Combermere School is a school in

Barbados Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies, in the Caribbean region of the Americas, and the most easterly of the Caribbean Islands. It occupies an area of and has a population of about 287,000 (2019 estimate ...

, notable as one of the oldest schools in the Caribbean, established in 1695. Its alumni include several leading cricketers, David Thompson, sixth prime minister of Barbados and other politicians, several authors and the singer

Rihanna Robyn Rihanna Fenty ( ; born February 20, 1988) is a Barbadian singer, actress, and businesswoman. Born in Saint Michael and raised in Bridgetown, Barbados, Rihanna auditioned for American record producer Evan Rogers who invited her to t ...

. In its first 75 years, the school "provided the Barbadian community with the vast bulk of its business leaders and civil servants " and it is "perhaps the first school anywhere to offer secondary education to black children".

History

The school was initially established in 1695 as the Drax Parish School, under the 1682 will of plantation owner Colonel Henry Drax (great-uncle of the Whig politician Henry Drax), who had left 200 pounds sterling for the establishment and endowment of a "free school or Colledge" "to continue forever". The executors not having acted in a timely manner, the parish authorities eventually did. The oldest secondary school on Barbados and one of the oldest schools in the Caribbean, it underwent several name changes and relocations before settling, withn the Parish of St Michael, at Waterford on the outskirts of the capital of Barbados,

Bridgetown Bridgetown (UN/LOCODE: BB BGI) is the capital and largest city of Barbados. Formerly The Town of Saint Michael, the Greater Bridgetown area is located within the parish of Saint Michael. Bridgetown is sometimes locally referred to as "The Cit ...

, in 1819. The school, named after a colonial governor of Barbados,

Stapleton Cotton, 1st Viscount Combermere Field Marshal Stapleton Cotton, 1st Viscount Combermere (14 November 1773 – 21 February 1865), was a British Army officer, diplomat and politician. As a junior officer he took part in the Flanders Campaign, in the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War and ...

, bears tribute to some of the school forefathers through the naming of areas such as the Drax Square, the De Vere Moore Gardens, and the Major Noot Hall. It was the first school to offer secondary education to poorer coloured students on the island. Having started as a co-educational institution, it returned to a mixed approach in the 1970s, eventually reaching a gender ratio of around 50%. In 1995, Barbados issued a set of postage stamps commemorating the school's 300 years. In 2016, the school was closed due to environmental concerns. The remediation efforts were slowed by alleged sabotage, but the school eventually reopened in 2017.

Staff and structure

Combermere is led by a principal, assisted by a deputy principal; there are also six year heads for first form through to the upper sixth. There are over 70 staff in total, including a guidance counsellor.

Departments and subjects

The school has 12 departments, each headed by a senior teacher. The departments are: chemistry, mathematics, geography/social studies and environmental science, physics, biology and home economics, English, music and fine arts, physical education, technical and vocational studies, history, foreign languages, and business studies. There are dedicated labs and rooms for chemistry, biology, geography, physics, languages, music, computer science, and food and nutrition. The school has a pavilion equipped with a gym and changing rooms. There are two playing fields, a cricket pitch, shooting range, basketball/netball and tennis/volleyball courts. Also included on the premises are a library and an auditorium — the Major Noot Hall — and it one of the few secondary schools on Barbados, if not the only one, with a meteorological station. Combermere offers a music programme. It is also home to the Number 3 Cadet Company.

Notable alumni

Carlos Brathwaite Carlos Ricardo Brathwaite (born 18 July 1988) is a cricketer from Barbados and a former captain of the West Indies Twenty20 International (T20I) team. International career Brathwaite made his T20I debut for the West Indies against Bangladesh on ...

– current West Indian cricketer, unrelated to Kraigg *

Kraigg Brathwaite Kraigg Clairmonte Brathwaite (born 1 December 1992) is a Barbadian cricketer who captains the West Indies in Test cricket. He bats right-handed and occasionally bowls right arm off break. On 6 November 2011, he became only the second West India ...

– current West Indian cricketer, unrelated to Carlos *

Ron Buckmire Ron Buckmire (born 1968) is a Grenadian-born mathematician, former chess champion of Barbados and LGBT activist. He is the past chair of the Occidental College Department of Mathematics. Starting in August 2018, he served as the Associate Dean ...

– mathematician and LGBT activist * Austin Clarke – Commonwealth award-winning author *

Frank Collymore Frank Appleton Collymore Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, MBE (7 January 1893 – 17 July 1980) was a Barbados, Barbadian literary editor, writer, poet, stage performer and painter. His nickname was "Barbadian Man of the ...

– author, editor, and artist * Sir Wesley Winfield Hall – former Barbadian, West Indian

cricketer 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 ...

, Chairman of the West Indies Board of Control, Minister for Sports and Tourism *

Kerryann Ifill Kerryann F. Ifill (born 20 December 1973)"Alumnus of the month: July 2 ...

– first blind graduate of the

University of the West Indies The University of the West Indies (UWI), originally University College of the West Indies, is a public university system established to serve the higher education needs of the residents of 17 English-speaking countries and territories in t ...

, President of the

Senate of Barbados The Senate of Barbados is the upper house of the bicameral Parliament of Barbados. The Senate is accorded legitimacy by Chapter V of the Constitution of Barbados. It is the smaller of the two chambers. The Senate was established in 1964 to r ...

since 2012 * Chris Jordan - current English cricketer * Anthony Kellman – poet, novelist and musician *

George Lamming George William Lamming OCC (8 June 19274 June 2022) was a Barbadian novelist, essayist, and poet. He first won critical acclaim for '' In the Castle of My Skin'', his 1953 debut novel. He also held academic posts, including as a distinguished ...

– author and public intellectual * Frank Marshall – former Anglican

Dean of Barbados Dean may refer to: People * Dean (given name) * Dean (surname), a surname of Anglo-Saxon English origin * Dean (South Korean singer), a stage name for singer Kwon Hyuk * Dean Delannoit, a Belgian singer most known by the mononym Dean Titles ...

, based at the

Cathedral Church of Saint Michael and All Angels The Cathedral Church of Saint Michael and All Angels (formerly St. Michael's Parish Church), is an Anglican church located on St. Michael's Row, two blocks east of National Heroes Square; at the centre of Bridgetown, Barbados. The Cathedral is ...

(Robyn Rihanna Fenty) – recording artist * Keith A. P. Sandiford – social historian * Owen Alik Shahadah – African historian,

filmmaker Filmmaking (film production) is the process by which a motion picture is produced. Filmmaking involves a number of complex and discrete stages, starting with an initial story, idea, or commission. It then continues through screenwriting, castin ...

- ''

500 Years Later ''500 Years Later'' ( ') is a 2005 independent documentary film directed by Owen 'Alik Shahadah and written by M. K. Asante, Jr. It has won five international film festival awards in the category of Best Documentary, including the UNESCO "Brea ...

'' *

Charles Skeete Charles A. "Charlie" Skeete (c. 1938 – December 9, 2017) was a Barbadian economist and diplomat. He served as Barbados' Ambassador to the United States from 1981 to 1983 and Permanent Representative of Barbados to the Organization of American St ...

– economist and former

Ambassador to the United States The following table lists ambassador An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident repre ...

(1981–1983) * Arturo Tappin – saxophonist * The Hon. David J. H Thompson – sixth

Prime Minister of Barbados The prime minister of Barbados is the head of government of Barbados. The prime minister is appointed by the president under the terms of the Constitution. As the nominal holder of executive authority, the president holds responsibility for c ...

* Sir Clyde Walcott, KA, GCM – former West Indies cricketer, former Chairman of the International Cricket Council * Arden Warner, particle physicist, inventor and Barbadian Golden Jubilee awardee *

Jomel Warrican Jomel Andrel Warrican (born 20 May 1992) is a West Indian cricketer. He is a slow left-arm orthodox Bowling (cricket), bowler and a right-handed tail-end Batting (cricket), batsman. In September 2015 he was named in the Test cricket, Test squad ...

– current West Indian cricketer * Sir Frank Worrell – former West Indies batsman and captain * Right Excellent Errol Barrow, PC, QC, LLD -First Prime Minister of Barbados

References

External links