Westminster Under School
Encyclopedia
Westminster Under School is a private preparatory school
for boys aged 7 to 13 and is attached to Westminster School
in London
.
The school was founded in 1943 in the precincts of Westminster School
in Little Dean’s Yard, just behind Westminster Abbey
. In 1951 the Under School relocated to its own premises in Eccleston Square. Due to rising numbers of pupils in the 1960s and 1970s, the school moved again in 1981 to its present site (which was a former hospital) overlooking the Westminster School playing fields in Vincent Square
. There are 267 pupils attending the school. The school has a strong musical tradition and provides choristers for St Margaret's Church, Westminster Abbey.
Most boys attending the school move on to Westminster School
after the completion of either Common Entrance
or Scholarship examinations (The Challenge), although a number of boys each year go on to other schools, including Eton
.
The Master is Mrs Elizabeth Hill; the Deputy Master is Mr David Bratt. There are currently 39 members of staff.
The school fees for 2010-11 are £4726 per term.
, John Triall Christie
.
There were only 6 teachers when the school was established and only 31 boys. Dean's Yard
was used as a playing field for the boys and the roofless remains of the School, the bombed school hall were used as a playground. St Faith's Chapel in Westminster Abbey served as the school chapel.
After the war, the school moved to its own premises in Eccleston Square, and in 1981 moved to its present site in Vincent Square to cope with expanding numbers.
Entry into Westminster Under School at 11+ attracts many pupils from the state sector. At this stage, the school also offers Academic & Music Scholarships and means-tested bursaries.
in Central London. It underwent a major rebuilding programme in 2001, when new classrooms, a new hall, Art Department and IT suite were built on the site of the old hall. In addition, all the classrooms and labs were refurbished. The school uses the hall as a theatre for drama performances. The school has access to 2 science laboratories, an IT suite and the basement of the school is devoted entirely to the music department. The school also hires facilities at the nearby Queen Mother Sports Centre and at Battersea Park
and nets at The Oval
to supplement the playing fields of Vincent Square
.
The school, being attached to Westminster School
, sends the oldest year of the school to take part in the annual pancake greaze on Shrove Tuesday
.This is watched by the year below in the Great Hall. The school is Anglican and has a Thursday service in St Stephens Church, Rochester Row.
consists of a grey
shirt, grey trousers, grey or black socks and black shoes. A grey jumper with a pink v-neck may also be worn and, in the summer, grey polo shirts may be worn without a tie. Unless a pupil is wearing a polo shirt, a tie must be worn. The school tie is pale grey with pink stripes; a house tie (Year 8's only), may be either Blue, Red, Yellow, or Green; half colours are pale grey with pink stripes and the colours tie is plain pink. Colours are awarded for sporting achievements. Boys in the Senior Choir ( Years 6,7&8) are awarded a very navy blue tie with pink and pale grey. Boys also have games kits, consisting of blue shorts and socks, and a white or blue top. The 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th XIs and the U11A team, however, have specialised football clothes, which are pink shirts with black embroidery, blue shorts and blue socks.
and 2 preparing for scholarship examinations.
and Chess
. All the houses have a House Captain, Vice-Captain and 2–3 monitors.
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 boys aged 7 to 13 and is attached to Westminster School
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...
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...
.
The school was founded in 1943 in the precincts of Westminster School
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...
in Little Dean’s Yard, just behind Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey
The Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, popularly known as Westminster Abbey, is a large, mainly Gothic church, in the City of Westminster, London, United Kingdom, located just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is the traditional place of coronation and burial site for English,...
. In 1951 the Under School relocated to its own premises in Eccleston Square. Due to rising numbers of pupils in the 1960s and 1970s, the school moved again in 1981 to its present site (which was a former hospital) overlooking the Westminster School playing fields in Vincent Square
Vincent Square
Vincent Square is a large grass-covered square in Westminster, London, England, covering 13 acres. It provides playing fields for Westminster School, which privately owns it....
. There are 267 pupils attending the school. The school has a strong musical tradition and provides choristers for St Margaret's Church, Westminster Abbey.
Most boys attending the school move on to Westminster School
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...
after the completion of either Common Entrance
Common 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...
or Scholarship examinations (The Challenge), although a number of boys each year go on to other schools, including 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"....
.
The Master is Mrs Elizabeth Hill; the Deputy Master is Mr David Bratt. There are currently 39 members of staff.
The school fees for 2010-11 are £4726 per term.
History
The Under School was founded in September 1943 in 2 Little Dean's Yard (now known as Grant's House) by the former Headmaster of Westminster SchoolWestminster 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...
, John Triall Christie
John Christie
John Christie may refer to:*John Christie , English footballer*John Christie , author, ski historian, Member Maine Ski Hall of Fame*John Christie , opera festival founder...
.
Dean's Yard
Dean's Yard, Westminster, comprises most of the remaining precincts of the former monastery of Westminster, not occupied by the Abbey buildings. It is known to members of Westminster School as Green, and referred to without an article...
was used as a playing field for the boys and the roofless remains of the School, the bombed school hall were used as a playground. St Faith's Chapel in Westminster Abbey served as the school chapel.
After the war, the school moved to its own premises in Eccleston Square, and in 1981 moved to its present site in Vincent Square to cope with expanding numbers.
Entrance
Competitive entrance examinations for Westminster Under School can be taken at 7+, 8+ or 11+.Entry into Westminster Under School at 11+ attracts many pupils from the state sector. At this stage, the school also offers Academic & Music Scholarships and means-tested bursaries.
Previous School Fees
| Date | Per term | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| 2005-06 | £3,697 | £11,091 |
| 2006-07 | £3,900 | £11,700 |
| 2007-08 | £4,163 | £12,489 |
| 2008-09 | £4,412 | £13,236 |
| 2009-10 | £4,544 | £13,632 |
Campus
The school is housed with Adrian House, a four-storey building in the South East corner of Vincent SquareVincent Square
Vincent Square is a large grass-covered square in Westminster, London, England, covering 13 acres. It provides playing fields for Westminster School, which privately owns it....
in Central London. It underwent a major rebuilding programme in 2001, when new classrooms, a new hall, Art Department and IT suite were built on the site of the old hall. In addition, all the classrooms and labs were refurbished. The school uses the hall as a theatre for drama performances. The school has access to 2 science laboratories, an IT suite and the basement of the school is devoted entirely to the music department. The school also hires facilities at the nearby Queen Mother Sports Centre and at Battersea Park
Battersea Park
Battersea Park is a 200 acre green space at Battersea in the London Borough of Wandsworth in England. It is situated on the south bank of the River Thames opposite Chelsea, and was opened in 1858....
and nets at The Oval
The Oval
The Kia Oval, still commonly referred to by its original name of The Oval, is an international cricket ground in Kennington, in the London Borough of Lambeth. In the past it was also sometimes called the Kennington Oval...
to supplement the playing fields of Vincent Square
Vincent Square
Vincent Square is a large grass-covered square in Westminster, London, England, covering 13 acres. It provides playing fields for Westminster School, which privately owns it....
.
Customs
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...
, sends the oldest year of the school to take part in the annual pancake greaze on Shrove Tuesday
Shrove Tuesday
Shrove Tuesday is a term used in English-speaking countries, especially in Ireland, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Philippines, Germany, and parts of the United States for the day preceding Ash Wednesday, the first day of the season of fasting and prayer called Lent.The...
.This is watched by the year below in the Great Hall. The school is Anglican and has a Thursday service in St Stephens Church, Rochester Row.
Uniform
The school uniformUniform
A uniform is a set of standard clothing worn by members of an organization while participating in that organization's activity. Modern uniforms are worn by armed forces and paramilitary organizations such as police, emergency services, security guards, in some workplaces and schools and by inmates...
consists of a grey
Grey
Grey or gray is an achromatic or neutral color.Complementary colors are defined to mix to grey, either additively or subtractively, and many color models place complements opposite each other in a color wheel. To produce grey in RGB displays, the R, G, and B primary light sources are combined in...
shirt, grey trousers, grey or black socks and black shoes. A grey jumper with a pink v-neck may also be worn and, in the summer, grey polo shirts may be worn without a tie. Unless a pupil is wearing a polo shirt, a tie must be worn. The school tie is pale grey with pink stripes; a house tie (Year 8's only), may be either Blue, Red, Yellow, or Green; half colours are pale grey with pink stripes and the colours tie is plain pink. Colours are awarded for sporting achievements. Boys in the Senior Choir ( Years 6,7&8) are awarded a very navy blue tie with pink and pale grey. Boys also have games kits, consisting of blue shorts and socks, and a white or blue top. The 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th XIs and the U11A team, however, have specialised football clothes, which are pink shirts with black embroidery, blue shorts and blue socks.
Years 3 & 4
In Years 3 and 4, pupils are taught in most subjects by the same teacher (usually their form teacher), however they have specialist teachers in French, music, art, IT, PE and games. There is only one form of 20 boys in Year 3, and only 2 forms in Year 4 as the school only accepts 20 pupils per entry point.Years 5 & 6
In Year 5, the following subjects are taught, all by specialist teachers: mathematics, English, science, French, history, geography, religious studies, music, art, drama, IT, PE and games. Year 5 are also taught Roman and Greek mythology to prepare for when they start Latin in Year 6. In Year 7, the boys are split into sets for Maths according to their performances in their Year 6 summer exams.Years 7 & 8
A third form is created for the 11+ entrance and there are Saturday morning classes for the new Year 7 class, during which they study Latin and French, so as to reach the standard of their fellow classes when they join the school. The curriculum remains the same in Years 7 and 8, however, Greek is added to the curriculum and the year is split into 4 forms of 15 boys each, usually with 2 preparing for 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 2 preparing for scholarship examinations.
Houses
The school is organised into 4 houses, based on the charges on the Westminster coat of arms; Tudors (Red), Lions (Blue), Fleuries (Green) and Martlets (Yellow). There are regular inter-house competitions during the school year, including music, ScrabbleScrabble
Scrabble is a word game in which two to four players score points by forming words from individual lettered tiles on a game board marked with a 15-by-15 grid. The words are formed across and down in crossword fashion and must appear in a standard dictionary. Official reference works provide a list...
and Chess
Chess
Chess is a two-player board game played on a chessboard, a square-checkered board with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. It is one of the world's most popular games, played by millions of people worldwide at home, in clubs, online, by correspondence, and in tournaments.Each player...
. All the houses have a House Captain, Vice-Captain and 2–3 monitors.
Extras
The school has many extras (or clubs) boys can take part in. These extras range from Bridge and Chess to Swimming and Fencing. From Judo and Karate to Bookshop and Singing at St. Margerets Church, Westminster Abbey. Most extras take place after school time.Notable alumni
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(Chess player) - Dan McKenzie (professor)
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