| Whitgift School | |
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| Motto | Vincit qui patitur (He who endures, wins) |
| Established | 1596 |
| Type | Independent school |
| Headteacher | Dr Christopher Barnett |
| Location | South Croydon Greater London England |
| LEA | Croydon |
| Ofsted number | 3066014 |
| Staff | 128 (approx.) |
| Students | 1,200 |
| Gender | Boys |
| Ages | 10 to 18 |
| Website | http://www.whitgift.co.uk/ |
Coordinates: 51°21′36″N 0°6′5″W / 51.36°N 0.10139°W
Whitgift School is an independent day school educating approximately 1,200 boys aged 10 to 18 in South Croydon, London in a 45-acre (180,000 m2) parkland site.
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History and grounds
It was founded in 1596 by the Archbishop of Canterbury John Whitgift and is part of the Whitgift Foundation along with Trinity School of John Whitgift and Old Palace School of John Whitgift. In 1931 the school moved to its current site, Haling Park, which was once home to Lord Howard of Effingham, the Lord High Admiral of the Fleet sent against the Spanish Armada.[1] The ship (a model of HMS Ark Royal) that features prominently on the top of "Big School" (the school hall) is a reminder of the history of the site. Additions since the 400th anniversary of the school have been a maze in the founder's garden, an aviary, an enclosure for red squirrels, lakes and a multi-million pound sports complex.
Whitgift is famed in the local area for its wide variety of animals, most notably the peacocks which have graced the grounds since the 1930s. In 2005 Sir David Attenborough visited the school to open the lakes, the enclosure of which also houses two albino wallabies (a gift from the Queen, given in 2002 after the school's lakes re-opened[2]), and various waterfowl[3], including Hawaiian geese, which the zoo successfully bred.[2]
Education
Since 2005, Whitgift has offered International Baccalaureate[4] to the sixth form as an optional alternative to A-Levels.
Co-curricular activities
While Whitgift School has one the finest academic results in the country,[5] it also pays substantial importance to co-curricular activities within the school life. This is reflected in the sporting facilities as well as an array of musical activities. The school also has highly developed Design Technology and Art suites, more than six computer rooms, and two libraries.
The houses at Whitgift play an important role in the co-curricular activities of the students. The eight houses and their colours are Andrew's (purple), Brodie's (salmon pink), Cross's (red), Dodd's (silver), Ellis's (light blue), Mason's (royal blue), Smith's (gold) and Tate's (green). The Houses are named after former headmasters, headboys and founding Housemasters. Each House has a Housemaster or Housemistress, house captain and vice-captain and House Prefects. Some of the Houses have form representatives. All the House representatives have a special House-tie with the house colour on it.
The school has strong Rugby Football teams, it won the National Daily Mail Cup for English Schools at Under 15 level in 1999 and 2003. In 2008 there were several former Whitgiftians playing rugby at the highest professional level in the UK notably Danny Cipriani who made his full England debut in that year.
In recent years the school has played host to several first-class[6] and one-day games[7] played by Surrey County Cricket Club. The cricket ground can cope with up to 5,000 spectators. Former Surrey cricketer, David Ward is cricket coach at the school. There has also been other famous sportsmen who have taught and coached at Whitgift. Those currently working at the school include John Humphrey, who played football for Charlton Athletic and Crystal Palace, Colin Pates, the former Chelsea and Arsenal defender, and Neil Kendrick, the former Surrey spin bowler.
Through a connection with the youth academy at Crystal Palace, Steve Kember, the former Palace and Chelsea midfielder and manager at Selhurst Park, also coaches at the school[citation needed].
Senior staff
Headmaster Dr Christopher A Barnett
Second Master Mr JDC Pitt
Deputy Headmaster Mr PJ Yeo
Assistant Head (Academic) Mr DW Munks
Assistant Head (Pastoral) Mr SD Cook
Assistant Head (Proctor) Mr D Elvin
Notable alumni
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This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (October 2008) |
Former pupils are known as Old Whitgiftians. The following are a selection of notable alumni.
- Sir Bernard Ashley Businessman, husband of Laura Ashley[8]
- Leonard Barden, chess columnist
- Ian Beer, former headmaster of Harrow Lancing College, former president of the English RFU
- Stafford Beer, cybernetics expert, businessman and author
- Peter Bourne, physician, anthropologist, biographer, author and international civil servant
- Sir Robert Boyd, space research scientist
- Derren Brown, illusionist
- Charlie Burton, journalist
- Danny Cipriani, England Saxons and London Wasps rugby fly-half
- Tosh Masson, Harlequins centre
- Chris Catling, Exeter, Gloucester, Worcester, Bezeiers (France), Catania (Italy), Coventry and England A (now Saxons) rugby player
- Tom White, National 1 rugby.
- John "Cats Eyes" Cunningham, RAF ace pilot
- Harold Davidson, "The Prostitute's Padre", killed by a lion
- Lord Diplock, Judge and Law Lord
- Robert Dougall, BBC newsreader and President of the Royal Society for Protection of Birds (RSPB)
- Andy Duncan, Chief Executive, Channel 4
- Captain Alex Eida RHA, killed in action in Afghanistan, 1 August 2006[9]
- Sir Newman Flower, publisher and author
- Guy Gerlach, president of Pearson Education in Brazil.
- Sir David Freud, senior government advisor on welfare reform[10]
- Neil Gaiman, author
- William Martin Geldart, jurist
- John Gill, "JB", finalist on ITV talent programme The X-Factor with band JLS
- Tim Gudgin, presenter of the football results on the BBC's Grandstand
- James Hayward, gay rights activist and campaigner [11]
- Dalziel Hammick, research chemist
- Lee Hills, Crystal Palace footballer
- Martin Jarvis, actor
- Conrad Leonard, composer and pianist
- Peter Ling,[12] creator of TV soap Crossroads
- Captain Kenneth Lockwood, MBE, honorary secretary, Colditz Association
- James Meekings, Winner of "There's Our Villa" 2009, 2008, 2007
- Lt Col Colin "Mad Mitch" Mitchell, Commanding Officer 1st Battalion The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, politician, founder of the Halo Trust
- Victor Moses, Crystal Palace and England youth footballer
- Tarik O'Regan, composer
- Lord Prentice, politician
- Steve Punt, British writer, comedian and actor
- Mark Shivas[13]
- Raman Subba Row, England cricketer
- Gary Taphouse, Football commentator, Sky Sports
- Marshal of the Royal Air Force Sir Arthur Tedder, 1st Baron Tedder, GCB, Deputy Supreme Commander of D-Day
- Lord Tope, politician
- Adam Thompstone (rugby player), Professional Rugby Player with London Irish
- Aaron York, Poet
- Richard Thorpe, Professional Rugby Player with London Irish
- Lord Trend, Cabinet Secretary
- Jonny Ufton, Cambridge University, Wasps, London Welsh and Barbarians rugby player
- Malcolm Waldron, Metallurgist and Former Vice-Chancellor of Surrey University
- Lieutenant General Peter Wall[14], Deputy Chief of Defence Staff and Commander in Chief, Land Forces designate from 2009.
- Pete Wiggs, musician, co-founder of indie-pop band Saint Etienne
- Guy Woolfenden, conductor and composer with around 150 scores for the Royal Shakespeare Company
Southern Railway Schools Class
The school lent its name to a locomotive in the Southern Railway V Class. This class was known as the Schools Class because all
References
- ^ Whitgift History
- ^ a b "Wallaby my friend?". The Croydon Guardian (Newsquest Media Group): p. 5. 9 December 2009.
- ^ RHS
- ^ Whitgift School IB page
- ^ School results including comparison with rest of England
- ^ First-class matches played at Whitgift School
- ^ List A cricket matches played at Whitgift School
- ^ "Sir Bernard Ashley Obituary". 15 Feb 2009. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/4632812/Sir-Bernard-Ashley.html. "Bernard Albert Ashley was born on August 11 1926 and educated at Whitgift School, Croydon, developing an interest in engineering. He held a commission in the Royal Fusiliers from 1944 to 1946 and was seconded to the Gurkha Rifles in 1944-45. After the war he got a job in the City."
- ^ "The Old Whitgiftian Association Notices". http://www.owa.org/06/notices.php.
- ^ "Government advisor Sir David Freud to work for Tories". http://www.croydonguardian.co.uk/news/4131460.Government_advisor_to_work_for_Tories/. "Sir David said that he first knew he wanted to be a journalist when he was a 14-year-old boy at the Whitgift School, Croydon. After he completed his degree at Oxford he ended up at the Financial Times "almost by accident"."
- ^ James Hayward's website
- ^ Peter Ling's obituary
- ^ http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/3211612/Mark-Shivas.html
- ^ "Old Whitgifttian Association newsletter". http://www.owa.org/newsletters/OWAN269May.pdf.
External links
- Whitgift School website
- A rendition of the school song, Carmen
- Old Whitgiftian Football Club
- Old Whitgiftian Association
- Old Whitgiftian Rugby Football Club
- Map sources
- Whitgift School Threatens Pupils
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