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Magdalen College School (MCS) is a public school (English
independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independe ...
day school A day school — as opposed to a boarding school — is an educational institution where children and adolescents are given instructions during the day, after which the students return to their homes. A day school has full-day programs when compa ...
) in
Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
, England, for boys aged seven to eighteen and for girls in the
sixth form In the education systems of England, Northern Ireland, Wales, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago and some other Commonwealth countries, sixth form represents the final two years of secondary education, ages 16 to 18. Pupils typically prepare for ...
. It was founded by
William Waynflete William Waynflete (11 August 1486), born William Patten, was Provost of Eton College (1442–1447), Bishop of Winchester (1447–1486) and Lord Chancellor of England (1456–1460). He founded Magdalen College, Oxford and three subsidiary scho ...
about 1480 as part of
Magdalen College, Oxford Magdalen College (, ) is a constituent college of the University of Oxford. It was founded in 1458 by William of Waynflete. Today, it is the fourth wealthiest college, with a financial endowment of £332.1 million as of 2019 and one of the ...
. In 2010 '' The Good Schools Guide'' described the school as having "A comfortable mix of brains, brawn and artistic flair but demanding and challenging too. 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'' is a British newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News UK, whi ...
'' in 2004, and 2008, being the first boys' school to attain this accolade twice. The school is run by a headmaster, known since the foundation of the school simply as "the Master" and controlled by a Board of Governors, who appoint the Master. It has both a senior school and a junior school. The Senior School has six houses, each headed by a housemaster selected from the senior members of the teaching staff, of whom there are about 160. There are also six houses in the Junior School. Almost all of the school's pupils go on to university, about a third of them to Oxford or Cambridge. The present Master, Helen Pike, was appointed in August 2016, after previously being Headmistress of the South Hampstead High School and is the first female Master in the school's history. In a review by the
Independent Schools Inspectorate The Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI) is approved by the Secretary of State for Education – under section 106 of the Education and Skills Act 2008 – to inspect independent schools in England. These schools are members of associations ...
in 2017, the school was described as remarkable and providing rich opportunities, where "pupils' academic results are exceptional".


History


Early history

The School was founded by
William Waynflete William Waynflete (11 August 1486), born William Patten, was Provost of Eton College (1442–1447), Bishop of Winchester (1447–1486) and Lord Chancellor of England (1456–1460). He founded Magdalen College, Oxford and three subsidiary scho ...
as a department of Magdalen College, to teach the sixteen boy choristers of the college, who sang in the college's chapel, as well as other local children of high academic achievement. The first certain evidence of the school's existence dates to 1480, although the beginnings of the school are probably at least as early as 1478.Stanier (1958), p. 13 Since then, it has grown in size from about thirty boys to over 850 children. Over its history, the school occupied various parts of the present-day Magdalen College, firstly the low hall south of the Chapel of the Hospital of St. John the Baptist, which before the establishment of Magdalen College by William Waynflete had occupied the present site. This building, replaced by the 15th-century college buildings, stood roughly between the present-day porters' lodge and the Great Tower.


Grant-aided status

After the First World War,Bebbington, David. (2014)
Mister Brownrigg's Boys
: Magdalen College School and The Great War (London: Pen and Sword Books)
the school opted into the arrangements of the Education (Administrative Provisions) Act 1907, and as a grant-aided secondary school had to guarantee a quarter of its places as free scholarships for boys from public elementary schools. Of this decision, Stanier, a former Master and the author of the school history, writes: The origins of the present-day school site begin in the late 19th century, when the school was occupying part of the college grounds alongside Longwall Street. It was slowly relocated by a few hundred feet, over
Magdalen Bridge Magdalen Bridge spans the divided stream of the River Cherwell just to the east of the City of Oxford, England, and next to Magdalen College, whence it gets its name and pronunciation. It connects the High Street to the west with The Plain, n ...
, onto the present site on Cowley Place began under the tenure of W. E. Sherwood in 1891 when, after an outbreak of
scarlet fever Scarlet fever, also known as Scarlatina, is an infectious disease caused by '' Streptococcus pyogenes'' a Group A streptococcus (GAS). The infection is a type of Group A streptococcal infection (Group A strep). It most commonly affects chi ...
in the old boarding house on the corner of Longwall Street and the High Street (ascribed partly to the dilapidated state of the building and in particular to the drainage) plans for a new school house were laid out. The new building on the Plain, which forms the modern-day School House, was first used in September 1894 when boarders at the school moved into it. At that time, teaching still took place on the Longwall Street site. Boarders thus had a short daily walk over Magdalen Bridge to the college. The choristers still today make this short daily journey, but using a tunnel under Magdalen Bridge to avoid crossing the busy road. The school continued to grow during the early 20th century, and by 1925, there were about 170 students.


Migration to Cowley Place

In 1928, increased pressure on the Magdalen College buildings on Longwall Street caused the migration of the entire school over Magdalen Bridge. Plans were made for new buildings designed by
Giles Gilbert Scott Sir Giles Gilbert Scott (9 November 1880 – 8 February 1960) was a British architect known for his work on the New Bodleian Library, Cambridge University Library, Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford, Battersea Power Station, Liverpool Cathedral, and ...
, but this period was marked by uncertainty for the school, as in 1926 the College statute referring to the School had been altered. "Where before it had ordained that the College should always maintain the School, it now ran, 'So long as the grammar school of the College in Oxford is maintained....". As a result, temporary classrooms were built along Cowley Place, most of which are still standing today. The buildings that the school had used on Longwall Street underwent a change of use or were redeveloped, and now form part of the College buildings: the School's original 'Big School' became the present-day "New Library" of the college, and the former school playground turned into the college's Longwall Quad. A new school chapel was added to the 1928 buildings at the Milham Ford end, paid for by Old Boys, and was furnished with stained glass from the original chapel on Longwall Street, portraits of former Masters, Ushers, and Old Waynfletes (men educated at the school), and with an old organ built by Binns of Bramley, near Leeds. Choir stalls later donated by the Old Waynfletes and carved by Stanley Fisher completed the building, until it was eventually transformed into a Library when the present-day Big School building was opened in 1966. The stalls from the chapel of 1929 are now in the 'altar' section of the new Big School.


Second World War and "Bricks for wood"

By 1938, the school's buildings had become too small. They had always been of a timber construction, never designed for longevity. This was the topic of the 1938 Commemoration speech given by Dr John Johnson, in which a "Bricks for wood" appeal was made to nineteen other donors, to be matched by Dr Johnson in raising a total of £20,000 to rejuvenate the fabric of the school. Whilst £8,000 was promised by the end of the year, the outbreak of the Second World War curtailed any further fundraising or large-scale building for its duration. Under the mastership of Kennard Davis, the period of the war was marked by an increase in the school's numbers, caused in part by the relative safety of the city of Oxford, while the
Officers' Training Corps The Officers' Training Corps (OTC), more fully called the University Officers' Training Corps (UOTC), are military leadership training units operated by the British Army. Their focus is to develop the leadership abilities of their members whilst ...
, precursor to the present-day Combined Cadet Force, "played its part in the defence of Oxford against possible enemy parachutists and fifth-columnists, guarding the river banks at night with fixed bayonets!". By 1949, the school had about 400 pupils. At the end of the war, the
Education Act 1944 The Education Act 1944 (7 and 8 Geo 6 c. 31) made major changes in the provision and governance of secondary schools in England and Wales. It is also known as the "Butler Act" after the President of the Board of Education, R. A. Butler. Historians ...
saw the school opt to become a
Direct grant grammar school A direct grant grammar school was a type of selective secondary school in the United Kingdom that existed between 1945 and 1976. One quarter of the places in these schools were directly funded by central government, while the remainder attracted ...
, continuing its long-standing tradition of open education. After the War, the school took over buildings on the site of the present-day Hard Courts and Music Department, built for civil defence, including several air raid shelters and huts, as well as buildings formerly belonging to the defunct
Milham Ford School Milham Ford School was a girls' secondary school in Oxford, England, located in the suburb of New Marston on Marston Road. It was founded in East Oxford in the 1880s and closed in 2003. History The school's origins lie in the 1890s when sisters ...
, and these formed part of an expanded school which by now had several hundred pupils. A building campaign in the 1950s represented the first wave of a gradual expansion and enlargement of the school, commencing in 1951 with a five-building concrete block, and more significantly, between 1955 and 1957, the construction of the three-storey teaching block which is near the modern Colin Sanders building. In the late 1950s, the school faced another threat: a new road was proposed, to ease traffic flow, which would have straddled both the school fields and the site of the boarding house. This plan was never set into motion, and in 1957 the school built new laboratories, on the Plain roundabout end of the site, now housing both science and Design & Technology facilities. In 1959, a movement began towards constructing the present-day Big School building, which was designed by Booth, Ledeboer, and Pinckheard and eventually opened in 1966. The new building was hexagonal, with a stage and orchestra pit at one end and an altar (given by Magdalen College) in a chapel area at the other, as well as an acoustic-panelled ceiling and a cluster of lighting. With the opening of the new Big School, the old Big School became the school's gymnasium. With the stage removed, the floor replaced, a wall removed to connect the hall with the adjoining classroom, and with the addition of wallbars and gym apparatus, this 'temporary' building began a new phase in its long history.


Independence

By the late 1960s, the school's status as a Direct Grant scheme member came under threat as sweeping changes were made to the then
Tripartite System The Tripartite System was the arrangement of state-funded secondary education between 1945 and the 1970s in England and Wales, and from 1947 to 2009 in Northern Ireland. It was an administrative implementation of the Education Act 1944 and th ...
. By 1976, the school was no longer a Direct Grant school, the Governors having opted to become fully independent. The 1970s also saw two further buildings: new Science buildings on the Cowley Road side, and a new music facility including a large rehearsal room suitable for a chamber ensemble or small orchestra, several smaller tuition rooms, a classroom, and sheet music and instrument stores. The school's quincentenary in 1980 saw the further addition of buildings on the Cowley Road side, including modern physics and chemistry laboratories. 1998 saw the opening of the new Colin Sanders building, named after an Old Waynflete who was heavily involved in fundraising for the building but died before its completion. It originally housed two common rooms on the ground floor, which later became computing suites, with the 1928 'Big School' undergoing another change of use to house a merged sixth-form centre next to the Staff Common Room, into which it subsequently expanded upon the completion of the New Building complex at the bottom of Cowley Place, which also houses a new Dining Hall. With the demolition of the 1929 library, the ground floor open areas of the Colin Sanders building now house the Basil Blackwell library. On 20 March 2007, Dr David Brunton, head of media studies and English teacher at the school, was found dead at the base of St Mary the Virgin Church tower in Radcliffe Square, Oxford. His death was recorded as accidental. A
bursary A bursary is a monetary award made by any educational institution or funding authority to individuals or groups. It is usually awarded to enable a student to attend school, university or college when they might not be able to, otherwise. Some awa ...
was set up by pupils, parents and staff in his memory. In 2010, the school admitted girls in the sixth form for the first time, and continues to offer coeducation in the final two years ( Years 12 and 13).


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 split into J1A and J1B and contains around 28 boys; Year 4 is split into 2 J2A and J2B 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 Mr Timothy Skipwith, 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 More or Mores may refer to: Computing * MORE (application), outline software for Mac OS * more (command), a shell command * MORE protocol, a routing protocol * Missouri Research and Education Network Music Albums * ''More!'' (album), by Booka ...
, Ogle, Tyndale and Wolsey, named after old masters of the school who have achieved notable things.


Terms

The school operates a three-term
academic year An academic year or school year is a period of time which schools, colleges and universities use to measure a quantity of study. School holiday School holidays (also referred to as vacations, breaks, and recess) are the periods during which sch ...
and refers to its terms by the names of the
University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...
's three terms, which however are shorter than the school's. They are: * The
Michaelmas term Michaelmas term is the first academic term of the academic year in a number of English-speaking universities and schools in the northern hemisphere, especially in the United Kingdom. Michaelmas term derives its name from the Feast of St Micha ...
, from early September to mid December * The Hilary term, from mid-January to late March * The Trinity term, from late April to late June or early July


Pupils' houses


House names

There are six houses at Magdalen, named after former prefects who died in the two World Wars. Each house is associated with a colour. They are:


Sport

School Field, an island in the River Cherwell originally leased from Christ Church in 1893, and connected by 'willow-pattern' bridges to the School House rose gardens, provides space for field sports such as cricket, rugby and football, as well as lawn tennis. The field was levelled for sports in 1907, and the present pavilion was originally constructed in 1913.


Kingball

Kingball is a game played at Magdalen. The tradition, unique to the school, may have derived from
Fives Fives is an English sport believed to derive from the same origins as many racquet sports. In fives, a ball is propelled against the walls of a 3- or 4-sided special court, using a gloved or bare hand as though it were a racquet, similar to ...
, for which a court was in use at the school at least as early as 1871, but the rules are more similar to the modern games of
four square Four square is a team sport played among two teams with two players each on a square court divided into four quadrants: A, B, C, and D (usually numbers 3, 4, 2, and 1, respectively, depending on the court.) The square that a player gets to bef ...
and Dirty Nine Square. 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 rules listed below are those commonly in use around 2008. The game has been actively played during breaktimes amongst pupils using four 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 rectangular) 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 (known to some as 'Pizza'), 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 between the touches of the ball. *The ball may bounce an unlimited number of times inside a square, but if it switches to merely rolling or 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. *A player may stamp the ball and stop it moving in the court, thus rendering the occupant of the stamped square "out". One can play with one player per square (7), Or can double up (14); triples (21) and quadruples (28) versions are played as more people join. 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. Key differences include the use alternative names for some of the seven squares (to be used alongside other squares keeping the names as indicated above), such as: Prince, Easy, and Tiny. Some variations on rules also include that the serve be passed to Queen should King serve 'foul' on the first attempt.


Societies and pastimes


Societies

Magdalen has a longstanding culture of clubs and societies, frequently run and operated by boys, and some of which (such as the
Climbing Climbing is the activity of using one's hands, feet, or any other part of the body to ascend a steep topographical object that can range from the world's tallest mountains (e.g. the eight thousanders), to small boulders. Climbing is done ...
and
Sailing Sailing employs the wind—acting on sails, wingsails or kites—to propel a craft on the surface of the ''water'' (sailing ship, sailboat, raft, windsurfer, or kitesurfer), on ''ice'' (iceboat) or on ''land'' ( land yacht) over a chose ...
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 Model United Nations, also known as Model UN or MUN, is an educational simulation in which students can learn about diplomacy, international relations, and the United Nations. At a MUN conference, students work as the representative of a count ...
, and various musical societies including a Symphony and Concert Orchestra, the Choral Society and various jazz and chamber groups. More esoteric clubs and societies include the well-established
St. Thomas More Sir Thomas More (7 February 1478 – 6 July 1535), venerated in the Catholic Church as Saint Thomas More, was an English lawyer, judge, social philosopher, author, statesman, and noted Renaissance humanist. He also served Henry VIII as Lord H ...
Society for Catholics, a bell-ringing club, a large Computer Science scheme, and multiple clubs for different types of
Role-playing games A role-playing game (sometimes spelled roleplaying game, RPG) is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal ac ...
. During lunchbreak and morning breaks, pupils 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 A playground, playpark, or play area is a place designed to provide an environment for children that facilitates play, typically outdoors. While a playground is usually designed for children, some are designed for other age groups, or people ...
with swings and slides, etc. Informal activities during breaktimes include
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly ...
and
cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by st ...
etc., as well as Magdalen's traditional game, Kingball.


CCF and CSO

At the end of the L4th, pupils are allowed to take part in
Combined Cadet Force The Combined Cadet Force (CCF) is a youth organisation in the United Kingdom, sponsored by the Ministry of Defence (MOD), which operates in schools, and normally includes Army, Royal Navy and Royal Air Force sections. Its aim is to "provide a ...
(CCF), although this is optional until the end of the 5th form when pupils may choose between CCF or the Community Service Organisation (CSO). They are required to take part for the following year (Lower Sixth) on a Tuesday after school. Many continue with CCF in the Upper Sixth as well, but CSO only ever exists in Lower Sixth (until the end of the academic year 2011-2012 it was compulsory to do one or the other in the Upper Sixth also). The CCF Contingent is divided up into the Army and Royal Air Force sections. Naval and Signals sections were retired in the early 21st Century, whilst the school Cadet Corps also had at one time REME and Marine sections. Twice a year there is a CCF field-day, where pupils spend 24 hours (including a night) involved with their particular activity. The Army section usually sleep out overnight in an army training area, carrying out marches, taking part in tactical missions, or meeting different Army Regiments and learning about their specialisations and roles. The RAF section experience flying with No. 6 Air Experience Flight at RAF Benson as well as visiting active air bases and learning about the history of the RAF. During the summer, week-long Adventurous Training and Military camps are held often seeing cadets travel around the world, subsidised by the Ministry of Defence. CSO provides the chance for pupils to give something back to the community through volunteering. There are a variety of options including work at local primary schools, 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 two musical ensembles which visit local schools and nursing homes.


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 Lily'' traces its lineage to the ''Magdalen College School Journal'', founded in 1870, and has been continuously published ever since. The magazine was renamed ''The Lily'' initially in 1880, and finally (after masquerading as ''The Magdalen Magazine'' for a year in 1887) adopted the present title in 1888. 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. ''The MCS Inquirer'' was also published as a satirical insert in ''The Melting Pot'' for two years between 2009 and 2011, recently reintroduced in 2014. There is also a newsletter named 'The Magdalen Blazer' in the Junior School.


Music and drama


Music

The current Director of Music is Jon Cullen, and the Assistant Director of Music is Sabrina Shortland. 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 dining hall). 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 Orchestra A youth orchestra is an orchestra made of young musicians, typically ranging from pre-teens or teenagers to those of conservatory age. Depending on the age range and selectiveness, they may serve different purposes. Orchestras for young stud ...
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 Magdalen College (, ) is a constituent college of the University of Oxford. It was founded in 1458 by William of Waynflete. Today, it is the fourth wealthiest college, with a financial endowment of £332.1 million as of 2019 and one of the ...
. 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 in both Big School and other venues, including the
Oxford Playhouse Oxford Playhouse is a theatre designed by Edward Maufe and F.G.M. Chancellor. It is situated in Beaumont Street, Oxford, opposite the Ashmolean Museum. History The Playhouse was founded as ''The Red Barn'' at 12 Woodstock Road, North Ox ...
, the
Burton Taylor Studio Burton, Burtons, or Burton's may refer to: Companies * Burton (retailer), a clothing retailer ** Burton's, Abergavenny, a shop built for the company in 1937 **The Montague Burton Building, Dublin a shop built for the company between 1929 and ...
and the Sheldonian Theatre. There is an annual house drama competition in which each house produces a small 10-minute segment of drama, often written by its own members. The School Musical is held in the Michaelmas Term, and other productions are put on throughout the year. Most recently, the school has put on '' Grease'', '' Anything Goes'',
David Mamet David Alan Mamet (; born November 30, 1947) is an American playwright, filmmaker, and author. He won a Pulitzer Prize and received Tony nominations for his plays ''Glengarry Glen Ross'' (1984) and '' Speed-the-Plow'' (1988). He first gained cri ...
's ''
Glengarry Glen Ross ''Glengarry Glen Ross'' is a play by David Mamet that won the Pulitzer Prize in 1984. 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 ...
'',
Sophocles Sophocles (; grc, Σοφοκλῆς, , Sophoklễs; 497/6 – winter 406/5 BC)Sommerstein (2002), p. 41. is one of three ancient Greek tragedians, at least one of whose plays has survived in full. His first plays were written later than, or c ...
' ''
Oedipus Rex ''Oedipus Rex'', also known by its Greek title, ''Oedipus Tyrannus'' ( grc, Οἰδίπους Τύραννος, ), or ''Oedipus the King'', is an Athenian tragedy by Sophocles that was first performed around 429 BC. Originally, to the ancient Gr ...
'', ''
Coram Boy ''Coram Boy'' is a 2000 children's novel by Jamila Gavin. It won Gavin a Whitbread Children's Book Award. Stage adaptation The book was adapted for the stage by Helen Edmundson, with music by Adrian Sutton, and played for two runs on the Ol ...
'', '' Kiss me Kate'', ''
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat ''Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat'' (often colloquially known as ''Joseph'') is a sung-through musical with lyrics by Tim Rice and music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, based on the character of Joseph from the Bible's Book of Genesis. ...
'',
Euripides Euripides (; grc, Εὐριπίδης, Eurīpídēs, ; ) was a tragedian of classical Athens. Along with Aeschylus and Sophocles, he is one of the three ancient Greek tragedians for whom any plays have survived in full. Some ancient scholars ...
' ''
Medea In Greek mythology, Medea (; grc, Μήδεια, ''Mēdeia'', perhaps implying "planner / schemer") is the daughter of King Aeëtes of Colchis, a niece of Circe and the granddaughter of the sun god Helios. Medea figures in the myth of Jaso ...
'', ''
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum ''A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum'' is a Musical theatre, musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by Burt Shevelove and Larry Gelbart. Inspired by the farces of the Ancient Rome, ancient Roman playwright Plautu ...
, 42nd Street'' and ''Cabaret''. In previous years girls from surrounding schools, such as Oxford High School and Headington School, came in to play female roles, although this has ceased since the school was opened to Sixth Form girls. The school's 2010 Arts Festival featured performances of ''
Kenneth Grahame Kenneth Grahame ( ; 8 March 1859 – 6 July 1932) was a British writer born in Edinburgh, Scotland. He is most famous for '' The Wind in the Willows'' (1908), a classic of children's literature, as well as '' The Reluctant Dragon''. Both books ...
s '' The Wind in the Willows'' and a chorister drama called ''
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. Date and publication ''The Gentleman Usher'' was entered into the Stationers' Register on 26 November 1605, unde ...
'', 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 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. Students from the school also frequently take a performance on tour to the
Edinburgh Festival Fringe The Edinburgh Festival Fringe (also referred to as The Fringe, Edinburgh Fringe, or Edinburgh Fringe Festival) is the world's largest arts and media festival, which in 2019 spanned 25 days and featured more than 59,600 performances of 3,841 dif ...
, the most recent of which being an adaptation of Shakespeare's " King John".


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'), sung at Prizegiving and, more recently, at the first Chapel service of the school year. The other school hymn is "The Lilies of the Field", set to music by Dr H. C. Stewart OW, 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.


Celebrations

Magdalen's best-known celebration, ''Commemoration'', takes place on the last Saturday of full term in the Trinity Term. Instituted by C. E. Brownrigg and first held on 23 June 1906, this has been a regular fixture in the school calendar ever since. This day is begun with a service the University Church of St Mary's, with full recitation of the dozens of names of the benefactors of the school, followed by tea, music, and a cricket match on School Field in the afternoon.


Other schools of that name

Wayneflete's original foundation also included a Magdalen College School at Wainfleet, Lincolnshire, which closed in 1933. There is still a Magdalen College School at
Brackley Brackley is a market town and civil parish in West Northamptonshire, England, bordering Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire, from Oxford and from Northampton. Historically a market town based on the wool and lace trade, it was built on the inter ...
, Northamptonshire.


Notable Masters

*
Cardinal Wolsey Thomas Wolsey ( – 29 November 1530) was an English statesman and Catholic bishop. When Henry VIII became King of England in 1509, Wolsey became the king's almoner. Wolsey's affairs prospered and by 1514 he had become the controlling figur ...
Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disa ...
's closest adviser * John Sherry – Master, 1534-1540 (succeeded by ----- Goodall) *Charles Edward Brownrigg – Master, 1900–1930; previously Usher 1888–1900, Chairman and Host to HMC in 1907. *Robert Spenser Stanier - Master, 1944-1967; author * Timothy Hands - Master, 2008–2016 *Helen Pike - Master, 2016–present; author


Notable staff

*
Colin Hannaford Colin William Barter Hannaford was a British mathematics educator, author, and advocate for education reform. Early life, education, and career Hannaford was born in 1943 in Plymouth, England during a bombing raid. He joined the British Army ...
- former mathematics teacher, author and educational reformist


Notable alumni

Former pupils are called Old Waynfletes (OWs) after the founder. Roughly in chronological order: *
St Thomas More Sir Thomas More (7 February 1478 – 6 July 1535), venerated in the Catholic Church as Saint Thomas More, was an English lawyer, judge, social philosopher, author, statesman, and noted Renaissance humanist. He also served Henry VIII as Lord ...
– Roman Catholic martyr *
William Tyndale William Tyndale (; sometimes spelled ''Tynsdale'', ''Tindall'', ''Tindill'', ''Tyndall''; – ) was an English biblical scholar and linguist who became a leading figure in the Protestant Reformation in the years leading up to his execu ...
– translator of the Bible into English *
John Foxe John Foxe (1516/1517 – 18 April 1587), an English historian and martyrologist, was the author of '' Actes and Monuments'' (otherwise ''Foxe's Book of Martyrs''), telling of Christian martyrs throughout Western history, but particularly the s ...
– Protestant martyrologist * Sir Basil Blackwell – bookseller; the Library was named in his honour *
Edgeworth David Sir Tannatt William Edgeworth David (28 January 1858 – 28 August 1934) was a Welsh Australian geologist and Antarctic explorer. A household name in his lifetime, David's most significant achievements were discovering the major Hunter V ...
(Sir Tannatt William Edgeworth David FRS) – geologist, discoverer of major Australian coalfield, Antarctic explorer * Frank Arthur Bellamy - astronomer and philatelist * Sir
Richard Olaf Winstedt Sir Richard Olaf Winstedt (2 August 1878 – 2 June 1966), or more commonly R. O. Winstedt, was an English Orientalist and colonial administrator with expertise in British Malaya. Life and career Winstedt was born in Oxford and educated a ...
, authority on Malayan history * Noel Chavasse VC & Bar – the most highly decorated soldier in British history. *Sir Henry John Stedman Cotton, KCSI, Chief Commissioner of Assam;
Cotton College, Guwahati Cotton University (formerly known as ''Cotton College'') is a public state university located in Guwahati, Assam, India. It was established in 2017 by the provisions of an Act from the Assam Legislative Assembly which merged Cotton College St ...
is named after him *Sir
George Bonner Sir George Albert Bonner (9 March 1862 – 27 April 1952) was a British judge, barrister and legal scholar. From 1906 to 1937, he served as a Master of the King's Bench Division, High Court of Justice. In 1927 he was appointed as the Senior Mas ...
- King's Remembrancer, legal scholar and Senior Master of the High Court of Justice *
Ivor Novello Ivor Novello (born David Ivor Davies; 15 January 1893 – 6 March 1951) was a Welsh actor, dramatist, singer and composer who became one of the most popular British entertainers of the first half of the 20th century. He was born into a musical ...
– singer/songwriter and actor *Sir Ivo Rigby, Chief Justice of Hong Kong * Stewart Pether - cricketer * John Caird – director of ''
Les Misérables ''Les Misérables'' ( , ) is a French historical novel by Victor Hugo, first published in 1862, that is considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century. In the English-speaking world, the novel is usually referred to by its origin ...
'' *
Christopher Peacocke Christopher Arthur Bruce Peacocke (born 22 May 1950) is a British philosopher known for his work in philosophy of mind and epistemology. His recent publications, in the field of epistemology, have defended a version of rationalism. His daught ...
– philosopher *
Nigel Starmer-Smith Nigel Starmer-Smith (born 25 December 1944, Cheltenham) is a former international rugby union player, British rugby journalist and commentator. He was educated at Magdalen College School, Oxford and University College, Oxford. After universit ...
BBC rugby correspondent *
Jim Rosenthal Jim Rosenthal (born 6 November 1947) is an English sports presenter and commentator. In a long broadcasting career, Rosenthal has presented coverage of many sports including football, rugby, automotive racing, boxing and athletics. He has covere ...
– TV sports commentator *
Adam Lively Adam Lively (born 20 January 1961) is a British novelist. He was born in Swansea and educated in England and America. His debut novel ''Blue Fruit'' was published in 1988. In 1993, he was included in the Granta Best of Young British Novelist ...
– contemporary novelist * Martin Jones – concert pianist * Will Wyatt - television executive * Tim Hunt – Nobel Prize recipient and scientist * Rick Fenn – rock guitarist, member of 10cc * Wayne Masterson – scientist *
Guy Browning Guy Browning (born 1964 in Chipping Norton) is a humourist, after-dinner speaker and film director. He wrote the ''How To...'' column in ''The Guardian'' from 1999–2009. Before that he wrote about office politics and social climbing. Early li ...
– humorous writer and business guru *Giles Borg – film director * Charles Lonsdale – British Ambassador to
Armenia Armenia (), , group=pron officially the Republic of Armenia,, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of Western Asia.The UNbr>classification of world regions places Armenia in Western Asia; the CIA World Factbook , , and ''O ...
*
Sam Mendes Sir Samuel Alexander Mendes (born 1 August 1965) is a British film and stage director, producer, and screenwriter. In 2000, Mendes was appointed a CBE for his services to drama, and he was knighted in the 2020 New Years Honours List. That s ...
– Oscar-winning film and stage director, best known for directing the Bond film ''
Skyfall ''Skyfall'' is a 2012 spy film and the twenty-third in the ''James Bond'' series produced by Eon Productions. The film is the third to star Daniel Craig as fictional MI6 agent James Bond and features Javier Bardem as Raoul Silva, the vill ...
''. * Misha Glenny – BBC Eastern Europe correspondent * Rob Leslie-Carter – engineer * Ben Goldacre – journalist * Daniel Sandford – BBC News Home Affairs Correspondent * Kenneth G. Wilson – Nobel Prize winner and scientist *
John Kasmin John Kasmin (born as John Kaye on 24 September 1934) is a British art dealer and collector, also known as "Kas". Early life John Kasmin was born John Kaye in Whitechapel, in 1934. His mother was a seamstress and his father was a factory foreman ...
– Art dealer who promoted
David Hockney David Hockney (born 9 July 1937) is an English painter, draftsman, printmaker, stage designer, and photographer. As an important contributor to the pop art movement of the 1960s, he is considered one of the most influential British artists o ...
* Alexander Aris – elder son of Nobel Prize-winning democracy and human rights campaigner
Aung San Suu Kyi Aung San Suu Kyi (; ; born 19 June 1945) is a Burmese politician, diplomat, author, and a 1991 Nobel Peace Prize laureate who served as State Counsellor of Myanmar (equivalent to a prime minister) and Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2 ...
and Michael Aris *
Julian Opie Julian Opie (; born 1958) is a visual artist of the New British Sculpture movement. Life and education Opie was born in London in 1958 and raised in the city of Oxford. He attended The Dragon School and then Magdalen College School, Oxfor ...
– modern artist * Jeremy R. Knowles – Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry at
Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of highe ...
*
Jonathan Bailey Jonathan Stuart Bailey (born 25 April 1988) is an English actor. Known for his comedic, dramatic, and musical roles on stage and screen, he is the recipient of a Laurence Olivier Award and a nomination for a Evening Standard Theatre Award. Ba ...
– actor *
Yannis Philippakis Yannis Philippakis (Greek: Ιωάννης "Γιάννης" Φιλιππάκης) (born 23 April 1986) is the lead singer and guitarist of the British indie rock band Foals. Early life Born to a Greek father and a South African Jewish mother, ...
– frontman of the band
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*Robert Steadman – drummer for the band
Stornoway Stornoway (; gd, Steòrnabhagh; sco, Stornowa) is the main town of the Western Isles and the capital of Lewis and Harris in Scotland. The town's population is around 6,953, making it by far the largest town in the Outer Hebrides, as well ...
*Oliver Steadman – bassist for the band
Stornoway Stornoway (; gd, Steòrnabhagh; sco, Stornowa) is the main town of the Western Isles and the capital of Lewis and Harris in Scotland. The town's population is around 6,953, making it by far the largest town in the Outer Hebrides, as well ...
*
Jon Briggs Jon Briggs (born 24 January 1965) is an English television, radio presenter and narrator. He is best known for his voice-over work, and particularly as the British voice used by Apple Inc.'s Siri virtual assistant software. Career Briggs's vo ...
– television and radio presenter *
Lawrence Booth (cricket writer) Lawrence Booth (born 2 April 1975) is an author and a cricket writer for the '' Daily Mail'' and the '' Mail on Sunday'', and editor of '' Wisden Cricketers' Almanack'' since 2011. He was the youngest Wisden editor for 72 years when he was appo ...
- editor of
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* Tom Scriven – Cricketer * Omid Scobie – journalist and writer * Martin Reynolds
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* Roland Fleming – scientist


Bibliography

Several books have been written about the school, including: *2019: Bebbington, David. ''Goodbye Shirley: The Wartime Letters of an Oxford Schoolboy 1939-1947''. rosvenor House Publishing *2016: Brockliss, Lawrence. ''Magdalen College School.'' hire Publications *2014: Bebbington, David. ''Mister Brownrigg's Boys: Magdalen College School and The Great War.'' London:
en and Sword Books En or EN may refer to: Businesses * Bouygues (stock symbol EN) * Esquimalt and Nanaimo Railway (reporting mark EN, but now known as Southern Railway of Vancouver Island) * Euronews, a news television and internet channel Language and writing * ...
. *1988: Orme, Nicholas ''Education in Early Tudor England: Magdalen College Oxford and its School, 1480–1540'' agdalen College *1980: Clarke, D. L. L. ''Magdalen School: Five Hundred Years on'' lackwell *1977: Hey, Colin ''Magdalen Schooldays 1917–1924'' enecio *1940: Stanier, R. S. ''Magdalen School'' irst_edition,_Clarendon_Press,_1940;_second_edition_Blackwell,_1958.html" ;"title="Clarendon_Press.html" ;"title="irst edition, Clarendon Press">irst edition, Clarendon Press, 1940; second edition Blackwell, 1958">Clarendon_Press.html" ;"title="irst edition, Clarendon Press">irst edition, Clarendon Press, 1940; second edition Blackwell, 1958 Two novels are acknowledged to be set in the school: *The novel ''North'' by long-serving former Head of English Brian Martin (Macmillan New Writing, 2006) is widely acknowledged to be set in the school, although it is not mentioned by name. Many of the school's teaching staff who served in the early-to-mid-2000s are only thinly disguised when they crop up as central characters in the novel, although despite rumours to the contrary the titular pupil "North" appears to be a fictional compound of several old boys (part of plot concerns his love affair with a teacher). *Another novel which is clearly based on a fictional version of the school is ''The Singing Time'' by Maida Stanier, wife of a former Master (Michael Joseph, 1975).


References


External links

*
Profile at the Good Schools Guide




{{Authority control 1480 establishments in England Choir schools in England Educational institutions established in the 15th century Boys' schools in Oxfordshire Independent schools in Oxfordshire Schools in Oxford
School A school is an educational institution designed to provide learning spaces and learning environments for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is sometimes co ...
Member schools of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference Church of England independent schools in the Diocese of Oxford Arthur Blomfield buildings University-affiliated secondary schools