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University College School (UCS)

Paulatim sed firmiter (Slowly but Surely)
Foundation	1830
School type	Independent day school
Headmaster	Mr Kenneth Durham MA
Chairman of Council	Sir Victor Blank MA FRCOG
Location	Frognal, London
Pupils	730 in Senior School (boys), 300 in Junior Branch (boys), 130 in Phoenix School (co-ed)
Teaching Staff	82 approx. (Senior School), 23 (JB), 14 (Phoenix)
Demes	Baxters, Black Hawkins, Evans, Flooks and Underwoods
School Colours	Marroon and Black
Website	www.ucs.org.uk

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University College School, known generally as UCS, is a British independent school situated in Hampstead, north west London. The school was founded in 1830 by University College London and inherited much of that institution's progressive and secular views, as such the school was remarkably original and probably unique at that time. Today, the school is known for its liberal attitude towards behaviour and work combined with high academic standards. UCS endeavours to preserve a strong sense of ethos.

UCS is a member of the Eton Group of Independent Schools and 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 in 2008 the Sixth Form will become co-educational.

The main building is also a noted example of Edwardian architecture.

Contents 1 History 2 Council 3 Academic Results 4 'Beyond Words' Literary Festival 5 Community Action 6 School motto, colours, songs etc 7 Arrangement 8 Location 9 Year names and Demes 10 Admissions 11 Notable Old Gowers (Old Boys) 12 Notable faculty 13 Further reading 14 External links

Giving a detailed history of UCS is close to impossible as many of its early records were lost when the archives of University College London were destroyed during bombing 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.

Several of the proprietors of the University of London are directly associated with the founding of the school; they include Henry Brougham, 1st Baron Brougham and Vaux, Lord Auckland (probably George Eden, 1st Earl of Auckland), William Bingham Baring, 2nd Baron Ashburton, Sir Isaac Lyon Goldsmid, Henry Hallam, Leonard Horner (The Royal Society of Edinburgh has described UCS as his 'monument' [2]), James Mill, Viscount Sandon (probably either Dudley Ryder, 1st Earl of Harrowby or Dudley Ryder, 2nd Earl of Harrowby), James Lock Esq, Stephen Lushington D.C.L. M.P., John Smith Esq M.P., and Henry Waymouth Esq.

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 (According to 'An Angel without wings' corporal punshiment was banned at the school in 1831). 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, Classical Greek and English were also taught. There was no religious teaching. It was considered a remarkable school: with no chapel, it was truly an 'Angel Without Wings'

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 prize giving 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 block, 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. 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, called 'A Tradition of Freedom', to be ready in 2007.

The Sir Roger Bannister Sport and Community Centre was officially opened by Sir Roger in January 2007.

UCS is a member of the Eton Group of 12 leading public schools, as well as the Headmasters' Conference.

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.

The Chairman of the Council is currently Sir Victor Blank, who amongst other things is Chairman of Lloyds TSB, one of the UK's largest banks.

As policy, UCS does not measure academic success by exam result league tables, however the school is firmly based in the top of the national league tables as shown below;

2006

93% of A level exams were graded A/B and 83% of GCSEs were graded A*/A.

UCS came 25th in the Telegraph independent school A-Level league table (within the 'Premier League'). [3].

In terms of non-boarding independent schools for boys only UCS came within the top 10 schools nationally. [4].

The school's annual "Beyond Words" UCS Festival has received press attention in recent years because of the number of celebrities that attend; in 2006, The Times placed the festival at the top of its list of 'Top Cultural Places To Be' that week. This year's festival took place from the 20th to the 24th November and welcomed more household names including Lord Falconer, Zadie Smith, Matthew Pinsent and Rupert Everett, as well as a multitude of journalists, actors, authors, musicians, economists, and many more.

A major part of the contemporary school culture is "Community Action", where for about six weeks a year students raise money for various charities (2005 total - £40,000).

The school motto is "Paulatim sed firmiter", roughly translated as "Slowly but surely". The school song is called Paulatim. Old Gowers (old boys) are entitled to use the post-nominal letters "OG".

The school's colours are marroon 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. [5]

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.

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 buildings:

• The main building, housing English, Modern Languages, History, Classics and Philosophy classrooms, and also the Geography department in the crypt. This is also the location of the Headmaster's office and the reception area.
• 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 (temporary installation on the tennis courts, whilst it is being rebuilt.)
• The "Kent Sixth Form Centre", housing the 'Lund Theatre', the Economics and Politics department, and of course, the Sixth Form Centre.
• The Sir Roger Bannister Sport and Community Centre. Building was completed in the second half of 2006, the centre contains a 6 lane swimming pool, two indoor sports areas, a fully equipped gym which also caters to private members, a cafe and changing rooms.
• Construction of a new modern languages centre is scheduled to begin in 2008.

There are also tennis courts on site.

The Senior School site is located on Frognal, in Hampstead - a suburb of London. The main campus and the Great Hall are noted examples of Edwardian architecture. Inside the hall is a magnificent pipe organ, used for school concerts and other festivities. Currently the school is undergoing development work to provide new sports and teaching facilities, some of which is set to be open to the public on completion (expected in 2008).

Outdoor sports, including Rugby, Football, Cricket, Athletics and Field hockey, take place at the games field on Ranulf Road in West Hampstead. Tennis and Fives take place at Frognal. Following the new development programme, tennis now takes place at the games fields.

The Junior Branch and the Phoenix School are located on two campuses in Hampstead. The Junior Branch has its own Library, Science Laboratory, Music, Computer and Drama rooms, and uses the Sports Hall and Swimming Pool at Frognal.

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
• Flooks --- Green
• Underwoods --- Purple

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".

University College School also has links with the Free Masons. On leaving the school, boys are invited to join the Paulatim Lodge, meeting once a year in a secret location^{[citation needed]}.

An extensive (but not definitive) list of names may be seen on List of notable Old Gowers

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Notable Old Gowers include people in the following broad categories:

Politics / Judiciary

4 UK Cabinet Ministers, a Viceroy of India, a Speaker of the British House of Commons, a Lord Chief Justice, a Master of the Rolls, 2 Japanese Cabinet Ministers, a Premier of Tasmania and a Prime Minister of New Zealand.

Academia / Medicine

Vice-Chancellors of the University of London (3), Victoria, Dacca and University of Cambridge (2). Provosts of University College London, a Rector of Imperial College and two Honorary Surgeons to the King. Many fellows of the Royal Society. Several academic OGs have been inducted into the Order of Merit.

The Arts

A president of the Royal Academy and several members of it, one of the four founders of the BBC, at least one Academy Award winner, film and television stars, broadcasters, musicians, artists, playwrights and composers.

Military

A recipient of the Victoria Cross, a Marshal of the Royal Air Force - the highest rank in the Royal Air Force and Chief of the Air Staff, a Vice-Airmarshall, many Generals (including 'the originator ' of the Tank), and several Admirals.

Sport

An England Cricketer (and Wisden Cricketer of the Year), a leading Mountaineer and the first man to run the 4 minute mile.

Religion

Several Archbishops including a Primate of All Canada and Bishops including a General Secretary of the British Council of Churches who also deputised for the Archbishop of Canterbury as chairman of the board of governors of the Church Commissioners.

A chief Rabbi of the UK.

A Christian spiritualist leader.

Former staff include:

• John Lewis Alexander Paton Promenant educationalist, Headmaster 1880-1903.
• 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, 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. Honorary 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.
• J.J. Walker F.R.S.

• 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 1-4116-1256-6).

• University College School website