Markham College

Markham College
Colegio Markham
Location
Calle Augusto Angulo 291, Miraflores
Lima, Peru
Information
Type Private day
Motto Studiis et rebus honestis
(("For honourable studies and pursuits"))
Religious affiliation(s) Nonsectarian
Established 1946
Chairman of the Board of Governors Mr. Raúl Otero Bossano
Headmaster Mr. Chris Binge
Grades Pre-Kindergarten
Kindergarten
Primary 1-6,
Secondary 1-4,
Lower/Upper 6th
Gender coeducational
Enrollment 2,000 approx.
Houses Cochrane
Guise
Miller
Rowcroft
Color(s)      Brown
     Gold
Mascot Lion
Yearbook The Markhamian
Affiliation Round Square
G20 Schools Group
ADCA
UDCA
Latin American Heads Conference
British Schools of Peru (BSP)
International Baccalaureate Programme
University of Cambridge International Examinations
Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award
London College of Music (LCM)
Former pupils Old Markhamians
Alumni Association Old Markhamian Association
Primary language English
Website www.markham.edu.pe

Markham College is an international school in Lima, Peru. Founded by British immigrants, Markham promotes a mixture of British and Peruvian education. Markham is an independent, non profit-making, co-educational, bi-lingual, secular, day school of approximately 2,000 students aged 4–18.

Its students fulfill the Peruvian national curriculum as well as the IGCSE (International General Certificate of Secondary Education) program from the University of Cambridge. Many students subsequently enrol in the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme.

Markham has a Social Service policy both through Round Square and the IB CAS element. Each year many hundreds of its students go to help in both national and international service projects.

Students are known as Markhamians, while alumni are identified as Old Markhamians.

History

The school was named after the British historian and explorer Sir Clements Robert Markham (1838–1916).

The first students entered Markham College in March 1946. By 1978, it had grown to about 1,200 students and it was necessary to acquire a second site. The transfer of the Lower School to this site began in 1979. Students enter the school at the age of 4+ and transfer to the Upper School at the age of 11+. Currently, there are around 145 students in each year group. Competition for places is fierce and currently (2018) there are not many spaces in most year groups.

In 1992, the school became co-educational with girls being admitted in roughly equal numbers to boys. In recent years, it has accepted slightly more girls than boys.

In 2004, the school became part of Round Square, an internationally recognized organization of schools which follows the ideals of Kurt Hahn, and Markhamian delegations have attended Round Square conferences both regionally and globally ever since. The school is also a member of the G20 Schools Group.

Today, more than 2000 pupils attend Markham College from 34 different countries around the world.

The House System

In the second year of primary school (P2) students are nominally divided into four "houses" which compete in sports, academics and other activities. They are called Cochrane, Guise, Miller and Rowcroft, and named after Lord Cochrane, Vice Admiral Guise, General William Miller (all military figures) and Thomas Edward Rowcroft, the first British diplomat in Peru. Their colours are red, blue, green and yellow, respectively. Houses compete in a series of events, among them a swimming competition and an athletics event, to obtain the Founder's shield.

The House competition is mainly but not entirely focused on sports. The house competition has three major elements; the Swimming Gala, Markham on Stage, and Sports Day. While these are the three most important competitions, during the 2nd and 4th bimesters students compete in sports weekly. The Interhouse competitions include: football, basketball, rugby, cricket, hockey, volleyball, softball and minisports. Minisports consists of many small disciplines such as archery, shooting, climbing, surfing, table tennis, tennis, badminton, chess, croquet and others.

Languages

Classes are mostly taught in English, with a small number of courses taught in Spanish. The study of French is compulsory from P6 to S1, becoming optional from S2 onwards.

Subjects offered

At IGCSE level, for courses at secondary three and four, Markham offers classes in Additional Mathematics, Art & Design, Business Studies, Computer Studies, Co-ordinated (Double) Science, Design and Technology (Three options), Drama, First Language English, Food and Nutrition, French, Geography, History, Information Technology, Literature in both English and Spanish, Mathematics, Music, Physical Education and First and Foreign Language Spanish.

At IB Diploma level, Further Mathematics, Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Design Technology, Economics, English A and B, Film Studies, French B, Geography, Global Politics, History, Mathematics, Music, Physics, Psychology, Spanish A and B, Theatre Arts and Visual Arts are currently all being taught at Higher Level. In addition to those, Environmental Systems and Sports, Exercise and Health Science are also available at Standard Level.

No school in this continent and precious few outside it offers the range of subjects that Markham does.

Apart from the academic curriculum, the school offers a variety of extra-curricular activities. These include several art courses, drama, music, sports such as football, hockey, cricket and rugby, and many other activities such as Model United Nations or debating. The full list runs to over 150 options.

Examination Results

The Pinchbeck Library.

All students are entered for University of Cambridge ESOL (PET) Preliminary English Test in their final year of Primary education and for the (FCE) First Certificate of English examination at the age of 14. Pass rates are close to 100%.

In 2017 Markham students sat an average of 10 courses at IGCSE and passed 9.5 of them with Grades A-C. 46% of the results were Grades A*-A. This despite the fact, that with the obvious exceptions of French and Spanish, all courses are taught in English and the overwhelming majority of Markham students have Spanish as their First Language. 96% of our students passed 1st Language English with 55% of them achieving an A*-A Grade.

In the last ten years, Markham has entered 665 students for the IB bilingual Diploma and 652 (98%) have passed with an average score of 33.3.

68 of them have achieved scores of 40 points or more. This compares with international pass rates for the IB Diploma of 79% and an average score of 30.0. Markham has long held and improved on the South American record for the best IB results.

All our examination results are transparent and are published on our website.

Uniform

Tradition plays an important part in Markham College, and is represented by the uniforms that the students wear. In the summer months, a white polo shirt with beige shorts or skirts and sneakers is the norm. In winter, students adopt a more formal style of dress which consists of brown shoes, grey trousers or skirts, brown belts, white shirts or blouses, and a brown and gold jumper. There is also a separate P.E. uniform.

Sixth form students are required to wear a formal suit or a blazer in the winter. The use of a tie is not compulsory although it is required during formal activities and events.

Drama at Markham College

Markham college stages at least two plays throughout the school year, at least one in Spanish and one in English. Every two years the Drama department performs a musical theatre piece. Recent performances include Romeo and Juliet, Grease, El Casamiento Forzoso and Bugsy Malone. The 2018 programme will include an adaptation of William Shakespeare's 'The Tempest'.

Notable alumni

Markham College alumni are organized through the Old Markhamian Association (OMA), and include:

  • In a number of Jaime Bayly's novels, including Yo amo a mi mami and No se lo digas a nadie, the main characters (based on Bayly's experience in the school) attend Markham College.
  • Julius, the main character in Alfredo Bryce Echenique's novel A World for Julius, enrolls in Markham College after his mother decides to switch him to a British-style school.
  • In the Peruvian film Asu Mare 2, the main protagonist Carlos Alcántara Vilar lies about attending Markham College.

References

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