Colston's Collegiate School
Encyclopedia
Colston's School is an independent school
Independent school (UK)
An independent school is a school that is not financed through the taxation system by local or national government and is instead funded by private sources, predominantly in the form of tuition charges, gifts and long-term charitable endowments, and so is not subject to the conditions imposed by...

 in Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...

, England and is a member of the The Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference.

It was founded in 1710 by the philanthropist, Edward Colston
Edward Colston
Edward Colston was a Bristol-born English merchant and Member of Parliament. Much of his wealth, although used often for philanthropic purposes, was acquired through the trade and exploitation of slaves...

 as "Colston's Hospital", originally an all-boys boarding school. Day-boys were admitted in 1949 and girls were admitted to the sixth form in 1984. In 1991 it merged with the girls' school "Collegiate School", Winterbourne
Winterbourne, Gloucestershire
Winterbourne is a large village in South Gloucestershire, England. It had a population of 8,623 in the 2001 census. It sits as the centre of the Civil Parish of Winterbourne which encompasses the neighbouring communities of Winterbourne Down, Hambrook and Frenchay...

 and was given the name Colston's Collegiate School, but this was reverted to Colston's School, in 2005. The current Headmaster of the Upper School is Peter Fraser.

Motto

The school motto Go and do thou likewise, was the motto for the Colston family. It is also one of the mottos for Colston's Girls' School
Colston's Girls' School
Colston's Girls' School, is an Academy for girls in Bristol, England. Prior to 2008 the school was a selective independent school, voluntarily converting to a state-funded Academy with effect from September 2008...

.

Beginnings

Colston made a donation to Queen Elizabeth's Hospital
Queen Elizabeth's Hospital
Queen Elizabeth's Hospital is an independent school for boys in Clifton, Bristol, England founded in 1586. Stephen Holliday has served as Headmaster since 2000, having succeeded Dr Richard Gliddon...

 in 1702 and proposed endowing places for a further 50 boys. This came to nothing, probably because of Colston's insistence that the children of Dissenters
English Dissenters
English Dissenters were Christians who separated from the Church of England in the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries.They originally agitated for a wide reaching Protestant Reformation of the Established Church, and triumphed briefly under Oliver Cromwell....

 should be excluded.

Instead, he persuaded the Society of Merchant Venturers
Society of Merchant Venturers
The Society of Merchant Venturers is a private entrepreneurial and charitable organisation in the English city of Bristol, which dates back to the 13th century...

 to manage a school he established for 50 boys on Saint Augustine's Back, where the Colston Hall
Colston Hall
The Colston Hall is a concert hall and grade II listed building situated on Colston Street, Bristol, England. A popular venue catering for a variety of different entertainers, it seats approximately 2,075 and provides licensed bars, a café and restaurant....

 now stands. It cost him £11,000 on capital cost and an endowment income of over £1,300. The boys (soon increased to 100) were admitted between the ages of seven and ten years and stayed for seven years. The curriculum covered reading, writing and arithmetic, and the church catechism. On leaving they were to be apprenticed to a trade.

Colston was opposed to Dissent and proposed that any boy who attended a service of worship in any place other than an Anglican church should be expelled. He also told the Merchant Venturers that if they apprenticed a boy to a Dissenter they would be in breach of their Trust.

The school moved in 1861 to the old Bishops' Palace at Stapleton, which has been designated by English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...

 as a grade II listed building, and ceased to be a charity institution with a limited curriculum. It also accepted fee-paying boys as well as the 100 boys on the charity foundation.

From about 1900 it began to be accepted as a public school.

By 1955 the school had 35 foundation scholars, selected by open competition, among its 200 boarders and 100 day boys.

Houses

Before the advent of the day-boys there were four boarding houses, North, South, East and West. These were renamed Aldington, Mortlake, Roundway and Beaufort, with Dolphin being the day-boys house. Later, King's was added as an additional day-boys house. Now there are four day houses, one of which each pupil is allocated at the start of their Colston's career:
  • Aldington (Head of House: Mr David Betterton / Assistant: Miss Charlotte Flay)
  • Dolphin (Head of House: Mr Dylan Kate / Assistant: Mr Christopher Banning)
  • King's (Head of House: Mr Jonathan Gwilliam / Assistant: Ms Clare Wyatt)
  • Roundway (Head of House: Mr Darren Nichols / Assistant: Miss Dana Drake)


The school's boarding house Mortlake was closed in 2010 when Colston's School ended a long tradition as a boarding institution. Prior to its closure, the Head of House was Mr David Mason and his Assistant was Mr Thomas Williams.

The House Cup is contested by the four day houses using a points system over the course of each academic year. The house with the greatest number of points at the end of that academic year will be awarded the Cup. Points are gained by either the collection of commendations, awarded by teachers for outstanding pieces of work, or through performance in house competitions. Points are deducted for receiving detentions. Sports competitions are played on a round robin basis and divided into three school blocks; Years 7 and 8, Years 9 and 10 and Year 11 and 6th Form. Sports competitions include:
  • Rugby (boys and girls)
  • Hockey (boys and girls)
  • Cricket (boys only)
  • Netball (girls only)
  • Rounders (girls only)
  • Rugby sevens (Year 11 and 6th Form boys only)
  • Cross Country (boys and girls)
  • Athletics (boys and girls)


The biggest house competition in the school calendar is the House Music. Any individual or group of pupils may enter the preliminary round, displaying any kind of musical performance, and all are awarded points for entering. The best performers will advance to the semi-finals, where they perform in front of their entire year, and the winners from this round will advance to the final where they perform in front of the whole school on the final day of the spring term. In addition to this, each of the four houses pick a song two weeks in advance of the final to rehearse and perform as a house. An independent adjudicator is brought in by the school to judge the five house songs and select a winner of the House Song, and to determine the overall winner of the House Music, which is between the four day houses. Victories in either of these competitions have a significant impact on the destination of the House Cup for that year. In 2011, Kings House won the House Song for the first time in 3 years and retained the overall House Music trophy for the sixth consecutive year.

2011 house songs :
  • King's: Like a Prayer
    Like a Prayer
    Like a Prayer is the fourth studio album by American singer-songwriter Madonna, released on March 21, 1989 by Sire Records, three years after her previous studio album. Madonna worked with Stephen Bray, Patrick Leonard, and fellow icon Prince on the album while co-writing and co-producing all the...

      (Madonna
    Madonna (entertainer)
    Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...

    ) 1st
  • Aldington: Wavin' Flag
    Wavin' Flag
    "Wavin' Flag" is a song by Somali-Canadian artist K'naan from his album Troubadour. The song was a global hit, reaching the top ten in 19 charts around the world and was chosen as Coca-Cola's promotional anthem for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, hosted by South Africa. The English version was released as...

      (K'naan
    K'naan
    K'naan , born Keinan Abdi Warsame in 1978, is a Somali Canadian poet, rapper, singer, songwriter and instrumentalist.-Biography:Born in Somalia, K'naan spent his childhood in Mogadishu and lived there during the Somali Civil War, which began in 1991. His aunt, Magool, was one of Somalia's most...

    ) Joint 2nd
  • Dolphin: Sit Down
    Sit Down
    "Sit Down" is one of the most famous songs by James, released in 1989 by Rough Trade Records. In its seven-minute original form, the song only reached number 77 in the UK Singles Chart...

      (James (band)
    James (band)
    James are a British rock band from Manchester, England. They formed in 1982 and were active throughout the 1980s, but most successful during the 1990s. Their hit singles include "Come Home", "Sit Down", and "She's a Star" as well as their American College Radio hit "Laid"...

    ) Joint 2nd
  • Roundway: Never Forget (song) (Take That
    Take That
    Take That are a British five-piece vocal pop group comprising Gary Barlow, Howard Donald, Jason Orange, Mark Owen and Robbie Williams. Barlow acts as the lead singer and primary songwriter...

    ) Joint 2nd

Uniform

Colston modelled his school on Christ's Hospital
Christ's Hospital
Christ's Hospital is an English coeducational independent day and boarding school with Royal Charter located in the Sussex countryside just south of Horsham in Horsham District, West Sussex, England...

 and the 18th century uniform reflected this - a long blue coat, knee britches and yellow stockings. By the middle of the 20th century this was mirrored by the yellow tops of the knee stockings worn by all boys until they graduated to long trousers at the age of 13. At that time caps were worn whenever a boy left the premises of the school. They were the typical peaked cap with a coloured band round the rim and an embroidered dolphin at the front, the colour reflecting the house the boy belonged to - Dolphin's was maroon, for example.

Drama

The school is known for its drama studies, having a well-equipped theatre. It is the only school in Bristol that can offer all 14 GCSE theatre options. There are a number of shows throughout the year across the age range. In May 2010 year 9 students devised and produced their own version of Cinderella
Cinderella
"Cinderella; or, The Little Glass Slipper" is a folk tale embodying a myth-element of unjust oppression/triumphant reward. Thousands of variants are known throughout the world. The title character is a young woman living in unfortunate circumstances that are suddenly changed to remarkable fortune...

 which raised just short of £1000 for the charity Barnados.

Cadet Force

The school's Combined Cadet Force
Combined Cadet Force
The Combined Cadet Force is a Ministry of Defence sponsored youth organisation in the United Kingdom. Its aim is to "provide a disciplined organisation in a school so that pupils may develop powers of leadership by means of training to promote the qualities of responsibility, self reliance,...

 (CCF) of 268 cadets, the largest since its formation in 1915, and the biggest in Bristol. The CCF has Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...

, Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...

 and Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...

 sections and is compulsory for Year 9. The CCF normally parades every week and carries out activities, including rifle shooting on the school's 15m range, command tasks, climbing, camouflage and concealment, flying, sailing and walking with regular camps.

Rugby

The school excels in rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...

. It won the Daily Mail Cup
Daily Mail Cup
The Daily Mail RBS Cup is the annual English schools' rugby union cup competition. The semi-finals are now held at Broadstreet Rugby Club. The final is held at Twickenham Stadium. Competitions are held at the U18 and U15 age group levels...

 at U18 level seven times, including six years in a row between 1995 and 2000, before retiring to concentrate on compiling a fixture list against the best teams domestically and abroad.

Contrary to popular belief, the school was not banned from the competition for "buying in" players, and in fact won the competition in 2000 and 2004 under new regulations that stated only three players joining in the 6th Form could be part of a Daily Mail
Daily Mail
The Daily Mail is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper owned by the Daily Mail and General Trust. First published in 1896 by Lord Northcliffe, it is the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling daily newspaper after The Sun. Its sister paper The Mail on Sunday was launched in 1982...

 Cup match squad.

The school had nearly 30 old boys
Old Boys
The terms Old Boys and Old Girls are the usual expressions in use in the United Kingdom for former pupils or alumni of primary and secondary schools. While these are traditionally associated with independent schools, they are also used for some schools in the state sector...

 playing in the Guinness Premiership
Guinness Premiership
The English Premiership, also currently known as the Aviva Premiership because of the league's sponsorship by Aviva, is a professional league competition for rugby union football clubs in the top division of the English rugby system. There are twelve clubs in the Premiership...

 in 2009, more in the Guinness Championship and the other National Divisions, as well as abroad. In March 2006 the school created history by becoming the first school to win both the boys and girls senior tournaments at the Rosslyn Park Schools Sevens Tournament
The National Schools 7's
The National Schools Sevens is an English rugby union sevens tournament, held in association with Rosslyn Park F.C., that has evolved into the world's largest rugby tournament with some 7,000 boys and girls aged 13 - 19 competing annually...

. The school successfully defended both trophies in 2007.

Colston's went on a 14-year undefeated home run against English teams, from 1994 until Hartpury College
Hartpury College
Hartpury College is a further education college and associate faculty of the University of the West of England situated in the village of Hartpury, Gloucestershire.-History:...

 won in 2008.

The 1st XV's current fixture list puts the school played England and Ireland, including Millfield School, Sedbergh School
Sedbergh School
Sedbergh School is a boarding school in Sedbergh, Cumbria, for boys and girls aged 13 to 18. Nestled in the Howgill Fells, it is known for sporting sides, such as its Rugby Union 1st XV.-Background:...

, Warwick School , Hartpury College
Hartpury College
Hartpury College is a further education college and associate faculty of the University of the West of England situated in the village of Hartpury, Gloucestershire.-History:...

, Methodist College and Blackrock College
Blackrock College
Blackrock College is a Catholic voluntary secondary school for boys aged 14–18, located in Williamstown, Blackrock, County Dublin, Ireland. The College was founded by French missionaries in 1860, to act as a school and civil service training centre. Set in of grounds, it has an illustrious...

.

Current Professional and Semi-Professional Old Colstonian rugby players

Guinness Premiership
  • Olly Barkley, Duncan Bell, Rob Hawkins, Lee Mears, Mike Baxter, Paul Roberts, Nick Scott, Oliver Woodburn (Bath Rugby
    Bath Rugby
    Bath Rugby is an English professional rugby union club that is based in the city of Bath. They play in the Aviva Premiership league...

    )

  • Alex Brown, Gareth Delve (Gloucester Rugby)
  • Warren Fury, Tom Varndell, Ryan Davis (London Wasps
    London Wasps
    London Wasps is an English professional rugby union team. The men's first team, which forms London Wasps, was derived from Wasps Football Club who were formed in 1867 at the now defunct Eton and Middlesex Tavern in North London, at the turn of professionalism in 1999...

    )
  • Spencer Davey (Newcastle Falcons
    Newcastle Falcons
    The Newcastle Falcons is an English rugby union team currently playing in the Aviva Premiership. The club was established in 1877 and played under the name of Gosforth Football Club until 1990. The name was then changed to Newcastle Gosforth and the club began to play at Kingston Park stadium in...

    )
  • Shane Geraghty (Northampton Saints
    Northampton Saints
    Northampton Saints are a professional rugby union club from Northampton, England. The Northampton Saints were formed in 1880. They play in green, black and gold colours. They play their home games at Franklin's Gardens, which has a capacity of 13,591....

    )
  • Callum Black (Worcester Warriors)


French Top 14
  • Mike Pyke (US Montauban
    US Montauban
    US Montauban were a French rugby union club, which competed in the Top 14 competition between 2007 and 2010, after being promoted from Rugby Pro D2 for the 2006-07 season...

    )


Italian Super 10
  • Sam Cox (Viadana)


Welsh Premiership
  • Gareth Knox (Bridgend Ravens)


Guinness Championship
  • Phil Hoy, James Graham, Ryan Owen, Ian Davey (Bedford Blues
    Bedford Blues
    Bedford Blues is a rugby union club in the town of Bedford, England, currently playing in The RFU Championship. Bedford is one of the largest towns in England without a league football club, and one of the few towns in England where the rugby club is better supported than the football team. The...

    )
  • Alex Clarke, Ed Barnes, Iain Grieve, Luke Eves, James Phillips, George Watkins, Jack Tovey (Bristol Rugby
    Bristol Rugby
    Bristol Rugby is a rugby union club based in Bristol, England. The club currently plays in the RFU Championship and competes in the British and Irish Cup. They rely in large part on the many junior rugby clubs in the region, particularly those from 'the Combination'...

    )
  • Dan Smith (Doncaster
    Doncaster R.F.C.
    Doncaster Rugby Football Club are a rugby union club representing the town of Doncaster. The first XV are known as the Doncaster Knights, and play in the RFU Championship...

    )
  • Richard Bignell, Dan Lavery (Moseley
    Moseley Rugby Football Club
    Moseley Rugby Football Club is an English rugby union club, based at Billesley Common in Birmingham, that competes in the RFU Championship. The club was historically the premier rugby club in Birmingham, reaching the final of the John Player Cup three times in the late 1970s and early 1980s...

    )
  • Jon Mills (London Welsh)
  • Gareth Griffiths (Plymouth Albion)


National Division One
  • Phil Greenaway, Ollie Mansbridge (Cinderford
    Cinderford R.F.C.
    Cinderford R.F.C. is a rugby union club based in the county of Gloucestershire. The first team competes in National League One, the third tier of the English rugby union pyramid....

    )
  • Ryan Westren (Launceston)
  • Gavin Taylor (Manchester)
  • Mitch Burton (Newbury Blues
    Newbury R.F.C.
    Newbury Rugby Football Club are a rugby union club representing Newbury. For season 2011/12 they will be playing in National League 3 South West.-Current standings:...

    )
  • Scott Morris (Stourbridge
    Stourbridge R.F.C.
    Stourbridge RFC are a Rugby Union side based in Stourbridge, West Midlands.They play their home games at Stourton Park, which was redeveloped in 2003 to provide a larger clubhouse and social area which can also be used for weddings and other functions...

    )
  • Bryce Titman (Wharfedale)


National Division Two South
  • Liam Chennells (Bridgwater & Albion)

  • George Watkins, Jack Tovey (both on loan from Bristol Rugby), Ricky Jones, Sam Caven, Mitch Quoi, Rob Rees, Alex Dancer, Alastair Crombie, Stean Williams, Steven Plummer (Dings Crusaders
    Dings Crusaders R.F.C.
    Dings Crusaders R.F.C. is a rugby union team based in the Bristol suburb of Lockleaze. It competes in National Division Two South, the fourth tier of English rugby union competition, the 2007–08 season being the club's fifth as a National League club. It is one of the oldest clubs in Bristol, with...

    )
  • William Pomphrey (Clifton Rugby Football Club
    Clifton Rugby Football Club
    Clifton Rugby Football Club is a rugby union club founded in Clifton, Bristol, England. Over the years the club's home games have been played in a variety of locations in northern Bristol, though never in Clifton itself; since 1976 they have been based at the southern end of Cribbs Causeway.Clifton...

    )
  • Dylan Pugh (Rosslyn Park
    Rosslyn Park F.C.
    Rosslyn Park Football Club is a rugby union team. Founded in 1879, the club became the first club based in England to play rugby internationally when it faced Stade Francais in Paris on 18 April 1892. In 1912, the club played in Prague, Budapest and Vienna in the first rugby matches ever played in...

    )

National Division Two North
  • Cameron Brown (Loughborough Students)

Location

Colston's is located at the top of Bell Hill, a road running directly underneath the M32 motorway
M32 motorway
The M32 is a motorway in South Gloucestershire and Bristol, England. It provides a link from Bristol city centre to the M4 and is part of the Bristol Parkway. At about , it is one of Britain's shortest motorways...

. The road terminates at Junction 2 of the M32.
The school is approximately two miles from the city centre and is close to bus, rail and Bristol International Airport
Bristol International Airport
Bristol Airport , located at Lulsgate Bottom in North Somerset, is the commercial airport serving the city of Bristol, England and the surrounding area. At first it was named Bristol Lulsgate Airport and from March 1997 to March 2010 it was known as Bristol International Airport...

.

Notable former pupils

Former students, known as Old Colstonians, include:
  • Thomas Chatterton
    Thomas Chatterton
    Thomas Chatterton was an English poet and forger of pseudo-medieval poetry. He died of arsenic poisoning, either from a suicide attempt or self-medication for a venereal disease.-Childhood:...

    , romantic poet and child prodigy
  • Peter Mathias
    Peter Mathias
    Peter Mathias is a British economic historian. He attended Colston's School and Bristol Grammar School where he became interested in history. In December 1945, he applied for a scholarship at King's College, Cambridge; instead he won an Exhibition at Jesus College, Cambridge during Summer 1946...

    , Former Master of Downing College, Cambridge
  • Alan Morley
    Alan Morley
    Alan John Morley MBE is a former English rugby union player. He played a record number of 519 times for Bristol Rugby, scoring 384 tries, between 1968 and 1986. He holds the world record for the number of tries scored in first class rugby, at 479...

     MBE
    Order of the British Empire
    The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...

    , holder of world record for tries scored in first class rugby union and current board member at Bristol Rugby
    Bristol Rugby
    Bristol Rugby is a rugby union club based in Bristol, England. The club currently plays in the RFU Championship and competes in the British and Irish Cup. They rely in large part on the many junior rugby clubs in the region, particularly those from 'the Combination'...

  • Jack Spoors
    Jack Spoors
    John Ainsworth 'Jack' Spoors was an English international, rugby union back who played club rugby for Bristol. Although he was never capped for England he was selected for the British Isles in their 1910 tour of South Africa, playing in all three Test matches and ending the tour as the team's top...

    , British Isles international rugby player
  • Robert Syms
    Robert Syms
    Robert Andrew Raymond Syms is a Conservative Party politician in the United Kingdom. He has been the Member of Parliament for Poole in Dorset since 1997.-Early life:...

    , Conservative MP for Poole, Dorset
  • Robert Walter
    Robert Walter
    Robert John Walter MP , is the Conservative Member of Parliament for North Dorset in south west England. He was re-elected for a fourth term in 2010 with a much increased majority.-Early life:...

    , Conservative MP for North Dorset

Further reading

  • Roger Wilson, Chapter 22, "Bristol's School", in Bristol and its Adjoining Counties, 1955

External links

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