Tonbridge School

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Tonbridge School
Motto	Deus Dat Incrementum (God Gives Growth)
Established	1553
Type	Public School
Headmaster	Timothy Haynes
Founder	Sir Andrew Judd
Location	Tonbridge Kent TN9 1JP England
Students	c. 770
Gender	Boys
Ages	13 to 18
Houses	7 boarding, 5 day
Colours	Black and White
Publication	The Tonbridgian
Former pupils	Old Tonbridgians
Website	www.tonbridge-school.co.uk

Coordinates: 51°12′00″N 0°16′35″E / 51.200070°N 0.276450°E / 51.200070; 0.276450 Tonbridge School is a British boys' independent boarding school (a public school in the specialised British sense of the term) in Tonbridge, Kent, founded in 1553 by Sir Andrew Judd (sometimes spelled Judde). It is a member of the Eton Group of leading academic schools, and has close links with the Worshipful Company of Skinners, one of the oldest London livery companies.

The school occupies a site of 150 acres (607,000 m²) on the edge of Tonbridge, and is largely self-contained, though the boarding and day houses are spread through the town. Since its foundation the school has been rebuilt twice on the original site.

There are currently about 770 boys in the school, aged between 13 and 18.

The Headmaster since 2005 is Tim Haynes, previously Headmaster of Monmouth School.

The Good Schools Guide describes the school as "truly excellent". It is not one of the nine public schools mentioned in the Public Schools Act 1868, but it is just as old as, or older than, five of those which are. It is among the 25 boarding schools mentioned in the Public Schools Yearbook of 1889.

Tonbridge's fees are among the highest of all the public schools in Britain, at around GBP 30,000 per year in basic fees for boarders (higher than Eton or Harrow). However, bursaries and scholarships are available, including the Foundation Award.

Contents 1 History 1.1 World War I 1.2 World War II 1.3 Post-War years 2 Academics 3 Sport 4 Houses 5 Buildings 6 Facilities 7 Tonbridge terminology 8 School terms 9 School traditions 9.1 Motto 9.2 Tonbridge Society 9.3 The Novi 9.4 Uniform 9.5 House Traditions 9.6 Skinners Day 10 Other information 10.1 Combined Cadet Force 10.2 Third, Fourth and Fifth Years 11 Notable Old Tonbridgians 12 See also 13 References 14 Further reading 15 External links

History

The school was founded in 1553 by Sir Andrew Judd under the Letters Patent of King Edward VI, making it one of the oldest of Britain's major public schools.

The Charter ordained that the Governors of the school after the death of the Founder were to be the Worshipful Company of Skinners (known as The Skinners Company), one of the "Great Twelve" City Livery Companies with a history going back some 700 years. It is one of the oldest City Guilds and developed from the medieval trade guild of the furriers: members dressed and traded furs that were used for trimming and lining the garments of the rich.

The company, as the guild is now called, is no longer associated with the craft but continues to contribute to educating the young and helping the older in need, through their almshouses, charities and schools. The Skinners' Company's School for Girls is the fourth school opened by the Skinners' Company. The other schools respectively are the Sir Andrew Judd's free school (now called Tonbridge School), The Skinners' School and Sir Andrew Judd's Commercial School (now called The Judd School).

Sir Andrew, himself a distinguished member of this Company, left property in the City of London and in the parish of St Pancras as an endowment for the school. The income from these estates is at the disposal of the Governors for the general benefit of the Foundation. The memory of Sir Andrew Judd and other benefactors is honoured in an annual Commemoration Service, held on Skinners' Day at the end of the Summer term. The school first really began to flourish in the 19th century when it and other public schools supplied the demand for capable men to administer and soldier for the British Empire. It is recorded that alumni served in the Crimean War, the Indian Mutiny, the Boer War and even under the 8th Earl of Elgin during the Second Opium War. Indeed Headmaster Knox once noted that "wherever the Union Flag stands o'ershadowed, there you will find a Tonbridge boy ready to bring it into the light".

The Edwardian period saw considerable sporting success for the school. In 1905 and 1906 its 1st XI cricket team enjoyed two unbeaten seasons under its captain, Archibald Featherstonehaugh (pronounced "Fanshaw"). In the years that followed Tonbridge produced many first-class cricketers, including Colin Cowdrey in the late 1940s.

World War I

The school suffered heavy losses during the Great War. Great numbers of alumni were killed, as well as several members of staff who volunteered for service. The fabric of the school was unscathed.

World War II

In June 1941 a V1 bomb launched by the enemy almost succeeded in killing Headmaster Eric Whitworth when it landed near Ferox Hall^{[citation needed]}. A bomb dropped by a lone German bomber almost destroyed the Chapel earlier in the War.

However, papers found by the Allies after the fall of Berlin suggested that Hitler's staff intended to make Tonbridge School the Upper-Medway regional HQ for occupying forces, had Operation Sealion gone ahead.

During the War an anti-tank trench was dug alongside the Head (the school's main cricket pitch). The OTC (Officer Training Corps) issued the groundsmen with grenades, rifles and German phrase-books.

On the recommendation of Edmund Ironside, 1st Baron Ironside, Chief of the Imperial General Staff and an Old Tonbridgian, an evacuation plan was drawn up by the school in case of a German invasion. Boys were to disperse across the country while teachers formed resistance cells.

Post-War years

Lawrence Waddy took over as Headmaster in 1949. The Tonbridge he inherited was still a largely Victorian institution; fagging and ritual caning were still in place, and sport was considered more important than academia. Over the next 40 years personal fagging was abolished (ending in 1965), and the intellectual life of the school was revitalised (particularly under the Headmastership of the scholarly Michael McCrum). McCrum, headmaster 1962-70, abolished the right of senior boys to administer corporal punishment, taking over for himself the task of administering routine canings. 1st-Year Socials were set up with neighbouring girls' schools. By the 1990s the school was larger and richer than ever, regularly appearing in the top 50 in independent schools examination league tables. The Headmaster until 2005 was Martin Hammond.

In 2005 the school was one of fifty leading private schools found guilty of running an illegal price-fixing cartel, exposed by The Times, which had allowed them to drive up fees for thousands of parents.^[1] Each school was required to pay a nominal penalty of £10,000 and all agreed to make ex-gratia payments totalling three million pounds into a trust designed to benefit pupils who attended the schools during the period in respect of which fee information was shared.^[2] Full fees are now over GBP 28,140 per year for boarders, making Tonbridge one of the most expensive British public schools (more expensive than either Eton or Harrow, for example), though it provides a large number of scholarships for gifted pupils, and many bursaries for less well-off pupils.^{[citation needed]}

Academics

The Good Schools Guide described the school as academically "Truly excellent," noting that "In 2008, the average GCSE candidate achieved 4A*s and 6As. 87 per cent got all A*/A and 98 per cent got all A*/A/B."^[3]

The School, as of 2008, has the highest performing Politics and Economics Departments in the Eton Group, and the second highest-performing History Department after Westminster.

Almost all boys go on to University, with between thirty and forty every year going to Oxbridge.

Sport

The school has a strong sporting tradition, especially in rugby and cricket, with many other sports played as well. Traditional public school sports like rugby fives and fencing are played to high standards, as well as more modern sports including football, climbing, squash, and tennis. The school has one of the oldest of only about twenty racquet courts in the country, and has several fives courts.

Tonbridge's 1st XV rugby team was undefeated for 3 straight seasons (2004/5, 2005/6 and 2006/7), and is the only public school 1st XV since the Second World War to have two unbeaten seasons in a row, let alone three. The 1st XI Hockey team was unbeaten in its regular fixtures in the 2006/7 season, while the Athletics squad has enjoyed two consecutive unbeaten seasons - 2005/6 and 2006/7.

The school has produced a number of international rugby players throughout the history of rugby union. In 1871, in the first ever international rugby match, Tonbridge was represented by two players, J.E. Bentley and J.H. Luscombe. These players were also members of a team called the Gipsies Football Club, a London-based rugby football club for Old Tonbrigians founded in 1868. This club produced four other internationals including England captain Francis Luscombe, and was also one of the founding members of the Rugby Football Union.^[4]

With the opening of the Tonbridge School Centre for Sports and Media in summer 2008, a much greater focus has been given to sports within the school. The centre was opened by Sebastian Coe in front of a crowd of thousands. The new centre contains a 25-metre swimming pool, a gym, a climbing wall, a sports hall suited for badminton, indoor football, cricket nets practice or basketball, and most importantly a fully equipped, high-tech media centre.

Houses

There are twelve houses at Tonbridge School; seven boarding, and five day houses. Each house has its own house colours. The houses, in order of foundation, are:

School House	Boarding	Black and Blue
Judde House	Boarding	Magenta and Black
Park House	Boarding	White and Purple
Hill Side	Boarding	Red and Black
Parkside	Boarding	Yellow and Amphibione
Ferox Hall	Boarding	Orange and Yellow
Manor House	Boarding	Green and Red
Welldon House	Day	Light and Dark Blue
Smythe House	Day	Chocolate and Cerise
Whitworth	Day	Green and White
Cowdrey House	Day	Purple and Green
Oakeshott House	Day	Scarlet and Gold

Each house contains some 65 pupils. The names are either drawn from the location of the house itself (e.g. Park House, Parkside House, School House (originally located in the main school building) and Hill Side), or are names of benefactors, headmasters and others who have left their mark on the school over the years (e.g. Smythe House, named after Sir Thomas Smythe (see also Smythe Library), Judde House, named after the founder of the school, Whitworth and Welldon, both named after headmasters of the school, and Cowdrey House, named after Colin Cowdrey, arguably the most famous Tonbridge alumnus). The only exceptions are Ferox Hall, which takes its name from the Latin for ferocious, and Manor House, which was named by a former Housemaster.

There are also several "out-houses" dotted around the town, which are intended to help further prepare boys for university life. Boys retain affiliation to the house they lived in previously during their time in out-houses.

Competitions between the houses are held in many fields, particularly sport, as well as other activities such as music, art, debating, and design & technology. One example is the inter-house shooting competition; the winning house is awarded the Hansard Trophy, named after Cornelius Hansard, an Old Tonbridgian. The trophy, having been held by School House for two years running (2006 & 2007), is now held by Smythe House. The most prestigious of all of the house competitions are the senior house match competitions for each of the three main sports (rugby, hockey and cricket) which have been dominated in recent years by Park House.

The Cras (compulsary run around school) is also a major source of friendly house rivalry. Runners score points for their position, and the lowest scoring house receives a trophy.

Buildings

Recent additions to the school's infrastructure include the Vere Hodge Centre, the E.M. Forster Theatre, and the Tonbridge School Sport and Media Centre. All three are of modernist design, incorporating quantities of glass and steel and high levels of technology, while the latter contains a swimming pool, gym, fencing salle and multiple changing rooms, and is to be used as a training facility for the 2012 Olympics.

The Chapel of St. Augustine was opened in October 1995 after its predecessor was severely damaged by fire in 1988. The Marcussen organ is a four-manual tracker-action instrument with 66 speaking stops, including two 32' stops; it is well known throughout Europe by those familiar with such instruments as a fine and impressive example; it is the largest Marcussen organ in the south-east of England.^{[citation needed]}

The Smythe Library, built in 1962, was designed by Sir William Holford in 1962. It contains approximately 26,000 volumes, some of which have been in the school's possession since the 17th century. Its collection includes a complete set of Punch.

Now offices, the former Headmaster's House (located next to the High Street) is the oldest part of the school, dating in parts from the 16th century. Its structure contains Roman masonry, most likely quarried from a temple to the god Priapus that is believed to have stood by the Medway near where Tonbridge Castle stands today.

Old Judde, which now houses the Modern Languages Department, was built in the 19th century and is remarkable for the enclosed terrace garden at its rear. The garden is raised several feet above ground level because it was built directly on top of the building that formerly occupied the site.

Facilities

Tonbridge School is known locally for its excellent facilities, particularly in sport. It has three hockey astros - one floodlit water-based astro and two sand-based astros, used by Tunbridge Wells Hockey Club and Sevenoaks Hockey Club as well as by the school itself in the Lent term. It has a six-lane floodlit tartan athletics track, used extensively all year round by Tonbridge Athletics Club, and on which Kelly Holmes was often seen to be training. The School is also famous for its well-maintained pitches. The main cricket pitch (The Head) is often used for county-level cricket matches.

The new sports centre complex was opened officially on 13 June 2008 by Lord Sebastian Coe. It includes a new swimming pool, indoor sport facilities (such as indoor hockey), a gym, and a sports studio where activities such as fencing, judo, karate and table tennis take place. Due to its excellent location overlooking the athletics track and water-based astro pitch, the new centre now forms an integral part of the local sporting community.

Tonbridge terminology

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Like most institutions with a long history, various words and terms have developed at Tonbridge which make little sense to those on the outside. Many are specific only to certain houses, and some of the terms here listed are obsolete, but still occasionally heard from old boys and the older masters.

Novi - New boys in the school, i.e., Year 9 boys

Athena Society - one of many student-run societies, this is dedicated to classics, with only academic scholars and those studying classics in the sixth form being invited to join. The society draws notable speakers to speak on classical issues. It has its own tie, which features Greek helmets in silver against a maroon background (not to be confused with the Society Secretaries tie, which has a blue background).

Block - Lined paper

Hobbs - a mental eccentricity, now obsolete

Village - provincial, stupid

Let-out - any less extensive holiday than a half holiday

To throw a schitz - to express excessive anger

-oi - inseparable suffix, used to express disdain with the actions or attitude of another

Pursuits - periods on Mondays and Fridays during which boys may ask teachers for help or advice with work (though many choose to catch up on sleep)

Commendation - A reward for excellent work

Levite - a boy leaving the school

Schmutter - stuff

Distinction - A reward for outstanding work (prize from the Headmaster)

The Pound - The stationery part of the school shop

Bumf - explanatory material

The Head - 1st XI cricket pitch and squad

Groisy - sycophantic

Groiser - a toady

TFC - irrelevant (short for "Thanks for coming", as one might say to a runner-up)

Off-ex list - list of those who are off games

Off-ex - someone who has been put off games

The San - the school Sanatorium, or medical centre

The Fifty- 1st XV rugby pitch and squad

To be told - to obtain sporting colours

Stodger - bun or pastry

Out-house - see section covering "Houses"

Living out - time spent living in an "out-house"

Stumper - small cricket played with only one stump

Off-and-on - lemonade, now obsolete

Rustication - Suspension

Bim - a term for the cane, now obsolete

Square - refers to a 'House Square', a silk square in house colours which a boy may be awarded by his housemaster, which the boy is then free to have made into a garment (usually a waistcoat) through the School Shop or elsewhere

Old Judde - The building which now houses the Modern Languages Department; it is often referred to this way because this building used to contain Judde House, before it was removed to its present position many years ago

Minors - Fives, Sailing and Cross-Country

Gutter - scrummage in rugby, now obsolete

Good bloke - gentleman

Cras - The School cross-country race for pupils and staff is the oldest school competition, apocryphally said to be an acronym of "Compulsory Run Around the School", but it has also been alleged to be the result of the pronunciation of a onetime head groundsman, who supposedly pronounced "cross-country" as "cras country", as he was from the West Country. This used to run through Tonbridge high street and the surrounding area, but is now held within the School grounds and is no longer compulsory on a school-wide basis, but may be within individual houses.

Prae - (short for Praepostor)- Prefect

Bleed - one who is very good at something

Fagging - institution which was ended in the 1960s, whereby younger boys would act as servants for older ones. In some houses, vestiges of this survived until very recently, with punishments such as "Day Fag" and "Study Fuggers" still ongoing, and with Novi having to serve the Upper Sixth at lunch on certain days of the week.

Imposition - Special lined paper given as a punishment

Times Leader - punishment which used to be handed out to boys by Praes; consisted of copying out the leading article in the Times.

Unit - another old punishment praes could give boys, a forced run around the Head and the Fifty a given number of times at 5 am.

The Pepperpot - the tower on the Chapel.

The Tonbridgian - the school magazine, run by the boys with a master in charge; this is the oldest continuously running school magazine of any school in the UK.^{[citation needed]}

The George Club - Group of Old Tonbridgians who support the school's sport teams at away and home fixtures and meet in the George and Dragon Pub.

The Grubber - Tuck shop much appreciated in the 1950s for its sandwiches, doughnuts and Coca Cola.

Stormont Run - a punishment run which involved running to a garage several miles away, buying an item to provide a receipt & thus proof of completing the punishment.

School terms

All terms have a half-term holiday and two weekend exeats within.

• Michaelmas Term - Early September to mid-December (most new boys join the school during this term)
• Lent Term - Early January to late March
• Summer Term - Late April to early July

School traditions

Motto

The school's motto (Deus Dat Incrementum) is not to be confused with that of Westminster School, London (Dat Deus Incrementum). The two have quite different meanings due to their word order.^{[citation needed]} Whereas Tonbridge's lays emphasis on the fact that God, and nobody else, gives growth, Westminster's emphasises the fact that God gives growth and does not, for example, receive it, buy it or rent it. However, the motto "Dat Deus Incrementum" can be seen on the main school building at the entrance to the Physics department. The motto is the same as that of Marlborough College and The Judd School.

Tonbridge Society

The Tonbridge community has, in addition to boys, three main groups which come together in the Tonbridge Society to support each other and the school. The Parents' Arts Society provides a focus for parents and other friends of the school and gives them the opportunity to benefit from its educational and cultural facilities. The Old Tonbridgian Society provides a social and support network for the boys after their five years here. There is an Old Tonbridgian Masonic Lodge, with branches in London, Oxford and Cambridge. Finally, the Tonbridge School Foundation is committed to supporting the development of the school in many different ways. Collectively the Tonbridge Society represents all members of the Tonbridge family and brings the groups together for events of overlapping interest.

The Novi

In Tonbridge terminology 1st Year boys are known as novi (rhyming with "no guy") which in Latin means "new males". However, according to classical Latin pronunciation, the word should actually be pronounced as "no vee". To an ancient Roman's ears the Tonbridge pronunciation would indicate the Latin word novae, which unfortunately means "new women".

Uniform

Normal weekday dress, according to the Memoranda (school rules), consists of the traditional school tweed blazer, white shirt, school trousers, black or grey socks and black plain dress shoes. Boys must also wear a school tie with their jackets or suits; at least thirty varieties are available at the School Shop, including two varieties of leavers tie made by T.M. Lewin of Jermyn Street (many old school and regimental ties are traditionally from here). Boys may wear a house waistcoat if they have had one made. All students are expected to dress accordingly on all regular days of school. School boaters (straw hats with a ribbon in the school colours) are available in the School Shop, but these are no longer mandatory and almost never worn by the majority of boys. Stiff collars are no longer necessary either. On Sundays, students are expected to put on formal wear. This consists of the school suit, and polished shoes. Boys in the sixth form may wear lounge suits. Boys in the upper sixth can wear a light-colored shirt on weekdays. School Praepostors may wear brown polishable shoes on weekdays but not on formal occasions. School coloured scarves may be worn during the winter. After lessons and games and at some weekends, boys can choose to wear casual wear as long as it is acceptable and inoffensive in nature.

House Traditions

Houses tend to have their own traditions, especially in the older boarding houses. These are normally not well-known outside of the house community.

Skinners Day

Skinners Day marks the end of the school year. Historically it was used by the Worshipful Company of Skinners (to whom Sir Andrew Judd bestowed the school) as a formal inspection. The day starts with the last Chapel service of the year, attended by the Governors and the Court of the Skinner's Company. During the service, the Commemoration of the Benefactors is read aloud (which essentially gives a brief history of the school), before ending with the School Hymn. After Chapel, there is a prize-giving service on the Upper Hundred, after which the cricket match against the Old Tonbridgians begins on the head. The day concludes with house afternoon teas, hosted by the various housemasters. This ends the school year. Senior Skinners inspect the school wearing ceremonial robes and furs.

Other information

Combined Cadet Force

The School has a CCF (Combined Cadet Force) contingent, to which most of the fourth form (14-15 year old boys) belong. Boys can choose to join either the Royal Navy (RN), Army or Royal Air Force (RAF) sections of the CCF. Many older boys keep on CCF as an activity right up to and including their last year at school, the Upper Sixth, by which time they have become Non-Commissioned Officers,^[5] and are helping to run the contingent by teaching the younger boys. This allows them to exercise leadership skills which they have been taught as they have moved up through the ranks and through the school. The Army Section is affiliated with the Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment (PWRR).^[6]

The CCF was last inspected by Air Commodore Stinton, OC Air Warfare School.

Third, Fourth and Fifth Years

Community Service (helping the old, the infirm and handicapped members of the local community, or working in local primary schools or hospitals).

Advanced Chemistry; Aero-Modelling; Art, Ceramics and Photography; Assistance to the Librarian; Assistance with some of the first-year activities; Bridge; Chess; Computing projects; Conservation; Design Technology Projects; Film-making; Music, primarily for music specialists; Phytology; Play-writing; Preparation of the School Magazine; Rackets; Radio; Recording Studio; Stage sets, props and lighting; Tonbridge's Literary Supplement; Work within a boy's house.

Almost all of the activities listed above can be used for a component of the Duke of Edinburgh's Award Scheme, should a boy choose to enrol.

Notable Old Tonbridgians

Upon graduation, all Tonbridgians join an organization called the Old Tonbridgians Society (OTs).

See also

• Notable Old Tonbridgians
• The Judd School
• The Skinners' School

References

Further reading

• Hoole, G.P. (1985). A Tonbridge miscellany. Tonbridge School. OCLC 19671527. 
• Orchard, Barry (1991). A Look at the Head and the Fifty. London: James & James. ISBN 978-0-907383-25-3. 
• Rivington, Septimus (1898). The history of Tonbridge School from its foundation in 1553 to the present date. London: Rivingtons. OCLC 18236326. 
• Somervell, D.C. (1947). A history of Tonbridge School. London: Faber & Faber. OCLC 11852252. 

External links

• Tonbridge School Website
• Tonbridge School on Ofsted
• The Worshipful Company of Skinners
• Tonbridge School Foundation
• Profile at the Good Schools Guide