132-614: University College School , also known as UCS , is a private day school in Frognal , Hampstead , London, England. The school was founded in 1830 by University College London and inherited many of that institution's progressive and secular views. The UCS Hampstead Foundation is composed of four main entities: UCS is a member of the Eton Group of twelve independent schools and the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference . It has ties with
264-433: A Strategy for Sustainable UCL 2019–24 , including three initiatives to promote sustainability. The Positive Climate initiative saw UCL pledge to have a 40% reduction in energy usage, all energy to come from renewables, and all UCL buildings to be carbon neutral by 2024, along with achieving net zero carbon emissions for UCL by 2030. The Positive Climate initiative was the winner in the "2030 Climate Action" category at
396-499: A Sustainable UCL was a finalist in the "Sustainable Institution of the Year" category at the 2022 Green Gown Awards. The two main bodies in UCL's governance structure are the council and the academic board , both of which are established by the royal charter and with powers defined by the statutes. There is also a University Management Committee, which is the executive committee responsible for
528-405: A charitable end in itself, irrespective of poverty. The transformation of free charitable foundations into institutions which sometimes charge fees came about readily: the foundation would only afford minimal facilities, so that further fees might be charged to lodge, clothe and otherwise maintain the scholars, to the private profit of the trustees or headmaster. Also, facilities already provided by
660-600: A college in 1836, when it received a royal charter and became one of the two founding colleges of the University of London , although it achieved de facto recognition as a university in the 1990s and formal university status in 2023. It has grown through mergers, including with the Institute of Ophthalmology (in 1995), the Institute of Neurology (in 1997), the Royal Free Hospital Medical School (in 1998),
792-620: A court case to regain control of part of its campus which had been occupied by pro-Gaza protesters since May. UCL has a second campus, UCL East , at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in Stratford, east London. The first building, with three floors of teaching and research space as well as accommodation for 500 students in two towers, opened in 2022, and the second, with eight floors of teaching and research space, opened in 2023. A further four buildings are planned for construction in
924-554: A first or an upper second-class degree than a student from the same social class background, of the same gender, who had achieved the same A-level score at a state school. The averaged effect was described as very variable across the social class and A-level attainment of the candidates; it was "small and not strongly significant for students with high A-level scores" (i.e. for students at the more selective universities) and "statistically significant mostly for students from lower occupationally-ranked social-class backgrounds". Additionally,
1056-570: A marginal difference and the pattern – particularly in relation to school background – is in any case inconsistent." A study commissioned by the Sutton Trust and published in 2010 focused mainly on the possible use of US-style SAT tests as a way of detecting a candidate's academic potential. Its findings confirmed those of the Smith & Naylor study in that it found that privately educated pupils who, despite their educational advantages, have only secured
1188-446: A motion was passed that ended segregation by sex at UCL. This was achieved by Brian Woledge (Fielden Professor of French at UCL from 1939 to 1971) and David Colquhoun , at that time a young lecturer in pharmacology. In 1976, a new charter restored UCL's legal independence, although still without the power to award its own degrees. Under this charter the college became formally known as University College London . This name abandoned
1320-625: A new Engineering and Architectural Design MEng , started in September 2018. One Pool Street, the first building on the UCL East campus, opened in November 2022. UCL East was officially opened, along with the Marshgate building that completed phase 1 of the development, in September 2023 by Olympic gold medalist and UCL alumna Christine Ohuruogu . UCL continued to grow through mergers with smaller colleges in
1452-566: A new corporate branding under which the name University College London was replaced by the initialism UCL in all external communications. UCL established the UCL School of Energy & Resources (later UCL Australia ) in Adelaide , Australia, in 2008 as the first campus of a British university in the country. The school was based in the historic Torrens Building in Victoria Square. In 2011,
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#17328548857091584-423: A particular religion, or schools may require pupils to attend religious services. Only a small minority of parents can afford school fees averaging (as of 2021) over £36,000 per annum for boarding pupils and £15,000 for day pupils, with additional costs for uniform, equipment and extra-curricular activities. Scholarships and means-tested bursaries to assist the education of the less well-off are usually awarded by
1716-462: A poor A-level score, and who therefore attend less selective universities, do less well than state educated degree candidates with the same low A-level attainment. In addition, as discussed in the 2010 Buckingham report "HMC Schools: a quantitative analysis", because students from state schools tended to be admitted on lower A-level entry grades, relative to entry grades it could be claimed that these students had improved more. A countervailing finding of
1848-641: A private school admissions are at the discretion of the governing body of the school. In 2006, pupils at fee-paying schools made up 43 per cent of those selected for places at Oxford University and 38 per cent of those granted places at Cambridge University (although such pupils represent only 18 per cent of the 16 years old plus school population). In 2024, the Labour government removed the exemption from value-added tax (VAT) from private school fees. From January 2025, private schools will have to charge 20% VAT. A major area of debate in recent years has centred around
1980-399: A private school and 184,580 having attended a state school, 64.9 per cent of the former attained a first or upper second class degree, compared to 52.7 per cent of the latter. No statistical comparisons of the two groups (State vs Private) were reported, with or without controls for student characteristics such as entry qualifications, so no inferences can be drawn on the relative performance of
2112-519: A private school at secondary stage, via entrance examinations. Private schools, like state grammar schools, are free to select their pupils, subject to general legislation against discrimination . The principal forms of selection are financial, in that the pupil's family must be able to pay the school fees, and academic, the latter determined via interview and examination. Credit may also be given for musical, sporting or other talent. Entrance to some schools may be orientated to pupils whose parents practise
2244-549: A process which combines academic and other criteria. Private schools are generally academically selective, using the competitive Common Entrance Examination at ages 11+ or 13+. Schools often offer scholarships to attract abler pupils (which improves their average results); the standard sometimes approaches the General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) intended for age 16. Poorly-performing pupils may be required to leave, and following GCSE results can be replaced in
2376-408: A result, 119 of these schools became independent. Pupil numbers at independent schools fell slightly during the mid-1970s recession . At the same time participation at all secondary schools grew dramatically, so that the share of the independent sector fell from a little under 8 per cent in 1964 to reach a low of 5.7 per cent in 1978. Both these trends were reversed during the 1980s, and the share of
2508-420: A role similar to the senate in other institutions. It is the senior academic body responsible for advising council on academic matters and also elects academic members to council. It is, however, a much larger body than the senates at many other universities, including all professors as well as elected representatives of other academic and non-academic staff. UCL's principal academic and administrative officer
2640-452: A university, and who make a firm acceptance of a place and apply for accommodation by 10 June each year, and to single overseas first-year postgraduates at UCL who have not previously lived in London while studying at a university, and who make a firm acceptance of a place and apply for accommodation by 30 June each year. Accommodation is also guaranteed for students who are under 18 at the start of
2772-831: A £500 million investment in its main Bloomsbury campus over 10 years, as well as the establishment of a new campus, UCL East , next to the Olympic Park in Stratford in the East End of London. In 2018, UCL opened UCL at Here East , at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, offering courses jointly between the Bartlett Faculty of the Built Environment and the Faculty of Engineering Sciences . The first undergraduate students, on
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#17328548857092904-666: Is 25%. Such 'exam access' arrangements are given for a range of disabilities and educational special needs such as dyslexia , dyspraxia and ADHD . In 2002, Jeremy Smith and Robin Naylor of the University of Warwick conducted a study into the determinants of degree performance at UK universities. Their study confirmed that the internationally recognised phenomenon whereby "children from more advantaged class backgrounds have higher levels of educational attainment than children from less-advantaged class backgrounds" persists at university level in
3036-519: Is a public research university in London , England. It is a member institution of the federal University of London , and is the second-largest university in the United Kingdom by total enrolment and the largest by postgraduate enrolment. Established in 1826 as London University (though without university degree-awarding powers) by founders inspired by the radical ideas of Jeremy Bentham , UCL
3168-413: Is an essential part of boarding education, and many such schools have their own distinctive ethos, including social aspirations, manners and accents, associated with their own school traditions. Many former pupils aspire to send their own children to their old schools over successive generations. Most offer sporting, musical, dramatic and art facilities, sometimes with extra charges. Educational achievement
3300-481: Is commonly regarded as the "spiritual father" of UCL, as his ideas on education and society were influential with the institution's founders, particularly James Mill (1773–1836) and Henry Brougham (1778–1868). In 1828, the chair of political economy at London University was created, with John Ramsay McCulloch as the first incumbent. In 1829, the university appointed the first professor of English in England, although
3432-512: Is generally very good. Independent school pupils are four times more likely to attain an A* at GCSE than their non-selective state sector counterparts, and twice as likely to attain an A grade at A-level . A much higher proportion go to university. Some schools specialise in particular strengths, academic or other, although this is not as common as it is in the state sector . Independent schools can set their own discipline regime, with much greater freedom to exclude children, primarily exercised in
3564-736: Is on levels 38 and 50 (penthouse) of One Canada Square in the financial district of Canary Wharf . The UCL Observatory is in Mill Hill and the Mullard Space Science Laboratory is based in Holmbury St Mary , Surrey. The UCL Athletics Ground is in Shenley, Hertfordshire. UCL owns 26 halls of residence with around 7,000 student beds. The university guarantees accommodation to single full-time first-year undergraduate students who have not previously lived in London while studying at
3696-556: Is organised into 11 constituent faculties , within which there are over 100 departments, institutes and research centres. UCL operates several museums and collections in a wide range of fields, including the Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology and the Grant Museum of Zoology and Comparative Anatomy , and administers the annual Orwell Prize in political writing. In 2022/23, UCL had a total income of £1.93 billion, of which £527 million
3828-549: Is the President and Provost, who is also UCL's designated accountable officer for reporting to the Office for Students on behalf of UCL. The provost is appointed by Council after consultation with the academic board, and is ex officio a member of council and chair of the academic board. Michael Spence has been president and provost since January 2021, when he succeeded Michael Arthur . Vice-provosts are appointed by council on
3960-611: The ARPANET , later becoming part of SATNET . UCL's interconnection between the ARPANET and early British academic networks was the first international heterogeneous resource sharing network. UCL played a significant role in the very earliest experimental Internet work and adopted TCP/IP in 1982, ahead of the ARPANET. The college's senior common room , the Housman Room, remained men-only until 1969. After two unsuccessful attempts,
4092-478: The Assisted Places Scheme in England and Wales in 1980, whereby the state paid the school fees for those pupils capable of gaining a place but unable to afford the fees. This was essentially a response to the decision of the previous Labour government in the mid-1970s to remove government funding of direct grant grammar schools , most of which then became private schools; some Assisted Places pupils went to
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4224-654: The Eastman Dental Institute (in 1999), the School of Slavonic and East European Studies (in 1999), the School of Pharmacy (in 2012) and the Institute of Education (in 2014). UCL has its main campus in the Bloomsbury area of central London , with a number of institutes and teaching hospitals elsewhere in central London and has a second campus, UCL East , at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in Stratford , East London. UCL
4356-576: The Eastman Dental Institute . Proposals for a merger between UCL and Imperial College London were announced in 2002. The proposal provoked strong opposition from UCL teaching staff and students and the AUT union , which criticised "the indecent haste and lack of consultation", leading to its abandonment by UCL provost Sir Derek Roberts . UCL was granted its own taught and research degree awarding powers in 2005, and all UCL students registered from 2007/08 qualified with UCL degrees. The same year, UCL adopted
4488-578: The High School of Dundee . In Scotland, it was common for children destined for private schools to receive their primary education at a local school. This arose because of Scotland's long tradition of state-funded education, which was spearheaded by the Church of Scotland from the seventeenth century, long before such education was common in England. Private prep schools only became more widespread in Scotland from
4620-834: The London Borough of Camden , in Central London . The main campus is located around Gower Street , with many other departments close by in Bloomsbury. Many health institutes are located close to associated hospitals, including the UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology and the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery in Queen Square , the UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health and Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children , and
4752-534: The Sutton Trust study was that for students of a given level of A-level attainment it is almost twice as difficult to get a first at the most selective universities than at those on the other end of the scale. Private sector schools regularly dominate the top of the A-level league tables, and their students are more likely to apply to the most selective universities; as a result private sector students are particularly well represented at these institutions, and therefore only
4884-616: The UCL Eastman Dental Institute and Eastman Dental Hospital . Historic UCL buildings in Bloomsbury include the grade I listed UCL Main Building , including the original Wilkins building designed by William Wilkins , and, directly opposite on Gower Street, the early 20th century grade II listed Cruciform Building, the last major building designed by Alfred Waterhouse . Nearby are the grade II listed Kathleen Lonsdale Building, UCL's first purpose-built chemistry laboratory, and
5016-464: The United Kingdom . The authors noted "a very well-determined and monotonically positive effect defined over Social Classes I to V" whereby, for both men and women, other things being equal, academic performance at university is better the more advantaged is the student's home background". but they also observed that a student educated at a private school was on average 6 per cent less likely to receive
5148-677: The sixth form by a new infusion of high-performing sixth-form-only pupils, which may distort apparent results. On the other hand, pupils performing poorly cannot legally be excluded from a state school solely for poor performance. Private schools, as compared with maintained schools, generally have more individual teaching; much lower pupil-teacher ratios at around 9:1; longer teaching hours (sometimes including Saturday morning teaching) and homework (known as prep); though they have shorter terms. They also have more time for organised extra-curricular activities. As boarding schools are fully responsible for their pupils throughout term-time, pastoral care
5280-561: The visitor , a position in English charity law that oversees the operation of the institution. That there shall be a visitor of the college is specified by the royal charter, as is that the position is to be held by the Master of the Rolls , the second most senior judge in England and Wales. UCL's council comprises 20 members, of whom 11 are members external to UCL; seven are UCL academic staff, including
5412-481: The 18th and 19th centuries, and came to play an important role in the development of the Victorian social elite. Under a number of forward-looking headmasters leading public schools created a curriculum based heavily on classics and physical activity for boys and young men of the upper and upper middle classes. They were schools for the gentlemanly elite of Victorian politics, armed forces and colonial government. Much of
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5544-691: The 1990s, with the Institute of Child Health joining in 1995, the School of Podiatry in 1996 and the Institute of Neurology in 1997. In 1998, UCL merged with the Royal Free Hospital Medical School to create the Royal Free and University College Medical School (renamed the UCL Medical School in October 2008). In 1999, UCL merged with the School of Slavonic and East European Studies and
5676-437: The 2017/18 academic year, a rise from four cases the year before. Following pressure from victims, and after physicist Emma Chapman won the legal right to speak freely about her abuse at the university, UCL announced in 2018 that it would abandon non-disclosure settlements in settlements. In 2020, UCL became the first Russell Group university to ban romantic and sexual relationships between lecturers and their students. It
5808-461: The 2020 Green Gown Awards. A second initiative, The Loop , promotes circular economy . UCL set a target of reducing waste per person by 20% between 2019 and 2024, while aiming for an 85% recycling rate and the elimination of single-use plastics on campus. The third initiative, Wild Bloomsbury , promotes biodiversity . UCL set a target of creating 10,000 m (1.0 ha; 2.5 acres) of biodiverse green space on campus by 2024. The Strategy for
5940-801: The 2030s. UCL also operates a campus within Here East , the former Olympic park media centre. Elsewhere in Central London are the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology adjacent to Moorfields Eye Hospital in Clerkenwell , the Royal Free Hospital and the Whittington Hospital campuses of the UCL Medical School, and a number of other associated teaching hospitals. The UCL School of Management
6072-778: The Dove Brothers. The main school block has been Grade II listed on the National Heritage List for England since May 1974. Prince Edward, Duke of Kent , opened the Sixth Form Centre (which also houses the Lund Theatre) in 1974. Elizabeth II visited the school in 1980 to celebrate its 150th anniversary and to inaugurate the rebuilt hall, which had been destroyed by fire in 1978. A new library, music school, lecture theatre, computer laboratory, sports hall, geography block, mathematics school and further classrooms were added to
6204-583: The Equatorial College School in Uganda. University College School was founded in 1830 as part of University College London and moved to its current location in Hampstead in 1907. Continuing on the long tradition of dissenting academies , the University of London had been inspired by the work of Jeremy Bentham and others to provide opportunities for higher education regardless of religious beliefs. At
6336-790: The High Court to bring a judicial review of the Charity Commission's public benefit guidance as it affected the private education sector. This was heard by the Upper Tribunal at the same time as a reference by the Attorney General asking the Tribunal to consider how the public benefit requirement should operate in relation to fee-charging charitable schools. The Upper Tribunal's decision, published on 14 October 2011, concluded that in all cases there must be more than de minimis or token benefit for
6468-718: The Secret Shame". In 2022, he co-wrote (with Caitlin Smith) and presented a BBC Radio 4 series, In Dark Corners , about abuse and cover-up at some of Britain's elite schools, including Eton College , Fettes College , Gordonstoun and its junior school. An investigation into official exam data by the BBC's Radio 4 Today programme, in 2017, showed that 20% of private school pupils were given extra time for their GCSE and A level exams, as compared with fewer than 12% of pupils in public sector schools. The most commonly given amount of extra exam time
6600-469: The UK educating some 628,000 children, comprising over 6.5 per cent of UK children, and more than 18 per cent of pupils over the age of 16. In England the schools account for a slightly higher percentage than in the UK as a whole. According to a 2010 study by Ryan & Sibetia, "the proportion of pupils attending independent schools in England is currently 7.2 per cent (considering full-time pupils only)". Most of
6732-470: The UK, which educate around 615,000 children, some 7 per cent of all British school-age children and 18 per cent of pupils over the age of 16. In addition to charging tuition fees, they may also benefit from gifts, charitable endowments and charitable status . Some of these schools (1,300) are members of the Independent Schools Council . In 2021, the average annual cost for private schooling
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#17328548857096864-489: The United Kingdom Private schools in the United Kingdom (also called independent schools ) are schools that require fees for admission and enrollment. Some have financial endowments , most are governed by a board of governors, and are owned by a mixture of corporations, trusts and private individuals. They are independent of many of the regulations and conditions that apply to state-funded schools . For example,
6996-412: The University of London Act 2018, which allowed member institutions to become universities in their own right while remaining part of the University of London, UCL applied for university status in 2019. The application was approved by the Office for Students in 2022 and a supplemental charter was sealed on 17 April 2023, granting UCL university status. UCL is primarily based in the Bloomsbury area of
7128-452: The University of London for a eugenics laboratory; this transferred to UCL in 1907 with Karl Pearson as its director. UCL apologised for its "fundamental role in the development, propagation and legitimisation of eugenics" in 2021. In 1911, UCL received an anonymous donation of £30,000 (equivalent to £3,860,000 in 2023) for a building for its school of architecture . In 1919 the donor consented to being named as Herbert Bartlett and
7260-509: The University of London. On 1 January 2012 the School of Pharmacy, University of London merged with UCL, becoming the UCL School of Pharmacy within the Faculty of Life Sciences. UCL and the Institute of Education formed a strategic alliance in October 2012, followed by a full merger in December 2014. UCL paid tens of thousands of pounds to settle ten sexual harassment claims against staff in
7392-528: The academic year and for students who are care-leavers. There is only limited accommodation available in university halls for returning students and others who do not meet the criteria for a guaranteed place. UCL students are also eligible, as students of a member institution of the University of London, to apply for places in the University of London intercollegiate halls of residence . In 2013, UCL's newly built New Hall student accommodation building on Caledonian Road , designed by Stephen George and Partners,
7524-454: The better degrees than state students of the same gender and class background having the same A-level score. In 2011, a subsequent study led by Richard Partington at Cambridge University showed that A-level performance is "overwhelmingly" the best predictor for exam performance in the earlier years ("Part I") of the undergraduate degree at Cambridge. Partington's summary specified that "questions of school background and gender" ... "make only
7656-458: The charitable foundation for a few students could profitably be extended to further paying pupils. Some schools still keep their foundation students in a separate house from other pupils, or distinguish them in other ways. After a time, such fees eclipsed the original charitable income, and the original endowment would become a minor part of the school's finances. By 2022 senior boarding schools were charging fees of over £40,000 per annum. Most of
7788-473: The charter as the first two affiliates. The first students from UCL and King's matriculated as undergraduates in 1838 and the first degrees were awarded to students of the two colleges in 1839. There had been an intention to establish a course in engineering at the college's opening but no professor was appointed until 1840 or 1841, after engineering courses had started at Durham University (1837) and King's College London (1838). The Slade School of Fine Art
7920-552: The church and were under its complete dominion. During the late 14th and early 15th centuries the first schools independent of the church were founded. Winchester (1382) and Oswestry (1407) were the first of their kind (although they had a strong Christian religious ethos) and such early "free grammar schools" founded by wealthy benefactors paved the way for the establishment of the modern " public school ". These were typically established for male students from poor or disadvantaged backgrounds. English law has always regarded education as
8052-470: The college merged with the Institute of Archaeology . In 1988, UCL merged with the Institute of Laryngology & Otology, the Institute of Orthopaedics, the Institute of Urology & Nephrology and Middlesex Hospital Medical School . Middlesex and University College hospitals, together with the Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Hospital and the Hospital for Tropical Diseases, formed the University College London Hospitals NHS Trust in 1994. Mergers continued in
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#17328548857098184-513: The college. From 1871 to 1872 these were held inside the college building, although still independently of the college. From 1872, some professors, particularly Edward Poynter of the Slade, started to admit women to their classes. The full opening on the faculties of arts, science and law in 1878 came two years after the admission of women alongside men at the University of Bristol from its foundation (as University College Bristol ) in 1876. The first woman to officially enrol in architecture at UCL
8316-423: The colleges and the desire for a "teaching university" in London led to royal commissions that reported in 1888 and 1892 and the reconstitution of the university under the University of London Act 1898. Following the University of London's reconstitution in 1909, transforming it from an examining board to a federal university with constituent "schools", UCL, became a school of the University of London. While most of
8448-429: The colleges that became schools of the university retained their autonomy, UCL chose to be merged into the university in 1907 under the University College London (Transfer) Act 1905 ( 5 Edw. 7 . c. xci) and surrendered its legal independence in return for gaining a greater say in the running of the university. Its formal name became University of London, University College , although for most informal and external purposes
8580-416: The comma used in its earlier name of University College, London . In 1993, a reorganisation of the University of London meant that UCL and other colleges gained direct access to government funding and the right to confer University of London degrees themselves. This led to UCL being regarded as a de facto university in its own right. Mergers were a major feature of this period of UCL's history. In 1986,
8712-501: The conference. Following the revelation, UCL announced in 2018 that it would launch an enquiry into the university's historical links with eugenics. This reported in 2020, but covered only historical eugenics and did not address the 2014–17 conferences, leading to a majority of the authors refusing to sign the final report. The Galton Lecture Theatre, Pearson Lecture Theatre and Pearson Building were all renamed in 2020, and in 2021 UCL apologised for its part in promoting eugenics during
8844-406: The continuing charitable status of private schools, which means they are not charged business rates by local councils, amongst other benefits. This is estimated to save the schools about £200 per pupil and to cost the Exchequer about £100 million in tax breaks, assuming that an increase in fees would not result in any transfer of pupils from private to maintained sector. Since the Charities Act
8976-507: The country to Aberystwyth , Bangor, Gwynedd , Cambridge , Oxford , Rothamsted near Harpenden, Hertfordshire and Sheffield , with the administration at Stanstead Bury near Ware, Hertfordshire . The first UCL student newspaper, Pi , was founded in 1946. The Institute of Jewish Studies relocated from Manchester to UCL in 1959. The Mullard Space Science Laboratory was established in 1967. In 1973, Peter Kirstein's research group at UCL became one of only two international nodes on
9108-461: The course concentrated on linguistics and the modern teaching of English – studying English literature – was introduced by King's College London in 1831. In 1830, London University founded the London University School, which would later become University College School . In 1833, the university appointed Alexander Maconochie , secretary to the Royal Geographical Society , as the first professor of geography in Britain. Classes in medicine began at
9240-436: The day-to-day operations of the institution. This comprises the President and Provost, the vice-presidents, the vice-provosts, the pro-provost of UCL East, the deans of the faculties, the chief financial officer, chief information officer, and chief people officer, the chief of staff, the general consul, the executive director of media and marketing, and the director of media relations. The senior leadership team at UCL includes
9372-462: The degree results of all students who graduated in 2013/14, suggested that 82 per cent of state school pupils got firsts or upper seconds compared with 73 per cent of those from private schools. Later, HEFCE admitted that it had made a transposition error, and that in fact, 73 per cent of state school graduates gained a first or upper second class degree compared with 82 per cent of private school graduates. This admission attracted far less publicity than
9504-419: The discipline was in the hands of senior pupils (usually known as prefects ); this was not just a way to reduce staffing costs, but was also seen as vital preparation for the senior pupils' later roles in public or military service. More recently heads of public schools have been emphasising that senior pupils now play a much reduced role in maintaining discipline. To an extent, the public school system influenced
9636-622: The early 1960s, as well as a hangover from centuries ago when only Latin and Greek were taught at many public schools. It was Martin Wiener 's opposition to this tendency which inspired his 1981 book English Culture and the Decline of the Industrial Spirit: 1850–1980 , which became an influence on the Thatcher government's opposition to old-school gentlemanly Toryism . The curriculum in private school
9768-493: The exception of courses on public health and hygiene). UCL's admission of women in 1878 came almost three decades after Bedford College became the first institution to offer university-level education for women in Britain, and the establishment of the University of London's General Examination for Women in 1868. The Ladies' Educational Association held classes for women from 1868, taught by professors from UCL but independently of
9900-587: The federal University of London, and the school was created as a separate corporation. UCS moved away to new purpose-built buildings in Frognal in Hampstead in 1907, which were opened by Edward VII with the Archbishop of Canterbury in attendance on 27 July. Kikuchi Dairoku was invited to the first annual prize giving at Frognal where he represented those who had received their prizes at Gower Street. The new school buildings were designed by Arnold Mitchell and built by
10032-484: The first half of the 20th century. UCL was criticised (along with Oxford, Imperial and other London universities) in 2021 for accepting money from the Alexander Mosley Charitable Trust, established to hold the fortune left to Max Mosley by his father, British fascist leader Oswald Mosley . UCL received £500,000 to establish a forensic evidence interpretation laboratory. Following the passing of
10164-440: The first of these emphasised team spirit and " muscular Christianity " and the latter the importance of scholarship and competitive examinations. Edward Thring of Uppingham School introduced major reforms, focusing on the importance of the individual and of competition, as well as the need for a "total curriculum" with academia, music, sport and drama being central to education. Most public schools developed significantly during
10296-403: The form of a joint stock company , with shares sold for £100 (equivalent to £10,600 in 2023) to proprietors, under the name of London University , although without legal recognition as a university or the associated right to award degrees. London University's first warden was Leonard Horner , who was the first scientist to head a British university. Despite the commonly held belief that
10428-417: The former direct-grant schools such as Manchester Grammar School . The scheme was terminated by the Labour government in 1997, and since then the private sector has moved to increase its own means-tested bursaries. The former classics-based curriculum was also criticised for not providing skills in sciences or engineering, but was perhaps in response to the requirement of classics for entry to Oxbridge until
10560-718: The founders of the University of London are directly associated with the founding of the school; they include Henry Brougham, 1st Baron Brougham and Vaux (who appears to be singled out as the ring leader in A tradition for Freedom ), Lord Auckland (probably George Eden, 1st Earl of Auckland ), William Bingham Baring, 2nd Baron Ashburton , Sir Isaac Lyon Goldsmid , Henry Hallam , Leonard Horner (The Royal Society of Edinburgh has described UCS as his 'monument'), James Mill , Viscount Sandon (probably either Dudley Ryder, 1st Earl of Harrowby or Dudley Ryder, 2nd Earl of Harrowby ), James Lock, Stephen Lushington D.C.L. M.P., John Smith M.P., and Henry Waymouth . The first headmaster
10692-562: The full motto in its roundel emblem. UCS publishes a termly online newsletter called The Frognal and a yearly printed magazine called The Gower sent to current and past pupils. The senior school is divided into three sections by age, and each year has a name. Each section is led by a head of section. Pupils in the lower school are arranged into houses. In the lower school, there is one form (class) per year in each house. The five houses are: Bannister (black), Bonnington (silver), kendall (blue), MacArthur (green), Seacole (yellow). Pupils in
10824-536: The government's proposal to establish the University of London as an independent examining body, accepting the status of a college for their institution. As a result, the proprietors of London University were incorporated by royal charter under the name University College, London on 28 November 1836. On the same day, the University of London was created by royal charter as a degree-awarding examining board for students from affiliated schools and colleges, with University College and King's College , London being named in
10956-697: The grade II listed Rockefeller Building. Elsewhere in Bloomsbury is the 1970s grade II* Institute of Education building by Denys Lasdun and Partners. Much of the estate falls within the Bloomsbury Conservation Area , designated in 1968. Important contemporary buildings include the School of Slavonic and East European Studies building ( RIBA Award winner 2006) and the Sainsbury Wellcome Centre for Neural Circuits and Behaviour building ( LEAF Award for best façade design and engineering and overall winner 2016). In August 2024, UCL won
11088-498: The independent schools reached 7.5 per cent by 1991. The changes since 1990 have been less dramatic: the share fell to 6.9 per cent by 1996 before increasing very slightly after 2000 to reach 7.2 per cent in 2012. By 2015, the figure fell back to 6.9 per cent, with the absolute number of pupils attending independent schools falling everywhere in England apart from in the South East . In 2011 there were more than 2,500 private schools in
11220-569: The independent schools today are still registered as a charity, and bursaries are available to students on a means test basis. Christ's Hospital in Horsham is an example: a large proportion of its students are funded by its charitable foundation or by various benefactors. The educational reforms of the 19th century were particularly important. Reformers included Thomas Arnold at Rugby , and then Samuel Butler and later Benjamin Kennedy at Shrewsbury ;
11352-731: The inspectorial bodies listed above are inspected through the national inspectorates in each country. Private schools in Scotland educate about 31,000 children. Although many of the Scottish private schools are members of the ISC they are also represented by the Scottish Council of Independent Schools , recognised by the Scottish Parliament as the body representing private schools in Scotland. Unlike England, all Scottish private schools are subject to
11484-579: The larger private schools are either full or partial boarding schools , although many have now become predominantly day schools . By contrast there are only a few dozen state boarding schools . Boarding-school traditions give a distinctive character to British private education, even in the case of day-pupils. A high proportion of private schools, particularly the larger and older institutions, have charitable status. The Independent Schools Council (ISC), through seven affiliated organisations, represents 1,300 schools that together educate over 80 per cent of
11616-483: The late 19th century (usually attached to an existing secondary private school, though exceptions such as Craigclowan Preparatory School and Cargilfield Preparatory School do exist), though they are still much less prevalent than in England. In modern times many secondary pupils in Scotland's private schools will have fed in from the school's own fee-paying primary school, therefore there is considerable competition facing pupils from state primary schools who seek to enter
11748-513: The members of Coldplay . UCL academics discovered five of the naturally occurring noble gases , discovered hormones , invented the vacuum tube , and made several foundational advances in modern statistics. As of 2024, 32 Nobel Prize winners and three Fields medallists have been affiliated with UCL as alumni or academic staff. UCL was founded on 11 February 1826 as an alternative to the Anglican universities of Oxford and Cambridge . It took
11880-586: The middle school and upper school are arranged into demes, each named after a former prominent member of staff. This is similar to a school house . In the middle school, there is one form (class) per year in each deme. In the upper school there are at three form groups per year for each deme. As well as a deme warden (housemaster/housemistress), each deme has deme captains (head of house). Deme, half, and full colours are awarded through an accumulation of academic and extra-curricular achievements. There are regular inter-deme competitions in sport, music, and drama throughout
12012-728: The mining company BHP Billiton agreed to donate AU$ 10 million to UCL to fund the establishment of two energy institutes – the Energy Policy Institute, based in Adelaide, and the Institute for Sustainable Resources, based in London. UCL Australia closed in December 2017, with academic staff and student transferring to the University of South Australia . Since 2018, UCL and the University of South Australia have offered joint master's degrees in data science and in energy systems with study in Adelaide and London. In 2011, UCL announced plans for
12144-454: The name "University College, London" (or the initialism UCL) was still used. As of 2022, it remains listed as "University of London: University College" on US Federal Student Aid applications. 1900 also saw the decision to appoint a salaried head of the college. The first incumbent was Carey Foster , who served as Principal (as the post was originally titled) from 1900 to 1904. He was succeeded by Gregory Foster (no relation), and in 1906
12276-584: The newly co-educational sixth form for the first time. The playing fields, situated in West Hampstead, were upgraded between 2017 and 2019, with an overhauled drainage system. 2018 saw the opening of a newly refurbished library, known as the AKO Centre, replacing the older Enav Library. The school motto is Paulatim Sed Firmiter ("Slowly but surely"). In 2016, the school updated its school logo to incorporate its widely known name of UCS Hampstead and to include
12408-527: The opening of the college in 1828, and in 1834 University College Hospital (originally North London Hospital) opened as a teaching hospital for these classes, which were organised into a faculty of medicine in 1836. After almost a decade of attempting to win recognition as a university and the right to award degrees, including an Address to the Crown from the House of Commons, the proprietors of London University accepted
12540-463: The original erroneous assertion. Across all English universities, state school students who scored two Bs and a C at A-level did on average eight per cent better at degree level than their privately educated counterparts. Two Bs and a C represents an entry tariff of 112, well below the average demanded by any of the UK's Russell Group universities. University College London (Transfer) Act 1905 University College London ( branded as UCL )
12672-454: The philosopher Jeremy Bentham was the founder of UCL, his direct involvement was limited to the purchase of share No. 633, at a cost of £100 paid in nine instalments between December 1826 and January 1830. In 1828, he did nominate a friend to sit on the council, and in 1827, attempted to have his disciple John Bowring appointed as the first professor of English or History, but on both occasions his candidates were unsuccessful. However, Bentham
12804-545: The poor, but that trustees of a charitable private school should decide what was appropriate in their particular circumstances. The Charity Commission accordingly published revised public benefit guidance in 2013. In Scotland , under the Charities and Trustee Investment Act (Scotland), there is an entirely separate test of charitable status, overseen by the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator , which assesses
12936-402: The principles of natural justice as adopted by the state sector, and private law as applied to Higher Education. This belief is reinforced by the fact that the legal rights of pupils are governed by a private contract, as opposed to rights implemented by the national government. For instance, a pupil seeking admission to a state school that is rejected is legally entitled to appeal, whereas at
13068-449: The provost, three UCL professors and three non-professorial staff; and two are UCL students. The chair is appointed by council for a term not normally exceeding five years. The chair is ex officio chair of the honorary degrees and fellowships committee, nominations committee and remuneration and strategy committee. As of April 2023, the chair of the council is international businessman and UCL alumnus Victor Chu. The academic board plays
13200-456: The public benefit provided by each registered school charity. Journalist Alex Renton has written about abuse of pupils at boarding schools; The Guardian reported that he says that boarding school are "simply unsafe" and that "he has, he says, a database of more than 800 criminal allegations from former schoolchildren of 300 mainly private boarding schools". He presented an episode of the television programme Exposure , "Boarding Schools,
13332-516: The public schools and other secondary schools. In 2023, the Independent Schools Council reports that private schools contribute £16.5 billion to gross value added (GVA) in Britain. Some former grammar schools converted to a private fee-charging model following the 1965 Circular 10/65 and the subsequent cessation in 1975 of government funding support for direct grant grammar schools . There are around 2,600 independent schools in
13464-576: The pupils in the UK private sector . Those schools in England which are members of the affiliated organisations of the ISC are inspected by the Independent Schools Inspectorate under a framework approved by the Government's Department for Education (DfE). Private schools not affiliated to the ISC in England are inspected by Ofsted . Private schools accredited to the ISC in Scotland and Wales and Northern Ireland or others in England out with
13596-440: The recommendation of the provost or the academic board, to assist and advise the provost as required. The vice-provosts are members of the provost's senior management team. There are four vice-provosts (for education and student experience; health; research, innovation and global engagement; and faculties). There are also four vice-presidents, who are also members of the senior management team but whose role and manner of appointment
13728-486: The same regime of inspections by Education Scotland as local authority schools and they have to register with the Learning Directorate . The nine largest Scottish private schools, with 1,000 or more pupils, are George Watson's College , Hutcheson's Grammar School , Robert Gordon's College , George Heriot's School , St Aloysius' College , The Glasgow Academy , Dollar Academy , the High School of Glasgow and
13860-513: The school systems of the British Empire , and recognisably public schools can be found in many Commonwealth countries. Until 1975 there had been a group of 179 academically selective schools drawing on both private and state funding, the direct grant grammar schools . The Direct Grant Grammar Schools (Cessation of Grant) Regulations 1975 required these schools to choose between full state funding as comprehensive schools and full independence. As
13992-660: The school was renamed in his honour. UCL sustained considerable bomb damage during the Second World War, including the complete destruction of the Great Hall, the Carey Foster Physics Laboratory and the Ramsay Laboratory. Fires gutted the library and destroyed much of the main building, including the dome; it was not until 1954 that the main building was fully restored. The departments were dispersed across
14124-472: The schools do not have to follow the National Curriculum for England , although many such schools do. Historically, the term private school referred to a school in private ownership, in contrast to an endowed school subject to a trust or of charitable status. Many of the older independent schools catering for the 13–18 age range in England and Wales are known as public schools , seven of which were
14256-665: The senior school site in 1993 and the Junior Branch buildings were also refurbished, with the addition of an Art & Technology Centre. In 2006 the Sir Roger Bannister Sports Centre was officially opened by Bannister (himself an Old Gower). In 2007 a new art, design technology and modern languages building came into use and was formally opened as the Jeremy Bentham building by Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester on 22 May 2008. In 2009, girls were admitted into
14388-574: The spirit of the state system. Francis Green and David Kynaston have written that "among affluent countries, Britain’s private‑school participation is especially exclusive to the rich", and that the "existence in Britain of a flourishing private-school sector not only limits the life chances of those who attend state schools but also damages society at large". Many of the best-known public schools are extremely expensive, and many have entry criteria geared towards those who have been at private "feeder" preparatory schools . The Thatcher government introduced
14520-470: The standards that cover residential buildings, such as having daylight in the rooms. The UCL East development includes 532 student rooms in One Pool Street, which opened in 2022. Further accommodation will be available in the Marshgate building, expected to open in 2023, and at the second Pool Street site. UCL's new Student Centre, which opened in 2019, was designed to be environmentally friendly and
14652-408: The study could not take into account the effect of a slightly different and more traditional subject mix studied by private students at university on university achievement. Despite these caveats, the paper attracted much press attention. The same study found wide variations between different independent schools, suggesting that students from a few of them were in fact significantly more likely to obtain
14784-539: The subject of the Public Schools Act 1868 . The term "public school" meant they were then open to pupils regardless of where they lived or their religion (while in the United States and most other English-speaking countries "public school" refers to a publicly funded state school ). Prep (preparatory) schools (also known as "private schools") educate younger children up to the age of 13 to prepare them for entry to
14916-640: The time, only members of the established Church could study at Cambridge and Oxford (the only other two universities in England at the time) while similar religious tests were imposed at the other universities dating from the medieval and renaissance periods present in the rest of the British Isles, namely St Andrews , Glasgow , Aberdeen , Edinburgh and Dublin . Furthermore, the subjects taught at these Ancient Universities during this period, especially at Cambridge and Oxford, were relatively narrow, with classical subjects and divinity dominating. Several of
15048-539: The title was changed to Provost to avoid confusion with the principal of the University of London. Gregory Foster remained in post until 1929. In 1906, the Cruciform Building was opened as the new home for University College Hospital . UCL opened the first department and chair of chemical engineering in the UK, funded by the Ramsay Memorial Fund, in 1923. In 1904, Francis Galton donated £1,000 to
15180-529: The two groups. The stand-out finding of the study was that private school students achieved better in obtaining graduate jobs and study, even when student characteristics were allowed for (sex, ethnicity, school type, entry qualifications, area of study). In 2015, the UK press widely reported the outcome of research suggesting that school-leavers from state schools that attained similar A level grades go on to achieve higher undergraduate degree classes than their private school counterparts. The quoted figures, based on
15312-498: The very ablest of them are likely to secure the best degrees. In 2013, the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) published a study noting, amongst other things, that a greater percentage of students who had attended a private school prior to university achieved a first or upper second class degree compared with students from state schools. Out of a starting cohort of 24,360 candidates having attended
15444-559: The wider interests of the school. In England and Wales there are no requirements for teaching staff to have Qualified Teacher Status or to be registered with the General Teaching Council. In Scotland a teaching qualification and registration with the General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS) are mandatory for all teaching positions. Private schools are often criticised for being elitist, and seen as lying outside
15576-422: The world's largest academic health science centre . It is considered part of the " golden triangle " of research-intensive universities in southeast England. UCL has publishing and commercial activities including UCL Press, UCL Business and UCL Consultants. UCL has many notable alumni, including the founder of Mauritius, the first Prime Minister of Japan, one of the co-discoverers of the structure of DNA , and
15708-432: The year. In the middle school, the distinctive school blazer carries a coloured school logo on the breast pocket depicting the pupil's deme. There are currently six demes: There are five main points of entry for prospective pupils: Former pupils are known as Old Gowers, which was derived from Gower Street where the school was founded. Notable Old Gowers include: Notable former staff include: Private schools in
15840-487: Was Gertrude Leverkus in 1915, although Ethel and Bessie Charles had been allowed to audit classes in the 1890s. Women were finally admitted to medical studies during the First World War in 1917, although limitations were placed on their numbers after the war ended. A new royal charter granted to the University of London in 1858 effectively removed the affiliation of colleges to the university. Dissatisfaction from
15972-400: Was Henry Browne, who quickly caused controversy, by publishing a prospectus for the school which appeared to include some type of communal worship. This was replaced with a new version which also stated that the school would not use corporal punishment. The school opened at 16 Gower Street on 1 November 1830 under the name 'The London University School'. Browne soon resigned from his position and
16104-466: Was awarded the Carbuncle Cup and named the country's worst new building by Building Design magazine, with the comment "this is a building that the jury struggled to see as remotely fit for human occupation". Islington Council had originally turned down planning permission for the building, but this had been overturned on appeal. As it is classified as a hotel or guest house, it was exempt from many of
16236-704: Was consequently 'modernised' and according to a 2010 report from the Department for Education, private school pupils had "the highest rates of achieving grades A or B in A-level maths and sciences" compared to grammar, specialist and mainstream state schools, and pupils at private schools account for a disproportionate number of the total number of A-levels in maths and sciences. Some parents complain that their rights and their children's are compromised by vague and one-sided contracts which allow Heads to use discretionary powers unfairly, such as in expulsion on non-disciplinary grounds. They believe private schools have not embraced
16368-459: Was discovered in 2018 that an annual eugenics conference, the London Conference on Intelligence , had been held at UCL, as an external paid event, between 2014 and 2017. An enquiry found that the organiser, an honorary lecturer, did not correctly follow the room booking procedure, including claiming that no controversial topics would be discussed, leaving the university unaware of the nature of
16500-407: Was founded as part of University College in 1871, following a bequest from Felix Slade . In 1878, the University of London gained a supplemental charter making it the first British university to be allowed to award degrees to women. The same year, UCL admitted women to the faculties of Arts and Law and of Science, although women remained barred from the faculties of Engineering and of Medicine (with
16632-505: Was from research grants and contracts. The university generates around £10 billion annually for the UK economy, primarily through the spread of its research and knowledge (£4 billion) and the impact of its own spending (£3 billion). UCL is a member of numerous academic organisations, including the Russell Group and the League of European Research Universities , and is part of UCL Partners ,
16764-521: Was one of only 320 buildings worldwide (at the time) to be certified outstanding by BREEAM . This certification requires innovation throughout the design, engineering and construction process, and places the Student Centre among the top 1% of non-domestic buildings in the UK for sustainability. The UCL Student Centre was a finalist at the Green Gown Awards in 2019. Also in 2019, UCL launched
16896-531: Was one of the first to abolish corporal punishment . Originally, there were no compulsory subjects and no rigid form system. Most boys learnt Latin and French, and many learnt German (a highly unusual subject to teach at that time). Mathematics, chemistry , Classical Greek and English were also taught. There was no religious teaching. Under the University College London (Transfer) Act 1905 ( 5 Edw. 7 . c. xci), University College London became part of
17028-474: Was passed in November 2006, charitable status is based on an organisation providing a "public benefit", as judged by the Charity Commission . In 2008, the Charity Commission published guidance, including guidance on public benefit and fee charging, setting out issues to be considered by charities charging high fees that many people could not afford. The Independent Schools Council was granted permission by
17160-457: Was replaced by John Walker (an assistant master). By February 1831 it had outgrown its quarters, in October 1831, the council of UCL agreed to formally take over the school and it was brought within the walls of the college in 1832, with a joint headmastership of Professors Thomas Hewitt Key and Henry Malden . The school was original – it was never a boarding school, it was one of the first schools to teach modern languages , and sciences, and it
17292-405: Was the first university institution to be established in London, and the first in England to be entirely secular and to admit students regardless of their religion. It was also among the first university colleges to admit women alongside men in 1878, two years after University College, Bristol . Intended by its founders to be England's third university , politics forced it to accept the status of
17424-616: Was £15,191 for day schools and £36,000 for boarding schools . The Independent Schools Yearbook has been published annually since 1986. This was a name change of a publication that started in 1889 as The Public Schools Yearbook . Some independent schools are particularly old, such as The King's School, Canterbury (founded 597), The King's School, Rochester (founded 604), St Peter's School, York (founded c. 627), Sherborne School (founded 705), Wells Cathedral School (founded 909), Warwick School (c. 914), King's Ely (c. 970) and St Albans School (948). These schools were founded by
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