Epsom College is a co-educational independent school on Epsom Downs, Surrey, England, for pupils aged 11 to 18. It was founded in 1853 as a benevolent institution which provided a boarding school education for sons of poor or deceased members of the medical profession and also accommodation for pensioned doctors. The college soon after foundation opened to pupils from outside the medical profession. Over time the charitable work for medical professionals in hardship moved to a separate charity. By 1996 the school was fully co-educational and now takes day pupils throughout. The headteacher is a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference.

Foundation

The school was founded in 1853 by John Propert as the Royal Medical Benevolent College, with the aim to provide accommodation for pensioned medical doctors or their widows and to provide a "liberal education" to 100sons of "duly qualified medical men" for £25 each year. The establishment of the college was the culmination of a campaign begun in 1844 by the Provincial Medical and Surgical Association, the forerunner of the British Medical Association. The scheme saw the medical profession was "in regard to charitable institutions for the aged and infirm, the widow and the orphan, the worst provided of all professions and callings" and took as its aim the alleviating of poverty and debt. Discussions were chaired by Sir John Forbes, Physician to Prince Albert and the Royal Household, and followed similar plans establishing schools for the Clergy and the Royal Navy in desiring to raise money to found "schools for the sons of medical men", providing an education which would otherwise be "beyond the means of many parents". By 1851, the Medical Benevolent Society had limited itself to the foundation of a single Benevolent College and met in Treasurer John Propert's house in New Cavendish Street, Marylebone. The new campaign's fund-raising activities included dinners, which numerous doctors and Members of Parliament attended, and concerts, for example at one such event, on 4 July 1855, composer Hector Berlioz conducted the UK premiere of his symphonic suite Harold in Italy. The foundation stone was laid on 6 July 1853. Almost two years later, on 25 June 1855, the college was formally opened by Prince Albert and his son, the future King Edward VII, in front of an unexpectedly large crowd of around 6,000. In March 1855, Queen Victoria consented to become patron, and the school's relationship with British monarchs has continued since. King Edward VII became patron after the death of his mother, followed by King George V in 1936, King George VI in 1937, and Queen Elizabeth II. In 1980, it was estimated by a history of the college that a third of its 10,000 alumni had entered the medical profession.

Development and charity

It was founded in 1855 to support poor members of the medical profession. Funding for such a bold undertaking proved inadequate, resulting in a reduced number of buildings and insufficient space to support 100 pensioners and 100 boys. In the 1860s, partially due to this, the school was opened up to children of non-medical parents. In subsequent decades, pensioners were supported off-site until there were none on campus by the end of the 19th century. These moves mark the transition towards the college becoming a public school in the modern sense. The college continued its charitable activities, alongside its strictly educational role, throughout the 20th century. It was only in 2000 that the Royal Medical Foundation was formed as a separate entity, funding the support of four Foundationers at the college, 27 outside it, and paying 20 pensions and supporting one doctor at a medical home. In the 1920s, the junior school side was run down, and thereafter the college catered only for 13- to 18-year-olds. In 1976, girls were first allowed into the sixth form. The school became fully co-educational in September 1996. Its campus is on the outskirts of Epsom, near Epsom Downs on the North Downs, near the racecourse, home to the annual Epsom Derby. Its buildings date from 1853 and are mostly influenced by the Gothic revival architecture, described by Prince Albert as the "pointed style of the 14th Century". In 1974, the main building and the College Chapel attained Grade II listed status.

Epsom College in Malaysia

In 2009, the college announced the foundation of a new school in Bandar Enstek, just south of Kuala Lumpur. Epsom College in Malaysia was officially opened in September 2014. The school offers a British educational style for pupils aged three to eighteen years. Students are also offered a wide variety of recreational and competitive sporting opportunities, such as badminton, squash, hockey, tennis, and swimming.

OFT inquiry

In 2005 the school was one of fifty of the country's leading independent schools which were found guilty of running an illegal price-fixing cartel, exposed by The Times newspaper, although the schools made clear that they had not realised that the change to the law (which had happened only a few months earlier) about the sharing of information had subsequently made it an offence. Each school was required to pay a nominal penalty of £10,000 and all agreed to make ex-gratia payments totalling three million pounds into a trust designed to benefit pupils who attended the schools during the period in respect of which fee information was shared. Jean Scott, the then-head of the Independent Schools Council, said that independent schools had always been exempt from anti-cartel rules applied to business, were following a long-established procedure in sharing the information with each other, and that they were unaware of the change to the law (on which they had not been consulted). She wrote to John Vickers, the OFT director-general, saying, "They are not a group of businessmen meeting behind closed doors to fix the price of their products to the disadvantage of the consumer. They are schools that have quite openly continued to follow a long-established practice because they were unaware that the law had changed".

Failed inspection

In 2021, a regulatory compliance inspection by the Independent Schools Inspectorate found that the college was not meeting its statutory requirements in respect of safeguarding, safeguarding of boarders, behaviour and measures to prevent bullying, and that the standards relating to leadership and management of the school were not met. A short visit the following year after the appointment of a new head (Emma Pattison) focusing on these issues found that they had been rectified and the standards were now met.

Death of head teacher and family

On 5 February 2023, headteacher Emma Pattison, her husband George, and their seven-year-old daughter Lettie were found dead in their residence, the Head's House, on the school's grounds. Pattison, who was the school's first female head, had been appointed headteacher in September 2022 after six years as head teacher of Croydon High School. Surrey Police suspect that George Pattison had killed his wife and daughter with a firearm, before committing suicide. Paul Williams was appointed as acting head immediately, with Sir Anthony Seldon, former head of Wellington College, announced as interim head on 17 February 2023 in an email to parents. He was due to be headmaster from 1 March 2023-September 2024. From September 2024, he was succeeded by Mark Lascelles,

Houses

House colours are seen in the stripes in the ties worn by the majority of boys (those not wearing colours or prefects' ties); on a rectangular brooch occasionally worn by the girls; and at the neck of girls' school pullovers. They are also used in house rugby and athletics tops. Each house occupies its own building, and they compete with each other in several inter house competitions throughout the year. Propert is regarded as being the college’s original and premier house, with it being named after the College’s founder Dr John Propert. In addition to the senior school houses, students in the lower school (years 7 and 8) also have houses that act as their primary classes for both years of their lower school life. These houses are: Wardroper, Hutchinson, Glyn Hughes, Jeffrey and Doudney. Unlike senior school houses, they do not have their own building and do not participate in senior school events.

Sport

Association football

Association football became the major sport for boys in the Lent Term in 2014. Previously the sport was an option and played at Sixth Form level only. Now it is played across all age groups from Under 12 to U18. The college is currently part of the Southern Independent Schools Lent Term League. The first team won the 23/24 ISFA trophy.

Rifle shooting

Epsom College has a long history of target rifle shooting, both small-bore and full-bore, and describes itself as the premier rifle shooting school in the UK. The college rifle team has won the national schools fullbore championships, the Ashburton Shield, 16 times, most recently in 2024, the highest number of wins by a school. The College is currently the top represented school in the England U17 and U18 squad.

Rugby football

Rugby football is a major boys' sport during the Michaelmas term. Rugby sevens is played in the Lent Term. In 2001, the Epsom College U15 team won their age group in Daily Mail Cup, beating The John Fisher School by 17–12 at Twickenham in the Final. In 2006, the U16 Epsom sevens team won the 2006 Sevens National Championship at Rosslyn Park by beating Millfield 29–19. In 2005 Epsom College U15 Team lost to Bedford 10–5 in the Semi-final of the Daily Mail competition. The Epsom College Director of Rugby is former Ireland international Paul Burke.

Eccentricities

Air raid shelters

During the Second World War, in preparation for the possibility of attack from the air, several air raid shelters were built, the outlines of which are still visible in aerial photographs and satellite imagery as a row of negative cropmarks in the grass on the Chapel Triangle. In his 1944 book, Sunday After The War, Henry Miller called these "shelters from aerial bombardment".

Chapel

At the heart of the school is the Chapel of St Luke. Students attend the Victorian era chapel twice a week, and it is also used for confirmation.

The fives courts

Near Wilson Pitch, there are the remnants of several open-air fives courts, one of which is said to be a doubles court. In the late 1960s, these were functional courts, albeit of odd design.

Heads

Southern Railway Schools Class

The school lent its name to the thirty-eighth steam locomotive (Engine 937) in the Southern Railway's Class V, of which there were 40. This class was also known as the Schools Class because all 40 of the class were named after prominent English public schools. 'Epsom', as it was called, was built in 1934. The locomotive bearing the school's name was withdrawn in the early 1960s.

Notable pupils

A to D

E to K

L to R

S to Z

Notable staff

Coat of Arms

Further reading and sources