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The College of Richard Collyer (colloquially Collyer's ), formerly called Collyer's School, is a
co-education Mixed-sex education, also known as mixed-gender education, co-education, or coeducation (abbreviated to co-ed or coed), is a system of education where males and females are educated together. Whereas single-sex education was more common up to ...
al
sixth form In the education systems of Barbados, England, Jamaica, Northern Ireland, Trinidad and Tobago, Wales, and some other Commonwealth countries, sixth form represents the final two years of secondary education, ages 16 to 18. Pupils typically prepa ...
college in
Horsham Horsham () is a market town on the upper reaches of the River Arun on the fringe of the Weald in West Sussex, England. The town is south south-west of London, north-west of Brighton and north-east of the county town of Chichester. Nearby to ...
,
West Sussex West Sussex is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Surrey to the north, East Sussex to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Hampshire to the west. The largest settlement is Cr ...
,
England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
. The college was rated as being 'excellent’ by
Ofsted The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted) is a non-ministerial department of His Majesty's government, reporting to Parliament. Ofsted's role is to make sure that organisations providing education, training ...
in 2025. It is the second oldest school in
West Sussex West Sussex is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Surrey to the north, East Sussex to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Hampshire to the west. The largest settlement is Cr ...
after
The Prebendal School The Prebendal School is a private preparatory school in Chichester, situated adjacent to the Chichester Cathedral precinct. It is a boarding and day school educating the cathedral choristers. The school has ancient origins as the medieval cat ...
in
Chichester Chichester ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and civil parish in the Chichester District, Chichester district of West Sussex, England.OS Explorer map 120: Chichester, South Harting and Selsey Scale: 1:25 000. Publisher ...
and the fourth oldest school in
Sussex Sussex (Help:IPA/English, /ˈsʌsɪks/; from the Old English ''Sūþseaxe''; lit. 'South Saxons'; 'Sussex') is an area within South East England that was historically a kingdom of Sussex, kingdom and, later, a Historic counties of England, ...
. The college is
Grade II listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, H ...
by
English Heritage English Heritage (officially the English Heritage Trust) is a charity that manages over 400 historic monuments, buildings and places. These include prehistoric sites, a battlefield, medieval castles, Roman forts, historic industrial sites, Lis ...
.


Admissions

Collyer's serves about 2100 students between 16 and 19 years of age. It offers
A-level The A-level (Advanced Level) is a subject-based qualification conferred as part of the General Certificate of Education, as well as a school leaving qualification offered by the educational bodies in the United Kingdom and the educational ...
courses in 45 different subjects, including a selection not taught at other local colleges. 20 further subjects are offered towards BTEC and
vocational A vocation () is an occupation to which a person is especially drawn or for which they are suited, trained or qualified. Though now often used in non-religious contexts, the meanings of the term originated in Christianity. A calling, in the reli ...
certifications and
GCSE The General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) is an academic qualification in a range of subjects taken in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, having been introduced in September 1986 and its first exams taken in 1988. State schools ...
examinations. A wide variety of
adult education Adult education, distinct from child education, is a practice in which adults engage in systematic and sustained educating activities in order to gain new knowledge, skills, attitudes, or values. Merriam, Sharan B. & Brockett, Ralph G. ''The Pr ...
classes are offered at Collyer's in the evenings. It i
situated
on the B2180 opposite Horsham Community Hospital, and close to the fire and police stations.


History

The College was founded in 1532 (
Old Style Old Style (O.S.) and New Style (N.S.) indicate dating systems before and after a calendar change, respectively. Usually, they refer to the change from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar as enacted in various European countries betwe ...
) in the
will Will may refer to: Common meanings * Will and testament, instructions for the disposition of one's property after death * Will (philosophy), or willpower * Will (sociology) * Will, volition (psychology) * Will, a modal verb - see Shall and will ...
of Richard Collyer, who was born in Horsham, and became a wealthy member of The Mercers' Company of the City of London. The Mercers' Company are still the school's
trustee Trustee (or the holding of a trusteeship) is a legal term which, in its broadest sense, refers to anyone in a position of trust and so can refer to any individual who holds property, authority, or a position of trust or responsibility for the ...
s, and maintain a close relationship with the school. Collyer willed that one of his houses in the City, variously called 'The Sonne' or 'The Sunne', be sold and the proceeds used to build a school-house in Horsham for "".Willson, A. N. (1965) ''A History of Collyer’s School 1532–1964'', Edward Arnold (Publishers) Ltd., London: 210 pp. Under the terms of the will the money was not freed until 1540, and the new school was eventually opened in the early summer of 1541. The education granted to those sixty scholars, who were naturally all boys, was to be provided "freely without any money paying therefor", with the Mercer's Company paying the masters' salaries. The original building was on the site of the current St Mary's Church of England Primary School, adjacent to the parish church. However, it was extended then rebuilt in 1660, in order to accommodate "neare an hundred scholars ... with diligence and good success" by 1666, such that none of Collyer's original structure survives. (Part of the 1660 building remains in structure of Arun House, in Denne Road.) In the eighteenth century it fell into disrepair, such that the Mercers' Company surveyor reported that it would cost £1,040 to renovate, "but you will still have a very old and imperfect building." Accordingly, in 1840 the second building was demolished (save for the part incorporated into Arun House), and a new, late-Elizabethan style structure built for the sum of £2,240.


Hurst Road Site

By the late nineteenth century, the population of Horsham had expanded to 10,000 (accelerated by the coming of the railway and its associated employment), the City and Guilds Institute (which the Mercers' Company had helped found) decreed that education needed to be extended to include the new sciences, and money needed to be found to replace the school buildings yet again. Thus after a long campaign against fees, including a petition of 1,100 signatures, the new school charter of 1889 stated that, "Tuition fees might vary between £4 and £10 p.a. and Boarding fees were not to exceed £40 a year." A new and larger site was sorely needed. The present site in Hurst Road was found, and the current building was designed in 1892 by Arthur Vernon, and built by Joseph Potter in 1893 for a contract price of £5,795. It is now grade II listed by English Heritage. Above the entrance is a stone engraved with, "Grammar School, Founded by Richard Collier AD 1532". (Historically the founder's name was often spelled as 'Collier', but from the twentieth century it has always been spelled as it is today.) The 1892 building facing Hurst Road has been extended continually as the school has expanded. This included the addition of science laboratories in 1897, a 'Great Hall' in 1912, and the 'New Block' classrooms in 1932. In the 1890s Collyer's taught 110 boys from ages 7 to 17, both
boarders ''Boarders'' is a British teen comedy-drama television series created by Daniel Lawrence Taylor, centred around the lives of five young Black teens who earn scholarships into the prestigious boarding school of St. Gilbert's. The series is develop ...
and day-schoolers, and for the first time included a sixth form to study for university entrance. From 1923 the Rev. W. M. Peacock started to model the school on public school lines, introducing (among other things) four
houses A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air condi ...
(see below), ''The Horsham Grammar School Magazine'' (later to become ''The Collyerian''), and a school song. By 1926 it was a single-stream school of 220 boys with a sixth form of "less than a dozen", and ten teaching staff.


Grammar school

Collyer's ceased to accept boarders in 1935, and the dormitories were converted into much-needed library and common-room space. Plans for adding a gymnasium and other facilities were abandoned in 1939, when the school accepted evacuees from the Mercers' School in London, and pupil numbers soared to over 400 in three streams. (The accommodation crisis was solved by building hutted classrooms, but numbers continued to rise because of the post-war '
baby boom A baby boom is a period marked by a significant increase of births. This demography, demographic phenomenon is usually an ascribed characteristic within the population of a specific nationality, nation or culture. Baby booms are caused by various ...
', and the huts were not demolished until the 1980s.) In 1944 it became a voluntary-aided
grammar school A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and other English-speaking countries, originally a Latin school, school teaching Latin, but more recently an academically oriented Se ...
, and its education was again made available free to the scholars. In the 1950s it had around 500 pupils, rising slowly to over 600 during the 1960s. In the early 1960s an Old Collyerian (OC), Dr. William W. Duckering (1861–1945) bequeathed £22,000 to the school "for its general purposes". The bequest paid for a new laboratory block, gymnasium and changing rooms in 1961, and an assembly and dining hall with theatrical stage facilities, modern kitchens attached, and a 'Small Upper Hall' above the new foyer, all completed in 1963. The new hall was named the 'Duckering Hall', and the smaller hall the 'Duckering Room'. (The final phase of building work, to be a new classroom block replacing the World War Two emergency wooden huts, was never undertaken.) Between 1960 and 1963 the playing fields were also extended, levelled, and new sports facilities were added. In 1964 a headmaster's house was built on the site, replacing the accommodation that was originally included in the 1892 school block. In the 1960s the then headmaster, Douglas Coulson, left to take up the position of headmaster at Queen Elizabeth School, Blackburn.


Sixth form college

It started its transition to become a voluntary-aided sixth form college in 1976. The other three state secondary schools in Horsham ( Forest Boys, Forest Girls and Horsham High School for Girls) became comprehensives. Collyer's had taken its last first form intake in the previous September, and started to expand its sixth form. Initially this was done by taking students from the two existing secondary moderns to do O-levels, and girls from Horsham High School who wanted to study A-level choices that were not offered by their previous school. In the early 2000s, annual reports from the
Office for Standards in Education The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted) is a non-ministerial government department, non-ministerial department of Government of the United Kingdom, His Majesty's government, reporting to Parliament of the U ...
(OFSTED) have deemed the school outstanding. Following the 2021 inspection the 2022 report dropped the headline rating to 'Good'. On the strength of a recent OFSTED Grade One for Science provision, the college was awarded '
Beacon Status Beacon Status was a progressive educational initiative that the United Kingdom implemented based on the idea that organizational learning could be advanced through a competitive process of identifying successful organizations and recruiting the ...
' for Science in 2005 by the Department for Education and Skills. In the same year, it achieved the status of
Centre of Vocational Excellence Further education (often abbreviated FE) in the United Kingdom and Ireland is additional education to that received at secondary school that is distinct from the higher education (HE) offered in universities and other academic institutions. It ...
(CoVE) for sport and recreation. A new £2 million, three storey Learning Resources Centre was unveiled during this period. In 2006 work began to extend the Sports Hall, or Cowley Building, to provide more teaching and social space.


Houses

From the 1920s the students and some teaching staff in the college have been divided into a number of different houses. All houses names are associated with the history of the college or the town. The current six houses are: *Denne – after a local area of Horsham; *Mercers' – after the
Mercers' Company The Mercers' Company, or the Worshipful Company of Mercers, is a livery company of the City of London in the Great Twelve City Livery Companies, and ranks first in the order of precedence of the Companies. Mercer comes from the Latin for merch ...
, a
livery company A livery company is a type of guild or professional association that originated in medieval times in London, England. Livery companies comprise London's ancient and modern trade associations and guilds, almost all of which are Style (form of a ...
based in
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
, a member of which founded the original school; *Pirie – After William Pirie, a previous headmaster at the college, who served for 46 years and raised standards significantly in the college. There is a small square in the town centre known as Pirie's Place, with a sculpture of Pirie in a horse-drawn cart, commemorating the achievement of the headmaster; *Richmond – After a road bordering the college; *St Leonard's – After the
forest A forest is an ecosystem characterized by a dense ecological community, community of trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, ...
to the east of Horsham; *Whittington – After a member of the Mercer's company. Former house names include Collyer's, Hurst, Garnett, Duckering, and Weald.


Headmasters

The following list of the headmasters from the school's opening until 1965 was provided in the history of the school that was published in that year. *1541–1546 Richard Brokebanke *1546–1548 Nicholas Bayne *1549–1562 John Fowler *1563–1567 Thomas Hodeles *1567–1617 James Alleyn *1617–1629 Richard Nye (OC) *1629–1631 Edmund Pierson *1631–1639 Thomas Robinson *1640–1644 Rev. John Sefton *1644–1647 Rev. Thomas Smith *1647–1648 Rev. Alma Hogglebin *1648–1684 John Nisbet *1684–1685 Rev. Peregrine Peryham *1686–1699 Rev. James Wickliffe *1699 Rev. Ralph Grove *1700–1706 Rev. Alexander Hay *1706–1712 Rev. Thomas Pittis *1712 Rev. Peter Stockar *1712–1722 Rev. John Reynell *1722–1773 Rev. Francis Osgood *1773–1806 Rev. William Jameson *1806–1821 Rev. Thomas Williams *1822–1868 William Pirie *1868–1883 Richard Cragg (the younger) *1883–1890 James Williams *1890–1917 Rev. Dr. George Thompson *1917–1922 William Major *1922–1926 Rev. Canon Wilfrid Peacock *1922–1956 Philip Tharp *1956–1964 Douglas Coulson *1964–1966 Vernon Davies (acting head) *1966–1983 (Eldred) Derek Slynn


Principals

In 1976, the title was changed from Headmaster to Principal. Since then the college's principals have been: *1983–1999 David Arnold *1999–2004 Michael Marchant *2004–2014 Dr. Jacqueline Johnston * 2014–2020 Sally Bromley * 2020–present Dan Lodge


Academic performance

After recovering from a country-wide low point in schooling in the eighteenth century, headmasters from William Pirie to George Thompson successively raised standards, such that in 1904, when the school had 110 pupils, six OCs held open awards at Oxford or Cambridge, and another was a City and Guilds scholar. By 1962, university education also having been made free to students, the school sent 55 students out of 80 leavers into higher education.


Notable alumni

:See '' :People educated at The College of Richard Collyer''.


The College of Richard Collyer

*
Alex Adair Alex Adair (born 3 March 1993) is an English DJ, producer and remixer from West Chiltington. He attended The College of Richard Collyer and Canterbury Christ Church University where he studied Creative Music Technology. He is best known for h ...
, DJ, producer and remixer *
Will Beer William Andrew Thomas Beer (born 8 October 1988) is an English cricketer. Primarily a leg break bowler, he currently plays for Sussex County Cricket Club and Horsham. He mainly plays one day cricket. Promoted from Sussex's youth academy at t ...
, first-class cricketer * Devon Endersby, first-class cricketer *
Harry Enfield Henry Richard Enfield (born 30 May 1961) is an English comedian. He is known in particular for his television work, including '' Harry Enfield's Television Programme'', '' Harry Enfield & Chums'' and '' Harry & Paul'', across which he created ...
, contemporary British entertainer *
Angie Hobbs Angela Hunter "Angie" Hobbs (born 12 June 1961) is a British philosopher and academic, who specialises in Ancient Greek philosophy and ethics. She is Professor of the Public Understanding of Philosophy at the University of Sheffield. Early lif ...
, Professor of the Public Understanding of Philosophy at the
University of Sheffield The University of Sheffield (informally Sheffield University or TUOS) is a public university, public research university in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. Its history traces back to the foundation of Sheffield Medical School in 1828, Fir ...
*
Chris Nash Christopher David Nash (born 19 May 1983) is a retired English cricketer who represented Sussex and Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club in an 18-year professional career. He also played first-class cricket for Loughborough UCCE in 2003 and 200 ...
, Sussex cricketer *
Hannah Stewart Hannah Stewart is a sculptor from Horsham, in West Sussex, England. She attended Collyer's from 1992 to 1994. After that she studied a foundation course in conservation and restoration at the Lincoln College of Art while it was the "Schoo ...
, Sculptor *
Holly Willoughby Holly Marie Willoughby ( ; born 10 February 1981) is an English television presenter, author and model. She has presented various television shows for ITV, most notably '' This Morning'' (2009–2023) and '' Dancing on Ice'' (2006–2011, 201 ...
, TV presenter


Collyer's School

* Chris Aldridge, continuity announcer and newsreader for
BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. The station replaced the BBC Home Service on 30 September 1967 and broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes from the BBC's headquarters at Broadcasti ...
* Wilfred Brown,
tenor A tenor is a type of male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. Composers typically write music for this voice in the range from the second B below m ...
* William Brown, president from 1951 to 1952 of the
British Psychological Society The British Psychological Society (BPS) is a representative body for psychologists and psychology in the United Kingdom. History It was founded on 24 October 1901 at University College London (UCL) as ''The Psychological Society'', the org ...
, and director from 1936 to 1945 of the Institute of Experimental Psychology at
Oxford University The University of Oxford is a collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the second-oldest continuously operating u ...
* David Cummings, screenwriter and musician *Saint
Thomas Garnet Thomas Garnet, SJ (9 November 1575 – 23 June 1608) was an English Jesuit priest who was executed in London during the English Reformation. He is the protomartyr (i.e., the first martyr associated with a place) of Saint Omer and of Stony ...
(c.1575–1608),
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priest and martyr *
Anthony Harnden Anthony Harnden is the Chair of thMedicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency(MHRA). He is a professor of primary care at the University of Oxford and until December 2024 was a registrant council member othe General Medical Council(GMC) an ...
, Professor of Primary Care at
Oxford University The University of Oxford is a collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the second-oldest continuously operating u ...
, Deputy Chair of the JCVI since 2015, and
Ig Nobel Prize The Ig Nobel Prize () is a satirical prize awarded annually since 1991 to promote public engagement with scientific research. Its aim is to "honor achievements that first make people laugh, and then make them think." The name of the award is a ...
-winner in 2020 * Simon Henley, former
Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...
rear admiral, and former President of the
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2018–19 *
Neil Lyndon Neil Alexander Lyndon (born Neil Alexander Barnacle; 12 September 1946) is a British journalist and writer. He has written for ''The Sunday Times'', ''The Times'', ''The Independent'', the ''Evening Standard'' the ''Daily Mail'' and the ''Tele ...
, author and journalistMy #metoo story shows that men are the victims as well as the culprits
/ref> *
Simon Nye Simon Nye (born 29 July 1958) is an English screenwriter, best known for television comedy. He wrote the hit British sitcom, sitcom ''Men Behaving Badly'', and all of the four ITV Pantos. He co-wrote the 2006 film ''Flushed Away'', created an ad ...
, writer of ''
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'' * Paul Parker,
Sussex Sussex (Help:IPA/English, /ˈsʌsɪks/; from the Old English ''Sūþseaxe''; lit. 'South Saxons'; 'Sussex') is an area within South East England that was historically a kingdom of Sussex, kingdom and, later, a Historic counties of England, ...
cricketer *Lt.-Col. George Styles GC, commanded the 28th Commonwealth Brigade's Ordnance Field Park Regiment from 1958 to 1961, and
bomb disposal Bomb disposal is an explosives engineering profession using the process by which hazardous explosive devices are disabled or otherwise rendered safe. ''Bomb disposal'' is an all-encompassing term to describe the separate, but interrelated fun ...
expert in
Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...
in the 1970s * Rajesh Thakker FRS, Professor of Medicine at
Oxford University The University of Oxford is a collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the second-oldest continuously operating u ...
*
Eric Thompson Eric Norman Thompson (9 November 1929 – 30 November 1982) was an English actor, scriptwriter and stage director. He is best remembered for creating and performing the English narration for ''The Magic Roundabout'', which he adapted from ...
, actor, and voice of ''
The Magic Roundabout ''The Magic Roundabout'' is an English-language children's programme that ran on BBC Television from 1965 to 1977. It used the footage of the French stop motion animation show '' Le Manège enchanté'' but with completely different scripts a ...
'' * David Westwood, Chief Constable from 1999 to 2005 of
Humberside Police Humberside Police is the territorial police force responsible for policing the East Riding of Yorkshire, including Kingston upon Hull, and northern parts of Lincolnshire, including Grimsby and Scunthorpe. History Humberside Police was created ...


References


External links


The College of Richard CollyerThe Old Collyerians' Association
(the association for
alumni Alumni (: alumnus () or alumna ()) are former students or graduates of a school, college, or university. The feminine plural alumnae is sometimes used for groups of women, and alums (: alum) or alumns (: alumn) as gender-neutral alternatives. Th ...
)
Press release announcing 2005 OFSTED school inspection resultsThe Mercers' Company
of English Heritage's Grade II listing
Edubase
{{DEFAULTSORT:College of Richard Collyer Horsham Educational institutions established in the 1530s Sixth form colleges in West Sussex Learning and Skills Beacons 1532 establishments in England