Highgate School facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Highgate School |
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North Road
London.
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N6 4AY
England
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| Coordinates | 51°34′18″N 0°08′57″W / 51.5717°N 0.1493°W |
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| Religious affiliation(s) | Church of England |
| Established | 1565 |
| Founder | Sir Roger Cholmeley |
| Local authority | London Borough of Haringey |
| Department for Education URN | 102163 Tables |
| Head | Adam Pettitt |
| Staff | 126 full-time |
| Gender | Mixed |
| Age | 3 to 18 |
| Enrolment | 1,456 pupils |
| Colour(s) | Maroon, navy |
| Alumni | Old Cholmeleians ("OCs") |
| Affiliations | HMC, IAPS, Eton Group |
Highgate School, officially known as Sir Roger Cholmeley's School at Highgate, is a private school in London, England. It was started way back in 1565! It's a "day school," which means students go home after classes instead of living there.
Today, over 1,400 students attend Highgate School, from young children aged 3 to teenagers aged 18. The school is split into three main parts: the Pre-Preparatory School (for ages 3–8), the Junior School (for ages 8–11), and the Senior School (for ages 11 and up). All these parts together form the Highgate Foundation.
Highgate School is also involved in helping other schools. Since 2010, it has been a key partner in setting up the London Academy of Excellence. It also helps run the London Academy of Excellence Tottenham, which opened in 2017. The school also supports 26 state schools across six areas in London through a program called the Chrysalis Partnership.
Contents
How Highgate School is Run
The Highgate Foundation is managed by a group of 16 people. Four of these people are chosen by important groups like the universities of Oxford and London, the Bishop of London, and the Lord Chief Justice. The other members are chosen by the group itself. The Queen of England is also a special visitor to the school.
The Head of the school works with other leaders, like the principals of the younger schools and deputy heads, to manage everything. Highgate School is part of important groups like the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference (HMC) and the Independent Association of Preparatory Schools (IAPS). It is also one of the twelve schools in the Eton Group.
Highgate School's History
The Beginning of the School
Sir Roger Cholmeley, who was a judge and owned land nearby, wanted to create a school. He wanted it to be a "charitable school" to help educate boys and young men in Highgate. In 1565, he received land from the Bishop of London. This land was where an old gatehouse and a small chapel used to be.
New buildings were constructed for the school and a local priest, who was also expected to be the teacher. The chapel was also used by people living in Highgate for their church services.
Challenges and Changes
By the early 1800s, there was a problem. The school's charity money and the priest's time were being spent more on the local chapel than on teaching the students. In 1819, a government group visited and found that the headmaster, Samuel Mence, was paying someone else to teach the boys.
A long legal battle followed, and in 1827, a judge decided that this was wrong. He said the charity was meant for a "free Grammar school." The school had to change, and a separate church, St Michael's, was built for the local community. Headmaster Mence continued until 1838, but by then, there were only 19 students.
Growth and New Ideas
The school grew a lot under the next headmaster, John Bradley Dyne, from 1838 to 1874. During his time, the school started charging fees and focused on students from wealthier families. Academic standards improved greatly. In those days, the school was often called the Free Grammar School at Highgate or the Cholmeley School.
Like other public schools, Highgate started using a "house system" to create team spirit among students. Dyne also introduced strict discipline, which was common at the time.
New Buildings and Subjects
In the 1860s, the school bought more land for sports fields. Several boarding houses and other buildings were constructed there. The current chapel and main school buildings were also built during this time. A small part of the older school building, an old gateway, remained until 2006 when it was rebuilt. The senior school is still on the same site where it was founded.
When J. A. H. Johnston became headmaster in 1908, the school mainly taught classical subjects like Latin and Greek. He added science classes, including chemistry, physics, biology, and astronomy. In 1928, a new Science Building opened, and Johnston even introduced aeronautics (the study of flight) as a subject. The school acquired real airplanes for students to learn from!
Famous Poet's Burial Site
The famous poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge was first buried in the school chapel. In 1961, his remains were moved to St Michael's parish church, which is very close by.
Becoming Co-educational
For many years, Highgate School was only for boys. However, in 2001, the school announced it would become fully co-educational, meaning both boys and girls would attend. Girls joined the Senior and Junior schools starting in 2004. This change has made the school more popular and improved its academic results.
Recent Developments
In January 2013, a new building called the Charter Building was opened. In May 2014, the Sir Martin Gilbert Library was opened by former Prime Minister Gordon Brown.
In 2015, Highgate School celebrated its 450th anniversary! A museum opened in January 2015, which the public can visit on Saturday mornings during term time. In September 2016, a new building for the junior school was also opened.
School Houses
Highgate School uses a "house system," just like many other public schools. When students reach Year 9, they are placed into one of the school's houses. These houses include Northgate, Southgate, Westgate, Eastgate, Queensgate, Kingsgate, Midgate, Fargate, Heathgate, The Lodge, School House, and Grindal.
This system was created to build a strong "house spirit" among the students. It allows them to compete against each other in both academic challenges and sports. Some of these houses, like School House, Grindal, and The Lodge, used to be places where students lived (boarding houses). Other houses, like Kingsgate, are newer.
Notable People from Highgate School
Highgate School has had many interesting people as both staff and students over the years.
Notable Staff Members
Here are some well-known people who have taught or worked at Highgate School:
- T. S. Eliot (1916) – A famous poet who won the Nobel Prize for Literature.
- Sir Kyffin Williams RA (1944) – A well-known artist.
- Sir Robert Stopford (1924) – A Bishop of London and Chaplain to The Queen.
- Kenneth Hunt (1908) – A footballer who won an Olympic gold medal.
- Graham Wallas (1885) – A socialist and one of the founders of the Fabian Society.
=Notable Alumni (Old Cholmeleians)
Former students of Highgate School are called Cholmeleians or Old Cholmeleians ("OCs"). This name comes from the school's founder, Sir Roger Cholmeley. The Old Cholmeleian Club was started in 1893, and former students still have social events and publish a magazine called The Cholmeleian.
Here are some famous Old Cholmeleians:
Arts, Design, and Literature
- Sir John Betjeman – A Poet Laureate (a special poet chosen by the King or Queen).
- Sir Reginald Blomfield – A famous architect.
- Hussein Chalayan – A well-known fashion designer.
- Sir Martin Gilbert – A historian who wrote a biography of Sir Winston Churchill.
- Gerard Manley Hopkins – A famous poet.
- Nicholas Rowe – A Poet Laureate and playwright from the 1600s.
- Nigel Williams – An author and screenwriter.
Business and Commerce
- Victor Chandler – The founder of BetVictor, a betting company.
- Sir Ronald Grierson – A well-known industrialist (someone who manages large businesses).
Classical Music
- Alan Bush – A composer.
- Daniel Hope – A famous violinist.
- John Rutter – A well-known composer.
- Sir John Tavener – A famous composer.
Film, Stage, and Television
- John Box – An Oscar-winning film production designer.
- Freddie Highmore – An actor.
- Tom Hooper – An Oscar-winning film director.
- Barry Norman – A famous film critic.
- Kayvan Novak – An actor and comedian.
- Geoffrey Palmer – A well-known actor.
- Murray Walker – A famous motorsport commentator.
Law
- Michael Mansfield – A well-known barrister (lawyer).
- Lord Neill of Bladen – A barrister and former Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University.
Military
- General Joyanto N. Chaudhuri – A Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army.
- Lieutenant Colonel Peter George Davis – One of the people who helped start the Special Boat Service.
Politics and Public Service
- Sir Robert Atkins – A Conservative Member of Parliament (MP) and Member of the European Parliament (MEP).
- Charles Clarke – A Labour MP and former Home Secretary.
- Lord Hill – A Conservative Peer and former Leader of the House of Lords.
- Bernard Jenkin – A Conservative MP.
- Robert Halfon – A Conservative MP and Cabinet minister.
- Sir Martin Furnival Jones – A former director general of MI5 (a British intelligence agency).
Popular Music
- Johnny Borrell – From the band Razorlight.
- John Hassall – From the bands The Libertines and Yeti.
- Crispian Mills – From the band Kula Shaker.
- Jon Moss – From the band Culture Club.
- Zak Starkey – The son of Ringo Starr and drummer for The Who.
Religion
- Stanley Booth-Clibborn – A former Bishop of Manchester.
- Ernest Thorold – A chaplain to Kings George V, Edward VIII, and George VI.
Science and Engineering
- Alan Blumlein – A famous inventor and electronics engineer.
- Alex Comfort – An author.
- John Ellis – A theoretical physicist.
- John Venn – The person who created Venn diagrams.
- Sir Clive Sinclair – The inventor of the 'slim-line' electronic pocket calculator.
- Sir Arthur Tansley FRS – A botanist and ecologist.
Sport
- Douglas Lowe – A double Olympic gold medallist.
- Walter Robins – An England cricket captain.
- William Seagrove – A double Olympic silver medallist.
- Phil Tufnell – An England cricketer and TV personality.
