Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference


The Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference, formerly known as the Headmasters' Conference and now branded HMC , is an association of the head teachers of 351 private fee-charging schools, traditionally described as public schools. 302 members are based in the United Kingdom, Crown dependencies and Ireland. There are 72 international members and also 28 associate or affiliate members who are head teachers of state schools or other influential individuals in the world of education, who endorse and support the work of HMC.
WWW Official Site𝕏 hmc_org

History

The Conference dates from 1869 when Edward Thring, Headmaster of Uppingham School, asked sixty of his fellow headmasters to meet at his house to consider the formation of a "School Society and Annual Conference". Fourteen accepted the invitation, and twelve were present for the whole of the initial meeting: Edward Thring, George Blore, Albert Wratislaw, John Mitchinson, William Grignon, Robert Sanderson, George Butler, Augustus Jessopp, William Wood, Steuart Pears, T. H. Stokoe, Daniel Harper, and James Welldon. John Dyne attended on the second day, and Alfred Carver did not turn up. From that date there have been annual meetings.
Until the 1970s, membership was confined to 200 schools.
In 1996, the association changed its name from the "Headmasters' Conference" to the "Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference". In 2023, the name was changed to HMC.
Membership of the HMC is often considered to be what defines a school as a public school in England and Wales. Not all independent schools are in the HMC; in particular, many notable girls' schools are not members, partly because historically the HMC was for boys' schools only. In 2005, the association opened membership to heads of girls-only schools.
Today HMC's membership includes boys', girls' and co-educational schools.

List of HMC member schools in The United Kingdom

The following are the member schools, listed with their Head. In some schools other titles are used, such as "Head Master", "High Master", "Warden", "Rector" and "Principal".
An up-to-date list of schools whose Heads are members of HMC can be found on the association's website.

England

Scotland

Wales

Northern Ireland

Guernsey

Jersey

Isle of Man

International members

Africa

Asia

Australia and New Zealand

Central, North and South America

Continental Europe

Middle East

Associates

Former Members

HMC Projects in Central and Eastern Europe

HMC Projects in Central and Eastern Europe is a charity offering opportunities for students and young teachers from Central and Eastern Europe to develop themselves, by coming to HMC member schools in the UK for a year.

Chairs of the HMC

Chairmen of the Headmasters' Conference

The following are the Chairmen of the HMC until 1996.

Chairs of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference

The following are the Chairs of the HMC after 1996.
<*> Change to Academic Year Chairmanship

Chairs of the HMC Committee

The following were Chairmen of the HMC Committee in the early years of the Conference.
In these years they served alongside the Chairman of the Conference until, in 1921, it was agreed that the Chairman of the Annual Meeting should always also be Chairman of the HMC Committee.