The Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference (HMC), formerly known as the Headmasters' Conference and now branded HMC (The Heads' Conference), is an association of the head teachers of 351 private fee-charging schools (both boarding schools and day schools), traditionally described as public schools. 302 members are based in the United Kingdom, Crown dependencies and Ireland. There are 72 international members (mostly from the Commonwealth) and also 28 associate or affiliate members who are head teachers of state schools or other influential individuals in the world of education, who endorse and support the work of HMC.

History

The Conference dates from 1869 when Edward Thring, Headmaster of Uppingham School, asked sixty of his fellow headmasters to meet at his house to consider the formation of a "School Society and Annual Conference". Fourteen accepted the invitation, From that date there have been annual meetings.

Until the 1970s, membership was confined to 200 schools.

In 1996, the association changed its name from the "Headmasters' Conference" to the "Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference". In 2023, the name was changed to HMC (The Heads' Conference).

Membership of the HMC is often considered to be what defines a school as a public school in England and Wales. Not all independent schools are in the HMC; in particular, many notable girls' schools are not members, partly because historically the HMC was for boys' schools only. In 2005, the association opened membership to heads of girls-only schools.

Today HMC's membership includes boys', girls' and co-educational schools.

List of HMC member schools in The United Kingdom

England

  • The Abbey School, Reading
  • Abingdon School
  • Badminton School
  • Bancroft's School
  • Bradfield College
  • Caterham School
  • Dauntsey's School
  • Edgbaston High School
  • Forest School
  • Godolphin School
  • Haileybury
  • Hurstpierpoint College
  • James Allen's Girls' School
  • The John Lyon School
  • Kent College, Pembury
  • Lancing College
  • Malvern College
  • Newcastle upon Tyne Royal Grammar School
  • Oldham Hulme Grammar School
  • The Perse School
  • Queen Elizabeth Grammar School, Wakefield
  • Ratcliffe College
  • St Albans High School for Girls
  • Tonbridge School
  • Tranby School
  • Uppingham School
  • Warwick Schools Foundation
  • Wellingborough School
  • Wimbledon High School

Scotland

  • Albyn School

Isle of Man

  • King William's College
  • Gordon's School, Woking, Surrey
  • Edward Thring, Headmaster, Uppingham School, 1869
  • Daniel Harper, Head-master, Sherborne School, 1870
  • John Dyne, Head Master, Highgate School, 1871
  • A R Vardy, Chief Master, King Edward's School, Birmingham, 1872
  • G Ridding, Head Master, Winchester College, 1873
  • Alfred Carver, Master, Dulwich College, 1874
  • John Percival, Headmaster, Clifton College, 1875
  • T W Jex-Blake, Head Master, Rugby School, 1876
  • G C Bell, Master, Marlborough College, 1877
  • H M Butler, Head Master, Harrow School, 1878
  • J J Hornby, Head Master, Eton College, 1879–80
  • E C Wickham, Head Master, Wellington College, 1881
  • H W Eve, Head Master, University College School, 1882–83
  • E M Young, Head Master, Sherborne School, 1884–85
  • W Haig Brown, Head Master, Charterhouse, 1886–87
  • W A Fearon, Head Master, Winchester College, 1888–89
  • E Warre, Head Master, Eton College, 1890–91
  • L W Baker, Headmaster, Merchant Taylors' School, 1892–93
  • E Warre, Head Master, Eton College, 1894–95
  • H A James, Headmaster, Rugby School, 1896
  • E Lyttelton, Headmaster, Haileybury, 1897
  • H W Moss, Headmaster, Shrewsbury School, 1898–99
  • Dr H B Gray, Head Master, Bradfield College, 1900
  • H W Moss, Headmaster, Shrewsbury School, 1901
  • C C Tancock, Headmaster, Tonbridge School, 1902
  • E Lyttelton, Headmaster, Haileybury, 1903
  • A W Upcott, Head Master, Christ's Hospital, 1904
  • G Rendell, Head Master, Charterhouse, 1905
  • S R James, Headmaster, Malvern College, 1906
  • C E Brownrigg, Master, Magdalen College School, 1907
  • R Arbuthnot Nairn, Head Master, Merchant Taylors' School, 1908
  • W T A Barber, Headmaster, The Leys School, 1909
  • E Lyttelton, Head Master, Eton College, 1910
  • N C Smith, Head-master, Sherborne School, 1911
  • J Gow, Head Master, Westminster School, 1912
  • W C Eppstein, Headmaster, Reading Blue Coat School, 1913
  • F Fletcher, Head Master, Charterhouse, 1914–15
  • A A David, Headmaster, Rugby School, 1916–18
  • F Fletcher, Head Master, Charterhouse, 1919
  • A A David, Headmaster, Rugby School, 1920–21
  • R Cary Gilson, Chief Master, King Edward's School, Birmingham, 1922
  • F Fletcher, Head Master, Charterhouse, 1923
  • Cyril Alington, Head Master, Eton College, 1924–25
  • F Fletcher, Headmaster, Charterhouse, 1926–27
  • R Cary Gilson, Chief Master, King Edward's School, Birmingham, 1928
  • F. Fletcher, Headmaster, Charterhouse, 1929
  • F B Malim, Master, Wellington College, 1930
  • F Fletcher, Headmaster, Charterhouse, 1931
  • F B Malim, Master, Wellington College, 1932
  • D C Norwood, Head Master, Harrow School, 1933
  • F Fletcher, Headmaster, Charterhouse, 1934
  • F B Malim, Master, Wellington College, 1935
  • H H Hardy, Headmaster, Shrewsbury School, 1936–38
  • Spencer Leeson, Head Master, Winchester College, 1939–44
  • J Wolfenden, Headmaster, Shrewsbury School, 1945
  • J Wolfenden, Headmaster, Shrewsbury School, 1946
  • H Lyon, Headmaster, Rugby School, 1947
  • J Wolfenden, Headmaster, Shrewsbury School, 1948
  • J Wolfenden, Headmaster, Shrewsbury School, 1949
  • G C Turner, Headmaster, Charterhouse, 1950
  • R Birley, Head Master, Eton College, 1951–52
  • E James, High Master, The Manchester Grammar School, 1953–54
  • Walter Hamilton, Headmaster, Westminster School, 1955–56
  • R Birley, Head Master, Eton College, 1957–58
  • Desmond Lee, Head Master, Winchester College, 1959–60
  • C P C Smith, Headmaster, Haileybury, 1961–62
  • D R Wigram, Headmaster, Monkton Combe School, 1963–64 and 1964–65
  • Walter Hamilton, Headmaster, Rugby School, 1965–66
  • Desmond Lee, Head Master, Winchester College, 1967
  • D D Lindsay, Headmaster, Malvern College, 1968
  • T E B Howarth, High Master, St Paul's School, 1969
  • J MacKay, Headmaster, Bristol Grammar School, 1970
  • A R D Wright, Headmaster, Shrewsbury School, 1971
  • F H Shaw, Headmaster, King's College School, Wimbledon, 1972
  • F F Fisher, Master, Wellington College, 1973
  • Michael McCrum, Head Master, Eton College, 1974
  • N P Barry, Headmaster, Ampleforth College, 1975
  • R W Young, Principal, George Watson's College, 1976
  • J M Rae, Headmaster, Westminster School, 1977
  • David Baggley, Headmaster, Bolton School, 1978
  • J S Woodhouse, Headmaster, Rugby School, 1979
  • Ian Beer, Headmaster, Lancing College, 1980
  • John Thorn, Head Master, Winchester College, 1981
  • J W Hele, High Master, St Paul's School, 1982
  • Roger Ellis, Master, Marlborough College, 1983
  • David Emms, Master, Dulwich College, 1984
  • B H McGowan, Headmaster, Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' School, 1985
  • C H D Everett, Headmaster, Tonbridge School, 1986
  • M J W Rogers, Headmaster, King Edward's School, Birmingham, 1987
  • D A G Smith, Headmaster, Bradford Grammar School, 1988
  • M M Marriott, Headmaster, Canford School, 1989
  • D. J. Jewel], Master, Haileybury, 1990
  • J. G. Parker, High Master, The Manchester Grammar School, 1991
  • D. L. Milroy, Headmaster, Ampleforth College, 1992
  • R. J. Wilson, Headmaster, Trinity School, 1993
  • R. de C Chapman, Headmaster, Malvern College, 1994
  • Hugh Wright, Chief Master, King Edward's School, Birmingham, 1995
  • Anthony Evans, Headmaster, Portsmouth Grammar School, 1996

Chairs of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference

The following are the Chairs of the HMC after 1996.

  • Fiona Boulton, Headmistress, Guildford High School, 2019–2020
  • Sally-Anne Huang, High Master, St Paul's School, 2020–2021
  • Richard Backhouse, Principal, Berkhamsted School, 2021–2022
  • Melvyn Roffe, Principal, George Watson's College, 2022–2023
  • Sue Woodroofe, Principal, The Grammar School at Leeds, 2023–2024

<*> Change to Academic Year Chairmanship

Chairs of the HMC Committee

The following were Chairmen of the HMC Committee in the early years of the Conference.