Westminster City School
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| Motto | Unitate Fortior |
|---|---|
| Established | 17th century Refounded in 1877 |
| Type | Boys' Voluntary Aided |
| Headteacher | Mr D. W. Maloney MA BEd. |
| Location | 55 Palace Street, London Westminster London SW1E 5HJ England |
| DfE URN | 101153 |
| Ofsted | Reports |
| Students | 800 (age 11-18) |
| Website | wcsch.com |
Coordinates: 51°29′52″N 0°08′21″W / 51.4978°N 0.1391°W
Westminster City School is a voluntary aided Christian school for boys in Westminster, London. The school has 800 students on its roll, and it offers 105 of 130 places each year to boys practising the Christian faith in the Anglican dioceses of London and Southwark. The other 25 spaces are allocated to boys of other world faiths. The current head is Mr David W Maloney. In July 2009, the school was awarded specialist status in Science.
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[edit] History
The main building was opened in 1877 and the school was given its present name in 1890.
The school suffered bomb damage to its building in Palace Street during the Blitz.[1]
In 2004 a teacher was raped by a pupil in an empty classroom after the end of classes. The teacher eventually won compensatory damages and legal costs from the school.[2]
[edit] School Houses
For some social and competitive purposes, pupils are grouped into "houses". The names have also been used for school buildings. They represent some of the historic charity schools in Westminster whose charters and foundations were by Act of Parliament in 1873 incorportated into the Grey Coat Hospital Foundation (GCH) and United Westminster Schools (UWS) Foundation. UWS comprised the Westminster City School, Emanuel School; The Grey Coat Hospital Foundation comprised the Grey Coat Hospital and Queen Anne's School. In 1910 The Worshipful Company of Clothworkers transferred the Sutton Valence School to UWS.
- Dacres': Commemorating the foundation of Lady Anne Dacre, who died in 1594 and whose executors established Emanuel Hospital, incorporated by Queen Elizabeth I in 1601.
- Hills': Retaining the name of the school established in 1647 by Mr Emery Hill, a churchwarden in the parish of St Margaret's, Westminster.
- Kings': Arising from the St Margaret’s Hospital, established by the churchwardens of St Margaret's in 1642, incorporated by the charter of King Charles I in 1633 and aided annually by King Charles II.
- Palmers': Continuing the tradition of the school provided in 1645 by Revd James Palmer of the parish of St Margaret's Westminster.
- Waterlow: Commemorating Sir Sydney Waterlow, the Lord Mayor of London, who was elected the first Chairman of Governors in 1873 and filled his post with enthusiasm and distinction for over a quarter of a century.
[edit] The United Westminster Schools Foundation
Westminster City is a member of United Westminster Schools & Grey Coat Hospital Foundations which includes the following schools:
- Westminster City School – a non-diocesan, voluntary aided boys’ all-ability school with a mixed sixth form. Westminster City has particularly strong links with St Margaret’s Church, Westminster Abbey. In its long and rich history, the school has had strong roots in the educational heritage of the cities of Westminster and London and continues to be supported by the United Westminster Schools’ Charity whose resources are dedicated to the enhancement of educational provision for its students, in the spirit of the original bequests of its many benefactors.
- Grey Coat Hospital – Westminster Church of England school and Specialist Language College offering a challenging educational experience for girls from 11 to 18, and for boys in the Sixth Form. Rated as outstanding by Ofsted in 2009.
- Emanuel School, Wandsworth – Co-educational independent day school founded in 1594 by Lady Dacre.
- Sutton Valence School in Kent – Co-educational independent day school for pupils aged 3 to 18, with boarding from 11 to 18.
- Queen Anne's School, Reading – Independent boarding and day school for girls aged 11 to 18, situated just north of the River Thames and Reading town centre and occupying a 35 acre campus of beautiful grounds.
The Foundation Office is at United Westminster Schools, 55a Catherine Place, SW1E 6DY (telephone 020 7828 3055).
[edit] The Old Westminster Citizens' Association
The Association of Old Boys of Westminster City School, 55 Palace Street W1, aims to keep Old Boys from around the world informed and in touch. The Association was started in 1908 the then Headmaster, Dr. Stevens. The OWCA is a flourishing association one hundred years on and celebrated its centenary at a dinner in London on 28th March 2008 attended by some 200 Old Boys, past teachers and special guests.
OWCA maintains very close links with the School and, through its Trust Fund, provides finance to support a number of activities and projects.
[edit] WCS cadets
There has historically been a cadet unit at the school for over 100 years. The cadet corps was a major part in the life of the school and it had over 50 members. The cadets were part of the Queen’s Westminster Rifles (QWR) and many old boys served in this regiment during the Great War (1914-1918). Sadly, many never returned and young men like Jack Pouchot served with great distinction in the QWRs. The school cadet corps was disbanded in the 1960s.
A cadet detachment was re-formed at the school in 2007 and we are called 234 Detachment KRRC (King’s Royal Rifle Corps). We are part of NW London sector ACF. The KRRC is a direct descendant of the QWR and cadets are allowed to continue to wear the KRRC cap badge (even though the regiment is disbanded) as some KRRC cadets won a battle honour during the South Africa war in 1901 and are the only cadets ever to do so. Only 3 other cadet detachments have this honour as well as being able to call our cadets Riflemen instead of ‘cadets’ The school cadet unit is currently commanded by Lt. J. Wilson (also deputy headteacher) assisted by Sgt. Lionel Bush (also a learning support assistant).
[edit] Notable former pupils
The OWCA website lists Westminster City's old boys who have been in the news recently.[3]
- Martin Broughton, businessman, Chairman of Liverpool FC (2010). He attended WCS through the first half of the 1960s with his twin brother Stephen, another successful businessman.
- Andy Hamilton, comedian, writer, director. Joined WCS in 1965.
[edit] References
- ^ Ronan Thomas, Victoria Street SW1 1940-1945, West End at War, with photograph. Retrieved 13 December 2011.
- ^ Teacher raped by boy wins damages, BBC News, 22 June 2009
- ^ "Famous old boys". Westminster City School. http://www.wcsch.com/community/owca/famous-old-boys/. Retrieved 27 November 2011.
