Elizabeth College, Guernsey

Prior to the school's foundation, the Queen's Commissioners identified and uncovered a number of outrages and frauds which raised concern over the civil and religious administration of Guernsey.[1] The social deprivations apparent on the island throughout the 1500s were summarised by the 1824 enquiry into the 'State and Condition of Elizabeth College', which described how 'the island ... appears to have been most deplorable, for ignorance, superstition, and, especially, for the unsettled state of its political and religious affairs', noting also that 'in the year of the institution of the College, three persons were burned for witchcraft' and 'the whole island was in a state of dissension and confusion'.[1]

An illustration depicting the lower part of the school site with St James assembly hall to the right, c. 1860

By 1563, the Privy Council felt that intervention was needed to reform the island. They recommended that the island's 'spiritual and temporal jurisdictions [be examined] to reform errors and abuses', alongside which they recommended the establishment of a school by Royal Charter.[1] Elizabeth I and her ministers believed the island required education at secondary level, so that students might go on to preach as clergymen in Guernsey churches in line with principles of the Protestant reformation.[10] The Charter required the States of Guernsey to found a free grammar school with a schoolmaster appointed by the Governor of Guernsey.[11] The school was officially founded on 25 May 1563 on the orders of Queen Elizabeth I,[12][13] by a patent roll issued by the Crown which read:

Also since there is no grammar school in the isle, to erect a free grammar school there called Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School under the seal of the isle; the schoolmaster thereof to be appointed and removable by the Captain (except the Queen shall otherwise order); the school to be endowed with wheat rentes of 80 quarters a year found to belong to the Queen by the late Commissioners.[12]

The school was instituted in September that year,[14] and was the fourth school to be established on the island; the others being the Saint Peter Port, Saint Peter's and Saint Martin's schools.[13] In order to create a site for the school, Franciscan friars were moved from their lands on La Rue Des Frères, a site which the school still occupies. The school's lands extended from College Street through the Grange all the way to Upland Road. Originally, the main school buildings were on the part of the site which now houses the Science department, the oldest remaining building being the cottage on the corner of the current campus, near the top of Smith Street (La Rue des Forges).[13] The first schoolmaster was distinguished Belgian scholar Adrian Saravia,[15][16] who went on to become a translator of the King James Bible.[17] Saravia had left the island by 1571, describing the local population as an 'uncivilised race' which 'hates all learning'.[18]

It took a further two and a half centuries before the school had proper buildings and sufficient staff, a period during which the pupil roll never exceeded 29.[19][16] Many principals came and went, but were incompetent and uncommitted; either dismissed or resigned following disputes with the local authorities.[20] In 1824, due to increased demand for a higher standard of local education and a properly-run College,[21] the Lieutenant-Governor of the island, Sir John Colborne, established a committee to perform a full review of the school.[13] The school was re-chartered in 1824;[21] by 1826 there were new staff and an improved curriculum, and the school was in a position to attract fee-paying pupils from England. On 19 October 1826 the foundation stone of a new building was laid by Colborne,[22] and the school was renamed the Royal College of Elizabeth.[13][23] At the ceremony for the laying of the foundation stone, Colborne made the following speech:

With this part of the ceremony it is gratifying to reflect that the assemblage attracted here evinces the intense interest excited generally through the Island by the efforts of the States to renovate Elizabeth College. Laying the foundation stone, although a mere form, is in this instance so closely associated with the use of the intended superstructure, and with the prospect of it being greatly influential in bringing the institution into maturity, that we participate with delight in these ceremonies, and in perfect confidence that our hopes will be realised, we may venture to assert that as the approach to liberal instruction is facilitated, so will the prosperity of the island increase. A great stimulus to education has been already given by the deliberation and conduct of the States; they have armed the directors with sufficient power to carry their intentions into execution, and these guardians of the College and of the parochial and central schools, cannot fail in their office, for they will recollect, from what has occurred, that the tree which bears fruit thinly must be invigorated, and be encircled with fresh mould. [...] We trust that these excavations completed with so much perseverance and success, are emblematical of the industry and steady course that will be pursued by our young friends and by every member of College Elizabeth.[24]

A lithograph of a drawing of the school's current main building by its architect, John Wilson

The reform of the school also saw the introduction of the first official register of pupils, from which each pupil was allocated a unique, sequential school number. The first pupil to receive a number was Sir John Colborne's son, James, later Baron Seaton,[25] followed by his other son, Francis.[21] Many Old Elizabethans remain fond of their numbers, often using them on car number plates in the island.[26] After the re-chartering of the school in 1824, the Rev. Dr Charles Stocker was appointed principal, and developed a reputation for 'unmerciful' flogging while applying himself to raise the academic standing of the school, as well as concentrating on the construction of the new main building.[27] In the school's first year since the re-chartering, there were more than 100 boys on the school roll, however over the next couple of years the number of new entrants decreased as low as 17 in 1827. In 1829, three years after the laying of the foundation stone, the new building was ready to be occupied by students and staff.[28][29] The building, which remains a prominent feature on the skyline of St Peter Port, was designed by John Wilson, who was also the architect of the Meat Market, Castle Carey and the former Church of St James.[28] Upper Canada College, in Toronto, Ontario, was founded in 1829 by Sir John Colborne, based on his experience with the school.[30]

In the 1850s, a new form of punishment was introduced whereby the window recesses in the upper gallery of the school were converted into 'lock-ups' in which students would be held for short confinement during school hours. The wood-panelled walls of the cells were covered with carvings from those who had been held there. A popular ghost story from the lock-ups was that of 'Wilson', who was supposedly locked up and forgotten about for such a long time that he died of starvation.[31]

An illustration of the new main building from a nearby cemetery by Armand de Quatrefages, c. 1860

The school significantly expanded both its teaching and extra-curricular facilities in the latter half of the 19th century, building a gymnasium on the school site and purchasing fields in Kings Road for a cricket ground which was completed and named the College Field in 1888.[32] The old school building was converted into a science laboratory, named after Edward Ozanne, in order to centralise scientific instruction for the whole island.[33] Some of the biggest developments came under the leadership of the Rev. William Penney, appointed in 1888, who identified many faults with the quality of teaching, as well as attending to the building which was badly in need of repair.[34] He revised the entire syllabus, introduced masters' meetings to be held twice a term as well as reports sent to parents every half term. Penney revised the punishment system too, only allowing himself and the Vice-Principal to use the cane.[35] Penney oversaw the reincarnation of The Elizabethan magazine, as well as the formation of the Old Elizabethan Association, which set about wiping the school's debts by 1898 through a variety of money-raising ventures.[36]

Throughout the rest of the 1800s, the school gained a reputation for catering for the sons of British government officials employed across the British Empire, many of whom followed distinguished colonial careers in their own right. In this era, the school was noted for producing students who would later join military colleges in the United Kingdom. All told, 662 Old Elizabethans served in World War I, 105 of which were known to have been killed and many more died of injuries sustained in battle, meaning approximately one in five of all the boys who had joined the school since the re-chartering had served in the Great War.[37] A roll of honour was erected in the main hall to commemorate those who fought and died in the war.[38] Four alumni have been awarded the Victoria Cross:[10] The first in 1857 to Duncan Home,[39] followed in 1881 by John McCrea,[40] then Lewis Halliday in 1900[41] and Wallace Le Patourel in 1943.[42] The four houses at the junior school were later named in their memory.[43]

In 1900, Lewis Halliday became the third recipient of the Victoria Cross from the school.

In 1939, the school remained largely unaffected by the transition from peace to the Phoney War, with many believing the Channel Islands to be the safest place in the British Isles.[44] Precautionary measures were taken nonetheless; air-raid shelters were dug in front of the school's main building, and black-out regulations required some school activities and societies to be curtailed.[44] The air-raid shelter was later converted by German forces into a secure holding area for weapons and ammunition.[45] Following developments in the war in May 1940, all the senior boys were required to join the Local Defence Volunteers and came to school with rifles slung across their shoulders. Many school activities continued uninterrupted at this point, with cricket and swimming continuing in the unusually fine weather. In June however, the extent of the dangers of war began to be realised. French resistance collapsed, after which the island's Army and RAF units left the island.[46] Fearing the imminent occupation of the Channel Islands by German forces, an evacuation scheme was quickly assembled by the school Governors with Jersey and the Home Office,[47] and on the evening of Thursday 20 June the school was evacuated to Great Hucklow, Derbyshire, where it would spend five years 'in exile',[10] during which pupils had little or no contact with their parents.[45][48]

At the start of the occupation, the school buildings were home to the States Controlling Committee, but in 1941 the German authorities demanded the use of the school buildings as headquarters and offices. A strongroom bunker was built inside what is now the AJ Perrot room, which remains to this day, albeit without the door.[45] Despite the shortages in staff, facilities and money, there were still a number of scholastic successes over this period, with eight pupils receiving scholarships to the University of Oxford.[49] The official liberation announcement by Brigadier Alfred Ernest Snow[50] was made from the steps of the school in 1945 to a crowd of cheering locals, although it was not until August that the boys were able to return home to continue their education at College. German prisoners of war were tasked with cleaning up and repairing the damage to the building, which was not as bad as had been feared initially.[45]

The gatehouse was rendered obsolete during WWII, and so a new entrance was built slightly further up the Grange.

Once the school began accepting pupils again after the war, numbers increased at such a rate that for the first time since 1829, the main building was too small to accommodate the students. Rapid development followed, including the purchase of Beechwood, a former nursing home, which was converted into a boarding house.[51] A squash court was added, and the nearby Grange Club was purchased and converted into a library; land was acquired at Footes Lane for a cricket field,[52] and a new science block built.[53]

The 1990s saw the refurbishment of the science laboratories, improved facilities for sport and physical education, and the development of a purpose-built art department.[54] Having been a boarding school since its re-chartering in 1824, the end of the 20th century saw a gradual decline in the number of children being sent to the island to board, not helped by the increasingly high fares on air and sea routes from the mainland. There was also a growing requirement for independent infant schooling in Guernsey, and so the King's Road boarding house was reopened in October 1996 as Acorn House pre-school and pre-prep.[55]

In 1992, the school accepted a group of girls into the sixth form from the relocating Blanchelande College. They were the first girls to be officially registered and receive college numbers, and provoked the first discussions about the possibility for a mixed-sex sixth form run in co-operation with the Ladies' College sixth form.[54] David Toze's appointment as principal saw a large number of changes implemented at the school. He appointed the first-ever female headteacher of Beechwood in 2000,[56] and oversaw the merging of Acorn House and Beechwood into the Elizabeth College Junior School, as well as driving forward the link between the Ladies' and Elizabeth College sixth forms.[57] Dr Nick Argent, appointed in 2001, oversaw the development of the sixth form centre in the basement of the main building in 2008.[58]

Having appointed its first-ever female principal, Jenny Palmer, in 2017,[59][60] in January 2020 the school announced that "in recognition of the needs of contemporary society", girls will be admitted to the upper school into Year 7 and into the sixth form from September 2021 as part of plans for the school to be entirely coeducational by 2025.[8][9]

In the early years of the school, up to age 5, the curriculum follows the English early years foundation stage (EYFS) standards,[62] mostly taught through games and play and assessed by classroom observation.[67] Beyond the EYFS, the junior school operates its own curriculum. An Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI) praised the junior school's curriculum for informing the pupils' cultural awareness, in particular with appreciating Guernsey's own customs and culture in addition to other cultures.[62]

Overall the curriculum is wide and academically challenging, fostering an ethos of learning and success.

— From an ISI inspection report in 2009.[61]

The upper school operates its own curriculum, which was described as providing 'an excellent range of options' and a 'flexible pattern of pupil grouping ... so that the specific needs of subjects are strongly met'.[62] The upper school curriculum also includes timetabled personal, social, health and citizenship education lessons for years 7 and 8, as well as specialist themed days further up the school.[62] Typically, students sit ten or more GCSEs and three or four A-levels.[68][62]

Assessing the quality of College's educational provision, the Independent Schools Inspectorate awarded Elizabeth College the highest rating of 'Excellent' in eight aspects and 'Good' in the other two.[62] The inspection stated that 'In many academic ... activities pupils demonstrate high levels of knowledge and understanding as well as being both highly literate and articulate'. It described the curriculum as 'excellent', and praised the school for delivering the curriculum with 'good teaching throughout'.[62] The breadth of the curriculum was described as 'a significant strength of the supper school', furthered by the co-educational sixth form partnership with the Ladies' College.[62] The strength of the curriculum for informing the pupils' cultural awareness, in particular with appreciating Guernsey's own customs and culture in addition to other cultures, was also observed in the upper school where the cultural development of pupils was described as 'excellent'.[62]

Value-added statistics, which compare the results at GCSE and A-Level against the expectations for pupils based on assessment when they joined the school, place Elizabeth College in the top 17% of all British schools. Most pupils who leave the school after A-level study proceed to university or other further education, often to the institution of their first choice.[61] Nine out of ten leavers secure places at their first choice UK universities, and many secure places at Russell Group universities.[78][62] The school consistently achieves A-level pass rates of 100%, with between 80–90% being graded between A*–C and about a third being grades A*–A.[78] In 2018, 28.5% of A-levels were graded A*–A, and the highest proportion of A*–A grades in recent times was 49.1% in 2012.[76] At GCSE, the school regularly achieves a 99% pass rate of 5 grades 9–4/A*–C including English and Maths, significantly higher than the national average of the Bailiwick of Guernsey.[65] In 2017, 99% of students from Elizabeth College achieved five or more grades 9–4/A*–C including English and Maths compared to the national average of 66%.[65]

Analysing GCSE results, the 2015 ISI inspection found that 'around half of the grades achieved were A* and A grades', and that 'following analysis [using] national data for the years 2012 to 2014 ... GCSE performance has been above the UK average for boys in maintained schools, and similar to the UK average for boys in maintained selective schools' as well as finding that 'IGCSE results in history and maths have been higher than ... worldwide norms'. They also stated that 'A-level results have been above the UK average for boys in maintained schools, and similar to the UK average for boys in maintained selective schools. Over this period, just under three-quarters of the grades were in the range A* to B'.[62]

The College Field, where students play cricket during the summer term

The school has been very successful in island, regional and national competitions, and has traditionally focused on three major sports – hockey, football and cricket – throughout the school year; one in each school term. In 2018, The Cricketer magazine named Elizabeth College as one of the top 100 cricketing secondary schools in the United Kingdom.[79] Several alumni have gone on to compete at international level, with a number going on to win medals at both the Summer Olympics and the Commonwealth Games.[10] Representing Great Britain, Old Elizabethan Carl Hester won a gold medal in the at the 2012 Summer Olympics in the Team Dressage event.[80]

Hockey became a recognised school sport in 1910 and is the primary sport option during Michaelmas term; students play on the Memorial Field and regular matches against rivals Victoria College have been run since 1924.[81] Football is the main winter sport played during Lent term with sessions also being held at the Memorial Field.[82] Cricket is the main summer sport played during Trinity term and the annual cricket match against Victoria College has been running since 1862.[83] A number of other sports are available throughout the year, including athletics, badminton, basketball, fencing, golf, rugby, sailing, rifle shooting, squash, swimming, tennis and volleyball. Outdoor activities are available and form part of school's The Duke of Edinburgh's Award.[62]

Although Elizabeth College had a fencing master on the staff as early as 1828, it was only in 2001 that fencing became a popular sport at the school.[84] Since 2006, the school has sent a team to the annual Public Schools' Fencing Championships and other domestic competitions. In 2006, the school was named the most improved school at the Public Schools' Championships, and was crowned the best boys' team in the country, a title which they have won several times since, including eight consecutive wins from 2007–2014.[62] In 2008, school fencers brought home a team bronze medal from the Commonwealth U20 Championships. The average age of the team was 16.5 years.[84]

The school's CCF frequently takes part in local parades and services.

Founded in 1902, the school's Combined Cadet Force (CCF) has its roots in the Officers' Training Corps, formed as a result of the Second Boer War.[85] When the Royal Guernsey Militia was disbanded, the Elizabeth College CCF became the only uniformed military body in the island, and have since provided guards of honour for visiting members of the royal family. The CCF performs a number of traditional military and ceremonial duties, including the Liberation Day, Queen's Birthday and Remembrance Day parades.[85]

Since 1904, the school has competed against rivals Victoria College for the Haines Shield.

Elizabeth College has been very successful in rifle shooting, and has attended the schools' meeting in Bisley where they have competed for the Ashburton Shield since 1906; the school has won every major trophy associated with the Ashburton, including the shield itself in 1989.[85] At the end of the summer term, selected students combine with students from usual rivals, Victoria College, to represent the Channel Islands in the Cadet International match at Bisley.[86]

Since 1904, the school has competed against Victoria College for the Haines Shield. From 1929 onward, the shield was awarded to the higher finisher in the Ashburton between the schools, although prior to 1929, the Haines was contested separately. Victoria College has also won the Ashburton shield once, winning in 1961. As of 2018, Elizabeth College has won the Haines shield 42 times, trailing Victoria College who have won the Haines shield 66 times, including when the shield was shared in 1929.[85]

A number of school alumni have distinguished themselves in individual target shooting competitions. Charles Trotter twice competed at the Olympic Games, won a bronze medal at the 1982 Commonwealth Games, and won the Queen's Prize in 1975. The St George's Vase has been won by three alumni: Geoff Martel, Mike Martel and Frank Le Maitre. Nick Mace won the Silver Cross at the Imperial Meeting in 2008. Many other alumni have shot in the Olympic and Commonwealth Games.[87] Many school marksmen have represented Great Britain as members of the British Cadet Rifle Team, commonly referred to as the 'Athelings', and the Great Britain Under-19 Rifle Team.[85]

Having been at the school for twenty-five years since his appointment in 1990, former shooting master Rick Le Page was awarded the British Empire Medal for service to the sport of target shooting in Guernsey following his retirement in 2015, having coached many young marksmen who would go on and shoot for the island and for Great Britain.[88]

Elizabeth College has a tradition of musical accomplishment, with approximately 40% of pupils learning a musical instrument.[89] With a purpose-built performing arts studio for music and drama,[62] there are several musical groups available for students to join.[2] An Independent Schools Inspectorate commented in 2015 that 'many pupils achieve distinctions and merits in their instrumental music examinations'.[62]

Drama is a popular subject and extra-curricular activity at the school. Each year a number of stage productions are performed, with past years staging Journey's End, Macbeth, The Importance of Being Earnest, Oliver! and The Wizard of Oz. As well as the opportunity to audition for an acting role in the productions, students also design and operate the technical elements of each show. Productions are often done in collaboration with the Ladies' College or Blanchelande College.[90]

The coat of arms of the school's foundress, Elizabeth I, is displayed above the main entrance of the school.

The school remains a landmark on the skyline of Saint Peter Port.

Since its foundation in 1563, Elizabeth College has been based on the same grounds as the original school. Overlooking the town and harbour of Saint Peter Port, the school site covers 69 acres (280,000 m²),[2] extending from College Street up the Grange until Upland Road. Originally, the main school buildings were on the part of the site which now houses the Science department, the oldest remaining building being the cottage on the corner of the current campus, near to the top of Smith Street.[13]

The new building, commissioned in 1824 to a design by architect John Wilson, was started in 1826 and formally opened on 20 August 1829.[13] Its design was described unfavourably by David T. Ansted and Robert Gordon Latham in their 1862 publication The Channel Islands, saying "The present structure, unfortunately harmonising in its utter tastelessness with other modern buildings in the island, was erected at great cost, and presents a bald, plastered, unmeaning face, too prominent to be overlooked."[91] The building remains a prominent feature on the skyline of St Peter Port,[28] and accommodates the central classrooms and offices.[62]

The school's 450th-anniversary celebrations in 2013 saw major building developments on the main campus.[62] The school also occupies the building situated immediately behind the main building in Upland Road.[53] The now obsolete gatehouse has been converted into an art gallery.[62] The weekly whole-school assembly is held at the nearby St James concert hall.[92]

The school owns two playing fields on the island. The College field is a cricket ground on Kings Road and has been owned by the school since 1888.[32] The Memorial field was opened in the 1950s and named in memory of Old Elizabethans killed in World War II. It has been expanded over the years to twice the size of the College field. Both are used throughout the year for the schools three main sports.[52] In 2010, the Robin Roussel Pavilion opened at the Memorial Field.[58]

As well as the two playing fields, the school has an indoor sports hall on the main site.[54] In front of the main building is a hardcourt, built on top of an old air-raid shelter used during the occupation by German forces as a secure holding area for weapons and ammunition.[45] The school also has an indoor 25 yard .22 rifle range situated at the bottom corner of the main school site.[93]

The associated Elizabeth College Junior School is located at two adjoining sites between Queen's Road and King's Road. Beechwood, the primary schoool, is located in a former nursing home in Queen's Road, a short walk away from the main school.[62][94] Acorn House is located in King's Road in what was formerly the boarding house for the upper school and includes the pre-school and pre-prep departments.[55] The building also has catering facilities and provides cooked lunches for all pupils at the junior school.[95]