Liverpool College
Liverpool College is a coeducational day and boarding school in Mossley Hill, Liverpool, England. It was one of the thirteen founding members of the Headmasters' Conference.
History
Liverpool College was the first of many public schools founded in the Victorian Era. The foundation stone of the original building was laid on 22 October 1840 by The Rt. Hon. Lord Stanley, M.P., the first patron of the college. A group of Christian Liverpool citizens, many of whose names are now famous in the annals of the city, then began the building of a school where education might be combined with 'sound religious knowledge'. The original building in Shaw Street is in the so-called Tudor-Gothic style. It was designed by Mr. Harvey Lonsdale Elmes, and was erected at a cost of £35,000.The college was opened on 6 January 1843 by the Right Hon. William Ewart Gladstone and the same distinguished son of Liverpool showed his interest in the college by delivering a second great speech in the hall on founders' day in 1857. The College consisted of three institutions – Upper, Middle and Lower Schools. While these schools were under the control of one and the same Principal, they were kept entirely separate. The Lower, or Commercial School, was intended for boys who were to go into business houses at an early age. The Middle School combined literary and scientific training, with special attention to modern languages for boys leaving for business or the professions. The Upper School was a first grade public school with leaving exhibitions for Oxford and Cambridge. Though the schools were distinct in theory and fact, the foundation was unique, in that the Principal was empowered to nominate a certain number of promising boys for entrance to a higher school on the terms of the lower.
The Liverpool College for Girls at Grove Street was established in 1856. The Liverpool College for Girls, Huyton, or Huyton College as it was popularly known, was started in 1894 and intended to be parallel to the Boys Upper School. The Liverpool College Preparatory School at Fairfield was also founded in 1898. The Council of Liverpool College was therefore one of the most important governing bodies in the kingdom, with 6 schools under its control.
Liverpool College has occupied three sites since its foundation in 1840, unusual for a public school. The Upper School of what was then officially called 'Liverpool Collegiate', was moved from Shaw Street to Lodge Lane, Sefton Park in 1884 through the efforts of Rev. Selwyn. The erection of new school buildings started in 1887 and were completed in 1890. The first instance of a site in Mossley Hill occurred in 1896 where several acres were purchased as playing fields with the present pavilion being built in 1905. All ties with the Original building were severed in 1907 when it was sold to the Liverpool Corporation, and the masters and boys of the Middle and Lower schools remained to form the Liverpool Collegiate School. From 1917 to 1936 more land and buildings were purchased at the Site in Mossley Hill. The Junior wing was opened by Lord Stanley and the foundation stone of St.Peter's chapel was laid by Mr. H. Sutton Timmis, Chairman of the governors.
The college has held land on the present 26 acre site since 1896. In 1993 the Liverpool College for Girls, Huyton or Huyton College merged with Liverpool College to become a coeducational day school.The school is situated in Mossley Hill on North Mossley Hill Road and backing onto Queens Drive. Facilities on site include a fully equipped gymnasium and relaxation centre as well as AstroTurf courts and a Combined Cadet Force centre. It had been decided to proceed with plans to concentrate the whole school in what is currently the Lower School site, in a series of projects to construct newer and more up-to-date buildings. However, due to having planning permission rejected and also the financial situation, these plans were shelved indefinitely and instead a gradual programme of wholesale refurbishment of the school began in 2009.
In 2010 boarding began to return to the school and In September 2013 the school formally became an Academy, an independent school that is funded by central government, and therefore non-fee paying.
Boarding and international school
In September 2010, Liverpool College became a boarding school once again. As a consequence, the college extended its provision to include international students. However, when the school became an academy in 2013, boarding places at the school were now only available for UK and EU nationals. The school has become, therefore, one of the few state boarding schools in England.For a short time "Liverpool College International" was a legally separate fee-paying international school located on the Liverpool College campus which was primarily for international students. The international school was set in its own buildings at the campus, but leased some of College's facilities.
Liverpool College International was merged into the boarding program of Liverpool College in 2017
Today Liverpool College retains its boarding programme and has expanded it in 2020, with students available to board from year 7 up to year 13. it remains one of the few state boarding schools in the England.
The boarding house is currently based in Beechlands, a renovated Victorian house on the college campus, The building was previously the music department and before that was the onsite home and office of previous principals and their Family.
School structure
Liverpool College is divided into two phases and comprises five distinct schools, with the principal serving as the overall leader of the College. Since 2019 all areas of the college share the same house structure.Primary phase (Pre-Prep and Preparatory Schools)
The primary phase of Liverpool College, from the ages of 4-11, is Located in the Liverpool College Pre-Prep and Prep School, created in 1898. The Prep currently occupies buildings on the Mossley Vale side of the campus site. Previously the Pre-Prep Occupied Godywn House, formerly the boarding house. In 2019 a New Pre-Prep building was built attached to the Preparatory School building, with Godwyn becoming the Sixth Form, and Music building. The Nursey phase was removed following the move to the new building with the Pre-Prep starting in Reception. This same year the Prep and Pre-Prep where combined under one Head of Primary, replacing the Previous posts of Head of the Preparatory School and Head of Pre-Prep. Pupils sit their SATs at the end of Primary.The Head of Primary oversees the Prep and Pre-Prep and is one of the Vice Principals of Liverpool College.
Since 2019 The Prep and Pre-Prep use the same houses has the rest of the College replacing the separate houses that where used previously.
Secondary Phase (Middle & Upper Schools and Sixth Form)
The Secondary phase of Liverpool College comprises the Senior School and the Sixth Form. The Senior School is the largest part of the College, which is further split between the Middle School and Upper School. It is housed in buildings across the Colleges' campus. Pupils undertake GCSE Examinations at the End of the Senior School.The Sixth Form is based in Godywn House, a 19th Century Mansion on the College Campus, it was previously home to the Boarding House and Pre-Prep, Before this the Sixth Form was based in the Gladstone Villa another 19th Century mansion on the College site. Students sit their A-level examinations at the end of Sixth Form.
The Head of Secondary oversees the Senior School and Sixth Form and is one of the Vice Principals of Liverpool College, they are assisted by an Assistant Principal who is the Head of Sixth Form.
Buildings and grounds
The College is situated on a site that comprises historical and modern buildings.1800s
The oldest of the Buildings on the campus date from the 1840's and consist of Godywn House, currently used as the Sixth Form building, but previously being home to the Pre-Prep prior to that was the boarding house known as School House, before coming under the ownership of the college Godwyn House was owned by Thomas Howarth Registrar of Liverpool County Court. Beechlands, The current boarding house of the school, which was formerly used as the Music Department prior to its renovation in 2019, before this, from 1957 it was the residence of the Principal of Liverpool College during their tenure. Mossley Vale House, The current Art building of the college and was historically used as the Junior boarding house. Gladstone Villa originally called Besford Grange before being renamed after Founder and Former Prime Minister William Ewart Gladstone, it was used as a Sixth Form area until 2019. Finally Conybeare which was renamed after the school took ownership of the original property, it is currently the College's administrative building and houses the Principals office.1900s
The 1900s saw a number of buildings constructed expanding the colleges site. the College's Pavilion known as the Cranston Pavilion was constructed in 1905 following the College's acquisition of the playing fields in 1894. In 1929 the College's lower school building also known as the Junior Wing was constructed, it now houses the Preparatory School. The College's chapel the Chapel of St. Peter was constructed in 1934 in a 1930s modern style and was dedicated to St Peter in 1935, it currently houses the College's Organ, as well as the War memorial boards of the Students of the College who died in combat during World War I and World War II. The 1950s saw two additions to college site, including Sutton Timmis Hall, built onto the Lower School which was used as the school's theatre until the construction of the MV Building, and the Dining Hall which finished construction in 1957, was built originally out of timber for the cost of £29,025, since then it has gone under a modern refurbishment.Other developments from this century include Collison, named after L. H. Collison, which is connected to Conybare and Gladstone, The Haygarth Centre, named for R. V. Haygarth former Principal, Now commonly known as the Imagineering Block houses the College's IT and Design facilities as well as the College's Sports Hall which was opened by Anne, Princess Royal. As well as the Holland and Glazebrook blocks situated near Gladstone, and the Science Block, located behind the Dining Hall.