senior school tie has a black background with diagonal stripes of the House's colour. In the senior school these diagonal stripes are thick but become thinner in the Sixth Form, and for House Prefects (in the Middle Sixth) are thin lines on a black background.

There are many inter-house competitions throughout the year, such as inter-house football, cross-country and debating. These competitions culminate in the presentation of two trophies at the end of each academic year to the house that has won the most sporting and academic competitions. However, the House system is not inflexible. During breaks and lunch, pupils will frequently spend their time in other Houses. Groups inside years will often socialise in a particular place in a particular House.

School buildings

• Main School Building; containing
  • Lambourne, Caswalls' and Swallow's Houses
  • Burford Room
  • Dining Hall
  • Swallow Room
  • Swallow Library
  • Most school offices and reception
• Penn's House
• Economics Block
• History and RS Block
• New Hall Building; containing
  • New Hall (main school hall, used for important events and assemblies)
  • Most academic subject classrooms for senior school
• Science Block
• Sports Hall
• Gym
• Radley's Yard; Chaplain's House
• Walde Music School
• Drama Centre
• Three junior school blocks containing most junior school classrooms
• ICT block
• Art and Design block
• Two Cricket Pavilions
• Swimming Pool
• Chapel
• School Shop
• Medical Centre
• Harsnett's House, Boy's Boarding House
• Church House, Boy's Boarding House
• Two girls boarding houses (Sandon Lodge and Hainault House)
• Headmasters House
• Wilson Building (Modern, Foreign Languages)

Notable parents of pupils

• The Rt Hon The Lord Sugar KBE (Alan Sugar}
• Mr Clive de Boer, former managing director of Harrods; chairman of the school's governors

Alumni

Since 1868 old boys (and now girls) have been welcomed each year to the Shrove Tuesday supper. Commencing with chapel at 7pm the bar opens at 7.20pm followed by a meal in the dining hall at 8pm.

Notable alumni

• Eric Bailey OBE, journalist, broadcaster and colonial administrator
• George Baker OBE CBE, High Commissioner to Papua New Guinea (1974–1977)
• Peter Beckingham, Ambassador to the Philippines since 2005
• Prof Sir John Boardman (born 1927), classical archaeologist
• Sir Michael Bonallack, golfer
• Prof Percy Brandon, Professor of Electrical Engineering from 1971-84 at the University of Cambridge
• Ken Campbell, actor
• Edward Caswall, classical scholar and writer of hymns, music master at Chigwell.
• Peter Collecott CMG, Ambassador to Brazil from 2004-8
• Richard Collins FRCS, Vice-President, Royal College of Surgeons 2010
• Tim Collins, Conservative politician, MP for Westmorland and Lonsdale from 1997–2005
• William Cotton, Governor of the Bank of England, who famously set fire to the Headmaster’s garden.
• Sir Richard Dales CMG, former Ambassador to Norway from 1998–2002
• Paul Farmer (1961–68), former Headmaster of London comprehensive schools, including Dick Sheppard School; developed use of pop music in schools, including the first CSE examination in pop music
• Vice-Adm Sir Robert Gerken KCB CBE, Captain of the Fleet from 1978–81
• Sir Arthur Grimble, colonial governor
• Sir Austin Bradford Hill, pioneering medical researcher who discovered the link between smoking and cancer
• Steriker Hare, cricketer
• Sir Ian Holm, actor
• Anthony Hossack (1882–1886) England footballer of the 1890s.
• David Landsman OBE, Ambassador to Greece since 2009, and to Albania from 2001-3
• Prof David Matthews, Professor of Diabetes Medicine since 2002 at the University of Oxford
• William Penn, Quaker leader and founder of the American state of Pennsylvania
• Sir David Pepper, Director of GCHQ from 2003-8
• Prof James B. Ramsey, Professor of Economics at New York Univiersity
• Timothy Rollinson, Director-General of the Forestry Commission since 2004, and President from 2000-2 of the Institute of Chartered Foresters
• Rt Rev Thomas Joseph Savage
• Ben Shephard, television presenter
• Horace Smith, poet
• Michael Marshall Smith, novelist
• Jordan Spence, footballer, West Ham 2010
• Rt Rev Tim Stevens, Bishop of Leicester since 1999
• Col Bob Stewart MP DSO
• Sir Edward Albert Stone, Chief Justice of Western Australia, 1901-06
• Michael Thomas, former Attorney General of Hong Kong
• Sir Colin Thornton-Kemsley, MP for Kincardine and Western Aberdeenshire from 1939–50 and North Angus and Mearns from 1950–64
• Colin Wilcockson, English scholar and Emeritus Fellow of Pembroke, Cambridge
• Sir Bernard Williams, philosopher and Provost of King's College, Cambridge
• Prof Nicholas Williams, scholar of the Irish and Cornish languages.
• Timothy Williams, crime novelist

Notable masters

• Robert James, headmaster 1939–1946, later High Master of St Paul's School and headmaster of Harrow School
• Anthony Little, headmaster 1990-1997, now headmaster of Eton College.
• James Hawkins, deputy headmaster 1996-2000, now headmaster of Harrow School.
• William Henry Monk, music master, and author of the music to Abide With Me.

External links

• Chigwell School website
• Old Chigwellians' website
• archive mentioning tunnel