Radley College
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| Radley College | |
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| Motto | Sicut serpentes, sicut columbae ([Be ye as wise] as snakes, [and as gentle] as doves) |
| Established | 1847 |
| Type | Public School |
| Warden | Angus McPhail |
| Chairman of the Council | Lord Wilson of Dinton, GCB, LLM, MA |
| Founder | William Sewell |
| Location | Radley Nr. Abingdon and Oxford Oxfordshire England  |
| Students | c. 645 |
| Gender | Boys |
| Ages | 13 to 18 |
| School colours | Red and White |
| Publication | The Radley College Chronicle |
| Yearbook | The Radleian |
| Former pupils | Old Radleians |
| Website | www.radley.org.uk |
Radley College (St Peter's College, Radley) is a famous English public school[1][2] situated on the edge of the village of Radley near Abingdon in Oxfordshire. The campus of school buildings, playing fields, golf course, lake, and farmland now covers some 800 acres, including the largest continuous area of mown grass in England.
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[edit] History and ethos
Radley was founded in 1847 by William Sewell and Robert Singleton, and is one of only four remaining schools in the United Kingdom that admits only boys and at which all students are boarders. The school is centred around Mansion, formerly Radley Hall (built 1721 to 1725).
The prevailing ethos is of respect for authority as vested in senior boys, masters — known as "dons" — the Anglican Church (with Evensong during weekdays and a Sung Eucharist every Sunday), and the institutions of the British establishment.
[edit] Academic aspects
The college is an academic institution that achieves competitive public exam results - an average of 88% As and Bs at A level examinations over the last two years - but music, art, and drama too play an important role in the life of the school, the latter more so than ever after the opening of the 400-seat "New Theatre" in October 2006. Over 20 entrance scholarships are awarded each year by examination and interview - for music, art, drama and all-round skills as well as academic excellence. Sixth Form Organ Scholarships will be awarded for the first time in 2007, to support the large Chapel Choir and new choristership scheme, and planning for a new pipe organ is under way, to replace the current 3-manual Hill, Norman and Beard instrument.
The school was inspected by the Independent Schools Inspectorate in and February 2008. The inspection report stated that the school provides an outstanding education.[3]
[edit] Sports
Most sports are played competitively and are an integal part of life at Radley. Rugby is the major sport of the Michaelmas (Autumn) Term. The 1st XV team and their pitch is known as 'Bigside' while the first years' sports teams are known as 'Midgets'. The school fields 21 rugby teams on most Saturdays of the Michaelmas Term. Radley is widely recognised for its rowing reputation. In the Lent (Spring) Term hockey and football are the main sports, alongside Fives, for those not choosing to row, with Cricket, Tennis and Athletics all popular in the Summer Term. Some recent Old Radleians have progressed to play cricket for England or captain county level cricket teams.
Recently in Rowing, Radley has done excellently whilst competing at Henley Royal Regatta, having reached the semi-final of the Princess Elizabeth Challenge Cup twice in the last two years and winning it in 1998. The boathouse is located on a stretch of the river Isis about one mile away from the main college campus.
Sports such as Fives, Rackets, Sailing and Polo are all well represented. A Real Tennis court is currently being built, which will make Radley College the only school in the country to have Fives, Squash, Badminton, Tennis and Real Tennis courts all on campus.
[edit] Socials
The pupils live in one of eight "Socials" — see the school vernacular — named A–H. Some students additionally spend a number of terms resident in Orchard House, not a Social in itself but a smaller boarding house for about 30 pupils in the upper three years. The socials are sometimes known by the name of their "Tutor" (Housemaster). For example, C Social is also sometimes known as Sparks' Social after its Tutor, Mr John Sparks. Each social has an Assistant Housemaster ('Resident Sub-Tutor') and Matron ('Pastoral Housemistress') who are also resident in the building. Two more socials (J and K) are currently being built and are due to be opened in September 2008; Orchard House will be incorporated into J Social. As a result the number of boys in each social will drop from an average of 80 to about 65, and the overall size of the school will increase slightly.
The socials compete against each other constantly in sports and extracurricular activities ranging from debating to chess, bridge, singing and, now, even the efficiency of their recycling of paper, plastic and cans. For the Shells (first years) there is even an inter-social Drama Prize - the Haddon Cup - currently held by C Social.
Many Socials put on an annual play, performed and perhaps directed by boys in that social. Alternatively or additionally they might have a "Cultural Evening" of assorted musical performances, sketches, dances and dramatic extracts, staged in the Silk Hall or one of the theatres.
[edit] Vernacular
Radley, like many traditional public schools, has an unusual system for naming the school years, which can cause confusion to those not familiar with the system.
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- First year (age 13-14): Shell (boys are grouped by ability from Shell 1 to Shell 7)
- Second year (age 14-15): Remove
- Third year (age 15-16): Vth Form
- Fourth year (age 16-17): VI.1 ("Six One")
- Final year (age 17-18): VI.2 ("Six Two")
In earlier years there was also the "Fourth Form", which confusingly was a smaller group age 12-13 admitted in the summer term, having taken the entrance exams in the spring term.
The term 'Shell' for a lower year group is shared with Westminster School, Harrow School, Solihull School and Marlborough College. The name originates from the shell-shaped alcove in 'School' at Westminster where the younger boys were originally taught.
- Stig - First year individual (slang)
- Midgets - First year sports teams (eg Midgets 1 Hockey, Midgets 6 Rugby)
- Warden - Headmaster
- Sub-Warden - Deputy Headmaster
- Don - Teacher
- Pup - School Prefect
- HP - House Prefect
- Social - Boarding House
- Social Prayers - the Wednesday evening house assembly (instead of an evening Chapel service that day)
- (Social) Tutor - Housemaster
- Sub-Tutor - Assistant Housemaster
- Leave Away - Half-term
- Privi (short for Privilege Weekend) - Weekend away at home
- Bigside - College 1st XV Rugby/1st XI Hockey & Cricket (also the 1st's pitch)
- Stonewall - College 5th & 6th XVs Rugby
- Prep - supervised time in the boarding houses each evening when prep (corresponding to homework in a day school) is tackled
- Wet Bob - A boy who rows in the Lent and Summer terms
- Dry Bob - A boy who plays hockey and cricket in the Lent and Summer terms
[edit] Radley College Chronicle
The College has two periodicals: the Radleian, an annual report on all school activities, and the Radley College Chronicle, run by pupils and published approximately monthly in term time.
The Radley College Chronicle was founded in February 2005 and modelled on two previous publications, the Radleian and The Harrovian. Luke Bartlett, an old Harrovian and chemistry teacher (now Head of Chemistry at Uppingham School), was the principal instigator.
The Chronicle is edited by a team of pupils in an online Wiki-style model (using Courseforum software) before being redacted into a fixed version and published three or four times a term on cream A4 paper. Material is contributed by the team of editors, and by other pupils and 'dons'. Original illustrations accompany the articles, commissioned especially from Art Scholars at the College. Two teaching dons are the Senior Editors - Timothy Morris and Ian Yorston - and material has to be passed fit for publication by them and by the Sub Warden before it can be printed.
The paper has its own unique set of articles and regular columns, including 'A Tutor's Diary' - a spoof diary of a housemaster; 'Social Stereotypes' - similar to The Daily Telegraph's regular series, but written about "Radley types that may be seen in a Social near you..."; 'The Rumbler' - a regular opinion piece modelled on The Times' 'Thunderer; and 'Desert Island Dons' - a series of interviews with 'dons' (teachers) at the College in a similar style to Radio 4's Desert Island Discs . Nearly all of the articles are published anonymously and the Correspondence section is a mix of anonymous and signed correspondence from members of all parts of the Radley College community.
[edit] Television series
During the 1979 summer term, the school's activities were filmed by the BBC for a series called "Public School", broadcast on BBC2 early in 1980. Capturing the end of a period when such schools felt genuinely afraid that the Labour government might push through legislation to close them down (there is a memorable scene of the headmaster expressing his delight in Margaret Thatcher's first election victory), the programme nevertheless now seems like a period piece, if only because it shows certain teaching methods and values that would never be allowed today.[citation needed].
[edit] List of Wardens
- R C Singleton (1847-1851
- W B Heathcote (1851-1852)
- W M Sewell (1853-1861)
- R W Norman (1861-1866)
- W Wood (1866-1870)
- C Martin (1871-1879)
- R J Wilson (1880-1888)
- H L Thompson, (1888 - 1896)
- T Field (1897 - 1913)
- E G Selwyn (1913-1919)
- Adam Fox (1919-1925)
- W. H. Ferguson (1925-1937)
- J. C. Vaughan Wilkes (1937-1954)
- W. M. M. Milligan (1954-1968)
- D R W Silk 1968-1991
- Richard Morgan (1991-2000)
- Angus McPhail (2000-
[edit] Former pupils
- Main category: Old Radleians
- Gerald Brenan, writer.
- Peter Cook, comedian.
- Jamie Dalrymple, cricketer.
- Ted Dexter, cricketer.
- Alexander Downer, former Australian Foreign Minister.
- Mark Durden-Smith, television presenter.
- Sir Ivan Ewart, 6th Baronet, Northern Irish naval officer and charity worker.
- Jeremy Flint, famous bridge player.
- Christopher Hibbert, historian.
- Cyril Holland, son of Oscar Wilde.
- Charles Howard, Pioneering bomb disposal expert in WW2.
- Ben Hutton, Cricketer.
- Desmond Llewelyn, Actor (who played Q in many James Bond films).
- Harold Monro, founder of the Poetry Bookshop.
- Andrew Motion, poet and Poet Laureate.
- Lord Scarman, former judge.
- Sandy Nairne, Director of the National Portrait Gallery.
- Dennis Price, former actor.
- Clive Stafford Smith, campaigning lawyer.
- Andrew Strauss, cricketer.
- Collingwood Tinling, builder of first jet engine.
- Peter Wildeblood, journalist and playwright.
- Richard Wilson, Baron Wilson of Dinton, former UK Cabinet Secretary.
[edit] Literature
- Christopher Hibbert, No Ordinary Place: Radley College and the Public School System 1847–1997, 1997, London: John Murray General Publishing Division, ISBN 0-7195-5176-5.
- Many other books on Radley College, available from Amazon.co.uk
