City of London Freemen's School

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City of London Freemen's School
Image:City of London Arms.png
Motto Domine Dirige Nos
Established 1854
Type Public School
Affiliations City of London Corporation
Headmaster Mr. MacDonald
Students 800
Location Ashtead Park,
Surrey, United Kingdom

City of London Freemen's School (CLFS) is a Public school, day and boarding located at Ashtead Park in Surrey, England. It is the sister school of the City of London School and the City of London School for Girls, both independent single-sex schools located within the City of London itself. The school is a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference.

The Good Schools Guide called the school "A traditional academic and sporty school in a stunning setting with impressive facilities but not at all elitist – in fact quite the opposite."[1]

Contents

[edit] History

The school was founded by the Corporation of London and was originally located in Brixton to educate orphans of the Freemen of the City. It is still possible for such orphan children to be educated as “Foundationers” at the school with the costs of their education borne by the Corporation of London.

The tradition of Freemen goes back many centuries, when the citizens of towns and cities would be granted valuable rights to trade, and other privileges conceded by royal charters.

The system was also shared by Livery Companies, associations of craftsmen developed to control the admission to the trade by apprenticeship, and founded on the triple bases of commerce, benevolence and religion.

From mediaeval times the City of London worked together with Livery Companies to control acceptance of Freemen. However in the nineteenth century it became possible for people to apply for the Freedom of the City of London without belonging to a Livery Company, and this created the need for an organisation to which all Freemen could belong to pursue the interests of the City.

This led to the foundation, in 1908, of the Guild of Freemen of the City of London, to bring together free men and women, for the purposes of charity, benevolence, education and social interaction.

City of London Freemen’s School is set in 57 acres (230,000 m2) of Ashtead Park in the heart of Surrey, having moved from London to Ashtead in 1926. The School celebrated its 150th Anniversary in 2004 with a year long series of events. The Anniversary started with a Service of Thanksgiving at St. Paul’s Cathedral attended by the whole School (now numbering over 800) and culminated in the School being represented with a float in the annual Lord Mayor’s Show.

[edit] Houses

The School has three Houses: Gresham, Hale and Whittington (colours green, red and blue respectively).These are named after the influential Londoners and school benefactors Sir Thomas Gresham, Warren Stormes Hale and Richard Whittington. Pupils are assigned to a House as they start at the school, which they stay in throughout their school career. Since it is now predominantly a day school and there are limited numbers of boarders, Houses do not have the same connotations as in similar independent schools, though are still important for Inter-House Competitions and weekly House Assemblies. If a sibling of a City of London Freemen's pupil were to join the school, they would be assigned to the same house.

[edit] Sports

The School has a very strong sporting reputation and the impressive grounds include rugby, hockey and cricket pitches, as well as two all-weather pitches, one of which is floodlit, with a variety of uses. There are also tennis courts, cricket nets and athletics facilities. The school has a large, modern, multi-purpose Sports Hall complex that incorporates a multi-activity fitness suite. The 25 m indoor swimming pool has recently been modernised and refurbished and is used by local swimming clubs.

Sporting fixtures are played in a wide range of sports against other independent schools such as Sevenoaks School, The King's School, Canterbury, St Mary's Ascot, King's College School and The Oratory School. The School tends to achieve superior results at the Public Schools Fencing Championship.

[edit] Boarding Houses

There is a Girls’ Boarding House and a Boys’ Boarding House. The Girl's Boarding House is Main House, a Georgian mansion built in 1790 by Sir Thomas Wyatt. The Main House remains the focal point of the School.

[edit] Old Freemen's

Once pupils leave school they become part of Old Freemen’s Association, which includes the Old Freemen's Rugby Football Club http://www.oldfreemens.co.uk/awebsite/rfc-home.htm and the Old Freemen's Cricket Club. There is also a Guild of Scholars of the City of London, which was formed to encourage former pupils from the three ‘City Schools’ to develop links with The City of London. Membership is open to all former pupils, staff, and retired staff, who must have obtained their ‘Freedom of the City of London’ but there is no subscription.

In addition any pupil aged 14-17, who is still at school may apply to become an Apprentice to a Freeman of the City at little cost and minimal commitment. They will then be entitled, at the age of 21, to apply for the Freedom of the City and membership of the Guild of Scholars. This Apprenticeship will be of particular interest to those who wish to pursue a career in the City. Annual events are organised to promote fellowship among the members, including an annual dinner and visits to places of interest.

[edit] Drama and Music

The school organises a number of performances each year, and these have included Oliver, Oklahoma, Cabaret, Les Miserables and Into the Woods. CLFS was one of the first schools in the country to obtain rights to Cameron Mackintosh's Les Misérables.[citation needed]

[edit] Feeder schools

[edit] Famous alumni

[edit] References

  1. ^ http://goodschoolsguide.co.uk/school/city-of-london-freemens-school.html

[edit] External links

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