Diocesan College
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| Diocesan College (Bishops) |
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| Motto | Pro Fide Et Patria |
| Established | 1849 |
| Type | All-Boys Private High School |
| Affiliation | Anglican, HMC, ISASA |
| Headmaster | Mr Grant Nupen |
| Founder | Bishop Robert Gray D.D. |
| Students | 1300 |
| Grades | PreK - 13 |
| Location | Camp Ground Road, Rondebosch, 7700 Cape Town, South Africa |
| Colours | Navy and light Blue |
| Fees | R 52 440 (tuition) R 91 550 (boarding) |
| Website | www.bishops.org.za |
The Diocesan College, or Bishops as it is more commonly known, is a private, all-boys school situated in the leafy suburb of Rondebosch in Cape Town, South Africa. It consists of three schools: the College for grades 8 – 12 and post matric (an optional year following grade 12 which covers the A-levels); the Preparatory School for grades 4 – 7 and the Pre-Preparatory School for Pre-Kindergarten – grade 3.
The sprawling school grounds and unique architectural style make it one of the country's most beautiful places of study. Established in 1849, it is the fifth-oldest existing school on record in Africa. [1] Bishops has established a reputation that extends from some of the most famous sporting traditions in South Africa to producing matriculants with top marks in their final exams. It is also a member of the Elite Seven, a name given to a group of seven highly-affluent private schools in South Africa.
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[edit] Structure
The institution is divided into three different schools. Each functions largely independently of the others; but at the same time facilities are often shared. The College is situated in Campground Road at the main campus, and a small portion of this land is used for the Pre-Preparatory School. The Preparatory School is situated in Fir Road, Rondebosch.
The principal of the Diocesan College is Mr Grant Nupen, who also functions as the headmaster of the Senior School. Mr Midge Hilton-Green is the headmaster of the Preparatory School and Noell Andrews is Head of Department for the Pre-Preparatory School.
The College has eight houses: Birt, Gray, Kidd, Mallett and Ogilvie for day-scholars, who may leave school after they have fulfilled their commitments. Founders, School and White are the boarding houses. Each house has about 70 – 100 students, who are looked after by a housemaster, who have one or two deputies. Tutors work in each house, and follow the progress of a student throughout his high-school career.
The Preparatory School follows a similar structure with four houses: Van der Bijl (for boarders), Bramley, Brooke and Charlton.
[edit] History
The Collegiate of the Diocese of Cape Town (hence the name Diocesan College) was founded by Bishop Robert Gray, the first Anglican bishop of Cape Town , in 1849 at his house, Bishopscourt in Cape Town. [2] He founded two schools there, one of which was described as for the "Native children" and the other for "European children" (this being the current school). Living with schools was hard for the bishop and this led him to establish the schools elsewhere. The black children moved to accommodation near the city, where Zonnebloem College now is. This movement left the bishop short of money and so he bought an unproductive farm in Campground Road, Rondebosch, to which the school was moved and on which it remains.
The school did not prosper until Canon George Ogilvie arrived from prosperous St. George's Grammar School, attached to St George's Cathedral in the city. The canon brought some boys with him and the bishop's school flourished. It then became the Diocesan College, but that too was a mouthful and it was generally referred to as the Bishop's school – hence its nickname.
Originally the school catered mainly for boarders, but since the 1970's it has had more day scholars than boarders. For some years it ran university classes, but in 1910 those classes left for the South African College, which was later to become the University of Cape Town.
The school had only three principals between 1919 and 1982 – Harold Birt, Hubert Kidd, the first layman to be the principal, and Anthony Mallett. Since then it has had three more. Mr Grant Nupen is the current headmaster.
Since 1921, a post matric year has offered students the opportunity to write the University of Cambridge A-Level examinations. In recent times, girls have been admitted to this year. Boarding facilities are also available.
[edit] Academics
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The school takes pride upon the standard of its academics. Leavers write the Western Cape Education Department examinations; this is different from other comparable private schools whose pupils write the Independent Examinations Board (IEB) exams. Post matric students (of which there are few) can write three A-levels. The pupil-teacher ratio is 15:1.[citation needed]
- School Scholarships
Furthermore, the College offers scholarships to new students as well as an organ scholarship to a post matric student. These include:
- The Bishops Scholarship for all-rounders
- The Theron Scholarship for academic excellence
- Major and Minor Scholarships for academic excellence
- The Claude Brown Organ Scholarship is for boys or girls who are organists and who wish to enter a post matric year at the College. They are expected to contribute to the active musical life of the College chapels, and act as assistant organist to the Director of Music.
In addition to excellence scholarships, the school also awards bursaries. These include:
- Bursaries for the sons of Old Diocesans, so that needy students can attend the school.
- Bursaries and remissions so that diversity targets can be met.
- A two-thirds remission for sons of the Anglican clergy.
- Rhodes Scholarship
Bishops is one of only four schools in the world to offer an annual Rhodes scholarship since 1901 to an ex-pupil to attend the University of Oxford. This is a result of the school having been part of the initial Rhodes Scholarship Experiment. When approached to help formulate the plan for the scholarship, Bishops was suggested by Mr Ernest Kilpin (later Sir Ernest, after he was knighted for services to the Union of South Africa) as a suitable school for the experiment and Cecil Rhodes agreed. Like Bishops' founder Robert Gray, he mistrusted purely secular education.[3]
[edit] Uniform and Awards
Bishops has two standard uniforms: Number 1's and Khakis. Number 1's are worn on formal occasions, and comprise of blazer, black pants, white shirt and tie. Khakis comprises a khaki shirt, shorts and socks. Scholars in Grade 11 & 12 can choose to wear the white shirt with their khaki shorts.
- Ties
Bishops is known for its students wearing an array of ties. Preparatory students may only wear a standard-issue tie. The College students have a different regulation tie, and each house has its own tie. Various ties are awarded, such as an Academic Tie (for a student who has achieved an aggregate of 75% thrice), an All-Rounders Tie (works on a points-system) or the Distinction Tie (for an exceptional achievement). College Prefects have their own tie, as do all members of the vote-in societies (Forum and Ten-Club), members of the Students Representative Forum and those part of the Public Relations Group. Ties are also awarded for service or for attending the school for thirteen years. Special ties (such as tour or exchange ties) may be worn on Fridays. The OD's have their own tie.
- Colours
Excellence in sporting and cultural activities is recognised through the awarding of colours. Every representative sport or activity has such an award. Initially a boy is awarded half colours, which is a small embroiled badge to be sewn under the mitre on his blazer. This badge has on it the initials of the sporting or cultural activity the boy was awarded the colours for (such as Sq.C. for Squash).
If further excellence is achieved, the boy can then be awarded full colours. This is represented by another small badge sewn next to the previous badge, with the letters DC on it. A boy awarded full colours is entitled to wear the Colours jersey in place of a normal school jersey. This jersey is white and has the dark and light blue of the cadet and academic jerseys in its collar.
- Jerseys
The academic equivalent to full colours is the Academic jersey. A prestigious award, students are required to achieve an aggregate over 85% in 3 exam sessions for students in Grade 10-12 and 90% for boys in Grade 8 & 9. At present there are only a handful of boys in the College who are entitled to wear this jersey. The jersey is a dark blue, with a white and light blue collar.
[edit] Sport
Sport is an integral part of any the school, and is compulsory for all students. Bishops was the first school in South Africa to start playing rugby [4], and the main Piley Rees field is the oldest rugby field in South Africa. The school offers a multitude of sports; but the focus is on rugby and cricket.
Over 20 sports matches are played on a weekly basis against schools in and around Cape Town. Many friendly rivalries have emerged, most notably against the nearby South African College School (SACS), and Rondebosch Boys' High School.
Beginning in 1892, the annual Bishops versus SACS rugby match is considered the oldest in Africa, although the keenest rivalry is often considered to be against Rondebosch Boys' High School. A match against Rondebosch is played twice per year in every sport.
The school has been heavily criticized within the community for refusing to allow soccer to be played. Despite publicly claiming to be prepared to endorse it when there is enough support [1], the school has refused to take any action. Rugby is compulsory during the preparatory years.
[edit] Culture
A considerable emphasis is given to culture and the arts at this school. Many cultural events are regularly held – the annual Bishops Eisteddfod being the most important. This involves the eight houses competing against each other after the mid-year exams for the Eisteddfod Owls (a symbolic prize for winning a specific category of the Eisteddfod). There are prizes (owls) for the categories of Speech, Performance (i.e. drama and movement), Music, Visual Arts and Inter-House Singing. There is a bigger owl for the overall winners, known as the Eisteddfod Owl. Birt House won this competition in 2006.
Bishops also holds the Bishops Classic Pops every three years in the Cape Town City Hall. The school has an active Music Department which is extremely well-equipped (including a computer sound laboratory and recording studio). The school is perhaps unique in South Africa by benefiting from two very fine organs (and a smaller chamber organ) in its chapels. In addition, the Music Department has launched three new CDs: Choral Vespers (a recording of the traditional evening service), Tour to Russia (a compilation of repertoire taken to Russia by the Choir and Brass Band in April 2006) and Composers of Bishops (a compilation of compositions by Bishops boys over the past four years).
The school has over twenty active societies which meet regularly during the year. The Debating Society, for example, has often won the Western Cape Provincial Debating tournament and has a history of producing national and international debaters. It hosted the World Individual Debating and Public Speaking Championships in 2007.
Societies meet in the evenings at least twice per term. Some have speakers of contemporary interest, whilst others tend to engage in a specific activity. Most societies are open to all boys at the college; however, the Ten-Club is by invitation only and which is comprised of the top 5 academic scholars in Grade 11 and 5 scholars who are voted in by the outgoing Ten Club. The Forum Society is also by invitation only and invites high-profile speakers, who deal with current and stimulating topics.
[edit] Religion
Being an Anglican Christian school, the school has strong Christian values, and maintains strong links with the Diocese of Cape Town. Chapel services held three times a week and once a term Evensong takes place. This represents a considerable adjustment in emphasis, since in the 1990s, services were held every day, with evensongs on Thursday and Sunday evenings. The school chaplain is the Reverend Martin Coomer. The College has two chapels, both central to life at Bishops. The older and smaller Brooke Chapel is used for more intimate services, while the bigger War Memorial Chapel was built in memory of the Bishops boys who died in service in World War I and is used for daily and Sunday services.
[edit] Activities Week
Activities Week is a week in which all the boys, after their November exams, participate in a camp - usually between 4 to 7 days long. Each grade (with the exception of Grade 12) have their own "set" of camps from which they can choose from. Activities range from going on the Orange River to skydiving and hiking. The aim of these camps are to get boys out of their comfort zone so that they can learn important life skills.
[edit] Three Pillar Plan
The Three Pillar Plan is to raise capital and invest the funds to generate interest and build the Bishops of the future. The three 'pillars' of the plan are: People, Projects and Programmes. Each pillar is to be supported by donors who are either Old Diocesans, current parents or friends of the school.
People: The most significant and important pillar is the People. The aim of this pillar is to increase the number of scholarships and bursaries - currently totaling R1.5million per annum - awarded to scholars. Another goal of the pillar is to attract the best of the best teachers to the College and to enhance general development of current teachers.
Projects: The aim of the Project pillar is to refurbish existing buildings as well as build new ones. Buildings that have been identified for refurbishment are the Mallett Centre and Staff housing. The creation of a new hockey pavilion, lecture theater and classrooms have also been identified as goals to achieve.
Programmes: The Bishops' General Endowment Fund is carefully invested to generate an annual income. This is used to guarantee a steady income for the school over a long term. However this Fund is tiny compared with other schools like Eton College (R2.230b); Harvard (R1.430b) and Boston College (R700m). The aim is to increase the fund by R10m by 2020.
[edit] Miscellaneous
The school slogan Inspires Individuals reflects the school's commitment to this goal, which it seeks to achieve by providing, inter alia, up-to-date computer equipment, music and drama departments and a wide variety of subjects. Bishops participates in many outreach programs such as the LEAP program. These programs get the students involved in teaching other students from underprivileged schools skills such as computer-literacy and chess.
[edit] Old Diocesans
The Old Diocesans' (OD) Union is one of the most active alumni clubs in the country, with membership spanning the globe. The president of the Union is Mr J Arenhold. Former students and staff may join for a once-off membership fee; reunions are often held and correspondence between members is kept up.
[edit] Notable alumni
- Stuart Abbott, Harlequin and England rugby footballer
- Raymond Ackerman (1948), founder of the Pick 'n Pay supermarket chain
- Selborne Boome, former Stormers and Springbok rugby footballer
- Robbie Fleck, former Springbok rugby footballer
- Herschelle Gibbs (1992), South African cricketer
- John Hawks, bass guitarist for Freshlyground
- Craig Howie, President of the Supreme Court of Appeal
- Adrian Kuiper, former South African cricketer
- Hal Luscombe, Harlequin and Welsh rugby footballer
- Vuyani Ngalwana, pension funds adjudicator
- Tim Noakes, professor of exercise and sports science at the University of Cape Town
- Julian Ogilvie Thompson, former chairman of De Beers and Anglo American
- Gareth Penny, managing director of the De Beers group
- Gavin Relly, former chairman of Anglo American
- James Selfe, a Democratic Alliance MP
- Mark Shuttleworth, entrepreneur, astronaut and Linux developer
- Vice Admiral Ronald Simpson-Anderson, chief of the South African Navy from 1994-2000
- Hilary Squires, retired South African judge
- P. K. van der Byl, Rhodesian politician
- Daniel Vickerman, Waratahs and former Australian rugby footballer
- Fraser Waters, centre for the London Wasps
[edit] Memberships
- Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference
- Independent Schools Association of Southern Africa (ISASA)
- International Boys School Coalition
- Elite Seven
[edit] External links
[edit] References
- ^ Africa Almanac: Africa's 50 Oldest Schools.
- ^ Robert Gray: First Bishop of Cape Town. Retrieved on August 25, 2006.
- ^ Donald McIntyre. A Century of Bishops. Cape Town and Johannesburg: Juta and co. Ltd.
- ^ http://www.community-rugby.com/communityrugby/index.cfm/fuseaction/Home.Download_Counter/downloadId/129/filename/rugby%20at%20bishops.pdf
Categories: Articles with unsourced statements since February 2007 | All articles with unsourced statements | Anglican schools in South Africa | Boarding schools in South Africa | Cape Town | Educational institutions established in 1849 | Members of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference | Private schools in the Western Cape
