University College School
University College School, known generally as UCS, is a British independent school situated in Hampstead, northwest London. The school is well known for its liberal attitude towards behaviour and work, and endeavours to preserve a strong sense of ethos. A major part of the school culture is "Community Action", where for about six weeks a year students raise money for various charities (2005 total - £40,000). UCS maintains links with other schools in north London, including South Hampstead High School, and also with Equatorial College School in Uganda. The current Headmaster of the school is Kenneth Durham. The school is currently undergoing a development of its facilities and these will be ready by some time in 2007/2008, whereupon the sixth fom will become co-educational, i.e. both girls and boys will be educated in the sixth form. In 2005, 87.43% of A level exams were graded A/B and 78.7% of GCSEs were graded A/A*. The School's annual Literary Festival has received press attention in recent years because of the number of celebrities that attend; in 2005, the UCS Literary Festival was listed in the Times' list of 'Top Cultural Places To Be' that week.
The main building is also a noted example of Edwardian architecture in grand bulidings.
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History
Giving a detailed blow-by-blow history of UCS is close to impossible as many of its early records were destroyed when the archives of University College London were bombed in the Second World War, and because many documents were destroyed or left to rot by a headmaster, C.S. Walton who believed, according to the legendary H.J.K. Usher, "that tradition began with him".
The School was originally founded in 1830 by what was then the University of London, and now University College London. The University of London had been founded by Jeremy Bentham and others to provide opportunities for higher education to Catholics, Jews, Protestant dissenters &c. - as only members of the established Church could study at Cambridge and Oxford (the only other two universities in England at the time). University College found that the quality of the school education of its applicants was disappointing, due to the fact that the good English secondary schools were largely of Church of England foundation and, like Oxbridge, barred to non-members of the Church of England. The decision was therefore taken to establish its own school on the premise.
The first headmaster was The Reverend Henry Browne. The School opened at 16 Gower Street (from where the sobriquet 'Old Gower' derives) on November 1 1830. By February 1831 it had outgrown its quarters, and in 1832 it was brought within the walls of the College, with a joint headmastership of Thomas Hewitt Key and Henry Malden.
The School was remarkably original - it was never a boarding school, it was one of the first schools to teach modern languages and sciences, and it was one of the first to abolish corporal punishment. It has also been noted that UCS had a gymnasium before the school that is generally credited with having the first gym. Originally, there were no compulsory subjects and no rigid form system. Most boys learnt Latin and French, and many learnt German. Mathematics, Chemistry, Greek and English were also taught. There was no religious teaching.
In the mid nineteenth Century, the government of Japan sent a number of pupils to the school (see Kikuchi Dairoku and Hayashi Tadasu) which was recommended on the advice of Edward Stanley, 15th Earl of Derby who was the British Foreign Secretary at the time.
Under the University College London (Transfer) Act 1905, University College London became part of the federal University of London, and its School was created as a separate corporation.
UCS moved away to new purpose built buildings in Frognal in Hampstead in 1907, which were opened by King Edward VII with the Archbishop of Canterbury in attendance on July 27. Kikuchi Dairoku was invited to the first annual prizegiving at Frognal where he represented those who had received their prizes at Gower Street.
The Sixth Form Centre, which also houses the Theatre, was opened by the Duke of Kent in 1974.
In 1980 Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II visited the School to celebrate its 150th Anniversary and to inaugurate the rebuilt hall which had been destroyed by fire in 1978.
In 1993 a new Library, Music School, Lecture Theatre, Computer Laboratory, Sports Hall, Geography School, Mathematics School and further classrooms were added to the Senior School site. The Junior Branch buildings were also completely refurbished, with the addition of an attractive Art & Technology Centre.
In 2005 UCS announced a four year £12 million development programme. In addition the school made a concerted effort to track down Old Gowers; as a result the eminent Old Gowers list may increase dramatically soon. The school is also currently making efforts to become co-educational, with the first steps being introduced in 2008. Also, a historian has been hired to produce a new history of the school to be ready in 2007.
UCS is a member of the Eton Group of 12 leading public schools, as well as the Headmaster's Conference.
Council
The Council consists of 20 members.
The Universities of Oxford, Cambridge and London have representatives on the Council, as has University College London, the Worshipful Company of Grocers and the London Borough of Camden.
Location
The Main school site (i.e. that of the Senior School) is located on Frognal, in Hampstead - a suburb of London. The main school premise is a noted example of Edwardian architecture (as pictured at top), in addition to this, the main school hall is another splendid and well-preserved piece of Edwardian architecture. Inside the hall is the magnificent Organ, often used for school concerts and other festivities relating to the school. Currently the school is undergoing development work to provide new sports and teaching facilities, some of which may be open to the public on completion (expected in 2008).
The Junior Branch has its own Library, Science Laboratory, Music, Computer and Drama rooms, whilst Junior Branch pupils use the Sports Hall and Swimming Pool at Frognal for Physical Education.
Outdoor sports including Rugby, Football, Cricket, Athletics and Hockey take place at UCS's gamesfield on Ranulf Road in nearby West Hampstead. Tennis and Fives take place at the school facilities on the Frognal premise.
The Junior branch and the Phoenix school are located on two different campuses in Hampstead.
Arrangement
UCS consists of three main entities:
- "The Phoenix School", co-educational for ages 3 to 7. This was recently acquired by UCS.
- "The Junior Branch", boys-only for ages 7 to 11 (primary). This is also known as "Holly Hill", or "The JB".
- "The Senior School", boys-only for ages 11-18 (secondary). This is commonly just referred to as UCS.
The Senior School site is divided into seven builings:
- The main building, housing English, Modern Languages, History, Classics and Philosophy classrooms, and also the Geography department in the crypt.
- The science block, housing Chemistry, Physics and Biology laboratories.
- The "North Block", housing the 'Enav Library' and lower school classrooms.
- The "Giles Slaughter Wing" ('GS Block'), housing Mathematics, Computing, Music and the Lecture Theatre.
- The Art and D&T block
- The "Kent Sixth Form Centre", housing the 'Lund Theatre', the Economics and Politics department, and of course, the Sixth Form Centre.
- The sports hall. This is being rebuilt, the new building will be named in honour of Sir Roger Bannister OG.
There are also tennis courts, a swimming pool and a temporary sports centre on site.
Year names and Demes
The Senior School is divided into three schools by age, and each year has a unique name:
| Lower School | |
| Entry | Year 7 |
| Shell | Year 8 |
| Middle School | |
| Lower Remove | Year 9 |
| Remove | Year 10 |
| Upper Remove | Year 11 |
| Upper School | |
| Transitus | Lower Sixth (Year 12) |
| Sixth Form | Upper Sixth (Year 13) |
Students in the Middle School and Upper School are arranged into Demes, each named after a former prominent member of staff. This is similar to a school house. In the Middle School, there is one form (class) per year in each Deme, and in the Upper School there are two forms per year in each Deme. There are regular inter-Deme competitions in sports throughout the year. In the Middle School the distinctive school blazer carries a coloured school logo on the breast pocket depicting the pupil's Deme. There are currently five Demes:
- Baxters --- Blue
- Black Hawkins --- Yellow
- Evans --- Pink (Black is used in sports)
- Flooks --- Green
- Underwoods --- Purple
School motto, colours, songs etc
The school motto is "Paulatim sed firmiter", roughly translated as "Gradually but surely". The school song is called Paulatim.
The school's colours are maroon and black. On blazers these are vertical stripes.
There have been numerous songs written about UCS. The film Wondrous Oblivion is thought to have been partly inspired by Paul Morrison's experiences at UCS; coincidentally, the lead character of the film was played by Sam Smith, who was attending the school at the time he was cast. [1]
The annual Speech Day event, at which boys are awarded various prizes, has been hosted by many famous speakers, including Rory Bremner, Gary Lineker, Henry Olonga, Sir Tim Rice, Sir Roger Bannister (OG) and Stephen Fry.
UCS publishes a termly newsletter called The Frognal and a yearly magazine called The Gower; both publications are sent to current and past students for free. The latest editions are available on the school website. The website also allows people to sign up for a monthly E-zine newsletter.
Admissions
There are 4 main points of entry for prospective pupils:
- Junior Branch, at ages 7 or 8, judged by combination of internal exam and interview.
- Lower School, at age 11, judged by combination of internal exam and interview.
- Middle School, at age 13, judged by combination of internal exam and interview.
- Upper School, at age 16, judged by subject-specific exams and interviews, conditional upon GCSE results. This is only available for a handful of boys.
Since the acquisition of the Phoenix School, a pupil transfer between the school and the Junior Branch is in place at age 7 for those "displaying academic potential".
Notable Old Gowers (Old Boys)
Please see List of notable Old Gowers for a non definitve list.
Notable faculty
Former staff include:
- Sir William Smith, Lexicographer and Teacher
- The Rev Henry Browne, Headmaster
- Thomas Hewitt Key, Headmaster
- Henry Malden, Headmaster
- Thomas Archer Hirst FRS, Teacher 1860 - 1864. Nominated and admitted to the Royal society whilst teaching at UCS. Later, Professor of Physics, University College London.
- Augustus De Morgan Distinguished mathematician. First Professor of Mathematics, University College London, according to The British Society for the History of Mathematics, taught pupils when the distinctions between the school and college were somewhat blurred. Believed to have taught James Joseph Sylvester. De Morgan was the first President of the London Mathematical Society. The De Morgan Medal is named in his honour. It has been awarded to at least one Old Gower - Sir Roger Penrose.
- John Williams (classical musician), taught at UCS post World War II, first Master of Music at St Peter ad Vincula, Tower of London, which was then a royal chapel. Professor at the Royal College of Music. Honourary fellow of the Royal College of Music and Fellow of The Royal Society of Arts.
- George Baxter MBE, Vice-Master (1938-53).
- Alan Barker, Headmaster, Husband of Jean Barker, Baroness Trumpington.
- John Story Masterman, Assistant-Master, mountaineer and one of the three pioneers of British Geography.
- Thomas Nolan Miller, Fellow of Queens' College, Cambridge (1862-68), classical lecturer.
Further reading
- An angel without wings: The history of University College School 1830-1980 by H. J. K. Usher, C. D. Black-Hawkins and G. J. Carrick, edited by G. G. H. Page (University College School, 1981).
- University College School Register for 1860-1931 : with a short history of the school by Leathes, Stanley with an introduction from S.N. Carvalho (Published 1931)
- From Gower Street to Frognal: a short history of University College School from 1830 to 1907 by Felkin, F.W. (Published Arnold Fairbairns 1909)
- University College School Register, 1901-63 compiled by N.Holland (Published 1964)
- University College School Register for 1831-1891 edited by Orme, Temple Augustus (published H.W. Lawrence [1892?])
- University College School Roll of Honour and War List 1914-18 compiled by Cockman, Charles Roadnight and Thomas, Cyril Leonard Ross (published St. Albans Campfield Press 1922)
- On the Japanese connection with UCS see Japanese Students at Cambridge University in the Meiji Era, 1868-1912: Pioneers for the Modernization of Japan, by Noboru Koyama, translated by Ian Ruxton, (Lulu Press, September 2004, ISBN 1411612566).