Magdalen College School, Oxford
Encyclopedia
Magdalen College School is an independent school
for boys aged 7 to 18 and girls in the sixth form, located on The Plain
in Oxford
, England. It was founded as part of Magdalen College, Oxford
by William Waynflete
in 1480.
The Good Schools Guide
described the school as having "A comfortable mix of brains, brawn and artistic flair but demanding and challenging too," adding, "Not what you might expect a boys' public school to look like or feel like."
The school was named Independent School of the Year by the Sunday Times
in 2004 and in 2008, the first boys' school to achieve this award twice.
Almost all of the school's pupils go on to universities, about a third of them to Oxford or Cambridge.
The Master, Dr Tim Hands, is a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference
denoting the school as a public school
.
to educate the sixteen boy choristers of Magdalen College, Oxford
who sang in the college's chapel, as well as other gifted local children of high academic achievement. Since then it has grown from its original pupil population of approximately 30 to over 850. In 1890 the school moved from its original location in Magdalen College itself to its present location just over Magdalen Bridge and opposite the college. In 2010, the school admitted girls in the sixth form for the first time, and continues to offer coeducation in the final two years of school (years 12 and 13).
Facilities wise. the school has moved on, and has spread across the road, and the Schoolhouse, built in the nineteenth century on the current site, is now used for the Juniors (ages 7–11) whilst the school facilities across Cowley Place is the location for the Senior School (ages 11–18)). Recent additions to the campus have been the Sir Basil Blackwell
Library and a new school refectory and art building, and facilities for the sixth form.
There are six houses: Holt; Millard, More
, Ogle, Tyndale
and Wolsey, named after old masters of the school who have achieved notable things.
In each of these houserooms there is a house tutor and Room 1 is run by the housemaster. Each house also has a Head of House who is a pupil appointed by the housemaster.
There are numerous inter-house competitions held throughout the year, which include House Singing, House Swimming, House Cross-Country, House Quizes, House Football, House Drama and House Hockey among many others. Houses have House Captains in each of these competitions.
The house structure helps keep a healthy and friendly competitive atmosphere among the pupils and the house tutors provide pastoral care for the pupils.
. The school also has a smaller field known as 'The Spit' which can be seen from Magdalen Bridge, used by the Junior School.
The school employs a number of sports professionals to maximise the standards attained by the pupils in sport - these are listed on the school website.
Rowing
, Sailing, Golf, Tennis and Badminton are offered throughout the year as "minor sports", as well as the opportunity to use the School's fitness suite. The school has had a number of nationally-honoured rowers, and the school's sailing team regularly competes against and beats university sailing teams from around the world.
Magdalen has also recently organised sports fixtures to aid charity, or for the general amusement of all. A netball match was won against Christ Church ladies, a rugby 7s victory against the staff and a 2006 U15B team cricket reunion against the current 4th XI was won by the former, sporting a vivacious orange kit. There are also many end of season matches against staff or parents' teams.
One can play with one player per square (Seven), Or can double up (14). When the game was played in the late 1970s and early 1980s the only lawful play was that identified at (1) above. If a player could not lawfully play the ball after the first bounce in his square (and at that time the squares were indeed square-shaped and measured about 1.5 to 2 metres from corner to corner) then he was demoted. Also at this time,the names of the squares were not fixed – save for the King square – although frequent references to Queen, Jack, 10 and so on (as per a suit in a pack of cards) were made informally. There was no fixed number of squares although the normal number was 6 (in a 3x2 formation); 8 was not infrequent and larger numbers could be chosen to avoid long queues of 'slaves', who would wait to enter 'Rabies' after being demoted before players began to double-up in squares.
The service is played by bouncing the ball into one's own square so as to bounce in another's square and the original serve is above waist height. The occupant of that square then plays as above. If the ball bounces in one of the 'royalty' squares (Jack, Queen, King) or touches the occupant of one of these squares before bouncing in another square or touching its occupants after a serve, the serve is called 'foul'. The same applies if the ball bounces outside the court without immediately without bouncing in another player's square. The King may reserve once, but if he serves 'foul' a second time, he is 'out'.
As different year groups follow different rules, those described above may not hold true for all games, but will form the basic structure of any games that take place.
During lunchbreak and morning breaks, boys frequently play in the central playground or Milham Ford, behind the main teaching block (formerly grass and now occupied by hockey / tennis courts). 'The Spit' (one of the school fields) is used during breaktimes by the Junior School, and has a fenced grass area and a Playground
with swings and slides, etc. Informal activities during breaktimes include football and cricket etc., as well as Magdalen's traditional game, Kingball.
Magdalen also has a strong chess tradition, coming third in the National Finals in 2007.
(CCF) however it is optional up to the end of fifth form when pupils choose between CCF or the Community Service Organisation (CSO). They are required to take part for the following year on a Tuesday afternoon, but many stay on in the Upper Sixth as well.
The Magdalen College School CCF is open to Oxford High School GDST girls as well, and is divided up into the Army and the Royal Air Force (there were previously two other sections, the Royal Navy, and a Signals Corp open only to boys in the Sixth Form, which no longer exist). Recently, the school has introduced 'after-school' CCF activities aimed at boys from 13 and above. Twice a year there is a CCF field-day, where pupils spend 24 hours (including a night) involved with their particular activity. The Army usually camp overnight in a disused army camp, carrying out marches, taking part in tactical missions, or just relaxing beside a log-fire.
CSO provides the chance for pupils to give something back to the community. The work is both rewarding and satisfying, and there are a variety of options, which include working in a local primary school, helping in a charity shop, aiding at the John Radcliffe Hospital
and other medical centres, and helping out in hospices or centres for autistic children. One particular favourite is the Concert Party, which consists of 2 groups of pupils visiting local junior schools and nursing homes, and performing music.
The school also has a newspaper called The Melting Pot. It runs many articles on a wide variety of subjects, both related and unrelated to the school. It is published every half-term and is run by an Editor in Chief, with subsequent subject area editors. New younger boys who wish to join the team are usually initiated by being asked to write a piece on Lower School Sports.
The MCS Inquirer was also published as an insert in The Melting Pot for two years between 2009 and 2011. This was a satirical publication based on the "The Day Today", but when the two editors left school and went on to university in the Summer of 2011, the paper ceased to be published. There is also a newsletter named 'The Blazer' in the Junior School.
and National Youth Choirs of Great Britain
, and the school gives scholarships for dedicated and talented musicians.
The school also serves as the school for the Choristers of Magdalen College, Oxford
. There are sixteen choristers at any one time, in a tradition that has been unbroken since 1458, who sing daily services in the college chapel and perform in other concerts and events throughout the year.
opposite the school). There is an annual house drama competition where each house produces a small 10 minute segment of drama, often written by its own members. The School musical in the Michaelmas Term is normally fully booked every night, such is its reputation. Other productions are put on throughout the year. Most recently, the school has put on Grease
, Anything Goes
, David Mamet
's Glengarry Glen Ross
, Sophocles
' Oedipus Rex, Coram Boy
, Kiss me Kate
, and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
. Often girls from surrounding schools, such as Oxford High School and Headington School come in to play female roles, although this has become less common since the school was opened to Sixth Form girls in 2010.
The school's 2010 Arts Festival featured performances of Kenneth Grahame
s The Wind in the Willows
and a chorister drama called The Gentleman Usher
, by George Chapman
as well as other student-written productions. The Arts Festival is now an annual feature in the school calendar at the end of the Trinity Term.
The third Art's Festival in the final week of Trinity term 2011 was equally impressive. MCS put on a huge range of events hosted both within school and at major venues throughout Oxford, encompassing drama, art, music, literature, politics and more, including:
2011 featured a highly successful performance of AN ENLIGHTENMENT EVENING OF HOME THEATRICALS in the Orangery at Blenheim Palace, the main feature of which was a spectacularly staged performance of Sheridan's The Critic.
The school has recently announced a partnership with the Oxford Playhouse, involving a Drama Academy and two new appointments, and allowing the school three shows a year in the Burton Taylor Studios and one on the Playhouse's main stage.
The school also performs at the Edinburgh fringe.
The 'House Singing' competition has recently become an annual school event, in which the various houses of the school compete against each other in the form of singing. A guest judge attends each year to cast the verdict on the results of the tournament. The 2011 competition featured exceptional renditions of 'Under The Bridge' by a small group of Callender boys (who went on to win in the small group category), and an innovative version of 'The Time of my Life', performed by Wilkinson (who went on to win the big group category). Callendar won the overall competition, as they came first in small group and second in big group, therefore amassing the most amount of points.
Other notable events include 'Madrigals', performed on the evening of the last Friday of Trinity Term, where a select number of the Choral Society are punted out to one of the school's landing stages on the side of the river and perform a concert of madrigals
in the punts; and 'Midsummer Mania' which is a fair-like event held by the Parents Association with games, sports, raffles and an infamous karaoke.
, which closed in 1933.
There is still a Magdalen College School
at Brackley
, Northamptonshire.
Roughly in chronological order:
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...
for boys aged 7 to 18 and girls in the sixth form, located on The Plain
The Plain, Oxford
The Plain is an important junction, now a roundabout constructed in 1950, just east of Magdalen Bridge in Oxford, England. To the east and southeast are St Clement's, Cowley Road and Iffley Road. Magdalen College School is to the south...
in Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
, England. It was founded as part of Magdalen College, Oxford
Magdalen College, Oxford
Magdalen College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. As of 2006 the college had an estimated financial endowment of £153 million. Magdalen is currently top of the Norrington Table after over half of its 2010 finalists received first-class degrees, a record...
by William Waynflete
William Waynflete
William Waynflete , born William Patten, was Bishop of Winchester from 1447 to 1486, and Lord Chancellor of England from 1456 to 1460. He is best remembered as the founder of Magdalen College and Magdalen College School in Oxford....
in 1480.
The Good Schools Guide
The Good Schools Guide
The Good Schools Guide is a guide to British schools .- Overview :The guide is compiled by a team of editors, which according to the official website "comprises some 50 editors, writers, researchers and contributors; mostly parents but some former headteachers." The website states that it is...
described the school as having "A comfortable mix of brains, brawn and artistic flair but demanding and challenging too," adding, "Not what you might expect a boys' public school to look like or feel like."
The school was named Independent School of the Year by the Sunday Times
The Sunday Times (UK)
The Sunday Times is a Sunday broadsheet newspaper, distributed in the United Kingdom. The Sunday Times is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News International, which is in turn owned by News Corporation. Times Newspapers also owns The Times, but the two papers were founded...
in 2004 and in 2008, the first boys' school to achieve this award twice.
Overview
The school is run by a Headmaster (known at Magdalen as simply "the Master") and a Board of Governors, who appoint the Master. It has both a senior school and a junior school. It contains 6 houses in the Senior School each headed by a housemaster, selected from the more senior members among the teaching staff, who number some 160. There are also six separate houses in the Junior School.Almost all of the school's pupils go on to universities, about a third of them to Oxford or Cambridge.
The Master, Dr Tim Hands, is a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference
Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference
The Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference is an association of the headmasters or headmistressess of 243 leading day and boarding independent schools in the United Kingdom, Crown Dependencies and the Republic of Ireland...
denoting the school as a public school
Public School (UK)
A public school, in common British usage, is a school that is neither administered nor financed by the state or from taxpayer contributions, and is instead funded by a combination of endowments, tuition fees and charitable contributions, usually existing as a non profit-making charitable trust...
.
History
The School was originally founded in 1480 by William WaynfleteWilliam Waynflete
William Waynflete , born William Patten, was Bishop of Winchester from 1447 to 1486, and Lord Chancellor of England from 1456 to 1460. He is best remembered as the founder of Magdalen College and Magdalen College School in Oxford....
to educate the sixteen boy choristers of Magdalen College, Oxford
Magdalen College, Oxford
Magdalen College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. As of 2006 the college had an estimated financial endowment of £153 million. Magdalen is currently top of the Norrington Table after over half of its 2010 finalists received first-class degrees, a record...
who sang in the college's chapel, as well as other gifted local children of high academic achievement. Since then it has grown from its original pupil population of approximately 30 to over 850. In 1890 the school moved from its original location in Magdalen College itself to its present location just over Magdalen Bridge and opposite the college. In 2010, the school admitted girls in the sixth form for the first time, and continues to offer coeducation in the final two years of school (years 12 and 13).
Facilities wise. the school has moved on, and has spread across the road, and the Schoolhouse, built in the nineteenth century on the current site, is now used for the Juniors (ages 7–11) whilst the school facilities across Cowley Place is the location for the Senior School (ages 11–18)). Recent additions to the campus have been the Sir Basil Blackwell
Basil Blackwell
Sir Basil Blackwell was born Henry Blackwell in Oxford, England. He was the son of the founder of Blackwell's bookshop in Oxford, which went on to become the Blackwell's family publishing and bookshop empire, located on Broad Street in central Oxford...
Library and a new school refectory and art building, and facilities for the sixth form.
Junior School
The Junior School is the section of MCS for boys of ages seven to eleven (or years 3 to 6). Year 3 is called J1 and contains around 16 boys; Year 4 is J2 and contains approximately the same number; Year 5 is split into J3A and J3B and contains around 35 boys; while Year 6 is split into J4A and J4B and contains around 40 boys. The current head of the Junior School is Ms Helen Barnard, while the deputy head is Mrs Elizabeth Stapleton. There is an art competition every year, it is to design a front/back cover for the Magdalen College Junior School magazine called Views from the Bridge.There are six houses: Holt; Millard, More
Thomas More
Sir Thomas More , also known by Catholics as Saint Thomas More, was an English lawyer, social philosopher, author, statesman and noted Renaissance humanist. He was an important councillor to Henry VIII of England and, for three years toward the end of his life, Lord Chancellor...
, Ogle, Tyndale
William Tyndale
William Tyndale was an English scholar and translator who became a leading figure in Protestant reformism towards the end of his life. He was influenced by the work of Desiderius Erasmus, who made the Greek New Testament available in Europe, and by Martin Luther...
and Wolsey, named after old masters of the school who have achieved notable things.
Terms
The school operates a three term year and refers to its terms by their original titles, based on Oxford University's names for them. They are:- The MichaelmasMichaelmas termMichaelmas term is the first academic term of the academic years of the following British and Irish universities:*University of Cambridge*University of Oxford*University of St...
Term, from early September to mid December. - The HilaryHilary of PoitiersHilary of Poitiers was Bishop of Poitiers and is a Doctor of the Church. He was sometimes referred to as the "Hammer of the Arians" and the "Athanasius of the West." His name comes from the Latin word for happy or cheerful. His optional memorial in the Roman Catholic calendar of saints is 13...
Term, from mid-January to late March. - The TrinityTrinity termTrinity term is the name of the third and final term of Oxford University's and the University of Dublin's academic year. It runs from about mid April to about the end of June and is named after Trinity Sunday, which falls eight weeks after Easter, in May or June.At the University of Sydney, it was...
Term, from late April to late June or early July.
House names
There are six houses at Magdalen, named after former pupils who died in the two World Wars. Each house is associated with a colour. They are:- Callender (Green), named after John Clement Callender
- Chavasse (Dark Blue), named after Captain Noel Chavasse who was one of only three men ever to be awarded VCVictoria CrossThe Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
and Bar - Leicester (Purple), named after Donovan Nicholas Leicester
- Maltby (Light Blue), named after Charles Robert Crighton Maltby
- Walker-Dunn (Red), named after Geoffrey Walker and Bruce Dunn
- Wilkinson-Blagden (Yellow), named after Frank D. Wilkinson and Maurice Bernard Blagden
House structure
Each house is divided into six different sections: Room 1 for Upper 6th, Rooms 1a and 1b for lower 6th, Room 2 (5th and U4th boys), Room 3 (U4th and L4th boys) and Room 4 (2nd and 3rd form boys).In each of these houserooms there is a house tutor and Room 1 is run by the housemaster. Each house also has a Head of House who is a pupil appointed by the housemaster.
There are numerous inter-house competitions held throughout the year, which include House Singing, House Swimming, House Cross-Country, House Quizes, House Football, House Drama and House Hockey among many others. Houses have House Captains in each of these competitions.
The house structure helps keep a healthy and friendly competitive atmosphere among the pupils and the house tutors provide pastoral care for the pupils.
Sport
Sports are a major feature of life at Magdalen. The school's central city location does not limit the sporting endevours of the school as it has the priviledge of using of many of the University's facilities around the city as well as the enormous School Field, a serene island surrounded by the River CherwellRiver Cherwell
The River Cherwell is a river which flows through the Midlands of England. It is a major tributary of the River Thames.The general course of the River Cherwell is north to south and the 'straight-line' distance from its source to the Thames is about...
. The school also has a smaller field known as 'The Spit' which can be seen from Magdalen Bridge, used by the Junior School.
- During the Michaelmas Term, the sport curriculum is dominated by Rugby UnionRugby unionRugby 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...
for the boys and hockey for the girls. - The Hilary Term it is dominated by Field HockeyField hockeyField Hockey, or Hockey, is a team sport in which a team of players attempts to score goals by hitting, pushing or flicking a ball into an opposing team's goal using sticks...
, played on the University AstroturfAstroTurfAstroTurf is a brand of artificial turf. Although the term is a registered trademark, it is sometimes used as a generic description of any kind of artificial turf. The original AstroTurf product was a short pile synthetic turf while the current products incorporate modern features such as...
field and Oxford Hawk's Hockey Club in Summertown, with netball for the girls. - During the Trinity Term, there is a division between those who play Tennis and those who play CricketCricketCricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
. Athletics is also a major sport.
The school employs a number of sports professionals to maximise the standards attained by the pupils in sport - these are listed on the school website.
Rowing
Rowing (sport)
Rowing is a sport in which athletes race against each other on rivers, on lakes or on the ocean, depending upon the type of race and the discipline. The boats are propelled by the reaction forces on the oar blades as they are pushed against the water...
, Sailing, Golf, Tennis and Badminton are offered throughout the year as "minor sports", as well as the opportunity to use the School's fitness suite. The school has had a number of nationally-honoured rowers, and the school's sailing team regularly competes against and beats university sailing teams from around the world.
Magdalen has also recently organised sports fixtures to aid charity, or for the general amusement of all. A netball match was won against Christ Church ladies, a rugby 7s victory against the staff and a 2006 U15B team cricket reunion against the current 4th XI was won by the former, sporting a vivacious orange kit. There are also many end of season matches against staff or parents' teams.
Kingball
Kingball is a game played at Magdalen. The tradition, unique to the school, was first played at Magdalen some time in the 19th century, and although to some extent the rules are passed down from year to year, every new year that takes up the game usually adopts its own rules as well. The game has been actively played during breaktimes amongst pupils using three courts, painted by the school. The game is still played every day at the school.Game layout
The game is played on a court that is very distinctly shaped. The ball (a tennis ball) is bounced around the court and the players progress up the shaped squares (although in fact only two of them are square-shaped) until he is in the 'King' square. Then he serves, and so the game progresses until he is eventually knocked off the 'King' square. The game is predominantly played by younger boys, ranging from 8–13 years old. However, whenever boys from this age range vacate the courts and there are no tutors to tell them otherwise, older pupils enjoy playing the unique "sport". The seven squares are, in order of descending rank: King, Queen, Jack, Big, Triangle, Evil and Rabies. If the court has been filled up then the extra players join another player currently playing to form a team of two, or a "double".Rules
- When the ball bounces in a player's square, they must palm, kick, or otherwise hit it into another square.
- If a player touches the ball more than once in a row, they are 'out' unless it has touched the wall of a surrounding classroom building in the middle.
- The ball may bounce an unlimited number of times or roll within a square, but if it comes to rest (including by another player stamping on it with one foot while keeping the other in their own square), they are 'out'.
- The ball may bounce up to three times outside of a square, but on the fourth the player who occupies the last square the ball bounced in (or the player to hit it out if it is hit directly out of the court) is 'out'.
- If the ball rolls out of the court, the occupant of the square it rolled out of is 'out'.
- A player may hit the ball against the wall of surrounding classroom buildings that face the playground, and in doing so will 'reset' the 'count' of bounces, and may now hit the ball again to direct it into the court.
- If the ball is rolling within a court, the occupant of King may call "rolling". The ball is rendered dead, and the point replayed without any player being demoted.
One can play with one player per square (Seven), Or can double up (14). When the game was played in the late 1970s and early 1980s the only lawful play was that identified at (1) above. If a player could not lawfully play the ball after the first bounce in his square (and at that time the squares were indeed square-shaped and measured about 1.5 to 2 metres from corner to corner) then he was demoted. Also at this time,the names of the squares were not fixed – save for the King square – although frequent references to Queen, Jack, 10 and so on (as per a suit in a pack of cards) were made informally. There was no fixed number of squares although the normal number was 6 (in a 3x2 formation); 8 was not infrequent and larger numbers could be chosen to avoid long queues of 'slaves', who would wait to enter 'Rabies' after being demoted before players began to double-up in squares.
The service is played by bouncing the ball into one's own square so as to bounce in another's square and the original serve is above waist height. The occupant of that square then plays as above. If the ball bounces in one of the 'royalty' squares (Jack, Queen, King) or touches the occupant of one of these squares before bouncing in another square or touching its occupants after a serve, the serve is called 'foul'. The same applies if the ball bounces outside the court without immediately without bouncing in another player's square. The King may reserve once, but if he serves 'foul' a second time, he is 'out'.
As different year groups follow different rules, those described above may not hold true for all games, but will form the basic structure of any games that take place.
Societies
Magdalen has a longstanding culture of clubs and societies, frequently run and operated by boys, and some of which (such as the Climbing and Sailing clubs) charge a small annual membership fee (which is used fund club equipment and activities and in some cases improve communal school resources). Such clubs include well-established, traditional clubs like those in other schools such as the Debating Society, Chess Club, Historical society, Model United Nations, and various musical societies including the two orchestras and the Choral Society. More esoteric clubs and societies include the well-established St. Thomas More Society, the bell-ringing club and the Cheese Club.During lunchbreak and morning breaks, boys frequently play in the central playground or Milham Ford, behind the main teaching block (formerly grass and now occupied by hockey / tennis courts). 'The Spit' (one of the school fields) is used during breaktimes by the Junior School, and has a fenced grass area and a Playground
Playground
A playground or play area is a place with a specific design for children be able to play there. It may be indoors but is typically outdoors...
with swings and slides, etc. Informal activities during breaktimes include football and cricket etc., as well as Magdalen's traditional game, Kingball.
Magdalen also has a strong chess tradition, coming third in the National Finals in 2007.
CCF and CSO
At the end of the lower fourth form (Year 9), pupils are allowed to take part in Combined Cadet ForceCombined 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) however it is optional up to the end of fifth form when pupils choose between CCF or the Community Service Organisation (CSO). They are required to take part for the following year on a Tuesday afternoon, but many stay on in the Upper Sixth as well.
The Magdalen College School CCF is open to Oxford High School GDST girls as well, and is divided up into the Army and the Royal Air Force (there were previously two other sections, the Royal Navy, and a Signals Corp open only to boys in the Sixth Form, which no longer exist). Recently, the school has introduced 'after-school' CCF activities aimed at boys from 13 and above. Twice a year there is a CCF field-day, where pupils spend 24 hours (including a night) involved with their particular activity. The Army usually camp overnight in a disused army camp, carrying out marches, taking part in tactical missions, or just relaxing beside a log-fire.
CSO provides the chance for pupils to give something back to the community. The work is both rewarding and satisfying, and there are a variety of options, which include working in a local primary school, helping in a charity shop, aiding at the John Radcliffe Hospital
John Radcliffe Hospital
The John Radcliffe Hospital is a large tertiary teaching hospital in Oxford, England.It is the main teaching hospital for Oxford University and Oxford Brookes University. As such, it is a well-developed centre of medical research. It also incorporates the Medical School of the University of Oxford....
and other medical centres, and helping out in hospices or centres for autistic children. One particular favourite is the Concert Party, which consists of 2 groups of pupils visiting local junior schools and nursing homes, and performing music.
School media
The school has an annual magazine, a student newspaper and a satirical publication. The Lily is the official school magazine and yearbook, published yearly, detailing the activities and progress of the school and staff. It is run by a senior pupil Editor and a member of staff with the assistance of an editing team.The school also has a newspaper called The Melting Pot. It runs many articles on a wide variety of subjects, both related and unrelated to the school. It is published every half-term and is run by an Editor in Chief, with subsequent subject area editors. New younger boys who wish to join the team are usually initiated by being asked to write a piece on Lower School Sports.
The MCS Inquirer was also published as an insert in The Melting Pot for two years between 2009 and 2011. This was a satirical publication based on the "The Day Today", but when the two editors left school and went on to university in the Summer of 2011, the paper ceased to be published. There is also a newsletter named 'The Blazer' in the Junior School.
Music
The current Director of Music is Jon Cullen, and the Assistant Director of Music is Peter Smith. The school boasts two organs (one electric action in 'Big School', one digital in the Music School) and a building for music (performance spaces include the School Hall (called 'Big School'), the Music School and the new refectory). Many instruments are taught, and many ensembles catering to a wide variety of tastes and styles operate on a weekly basis. The school participates in many national competitions; many pupils are part of the National Youth OrchestraNational Youth Orchestra
The National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain is an orchestra of 163 young musicians from the United Kingdom. The members of the orchestra are all aged between 13 and 19 years. The players are selected by auditions which take place in the autumn each year at various locations in the country...
and National Youth Choirs of Great Britain
National Youth Choirs of Great Britain
The National Youth Choirs of Great Britain is the name given to a family of choirs for young singers in the United Kingdom. It comprises a total of eight choirs and in the 2009/2010 season almost 800 young people between the ages of 8 and 23 participated in the choirs.-About the choirs:The...
, and the school gives scholarships for dedicated and talented musicians.
The school also serves as the school for the Choristers of Magdalen College, Oxford
Magdalen College, Oxford
Magdalen College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. As of 2006 the college had an estimated financial endowment of £153 million. Magdalen is currently top of the Norrington Table after over half of its 2010 finalists received first-class degrees, a record...
. There are sixteen choristers at any one time, in a tradition that has been unbroken since 1458, who sing daily services in the college chapel and perform in other concerts and events throughout the year.
Drama
Many plays are put on every year at Magdalen; there is one main theatre, called 'Big School', and several other venues (including the Jacqueline Du Pré Music Building in St Hilda's College, OxfordSt Hilda's College, Oxford
St Hilda's College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England.The college was founded in 1893 as a hall for women, and remained an all-women's college until 2006....
opposite the school). There is an annual house drama competition where each house produces a small 10 minute segment of drama, often written by its own members. The School musical in the Michaelmas Term is normally fully booked every night, such is its reputation. Other productions are put on throughout the year. Most recently, the school has put on Grease
Grease (musical)
Grease is a 1971 musical by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey. The musical is named for the 1950s United States working-class youth subculture known as the greasers. The musical, set in 1959 at fictional Rydell High School , follows ten working-class teenagers as they navigate the complexities of love,...
, Anything Goes
Anything Goes
Anything Goes is a musical with music and lyrics by Cole Porter. The original book was a collaborative effort by Guy Bolton and P.G. Wodehouse, heavily revised by the team of Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. The story concerns madcap antics aboard an ocean liner bound from New York to London...
, David Mamet
David Mamet
David Alan Mamet is an American playwright, essayist, screenwriter and film director.Best known as a playwright, Mamet won a Pulitzer Prize and received a Tony nomination for Glengarry Glen Ross . He also received a Tony nomination for Speed-the-Plow . As a screenwriter, he received Oscar...
's Glengarry Glen Ross
Glengarry Glen Ross
Glengarry Glen Ross is a 1984 play written by David Mamet. The play shows parts of two days in the lives of four desperate Chicago real estate agents who are prepared to engage in any number of unethical, illegal acts—from lies and flattery to bribery, threats, intimidation and burglary—to sell...
, Sophocles
Sophocles
Sophocles is one of three ancient Greek tragedians whose plays have survived. His first plays were written later than those of Aeschylus, and earlier than or contemporary with those of Euripides...
' Oedipus Rex, Coram Boy
Coram Boy
Coram Boy is a very successful children's novel by Jamila Gavin. Published in 2000, it won Gavin a Whitbread Children's Book Award. The story follows a wide range of characters, from the rich Alexander Ashbrook to Toby, a young boy saved from an African slave ship, as their lives become closely...
, Kiss me Kate
Kiss Me Kate
Kiss Me Kate was a British sitcom that ran from 1998 until 2000. It followed the everyday life of a woman counsellor, Kate , who must not only manage her clients' problems, but must also help her neighbours and unsuccessful business partner, Douglas, played by Chris Langham. Amanda Holden played...
, and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is an Andrew Lloyd Webber musical with lyrics by Tim Rice. The story is based on the "coat of many colors" story of Joseph from the Hebrew Bible's Book of Genesis. This was the first Lloyd Webber and Rice musical to be performed publicly...
. Often girls from surrounding schools, such as Oxford High School and Headington School come in to play female roles, although this has become less common since the school was opened to Sixth Form girls in 2010.
The school's 2010 Arts Festival featured performances of Kenneth Grahame
Kenneth Grahame
Kenneth Grahame was a Scottish writer, most famous for The Wind in the Willows , one of the classics of children's literature. He also wrote The Reluctant Dragon; both books were later adapted into Disney films....
s The Wind in the Willows
The Wind in the Willows
The Wind in the Willows is a classic of children's literature by Kenneth Grahame, first published in 1908. Alternately slow moving and fast paced, it focuses on four anthropomorphised animal characters in a pastoral version of England...
and a chorister drama called The Gentleman Usher
The Gentleman Usher
The Gentleman Usher is an early 17th-century stage play, a comedy written by George Chapman that was first published in 1606. It is noted as the only play in which Chapman takes a positive view of women.-Date and publication:...
, by George Chapman
George Chapman
George Chapman was an English dramatist, translator, and poet. He was a classical scholar, and his work shows the influence of Stoicism. Chapman has been identified as the Rival Poet of Shakespeare's Sonnets by William Minto, and as an anticipator of the Metaphysical Poets...
as well as other student-written productions. The Arts Festival is now an annual feature in the school calendar at the end of the Trinity Term.
The third Art's Festival in the final week of Trinity term 2011 was equally impressive. MCS put on a huge range of events hosted both within school and at major venues throughout Oxford, encompassing drama, art, music, literature, politics and more, including:
- Arts Festival Concert
- Ivor and I
- Philip Reeve Book Talk
- Philip Ardagh Book Talk
- Pinter's Celebration
- MCS Filmmakers
- MCS's Got Talent
- Frank Gardner Talk
- David Blunkett Talk
- As You Like It
- Organ Recital
- Madrigals on the River
2011 featured a highly successful performance of AN ENLIGHTENMENT EVENING OF HOME THEATRICALS in the Orangery at Blenheim Palace, the main feature of which was a spectacularly staged performance of Sheridan's The Critic.
The school has recently announced a partnership with the Oxford Playhouse, involving a Drama Academy and two new appointments, and allowing the school three shows a year in the Burton Taylor Studios and one on the Playhouse's main stage.
The school also performs at the Edinburgh fringe.
School songs
The school has had many famous musicians over time. There are many songs dedicated to the school by such past pupils with the school hymn being one of them, entitled 'Miles Christi' ('Christ's Soldier'). The other school hymn is "The Lilies of the Field", which is sung at the Remembrance service every November, and at the Commemoration service at the end of the school year.The 'House Singing' competition has recently become an annual school event, in which the various houses of the school compete against each other in the form of singing. A guest judge attends each year to cast the verdict on the results of the tournament. The 2011 competition featured exceptional renditions of 'Under The Bridge' by a small group of Callender boys (who went on to win in the small group category), and an innovative version of 'The Time of my Life', performed by Wilkinson (who went on to win the big group category). Callendar won the overall competition, as they came first in small group and second in big group, therefore amassing the most amount of points.
Celebrations
Magdalen's best-known celebration takes place on 'Commemoration' on the last Saturday of full term in the Trinity Term. This day is begun with a service the University Church of St Mary's, with full recitation of the hundreds of names of the benefactors of the school, followed by tea, music and sports in the afternoon.Other notable events include 'Madrigals', performed on the evening of the last Friday of Trinity Term, where a select number of the Choral Society are punted out to one of the school's landing stages on the side of the river and perform a concert of madrigals
Madrigal (music)
A madrigal is a secular vocal music composition, usually a partsong, of the Renaissance and early Baroque eras. Traditionally, polyphonic madrigals are unaccompanied; the number of voices varies from two to eight, and most frequently from three to six....
in the punts; and 'Midsummer Mania' which is a fair-like event held by the Parents Association with games, sports, raffles and an infamous karaoke.
Other schools of that name
Wayneflete's original foundation also included a Magdalen College School at Wainfleet, LincolnshireWainfleet, Lincolnshire
Wainfleet All Saints is an ancient port and market town on the east coast of Lincolnshire, England, situated on the B1195 between Spilsby and Boston. The town stands on the small rivers Steeping and Limb that form Wainfleet Haven. The town is close to Skegness, Boston, Spilsby, the Lincolnshire...
, which closed in 1933.
There is still a Magdalen College School
Magdalen College School, Brackley
Magdalen College School, Brackley is one of three "ancient" Magdalen College Schools, the others being its sister colleges in Oxford and Wainfleet, Lincolnshire...
at Brackley
Brackley
Brackley is a town in south Northamptonshire, England. It is about from Oxford and miles form Northampton. Historically a market town based on the wool and lace trade, it was built on the intersecting trade routes between London, Birmingham and the English Midlands and between Cambridge and Oxford...
, Northamptonshire.
Notable old boys
Old boys are called Old Waynfletes (OWs) after the founder. See :Category:Old WaynfletesRoughly in chronological order:
- St Thomas More – Roman Catholic Martyr
- William TyndaleWilliam TyndaleWilliam Tyndale was an English scholar and translator who became a leading figure in Protestant reformism towards the end of his life. He was influenced by the work of Desiderius Erasmus, who made the Greek New Testament available in Europe, and by Martin Luther...
– first translator of the Bible into English - Cardinal Wolsey (as Master) – Henry VIIIHenry VIII of EnglandHenry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
's closest adviser - John FoxeJohn FoxeJohn Foxe was an English historian and martyrologist, the author of what is popularly known as Foxe's Book of Martyrs, , an account of Christian martyrs throughout Western history but emphasizing the sufferings of English Protestants and proto-Protestants from the fourteenth century through the...
– martyrologist - Sir Basil BlackwellBasil BlackwellSir Basil Blackwell was born Henry Blackwell in Oxford, England. He was the son of the founder of Blackwell's bookshop in Oxford, which went on to become the Blackwell's family publishing and bookshop empire, located on Broad Street in central Oxford...
– bookseller; the recently-constructed Library was named in his honour - Edgeworth DavidEdgeworth DavidSir Tannatt William Edgeworth David KBE, DSO, FRS, was a Welsh Australian geologist and Antarctic explorer. A household name in his lifetime, David's most significant achievements were discovering the major Hunter Valley coalfield in New South Wales and leading the first expedition to reach the...
(Sir Tannatt William Edgeworth David FRS) – geologist, discoverer of major Australian coalfield, Antarctic explorer - Sir Richard Olaf WinstedtRichard Olaf WinstedtSir Richard Olaf Winstedt , or more commonly R.O. Winstedt, was an English Orientalist and colonial administrator with expertise in British Malaya.-Early life and education:...
, authority on Malayan history - Noel Chavasse VCVictoria CrossThe Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
& BarMedal barA medal bar or medal clasp is a thin metal bar attached to the ribbon of a military decoration, civil decoration, or other medal. It is most commonly used to indicate the campaign or operation the recipient received the award for, and multiple bars on the same medal are used to indicate that the...
– the most highly decorated soldier in British history - Sir Henry John Stedman CottonHenry John Stedman CottonSir Henry John Stedman Cotton, KCSI had a long career in the Indian Civil Service, during which he was sympathetic to Indian nationalism...
, KCSIOrder of the Star of IndiaThe Most Exalted Order of the Star of India is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria in 1861. The Order includes members of three classes:# Knight Grand Commander # Knight Commander # Companion...
, Chief Commissioner of Assam; Cotton College, GuwahatiCotton College, GuwahatiCotton College is a premier institution for higher education located in the heart of Guwahati, Assam, a northeastern state of India.240px|right|thumb| Cotton College, the premier college of Assam-History:...
is named after him - Ivor NovelloIvor NovelloDavid Ivor Davies , better known as Ivor Novello, was a Welsh composer, singer and actor who became one of the most popular British entertainers of the first half of the 20th century. Born into a musical family, his first successes were as a songwriter...
– singer/songwriter and actor - John CairdJohn Caird (director)John Newport Caird is a British stage director and writer of plays, musicals and operas. He is an Honorary Associate Director of the Royal Shakespeare Company, a regular director with the Royal National Theatre of Great Britain and the Principal Guest Director of the Royal Dramatic Theatre,...
– director of Les MisérablesLes Misérables (musical)Les Misérables , colloquially known as Les Mis or Les Miz , is a musical by Claude-Michel Schönberg, based on the novel of the same name by Victor Hugo.... - Christopher PeacockeChristopher PeacockeChristopher Arthur Bruce Peacocke is a philosopher especially known for his work in philosophy of mind and epistemology...
– eminent philosopher - Nigel Starmer-SmithNigel Starmer-SmithNigel Starmer-Smith is a former international rugby union player, who is now a respected British rugby journalist and commentator.-Playing career:...
– BBCBBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
rugby correspondent - Jim RosenthalJim RosenthalJim Rosenthal is a sports presenter on British television.-Early life:Rosenthal grew up in Oxford and attended Josca's Preparatory School before going to Magdalen College School...
– TV sports commentator - Adam LivelyAdam LivelyAdam Lively is a British novelist.He was born in Swansea and educated in England and America. His debut novel Blue Fruit was published in 1988...
– contemporary novelist - Martin Jones – concert pianist
- Tim HuntTim HuntSir Richard Timothy "Tim" Hunt, FRS is an English biochemist.Hunt was awarded the 2001 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Paul Nurse and Leland H...
– Nobel Prize winner and scientist - Wayne MastersonWayne MastersonWayne Masterson PhD was a British scientist who made a breakthrough in research into sleeping sickness. Masterson won a scholarship to Magdalen College School and later was an undergraduate at Magdalen College, Oxford studying biology. His main area of interest became insects and his doctorate...
– scientist - Guy BrowningGuy BrowningGuy Browning is a humorist and after-dinner speaker. He wrote the How To.. column in The Guardian from 1999-2009. Before that he wrote about office politics and social climbing...
– humorous writer and business guru - Charles LonsdaleCharles LonsdaleCharles Lonsdale succeeded Anthony Cantor in January 2008 as British Ambassador to the Republic of Armenia.Lonsdale was Second Secretary in Budapest, Hungary from 1990 to 1993, and First Secretary in Moscow, Russia from 1998 to 2000....
– British Ambassador to the Republic of Armenia - Sam MendesSam MendesSamuel Alexander "Sam" Mendes, CBE is an English stage and film director. He is best known for his Academy Award-winning work on his debut film American Beauty and his dark re-inventions of the stage musicals Cabaret , Oliver! , Company and Gypsy . He's currently working on the 23rd James Bond...
– Oscar-winning film and stage director - Misha GlennyMisha GlennyMisha Glenny is a British journalist who specializes in southeastern Europe and global organized crime.-Biography:Glenny is the son of the late Russian studies academic Michael Glenny...
– BBC Eastern Europe correspondent - Rob Leslie-CarterRob Leslie-CarterRobert Michael Leslie-Carter MICE, MAIPM is a British Engineer and Project Manager with consulting firm Arup, resident in Sydney Australia. He was named 'Project Manager of the Year' at the 2003 UK Association for Project Management awards for his role leading the new Laban Dance School in...
– Engineer - Ben GoldacreBen GoldacreBen Michael Goldacre born 1974 is a British science writer, doctor and psychiatrist. He is the author of The Guardian newspaper's weekly Bad Science column and a book of the same title, published by Fourth Estate in September 2008....
– journalist - Daniel SandfordDaniel Sandford (journalist)Daniel Sandford , is an English TV journalist. He is currently the BBC’s Moscow Correspondent.-Early life and education:Sandford was born in Oxford. His family moved to Ethiopia when he was 3 and he received his primary education there at the English School, which had been founded by his...
– BBC News Home Affairs Correspondent - Julian OpieJulian OpieJulian Opie is a visual artist, and one of the New British Sculpture movement.-Life and work:Julian Opie was raised in Oxford, England, where he attended the Dragon School and Magdalen College School. He attended Goldsmith's School of Art in London from 1979-82...
– Modern Artist - Jeremy R. KnowlesJeremy R. KnowlesJeremy Randall Knowles, CBE, FRS was a professor of chemistry at Harvard University, was Dean of the Harvard University Faculty of Arts and Sciences from 1991 to 2002. He joined Harvard in 1974, received many awards for his research, and remained at Harvard until his death, leaving the faculty...
– Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry at Harvard UniversityHarvard UniversityHarvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country... - Jonathan BaileyJonathan Bailey (actor)Jonathan Bailey is an English Actor. He was born on 25 April 1988, in Aylesbury Vale, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom. He is not to be confused with another English actor named Jonathon Bailey born in 1940s who played young Prince Arthur in the 1950s TV series Adventures of Robin Hood...
– actor - Yannis PhilippakisYannis PhilippakisYannis Philippakis is a singer of the alternative indie and dance punk band Foals. He is of Greek and South African Jewish descent. He left Greece with his mother when he was five years old. His father taught him to dance the folk traditional songs and sing...
– frontman of the band Foals - Alan KirbyAlan Kirby (writer)Alan Kirby is the author of The Death of Postmodernism and Beyond and of Digimodernism: How New Technologies Dismantle the Postmodern and Reconfigure Our Culture, a book-length study of the same subject. Along with Nicolas Bourriaud, Gilles Lipovetsky, Raoul Eshelman, Timotheus Vermeulen and Robin...
– critic - Robert Steadman – drummer for Stornoway (band)Stornoway (band)Stornoway is a British alternative indie folk band from the Cowley area of Oxford. It consists of singer and guitarist Brian Briggs; multi-instrumentalists Jon Ouin and Oli Steadman, and the latter's brother Rob on drums. The band is usually joined by trumpeter Adam Briggs and violinist Rahul Satija...
- Oliver Steadman - bassist for Stornoway (band)Stornoway (band)Stornoway is a British alternative indie folk band from the Cowley area of Oxford. It consists of singer and guitarist Brian Briggs; multi-instrumentalists Jon Ouin and Oli Steadman, and the latter's brother Rob on drums. The band is usually joined by trumpeter Adam Briggs and violinist Rahul Satija...