Wyggeston and Queen Elizabeth I College

Foundation

After William Wyggeston's death in 1536, his brother Thomas Wyggeston, as a trustee, used part of the money to establish a grammar school in Leicester.

Grammar schools

Whilst this school, known as the Elizabethan Grammar School eventually became defunct in the 19th century, it was re-founded on the site of the old Wyggeston Hospital as the Wyggeston Hospital School which took its first pupils on 30 April 1877.^[1] This gave its name to the later Wyggeston Grammar School for Boys which, after the reorganisation of local government led to the system of education in the City of Leicester becoming comprehensive, became Wyggeston and Queen Elizabeth I College.

Wyggeston Grammar School for Girls, also known as Wyggeston Girls' Grammar School, was founded not long after the boys' school. In 1976 the site became Wyggeston Collegiate Sixth Form College, known as Regent College between 1996 and 2018 when it was absorbed into Wyggeston and Queen Elizabeth I College.

Sixth form college

The college, which has over 2200 students, was founded in 1978 following a (comprehensive) re-organisation of secondary education in the city. Many parts of rural Leicestershire went comprehensive in 1968.

It now occupies a site adjoining Victoria Park and the University of Leicester that was previously occupied by Wyggeston Grammar School for Boys (also known as Wyggeston Boys' School).

Headmasters

• The Rev. James Went – 1878-1920
• Thomas Kingdom – 1920-1947
• J C Larkin – 1947-1969
• Dr G A Thompson – 1969-1994
• Dr Robert Wilkinson – 1994-2002^[2]
• Ian Wilson – 2002–2012
• Sandra Hamilton-Fox – 2012–2018
• Paul Wilson – 2018–present

Strengths

An enrichment programme offers more than seventy courses and activities including many science-based options such as Medical Laboratory Science and Space Physics, reflecting the college's strengths in science. The inclusion of languages in the enrichment programme has also improved the overall take-up of languages. The college has a long-established tradition of sporting prowess and two thirds of students participate in sport.

Academic performance

In 2006 the A Level pass rate was 98 per cent with 45 per cent at grades A and B. About 90% of students progress to higher education, mostly in the Midlands region.

Beacon activity

WQEIC has worked with other providers on the development of effective quality assurance systems and self-assessment processes with a particular focus on the use of value-added measures. A significant amount of work was also done in the field of Student Support and Guidance and Student Services.

As an innovation project the college has led the development of a common Virtual Learning Environment across post-16 providers in the Leicester area.

The college has also forged links at departmental level with counterparts in local schools and colleges. The focus was on sharing good practice, progression issues and collaborative working in the interests of improving quality.

The IB

The college started offering the IB Diploma Programme in 2006, which has now ended in the academic year 2011.

Wyggeston and Queen Elizabeth I College

• Dan Cole, England international rugby player
• Will Hurrell, Rugby Union Player
• Bali Rai, novelist
• Ben Youngs, England International rugby player
• Joseph Little, musician

Wyggeston Grammar School for Boys

• Sir Frank Adcock OBE, Professor of Ancient History from 1925–51 at the University of Cambridge, and President from 1947–8 of the Classical Association (1897–1904)
• Sir Richard Armstrong CBE, conductor Scottish Opera 1993–2005 (1954–61)
• Henry Atkins, chess master and school-teacher (1883–1890)
• Sir David Attenborough CBE, broadcaster and naturalist (1937–44)
• Richard, Lord Attenborough, actor, director, producer, and entrepreneur
• Sub-Lieutenant John Herbert Babington GC OBE, bomb disposal expert (1922–29)
• Graham Bell, biologist (1960–7)
• David Campton, dramatist (1935–42)
• Air Vice-Marshal David Carnegie CB CBE AFC, Station Commander from 1938–40 of RAF Wittering, and Director of Flying Training from 1942–5 at the Air Ministry (1908–15)
• Prof Brian Carpenter, Internet engineer (1956–64)
• David Carter CBE, Professor of Industrial Design Engineering from 1991–5 at the Royal College of Art (1939–46)
• Prof Sir Cyril Clarke CBE, made the important discovery for Rhesus-negative mothers (1918–25)
• Prof Stanley Arthur Cook, Regius Professor of Hebrew from 1932–8 at the University of Cambridge
• Deryck Cooke, musician, writer and broadcaster (1932–38)
• Wing Commander Geoffrey Cooper, Labour MP from 1945–51 for Middlesbrough West (1918–25)
• Lieutenant-Colonel Johnny Cooper, one of the founders of the SAS
• Sir Walter Cooper MBE, Australian politician (1903–10)
• Mark Cox, professional tennis player
• Archibald Crawford, 1st Baron Hungarton, Chairman of the NFU (1902–09)
• Sir Thomas Creed MC KBE, Principal, 1952–67 of Queen Mary College, and Vice-Chancellor, University of London 1964–1967 (1908–15)
• John Leonard Dawson CVO, Surgeon to the Queen from 1983–90, Serjeant Surgeon from 1990–1, pioneering surgeon, and younger brother of Anthony (1944–51)
• Harold Dexter, organist, Master of the Music from 1956–68 at Southwark Cathedral, and Professor from 1962–85 at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama (1932–39)
• Neil Fletcher, Labour politician, and (last) Leader from 1987–90 of ILEA (1955–62)
• Sir John Goldring, a Lord Justice of Appeal (1956–63)
• William Hare (1955–62)
• Sir Mark Henig, Chairman from 1969–79 of the English Tourist Board (1922–29)
• Prof Stanley Henig, Labour MP from 1966–70 for Lancaster, Professor of European Politics from 1982–97 at the University of Central Lancashire, son of Sir Mark Henig and former husband of Ruth Henig, Baroness Henig (who attended the girls' grammar) (1950–7)
• Alan Hill CBE,^[3] managing director from 1973–9 of Heinemann (book publisher)
• Simon Hoggart, journalist and broadcaster
• Ken Horn, television director and producer
• Oliver Kamm, journalist (1974–81)
• Albert Ernest Knight, professional cricket player (1884–91)
• Barry Letts, Producer of Doctor Who from 1969–74, responsible for the casting of Tom Baker
• Jon Lord, composer, Hammond organ and piano player (1952–59)
• Sir Patrick Lowry ^[4] CBE, Chairman from 1981–7 of Acas (1931–38)
• Ed McLachlan,^[5] cartoonist (1956–59)
• Roger Manvell (briefly), film historian
• Prof Roger Mason, discoverer of Charnia masoni, one of the earliest known fossil animals, in nearby Charnwood Forest, whilst still at the school
• Prof Stephen Mason,^[6] Professor of Chemistry from 1970–87 at King's College London and from 1964–70 at the University of East Anglia, who married Joan Mason
• Prof John Matthews,^[7] Professor of Roman History since 1996 and Professor of Classics and History since 2001 at Yale University
• Maj-Gen Frederick Mayes CB, Director General from 1993–6 of Army Medical Services (1945–52)
• Kevin Myers Irish journalist^[8]
• John O'Connor,^[9] painter (1924–31)
• E. Phillips Oppenheim, novelist and thriller writer (1877–84)
• Bryan Organ, portrait painter (1946–53)
• Prof Ewan Page, Vice-Chancellor from 1979–93 of the University of Reading, and President from 1984–5 of the BCS (1939–46)
• Harry Peach, furniture manufacturer and social campaigner
• Sir Charles Peake GCMG MC, Ambassador to Yugoslavia from 1946–51, and to Greece from 1951–7 (1908–15)
• John Pickering, biologist
• Tim Pigott-Smith, film and television actor (1957–62)
• Rt Rev John Richards, Bishop of Ebbsfleet from 1994–8 (1945–52)^[10]
• Cedric Smith, statistician (1928–29)
• Sir Martin J. Taylor, Professor of Pure Mathematics since 1986 at the University of Manchester (1963–70)
• Lars Tharp, arts and antiques consultant, presenter and speaker, and the ceramics expert on the BBC television programme Antiques Roadshow (1965–1972)
• Prof Bernard Wasserstein, Harriet & Ulrich E. Meyer Prof. of Modern European Jewish History, University of Chicago
• Sir Philip Watts, Chairman from 2001–4 of Shell, (1956–63)
• A. R. Whatmore, actor (1900–5)
• John Scott Whiteley, Organist Emeritus, York Minster. BBC TV Organist for the 21st-Century Bach series (1961–68)
• Quentin Willson, TV presenter and motoring expert (1968–75)
• Prof Charles Gorrie Wynne, worked for Taylor, Taylor & Hobson (now Cooke Optics)^[11] and invented important optical lens techniques, and was Editor from 1954–65 of Optica Acta (1922–29

Professor Terence Irwin: Emeritus Professor of Ancient Philosophy Keble College Oxford. http://www.philosophy.ox.ac.uk/people/terence-irwin

Notable masters

Two former masters at the Boys' Grammar School went on to eminence:

• Colin Dexter – Crime writer, Assistant Classics master from 1954-7
• Ted Wragg – Educationalist and academic, Head of German from 1964–6