Peter Symonds College is a sixth form college in Winchester, Hampshire, England. The college is the largest sixth form in England.

Peter Symonds College traces its origins to Christes Hospitall, a charitable institution established through the will of Peter Symonds, a prosperous Tudor merchant. In 1896 the charity established the College as a grammar school for boys.

Peter Symonds serves as the official sixth-form college of the Falkland Islands, housing a boarding house named Falkland Lodge. It is one of the very few sixth form colleges which also serve as a boarding school.

History

Life of Peter Symonds

Peter Symonds was born in Winchester in 1528, the son of the city's bailiff John Symonds and his wife Joan, during the reign of King Henry VIII. Peter was sent to London in 1542, where he served as an apprentice to William Wilkinson, a London sheriff and alderman. Following the death of William Wilkinson in 1543, Peter continued in the service of his widow, Joan. Joan had served as a silkwoman in Anne Boleyn's household, and was close friends with leading Protestant reformers, most notably the Oxford Martyrs: Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Cranmer, Nicholas Ridley, and Hugh Latimer.

When the reformers were imprisoned for their beliefs during the early years of the reign of Queen Mary I, Joan Wilkinson acted as their advocate and supplied them with necessities. Archbishop Cranmer advised her to leave England and promote Protestantism from the safety of the continent. After Bishops Ridley and Latimer were executed, Joan became a religious exile in Frankfurt, where she died in December 1556 at the house of her cousin, Cuthbert Warcop, a London mercer, and his wife, Anne. Her place of burial is unknown. Joan Wilkinson's will opens with a declaration that she was in "voluntarie exile for the true religion of Christ", and among her bequests were £6 13s. 4d. left to Peter Symonds who was still living in London.

Symonds became a successful mercer, and was one of the three wardens of the Worshipful Company of Mercers in 1583. He married Anne Symonds by 1576 and moved to the parish of All Hallows, Lombard Street, at about this time. In 1582, he was among the richest of the city, and one of the two richest men in his parish. J. N. Hare attributes this wealth to the cloth trade that "dominated London's exports".

By his death, sometime between 24 April 1586 and 29 July 1587, he had accumulated a large amount of land in the South East of England. In his will, he left land and property in Chadwell and West Ham in Essex, and a farm at East Shalford in Surrey, to his wife. Then following her death, he directed that a group of trustees, including his brother William, Mr. Bilson as warden of the New College at Winchester, and four others, should secure a licence and an act of parliament for an almshouse to be constructed at Winchester named Christes Hospital. In addition, he left annual payments for a number of charitable purposes, including the poor of All Saint, Lombard Street and Chadwell in Essex.

It was this almshouse that was to become Peter Symonds College; however, legal struggles over Symonds' land delayed construction. Richard Symonds, who claimed to be Peter's sole heir, occupied the property at Ingleby in Chadwell and Temple Marsh in West Ham before selling them, breaking the terms of Peter's will. By 1600, after reportedly paying £280, the Winchester city corporation secured the land. It is unknown when exactly the almshouse was constructed, though it was in progress in 1604, and has been accepted to be complete by 1607. King James I gave royal consent for the hospital in 1615, thus giving the hospital legal status. Most students spend two years at the college (referred to as Lower and Upper 6th), but candidates who do not meet the entry requirements may be offered an initial Level 2 year to complete the required qualifications to attain a place the next year. The college has a separate site at Stoney Lane in Winchester where it provides courses for some 2000 adult students.

Curriculum

Most students at Peter Symonds take three A-levels, with some taking other vocational courses. However, some students take four or more A-levels in their first year and continue with either three or four A-levels in their second year. The Level 3 Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) is offered at the college.

Amongst the subjects on offer at the college are Fine Art, Photography, Three-Dimensional Design, Textiles, Biology, Business, Chemistry, Classical Civilisations, Computer Science, Criminology, Dance, Drama, Economics, English Language, English Literature, Environmental Studies, Film Studies, French, German, Geography, Politics, Graphics, Health & Social Care, History, ICT, Law, Italian, Mathematics, Further Mathematics, Media Studies, Music, Philosophy, PE, Physics, Product Design, Psychology, Religious Studies, Sociology, Spanish and Statistics. Some are run by college staff, others are student-led and students are prompted at the end of each academic year for suggestions of Enrichment activities they would like to run or participate in. There are over 200 enrichment activities available, including: qualifications like the Duke of Edinburgh's Award; cultural societies like the African-Carribean Society and Gender Sexuality Alliance; musical ensembles like the college's orchestra, jazz band and Kelso Choir (named after the former music building); media and arts groups like the Symonds Radio station and Company of Fools student-led theatre company; both recreational and competitive sports; and subject-specific study groups or extended work groups.

Boarding

Approximately eighty students board at the school circa 2005. Students board at the two houses; School House and Falkland Lodge. Boarders are typically from British Armed Forces families or the Falkland Islands. The Falkland Islands Government funded the construction of the Falkland Lodge, and pays for each student to board at Peter Symonds if they achieve at least five "C" grades in their GCSEs. Therefore, in 2005 principal Neil Hopkins described the institution as "the official sixth-form college for the Falkland Islands". The SU consists of the Executive Committee (President, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary) and other officers (Canteens and Environment, Entertainments and Charity, Communications, Equality and Diversity, Officer without Portfolio and others). The Students' Union has a history of organising and coordinating protests and demonstrations on behalf of the student body.

The President of the SU also serves on the Board of Governors as a student governor, along with one other student governor who need not be a member of the Executive Committee.

;A2 Results 2015

{| class="wikitable"

! !!Entries !!A* !!A !!B !!C !!D !!E !!U !!X !!A*-B !!A*-C !!A*-E

|-

|Summary ||5169 ||622 ||1194 ||1464 ||1058 ||541 ||243 ||46 ||0 ||3281 ||4339 ||5123

|-

|Percentage || ||12.0 ||23.1 ||28.3 ||20.5 ||10.5 ||4.7 ||0.9 ||0.0 ||63.5 ||83.9 ||99.1

|}

;AS Results 2015

{| class="wikitable"

!Summary !!Entries !!A !!B !!C !!D !!E !!U !!X !!A-B !!A-C !!A-E

|-

|Summary ||7132 ||1873 ||1579 ||1512 ||1039 ||652 ||473 ||4 ||3452 ||4964 ||6655

|-

|Percentage || ||26.3 ||22.1 ||21.2 ||14.6 ||9.1 ||6.6 ||0.1 ||48.4 ||69.6 ||93.3

|}

2015 results showed the pass rate remained at 99% and students performed better than last year, with 83% achieving A*-C at A-Level.

Buildings

In 2004, the John Shields Building was unveiled, providing classrooms for the computing, psychology and environmental science departments. Also in that year, the Varley Café was rebuilt, now known as PW2.

The £4.2M Ashurst Learning Resources Centre was completed in the spring of 2007. Ashurst contains five computer suites, housing over 170 computers (three suites double as classrooms, but remain open access when not in use), a library and silent study areas.

The Conlan building was completed in the summer of 2014, this building is used for a variety of subjects including Photography and Business. It includes a green screen which is used by photography and media students.

The Hopkins Building, named after previous principal Neil Hopkins, was previously known as the Ashurst Quad. It sits alongside the Ashurst Learning Resource Centre (LRC) which was opened in September 2015, creating more study space for students. The ground floor of the building is dedicated to the provision of computers and student workspaces, whilst the top floor is occupied by the Geography and Latin departments.

On 21 April 2023, the Carville building was opened which was named after previous principal Stephen Carville. The two-storey building includes 12 classrooms and houses the Business and Economics departments.

The college unveiled the Russell Music Centre on 20 June 2025, in a ceremony hosted by former student Will Champion and principal Sara Russell (after whom the building was named). The product of a £5.4 million grant, it features two industry-standard recording studios, seven sound-proofed rehearsal rooms, a recital room with a full PA & lighting rig, and multiple acoustically treated classrooms for use across the college's four music courses.

Headmasters and principals

  • Revd Telford Varley III, 1897 to 1926
  • Dr Percy Tom Freeman, 1926 to 1956
  • Charles Simpson (acting), 1956 to 1957
  • John Shields, 1957 to 1963
  • John Ashurst, 1963 to 1972
  • John Cooksey, 1972 to 1973
  • Stuart Nicholls, 1973 to 1993
  • Neil Hopkins, 1993 to 2013
  • Stephen Carville, 2013 to 2018
  • Sara Russell, 2018–

Notable Old Symondians

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  • Ben Ainslie—British sailor and four-time (00',04',08',12') Olympic gold medalist, five-time Olympic medalist (4G,1S) – most decorated sailor of all-time. Britain's flag-bearer for London 2012 Closing ceremony.
  • Michael William George Lucas, 2nd Baron Lucas of Chilworth British Conservative Peer.
  • Kevin Ashman—professional quiz player.
  • Gina Beck—actress, singer, currently playing Miss Honey in the West End production of Matilda the Musical.
  • Mike Brown, —Harlequins and England rugby player. 2014 Six Nations Player of the Tournament.
  • Jon Boden Folk singer and former lead singer and main arranger for Bellowhead.
  • Andy Burrows—drummer in the band Razorlight, and formerly We Are Scientists.
  • Laura Carmichael—British actress, best known for playing Lady Edith Crawley in popular TV series Downton Abbey
  • Benjamin Cawston Professional Racquets Player. Current World number 1 (May 2022) and two times US Open Champion
  • Will Champion—drummer in the band Coldplay.
  • Alexa Chung—TV presenter, model and fashion designer.
  • Julia Copus Poet and children's writer.
  • Jack Dee—Stand up comedian and actor.
  • Mark Easton <sup>__</sup> the Home Editor for BBC news broadcasting on national television and radio news since 2004, also a published author noted for his book titled Britain (2012)
  • William Easton artist and writer
  • Edward Eveleigh—High Court judge
  • Philippa Forrester – Television presenter.
  • Bernard Harrison (1934-2006) - Footballer/Cricketer
  • Ben Hart (magician)<sup>__</sup> Magician and Britain's got Talent finalist.
  • Tom Hayes (trader) - Former trader who was arrested, tried, sentenced to 14 years in prison for role in the Libor Scandal
  • Nigel Healey—Vice Chancellor, Fiji National University
  • Air Chief Marshal Sir Patrick "Paddy" Bardon Hine GCB, GBE—Senior Royal Air Force commander. Commander of all British forces during the first Gulf War.
  • Dermot Hudson – Chairman of United Kingdom Korean Friendship Association
  • Phil Hughes—cricketer
  • Jing Lusi—British actress
  • Joe Marchant <sup>__</sup> rugby player.
  • Caroline Nokes—Conservative MP since 2010 for Romsey and Southampton North
  • Christian O'Connell—Radio presenter on The Christian O'Connell Breakfast Show on Absolute Radio
  • Chance Perdomo – British actor, known for Killed by My Debt (2018) and as Ambrose Spellman on the Netflix series the Chilling Adventures of Sabrina
  • Iain Percy—British sailor and double Olympic champion.
  • Lucy Pinder—glamour/nude model and Celebrity Big Brother housemate
  • Rozi Plain—Singer-songwriter and member of This Is The Kit
  • James Buckley Thorp <sup>__</sup> Founder of fashion corporation Rupert and Buckley
  • Sam Youd <sup>__</sup> a British writer, best known for science fiction under the pseudonym John Christopher, including the novel The Death of Grass.

See also

  • Education in the Falkland Islands

References

  • Peter Symonds College website
  • EduBase
  • Weeke history