Prebendal School
Encyclopedia
The Prebendal School is a private preparatory school
in Chichester
, situated opposite Chichester Cathedral
. It is a boarding
and day school with roughly 150 pupils including the choristers of the cathedral choir
. Most students go on to English public schools
such as Winchester
, Westminster
, Eton
, Charterhouse
, Lancing
, and Portsmouth Grammar School. The school has ancient origins as the medieval cathedral song school at the thirteenth century school house in West Street.
and probably dates back to the foundation of Chichester Cathedral
in the eleventh century when it was a 'song school', teaching and housing the choristers. Later it admitted other boys from the city and neighbouring areas, becoming a grammar school
. It was re-founded in 1497 by Bishop Edward Story
who attached it to the Prebend of Highleigh in Chichester Cathedral, hence the name.
The thirteenth century school house with its narrow tower still stands in West Street. Long Dormitory
, on the top floor, contains three-hundred year old panelling. Two adjoining eighteenth-century houses have been added, while the addition in 1966 of the east wing of the Bishop
's Palace, which is next door to the main school buildings, provides considerable extra accommodation.
Girls were introduced into the school in 1972 and a pre-prep in 1996.
The school is now a co-educational, day and boarding preparatory school
for children between 3 and 13 years of age.
Further extensions have provided an assembly hall, new classrooms and an art
, design
and technology
room. There is a modern science
laboratory
and an I.C.T. room.
and Scholarship
Examinations to senior independent schools.
The curriculum
is constantly reviewed and there are regular information evenings for parents. Subjects include English
, Mathematics
, Science
, French
, History
, Geography
, Religious Studies
, Latin
(from the age of 9), Art
, Design
& technology
, Music
and Drama
. Parents receive a full written report with grades at the end of the Michaelmas term
and at the end of the Summer term
. They receive a report card containing effort and attainment grades each half-term and at the end of the Lent term
.
School examinations take place once a year during the summer term. As well as this, each form has one parents' day during the year giving parents an opportunity to meet the teachers and discuss their child's work.
school educating the cathedral choristers, the school has an extremely strong music department. A wide variety of instruments
are taught.
There are two choirs, full orchestra, concert band, brass groups, recorder ensembles, clarinet ensembles, percussion group, string orchestras and quartets, Baroque Trio and many other chamber groups and ensembles
.
The highlight of the musical year is the school music concert, which takes place in the cathedral during the Lent
Term.
A concert as part of the Chichester Festivities takes place in the Cathedral each July.
The school has an extremely high reputation for music and each year both boys and girls win major music awards to independent schools.
There are regular informal concerts, either staged by individual year groups or by instruments e.g piano concert or year 5 concert.
Children are encouraged to take part in external events such as the Chichester Festival for Music. The annual Individual Music Festival, an inter-house competition, is always enthusiastically received by the children, likewise the inter-house singing, which involves every child and staff teacher in the school.
The playing fields are close to the school, on the south side of the cathedral.
There are four football pitches, two hockey
fields, cricket
nets, and two tennis
courts. Pupils do sports for one hour at the end of every day.
The major sports played are soccer, hockey and netball
in the winter terms and cricket, athletics
, tennis and swimming
in the summer term. Swimming is taught in the school's own heated outdoor swimming pool.
Each term there is opportunity for children to pursue their interest in these subjects as extra-curricular activities at Art Club.
Children also visit galleries and exhibitions
locally and in London
.
per week. There is one major school production during the year, which takes place during the Michaelmas
Term. This runs for four nights and involves many children, not only acting
but helping backstage
with the set, lighting
, costumes, make-up and music.
The Chichester Festival Theatre
is nearby and children attend performances there. Occasionally, they have taken part with famous actors and actresses in productions.
Each house is named after former Bishops of Chichester
; they are Ralph Neville
, Ralph Luffa, Robert Sherbourne and Seffrid I
& Seffrid II
house in the centre of Chichester and in Highleigh Hall, a specially designed building in the Prebendal grounds. Classes are small. There are close links to the Prep, some of whose specialist staff also teach in the Pre-prep.
Music is taught by a specialist and all children take part in concerts and performances during the year. Individual instrumental lessons may be arranged to take place in school. There is a bank of computers and software. French
is taught from three years of age. In addition there is a variety of after-school clubs.
Children have the use of the Prebendal School’s facilities including the I.C.T. suite, sports fields and swimming pool. The older pupils join in weekly assemblies in Chichester Cathedral. Lunches are cooked on the school premises and eaten communally.
The Pre-Prep Department has its own headmistress.
Matrons are responsible for the health
, medical records, hygiene
, clothing
and laundry
of the boarders. The School Doctor's surgery
is close at hand and he visits the school
when required.
Many children join the school as day pupils and enter as boarders towards the end of their time at Prebendal. The majority of those boarding are weekly boarders, so there is frequent contact with parents and home
.
Increasingly popular with parents and children, if space permits, are sleep-overs and short term boarding.
. There are twelve choristers and six probationers all of whom are full boarders. The choristers are under the leadership of the Sarah Baldock
the Cathedral Organist who is also Master of the Choristers.
During term time they sing Evensong
in the cathedral each day of the week except Wednesday, and at the main services each Sunday.
Apart from fulfilling its Cathedral duties, the choir takes part in services and concerts outside the cathedral. It travels abroad and makes regular recordings and broadcasts.
All choristers learn at least two instruments
. Piano
tuition is provided free of charge. In spite of their busy life in connection with the cathedral, the choristers play a full part in all aspects of school life. The school timetable is so arranged that they miss as little academic work as possible.
Games
also are considered an important part of school life and the choristers, together with all other children, participate in games each afternoon, and many have played a valuable part in the sporting life of the school. There is an opportunity for boys of age six or seven to demonstrate choral potential and become choristers at the Prebendal.
Voice trials take place once a year, usually on a Saturday in January. Candidates sit an academic assessment test in the school during the morning and attend a voice trial in the afternoon at the organist's house.
Notable Old Prebendalians include,
Preparatory school (UK)
In English language usage in the former British Empire, the present-day Commonwealth, a preparatory school is an independent school preparing children up to the age of eleven or thirteen for entry into fee-paying, secondary independent schools, some of which are known as public schools...
in Chichester
Chichester
Chichester is a cathedral city in West Sussex, within the historic County of Sussex, South-East England. It has a long history as a settlement; its Roman past and its subsequent importance in Anglo-Saxon times are only its beginnings...
, situated opposite Chichester Cathedral
Chichester Cathedral
The Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity, otherwise called Chichester Cathedral, is the seat of the Anglican Bishop of Chichester. It is located in Chichester, in Sussex, England...
. It is a boarding
Boarding school
A boarding school is a school where some or all pupils study and live during the school year with their fellow students and possibly teachers and/or administrators. The word 'boarding' is used in the sense of "bed and board," i.e., lodging and meals...
and day school with roughly 150 pupils including the choristers of the cathedral choir
Choir of Chichester Cathedral
The musical foundation of Chichester Cathedral consists of the Organist and Master of the Choristers, the Assistant Organist, and the Organ Scholar; together with six singing men , eighteen Choristers, six Probationers - and including a Head Chorister and a Senior Chorister who both wear a notable...
. Most students go on to English public schools
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...
such as Winchester
Winchester College
Winchester College is an independent school for boys in the British public school tradition, situated in Winchester, Hampshire, the former capital of England. It has existed in its present location for over 600 years and claims the longest unbroken history of any school in England...
, Westminster
Westminster School
The Royal College of St. Peter in Westminster, almost always known as Westminster School, is one of Britain's leading independent schools, with the highest Oxford and Cambridge acceptance rate of any secondary school or college in Britain...
, Eton
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
, Charterhouse
Charterhouse School
Charterhouse School, originally The Hospital of King James and Thomas Sutton in Charterhouse, or more simply Charterhouse or House, is an English collegiate independent boarding school situated at Godalming in Surrey.Founded by Thomas Sutton in London in 1611 on the site of the old Carthusian...
, Lancing
Lancing College
Lancing College is a co-educational English independent school in the British public school tradition, founded in 1848 by Nathaniel Woodard. Woodard's aim was to provide education "based on sound principle and sound knowledge, firmly grounded in the Christian faith." Lancing was the first of a...
, and Portsmouth Grammar School. The school has ancient origins as the medieval cathedral song school at the thirteenth century school house in West Street.
History
Children have been educated on the present site since the fifteenth century. The Prebendal is the oldest school in SussexSussex
Sussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
and probably dates back to the foundation of Chichester Cathedral
Chichester Cathedral
The Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity, otherwise called Chichester Cathedral, is the seat of the Anglican Bishop of Chichester. It is located in Chichester, in Sussex, England...
in the eleventh century when it was a 'song school', teaching and housing the choristers. Later it admitted other boys from the city and neighbouring areas, becoming a grammar school
Grammar school
A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and some other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching classical languages but more recently an academically-oriented secondary school.The original purpose of mediaeval...
. It was re-founded in 1497 by Bishop Edward Story
Edward Story
Edward Story was an English priest, Bishop of Carlisle, 1468–1477, and Bishop of Chichester, 1477–1503....
who attached it to the Prebend of Highleigh in Chichester Cathedral, hence the name.
The thirteenth century school house with its narrow tower still stands in West Street. Long Dormitory
Dormitory
A dormitory, often shortened to dorm, in the United States is a residence hall consisting of sleeping quarters or entire buildings primarily providing sleeping and residential quarters for large numbers of people, often boarding school, college or university students...
, on the top floor, contains three-hundred year old panelling. Two adjoining eighteenth-century houses have been added, while the addition in 1966 of the east wing of the Bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
's Palace, which is next door to the main school buildings, provides considerable extra accommodation.
Girls were introduced into the school in 1972 and a pre-prep in 1996.
The school is now a co-educational, day and boarding preparatory school
Preparatory school (UK)
In English language usage in the former British Empire, the present-day Commonwealth, a preparatory school is an independent school preparing children up to the age of eleven or thirteen for entry into fee-paying, secondary independent schools, some of which are known as public schools...
for children between 3 and 13 years of age.
Further extensions have provided an assembly hall, new classrooms and an art
Art
Art is the product or process of deliberately arranging items in a way that influences and affects one or more of the senses, emotions, and intellect....
, design
Design
Design as a noun informally refers to a plan or convention for the construction of an object or a system while “to design” refers to making this plan...
and technology
Technology
Technology is the making, usage, and knowledge of tools, machines, techniques, crafts, systems or methods of organization in order to solve a problem or perform a specific function. It can also refer to the collection of such tools, machinery, and procedures. The word technology comes ;...
room. There is a modern science
Science
Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
laboratory
Laboratory
A laboratory is a facility that provides controlled conditions in which scientific research, experiments, and measurement may be performed. The title of laboratory is also used for certain other facilities where the processes or equipment used are similar to those in scientific laboratories...
and an I.C.T. room.
Academia
Pupils cover the ground for the Common EntranceCommon Entrance
Common Entrance Examinations are taken by some children in the UK as part of the admissions process for academically selective secondary schools at age 13 or 11. Most of the secondary schools that use Common Entrance for admission are public schools; most of the schools that routinely prepare...
and Scholarship
Scholarship
A scholarship is an award of financial aid for a student to further education. Scholarships are awarded on various criteria usually reflecting the values and purposes of the donor or founder of the award.-Types:...
Examinations to senior independent schools.
The curriculum
Curriculum
See also Syllabus.In formal education, a curriculum is the set of courses, and their content, offered at a school or university. As an idea, curriculum stems from the Latin word for race course, referring to the course of deeds and experiences through which children grow to become mature adults...
is constantly reviewed and there are regular information evenings for parents. Subjects include English
English studies
English studies is an academic discipline that includes the study of literatures written in the English language , English linguistics English studies is an academic discipline that includes the study of literatures written in the English language (including literatures from the U.K., U.S.,...
, Mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
, Science
Science
Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
, French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
, History
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
, Geography
Geography
Geography is the science that studies the lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena of Earth. A literal translation would be "to describe or write about the Earth". The first person to use the word "geography" was Eratosthenes...
, Religious Studies
Religious studies
Religious studies is the academic field of multi-disciplinary, secular study of religious beliefs, behaviors, and institutions. It describes, compares, interprets, and explains religion, emphasizing systematic, historically based, and cross-cultural perspectives.While theology attempts to...
, Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
(from the age of 9), Art
Art
Art is the product or process of deliberately arranging items in a way that influences and affects one or more of the senses, emotions, and intellect....
, Design
Design
Design as a noun informally refers to a plan or convention for the construction of an object or a system while “to design” refers to making this plan...
& technology
Technology
Technology is the making, usage, and knowledge of tools, machines, techniques, crafts, systems or methods of organization in order to solve a problem or perform a specific function. It can also refer to the collection of such tools, machinery, and procedures. The word technology comes ;...
, Music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
and Drama
Drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...
. Parents receive a full written report with grades at the end of the Michaelmas term
Michaelmas term
Michaelmas 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...
and at the end of the Summer term
Summer term
Summer term is the name of the summer academic term at many British schools and universities and elsewhere in the world.In the UK, 'Summer term' runs from the Easter holiday until the end of the academic year in June or July, and thus corresponds to the Easter term at Cambridge University, and...
. They receive a report card containing effort and attainment grades each half-term and at the end of the Lent term
Lent term
Lent term is the name of the spring academic term at the following British universities:*University of Cambridge*Kings College London*London School of Economics and Political Science*Exeter University*University of Lancaster...
.
School examinations take place once a year during the summer term. As well as this, each form has one parents' day during the year giving parents an opportunity to meet the teachers and discuss their child's work.
Music
As a choirChoir
A choir, chorale or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform.A body of singers who perform together as a group is called a choir or chorus...
school educating the cathedral choristers, the school has an extremely strong music department. A wide variety of instruments
Musical instrument
A musical instrument is a device created or adapted for the purpose of making musical sounds. In principle, any object that produces sound can serve as a musical instrument—it is through purpose that the object becomes a musical instrument. The history of musical instruments dates back to the...
are taught.
There are two choirs, full orchestra, concert band, brass groups, recorder ensembles, clarinet ensembles, percussion group, string orchestras and quartets, Baroque Trio and many other chamber groups and ensembles
Musical ensemble
A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...
.
The highlight of the musical year is the school music concert, which takes place in the cathedral during the Lent
Lent
In the Christian tradition, Lent is the period of the liturgical year from Ash Wednesday to Easter. The traditional purpose of Lent is the preparation of the believer – through prayer, repentance, almsgiving and self-denial – for the annual commemoration during Holy Week of the Death and...
Term.
A concert as part of the Chichester Festivities takes place in the Cathedral each July.
The school has an extremely high reputation for music and each year both boys and girls win major music awards to independent schools.
There are regular informal concerts, either staged by individual year groups or by instruments e.g piano concert or year 5 concert.
Children are encouraged to take part in external events such as the Chichester Festival for Music. The annual Individual Music Festival, an inter-house competition, is always enthusiastically received by the children, likewise the inter-house singing, which involves every child and staff teacher in the school.
Sports
The children have games sessions every afternoon and many matches are played against other schools.The playing fields are close to the school, on the south side of the cathedral.
There are four football pitches, two hockey
Hockey
Hockey is a family of sports in which two teams play against each other by trying to maneuver a ball or a puck into the opponent's goal using a hockey stick.-Etymology:...
fields, cricket
Cricket
Cricket 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...
nets, and two tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
courts. Pupils do sports for one hour at the end of every day.
The major sports played are soccer, hockey and netball
Netball
Netball is a ball sport played between two teams of seven players. Its development, derived from early versions of basketball, began in England in the 1890s. By 1960 international playing rules had been standardised for the game, and the International Federation of Netball and Women's Basketball ...
in the winter terms and cricket, athletics
Athletics (track and field)
Athletics is an exclusive collection of sporting events that involve competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking. The most common types of athletics competitions are track and field, road running, cross country running, and race walking...
, tennis and swimming
Swimming (sport)
Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native...
in the summer term. Swimming is taught in the school's own heated outdoor swimming pool.
Art
Years One, Seven and Eight have a double period of art per week and Years Four, Five and Six have three periods per week.Each term there is opportunity for children to pursue their interest in these subjects as extra-curricular activities at Art Club.
Children also visit galleries and exhibitions
Art exhibition
Art exhibitions are traditionally the space in which art objects meet an audience. The exhibit is universally understood to be for some temporary period unless, as is rarely true, it is stated to be a "permanent exhibition". In American English, they may be called "exhibit", "exposition" or...
locally and in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
Drama
All forms from Year 3 to Year 7 have one period of dramaDrama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...
per week. There is one major school production during the year, which takes place during the Michaelmas
Michaelmas
Michaelmas, the feast of Saint Michael the Archangel is a day in the Western Christian calendar which occurs on 29 September...
Term. This runs for four nights and involves many children, not only acting
Acting
Acting is the work of an actor or actress, which is a person in theatre, television, film, or any other storytelling medium who tells the story by portraying a character and, usually, speaking or singing the written text or play....
but helping backstage
Backstage
Backstage may refer to:* Backstage , by Cher* Backstage , an Australian drama* Back Stage , a silent film starring Oliver Hardy* Back Stage , a silent film starring Buster Keaton...
with the set, lighting
Lighting
Lighting or illumination is the deliberate application of light to achieve some practical or aesthetic effect. Lighting includes the use of both artificial light sources such as lamps and light fixtures, as well as natural illumination by capturing daylight...
, costumes, make-up and music.
The Chichester Festival Theatre
Chichester Festival Theatre
Chichester Festival Theatre, located in Chichester, England, was designed by Philip Powell and Hidalgo Moya, and opened by its founder Leslie Evershed-Martin in 1962. Subsequently the smaller and more intimate Minerva Theatre was built nearby in 1989....
is nearby and children attend performances there. Occasionally, they have taken part with famous actors and actresses in productions.
Houses
- Neville (Green)
- Luffa (Red)
- Sherborne (Yellow)
- Seffrid (Blue)
Each house is named after former Bishops of Chichester
Chichester
Chichester is a cathedral city in West Sussex, within the historic County of Sussex, South-East England. It has a long history as a settlement; its Roman past and its subsequent importance in Anglo-Saxon times are only its beginnings...
; they are Ralph Neville
Ralph Neville
Ralph Neville was a medieval clergyman and politician who served as Bishop of Chichester, Keeper of the Great Seal and Lord Chancellor of England...
, Ralph Luffa, Robert Sherbourne and Seffrid I
Seffrid I
Seffrid I, sometimes known as Seffrid Pelochin, was a medieval Bishop of Chichester.-Life:Seffrid was the son of Seffrid d'Escures and Guimordis, and was a half brother to Ralph d'Escures, Archbishop of Canterbury from 1114 to 1122. He was a native of Escures, near Sées, and his father was a...
& Seffrid II
Seffrid II
-Life:Little is known of Seffrid's ancestry, but given the unusual name he shared with Seffrid I, bishop of Chichester from 1125 to 1145, the two were probably related. He probably studied law at Bologna, for there was a Seffrid the Englishman at Bologna at the proper time, and Pope Celestine III...
Pre-Prep
The Pre-Prep is for children between the ages of three and seven. It is located in Northgate House, a large TudorTudor style architecture
The Tudor architectural style is the final development of medieval architecture during the Tudor period and even beyond, for conservative college patrons...
house in the centre of Chichester and in Highleigh Hall, a specially designed building in the Prebendal grounds. Classes are small. There are close links to the Prep, some of whose specialist staff also teach in the Pre-prep.
Music is taught by a specialist and all children take part in concerts and performances during the year. Individual instrumental lessons may be arranged to take place in school. There is a bank of computers and software. French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
is taught from three years of age. In addition there is a variety of after-school clubs.
Children have the use of the Prebendal School’s facilities including the I.C.T. suite, sports fields and swimming pool. The older pupils join in weekly assemblies in Chichester Cathedral. Lunches are cooked on the school premises and eaten communally.
The Pre-Prep Department has its own headmistress.
Boarding
There are seven dormitories and accommodation for up to 46 boarders. Each dorm has a name;- Long
- Tarring
- Bell
- St. Edmund's
- Juxon
- St. Wilfred's
- St. Richard's
Matrons are responsible for the health
Health
Health is the level of functional or metabolic efficiency of a living being. In humans, it is the general condition of a person's mind, body and spirit, usually meaning to be free from illness, injury or pain...
, medical records, hygiene
Hygiene
Hygiene refers to the set of practices perceived by a community to be associated with the preservation of health and healthy living. While in modern medical sciences there is a set of standards of hygiene recommended for different situations, what is considered hygienic or not can vary between...
, clothing
Clothing
Clothing refers to any covering for the human body that is worn. The wearing of clothing is exclusively a human characteristic and is a feature of nearly all human societies...
and laundry
Laundry
Laundry is a noun that refers to the act of washing clothing and linens, the place where that washing is done, and/or that which needs to be, is being, or has been laundered...
of the boarders. The School Doctor's surgery
Surgery
Surgery is an ancient medical specialty that uses operative manual and instrumental techniques on a patient to investigate and/or treat a pathological condition such as disease or injury, or to help improve bodily function or appearance.An act of performing surgery may be called a surgical...
is close at hand and he visits the school
School
A school is an institution designed for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is commonly compulsory. In these systems, students progress through a series of schools...
when required.
Many children join the school as day pupils and enter as boarders towards the end of their time at Prebendal. The majority of those boarding are weekly boarders, so there is frequent contact with parents and home
Home
A home is a place of residence or refuge. When it refers to a building, it is usually a place in which an individual or a family can rest and store personal property. Most modern-day households contain sanitary facilities and a means of preparing food. Animals have their own homes as well, either...
.
Increasingly popular with parents and children, if space permits, are sleep-overs and short term boarding.
Choristers
The school educates the Chichester Cathedral choristers who enter the school on a choral scholarshipScholarship
A scholarship is an award of financial aid for a student to further education. Scholarships are awarded on various criteria usually reflecting the values and purposes of the donor or founder of the award.-Types:...
. There are twelve choristers and six probationers all of whom are full boarders. The choristers are under the leadership of the Sarah Baldock
Sarah Baldock
Sarah Baldock is an English organist and choral conductor, at present the Organist and Master of the Choristers of Chichester Cathedral. She is notable as one of two women to be the first appointed to the senior music post at a Church of England cathedral. She is married to counter-tenor David...
the Cathedral Organist who is also Master of the Choristers.
During term time they sing Evensong
Evening Prayer (Anglican)
Evening Prayer is a liturgy in use in the Anglican Communion and celebrated in the late afternoon or evening...
in the cathedral each day of the week except Wednesday, and at the main services each Sunday.
Apart from fulfilling its Cathedral duties, the choir takes part in services and concerts outside the cathedral. It travels abroad and makes regular recordings and broadcasts.
All choristers learn at least two instruments
Musical instrument
A musical instrument is a device created or adapted for the purpose of making musical sounds. In principle, any object that produces sound can serve as a musical instrument—it is through purpose that the object becomes a musical instrument. The history of musical instruments dates back to the...
. Piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
tuition is provided free of charge. In spite of their busy life in connection with the cathedral, the choristers play a full part in all aspects of school life. The school timetable is so arranged that they miss as little academic work as possible.
Games
Sport
A Sport is all forms of physical activity which, through casual or organised participation, aim to use, maintain or improve physical fitness and provide entertainment to participants. Sport may be competitive, where a winner or winners can be identified by objective means, and may require a degree...
also are considered an important part of school life and the choristers, together with all other children, participate in games each afternoon, and many have played a valuable part in the sporting life of the school. There is an opportunity for boys of age six or seven to demonstrate choral potential and become choristers at the Prebendal.
Voice trials take place once a year, usually on a Saturday in January. Candidates sit an academic assessment test in the school during the morning and attend a voice trial in the afternoon at the organist's house.
Old Prebendalians
Alumni are known as Old Prebendalians.Notable Old Prebendalians include,
- William JuxonWilliam JuxonWilliam Juxon was an English churchman, Bishop of London from 1633 to 1649 and Archbishop of Canterbury from 1660 until his death.-Life:...
(1582-1663), Archbishop of CanterburyArchbishop of CanterburyThe Archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and principal leader of the Church of England, the symbolic head of the worldwide Anglican Communion, and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. In his role as head of the Anglican Communion, the archbishop leads the third largest group...
(1660-1663) - John SeldenJohn SeldenJohn Selden was an English jurist and a scholar of England's ancient laws and constitution and scholar of Jewish law...
(1584-1654), jurist, philosopher and parliamentarian - Lord Henry LennoxLord Henry LennoxLord Henry George Charles Gordon-Lennox PC , known as Lord Henry Lennox, was a British Conservative politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1846 to 1885 and was a close friend of Benjamin Disraeli....
(1821-1886), MPMember of ParliamentA Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for ChichesterChichester (UK Parliament constituency)Chichester is a county constituency in West Sussex, represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election....
(1846-1885) - Horatio Nelson, 3rd Earl NelsonHoratio Nelson, 3rd Earl NelsonHoratio Nelson, 3rd Earl Nelson was a British politician.He was the son of Thomas Bolton by his wife Frances Elizabeth Eyre. On 28 February 1835 his father inherited the title Earl Nelson from William Nelson, 1st Earl Nelson and adopted the surname of Nelson...
(1823-1913), politician - Horatio BoltonHoratio BoltonHoratio Norman Bolton twice served as the Chief Commissioner of the North-West Frontier Province of British India from 1923 until 1925 and again from 1926 until 1930. He was appointed a CIE in 1915. - References :...
(1875-1965), Chief Commissioner of the North-West Frontier Province (1923-1925; 1926-1930)