The Coopers’ Company and Coborn School is a grant maintained secondary school situated in Upminster in the London Borough of Havering. It offers excellent facilities, opportunities and education to pupils aged 11-18 and is just a little different to your average state school.

***1066 and all that****

Well, 1536 to be precise. The current school is an amalgamation of two schools, both of which have been through significant change. The first school was the Nicholas Gibson Free school, a boys' school established in what is now Stepney (London) in 1536. Upon the death of Mr Gibson, his widow asked the Worshipful Company of Coopers’ (a livery company) to take over the running of the school. This they did and the name was changed to the name to the Coopers’ Company’s Boys School.

In 1701 a co-educational school (most unusual for the time) was established pursuant to the will of Prisca Coborn, the widow of a brewer. The foundations of the Coborn school and the Coopers’ Company’s School merged in 1891 to create two separate schools running under the same foundation, the Coopers’ Company’s School for Boys and the Coborn School for Girls, both situated in Bow, London.

In 1971 the two schools amalgamated as a co-ed voluntary aided state school and moved to its present site in Upminster, Essex and by 1973 the move was complete. The 450th anniversary of the school was celebrated with the performance of a pageant at the school lasting a mammoth 3.5 hours which portrayed the history of the school. I had just joined and will never forget my one and only line. I was playing a school girl in a class being asked about the war effort and had to say “My sister’s sewing socks for soldiers!”

The history of the school continues to play an important role in everyday life and the benefits (of which there are many) of having a London Livery Company as a founder cannot be
underestimated.

***Fusties to Sharks***

The school, in its present form, is one of only four schools in the London Borough of Havering to have VI form facilities and so caters for “Fusties” – the name given to all first years aged 11 – through to “Sharks” – otherwise known as the black and white clad VI form.

The journey through the school, for that is how it is described, is suitably tailored throughout. This is a school which will not only produce young adults with a collection of exams, but well rounded and thoughtful individuals.

The school excels at music, sport and the arts and the facilities it boasts are almost second to none (certainly within the state sector). It has its own recording studio and music technology room. There are drama studios and a theatre complete with a full lighting and sound system, backstage and wardrobes. For sport there is an all-weather floodlit Astroturf, a full sized swimming pool, a gymnasium, fitness suite, dance studio, indoor and outdoor cricket nets, football, cricket, hockey and rugby pitches, tennis and netball courts and a full range of athletics.

However, facilities are of no use if the pupils can’t use them. This is where the school excels to produce well-rounded individuals. The range of extra-curricular activities could almost rival any university. In music there are numerous bands, orchestras, choirs and chamber groups (and yes, each of those individually in the plural!). There are away-weekends and tours organised by the music departments and often students can be seen topping the medals lists in local and national competitions. Music bursaries are available from the Worshipful Company of Coopers’ to assist with tuition fees and the cost of purchasing suitable instruments.

In sport the school is renowned throughout the country for its achievement. In 1997 the school was awarded the Sportsmark by th
e Sports Council in recognition of its achievement. Many pupils represent the school at local, county and national level in their chosen fields. In my own year (1985-92) we had three England under 21 rugby players (two of whom have gone onto professional games), four Commonwealth Games representatives in athletics and a Commonwealth games gold medal winner in Judo. Swimming, trampolining, cricket and fencing were all represented at national level too.

Pupils are also encouraged to partake in other, non-traditional extra-curricular activities. There is a school scout pack and many of the pupils partake in the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme or in the ATC. Community service is high on the agenda, ranging from harvest parcels to affiliations with local charities. The school is a member of the Queen Mother’s Needlework Guild and I dread to think how many blankets are knitted and bedsocks crocheted for the old and needy of London. Charity fundraising is also high on the agenda. There is an annual charity nominated each year for which the pupils raise money and there are ongoing commitments to various projects including the RNLI for whom finds were raised for a lifeboat back in 1985 in memory of a pupil of the school, Tylden Mills, who died suddenly. He was a national level swimmer and so the tribute seemed fitting.

*** But what about those blasted bits of paper?***

Not to disappoint, the school excels academically. It is often the top in the country at GCSE level (in 2001 topping the list of all schools in the country and rarely falling below number 2 in the state sector). 100% of pupils obtained 5 A-C passes at GCSE. At A level the achievement is equally impressive. It does not top the tables here but one should consider the number of pupils in the VI form. Most schools have the luxury of small A level classes. At Coopers’ around 85% of the fifth year will stay on leading to a combined VI form of over 300 pupi
ls, one of the largest in the country. Around 5 or 6 pupils will go onto Oxbridge each year. The school provides a complete suite for the VI form with its own computing and social facilities. Pupils here are treated as young adults.

Exams can be taken in a full range of subjects as with most schools. You are stretched as a pupil and encouraged to push yourself (note, yourself) to achieve as much as possible. Languages offered include French, German, Latin, Greek, Spanish, Italian and Russian. Well equipped rooms make technological subjects possible and the art facilities are more than impressive. A science block was built in the 1990s to replace the old facilities. This has only served to improve already good facilities. A project is underway to build a further music block to enhance the already superb facilities. This is not a school that stands still.

***So, how do I get there?***

This is where it all gets a bit harder. The school has exam (varies in content from just a form some years to real questions in others depending upon the political regime in force at the time which dictates whether they can be selective on the basis of examination performance or not) and interview entrance at both 11 and 16. The school, in order to remain selective, has homed in on a clause within the foundation documents that states that the school should be a “christian” education foundation. I use a small “c” as it is non-denominational and, to all intents and purposes, non-religious. You just have to agree with the ethos. The school motto sums this up rather well – Love as Brethren – nothing hard there.

Competition for places is immense. In 2001 there were close on 1400 applications for 180 places in the first year. Lots are disappointed. What results, however, is a pupil population that is keen to learn, has diverse interests and is a total credit to the school.

There is a catchment ar
ea of sorts - in my day there was a quota system. 75 pupils from Upminster, 75 from Havering and the remainder from anywhere. Now, all things being equal, preference is given to those living closest to the centre of the head teacher's office! (arcane!) They do of course, still select on the basis of potential, interest and ethics.

***So, anything else?***

I could go on all day about this school, there is so much to say (and I would welcome any questions). I will make do with some few short bullet points:

* TRADITION – the livery company background lends itself to lots of tradition. Ermine-robed governors can be seen parading several times a year through the school. There is even a competition each year for the boys of the school, the winner of which gets apprenticed to the Worshipful Company of Coopers’ and in time will gain the freedom of the City of London.

* OPPORTUNITY – there are undeniably opportunities that exist here that will be hard to match elsewhere, particularly in the state sector. The backing of the livery company means that funds are available for many things which would otherwise go unfunded by the state. Bursaries, exhibitions and scholarships are offered to those leaving the school to continue in education and efforts are awarded each year at prize giving.

* DISCIPLINE – this is strong and I’m sure many a member has a tale to tell about being sent home half-way up the school drive by a certain member of staff (now owning post office in Cornwall) for having slouched socks or a skirt that was half an inch too short or too long (this was actually measured!). Uniform requirements have relaxed a little now but standards are still high.

* ONCE A MEMBER ALWAYS A MEMBER – Old Cooparians are particularly good at staying in touch. There is an active old members association, OCCA, and many groups, aided and abetted by the internet, who stay in regular cont
act. Go to any event at the school and almost guaranteed you will see an friendly face there.

* THAT DARNED APOSTROPHE – the apostrophe at the end of Coopers’ matters and many a detention has been dished out due to its omission!

* THE SCHOOL SONG – yes, we have one, yes it is bad:

When buff King Harry ruled the land,
And favoured sport and learning,
Then pious Nicholas Gibson’s hand
Set our clear beacon burning.
A home of brotherly love and light,
When days are cold and cloudy.
Join heart with voice when carolling bright,
Sing Gaude! Gaude! Gaude!
Sing Gaude! Gaude! Gaude!

Then Prisca Coborn raised a school
Another beacon burning
Brings joy and knowledge to us all
A home of love and learning
…..


you get the drift! (and I can’t remember the rest! (other than the first part of the third verse and the chorus which must be accompanied by banging of regimental swords and maces!).


If you live in the area this is a school that is well worth considering. The odds are against you for getting in but very much for you if you do make it! If your schooling days are over and you have no family of school age think about coming to see one of the concerts or productions, they are well worth it and often as good as professional productions. The school has produced some excellent performers (including a Young Musician of the Year winner, the current music chorus director of the Welsh National Opera, several radio DJs and a few actors to boot!).