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Christ's Hospital (also popularly known as the '''Bluecoat School''') is a Boarding School which is now in Horsham , West Sussex , England , but was formerly in London and Hertford . Unusually for an Independent School in England and in keeping with its original charitable purpose, fees (tuition and board) are paid on a means-tested basis, with massive subsidies from the school. In 2005, just over 20% of parents paid nothing at all and about one third paid less than £250 per year per child. Well-off families are discouraged - the number of pupils that pay the full fee (~£15,000) is limited to 6% of the School population. HISTORY It was founded by Edward VI in 1552 , shortly before the boy king died, in response to a sermon from Nicholas Ridley concerning the problem of vagrant children in London. Opened as a co-educational establishment in the City Of London in the former Greyfriars monastic buildings, the ''Royal, Religious and Ancient Foundation'' soon outgrew its accommodation, and satellite institutions were used (especially in times of fire or epidemic). Charles II Of England granted a charter in 1673 to provide for the foundation of the Royal Mathematical School within Christ's Hospital. The intention was to train poor boys in Mathematical and scientific skills that would prove useful in Navigation and trade and to supply apprentices to merchant and trading companies involved in the exploration and mercantile expansion of the emerging British Empire. John Flamsteed was among the first to teach Astronomy to pupils at the school. The current Head of the RMS is Mr Alan Smith. The girls' school moved to Hertford in the 18th Century . Christ's Hospital has a sister school in Bristol known as Queen Elizabeth's Hospital QEH which was founded in 1586 by the some of the original founders of Christ's Hospital such as Lady Mary Ramsay and John Carr. They share the same charitable ethos and the QEH School boarder's uniform is identical to that of Christ's Hospital. A great deal of the architectual work done in the 19th Century was by the father and son partnership, John Shaw Senior and John Shaw Junior {Link without Title} . The boys' school moved to its present location in Sussex in 1902 . The London site was taken over by the Post Office and St. Bartholomew's Hospital . The new buildings in Sussex were designed by Aston Webb and Ingress Bell . The boys' and girls' school re-unified in 1985 . Among artworks to be seen at the schools are a monumental frieze painted by Antonio Verrio , and the largest unsupported roof in Europe in the dining hall, and a series of mural panels in the Chapel by Frank Brangwyn . In 2005, Christ's Hospital became the setting of the Reality Television series '' Rock School ''. The series, aired in Autumn 2005 on Channel 4 in the U.K. and the Cable music channel VH1 in the U.S, Involves former '' KISS '' star Gene Simmons teaching at the school, showing 13- to 14-year-olds how to become rockers. CURRENT EVENTS The Christ's Hospital Band is engaged to play for the Queen's 80th Birthday Celebrations in London on the 21st of April. They will be leading the procession in a 110-strong formation, performing renditions of '' The National Anthem '', '' Happy Birthday '' and ''Punjaub'' amongst others. TRADITIONS The school is best known for the Tudor Uniform : long blue coat, knee-breeches and yellow socks, and bands at the neck for boys, and a complementary uniform was introduced for girls on re-unification of the schools – knee length pleated skirt, summer jacket, yellow socks (for the juniors), and grey socks or grey/black tights for seniors, as well as the long coat in winter, and the bands. The nickname "Blue-coat School" comes from the blue coats worn by the students – however the nickname used within the school community itself is "''Housey''" and the long coat is called a ''housey coat''. Links with the City and the Lord Mayor Of London are maintained, with an annual parade through the City of London on St Matthew 's Day and a regular place in the Lord Mayor's Show. One of the Christ's Hospital traditions is marching into lunch each day with the band. ORGANISATION OF THE SCHOOL Year groups The ages currently range from 11 to 18, although "Leigh Hunt" was originally a prep school which took children from the ages of 8/9, in preparation for the senior school. The School has traditional names for each of its year groups. Starting at the youngest:
Accommodation The School Houses are named after notable Old Blue writers. Each House has an "A" and "B" side, each housing roughly 50 pupils:
Grecians East and Grecians West were completed early in 2001 and provide individual study bedrooms plus several general common rooms and kitchenettes shared by a group of 7 to 10 pupils. Originally the other houses provided two dormitories (Upper Dorm and Lower Dorm) sleeping up to about 30 boys each. As the merger of the boys and girls approached, some dormitories were divided into cubicles, and subsequent developments created dormitories accommodating about 12 pupils each. Since 2001 there has been a rolling refurbishment program (due for completion in 2007). The refurbished houses provide a range of accommodation: 4-bed rooms for the junior pupils to 1-bed rooms for the more senior pupils. Until the 1960s, boys at Horsham lived in all-through houses from 2nd Form to Grecians. Then houses were divided into Senior houses (Peele, Thornton, Middleton, Coleridge and Lamb) and Junior houses (Barnes, Maine, Leigh Hunt) with boys transferring to a Senior house after L.E. In conjunction with the merger, a further reorganisation occurred with each house converting to a Senior side and a Junior side. OLD BLUES Former pupils (known as Old Blues) include:
Samuel Pepys was never a pupil but served on the governing council for a time. SEE ALSO REFERENCE
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