Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference

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 == International members ==

Africa • Michaelhouse, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa • Peponi School, Ruiru, Kenya • Peterhouse Boys' School, Marondera, Zimbabwe • St. Andrews School, Turi, Kenya • St. George's College, Harare, Zimbabwe Asia • American International School, Saigon, Vietnam • Bangkok International Preparatory and Secondary School, Thailand • The British School, New Delhi, India • British School Jakarta, Indonesia • The Doon School, Dehradun, India • Dulwich College Shanghai Pudong, China • Dulwich College Singapore • Harrow International School Bangkok, Thailand • Harrow International School Hong Kong • Harrow International School Shenzhen, China • Jerudong International School, Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Darussalam • Kellett School, Hong Kong • King's College International School, Bangkok, Thailand • Kolej Tuanku Ja'afar, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia • The Lawrence School, Sanawar, India • Marlborough College Malaysia • Shrewsbury International School Bangkok, Thailand • Tanglin Trust School, Singapore • Wellington College International Shanghai, China Australia and New Zealand • King's College, Auckland • The King's School, Sydney, New South Wales • Pymble Ladies' College, Sydney, New South Wales • The Scots College, Sydney, New South Wales • St Leonard's College, Melbourne, Victoria • Sydney Grammar School, New South Wales Central, North and South America • Crofton House School, Vancouver, Canada • The Grange School, Santiago, Chile • Markham College, Lima, Peru • San Silvestre School, Lima, Peru • St George's College, Buenos Aires, Argentina • St. Michaels University School, Victoria, Canada • St Paul's School, Brazil São Paulo, Brazil Continental Europe • Aiglon College, Chesières, Switzerland • Akademeia High School, Warsaw, Poland • The British School in the Netherlands, The Hague, The Netherlands • The British School of Amsterdam, The Netherlands • The British School of Barcelona, Spain • The British School of Brussels, Belgium • The British School of Bucharest, Romania • The British School of Milan, Italy • The British School of Paris, France • The Cambridge School of Bucharest, Romania • Campion School, Athens, Greece • The English College in Prague, Czech Republic • The English School, Nicosia, Cyprus • The International School of Lausanne, Switzerland • King's College, Madrid, Spain • Oporto British School, Porto, Portugal • St Catherine’s British School, Athens, Greece • St George's, Rome, Italy • St Julian's School, Lisbon, Portugal Middle East • Brighton College Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates — Barney Durrant • Brighton College Dubai, United Arab Emirates — Simon Crane • British International School of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia — Helen Olds • British International School Riyadh, Saudi Arabia — Jeremy Newton • The British School Al Khubairat, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates — Mark Leppard • British School Muscat, Oman — Kai Vacher • Deira International School, Dubai, United Arab Emirates — Simon O'Connor • Doha College, Qatar — David Tongue • Dubai College, United Arab Emirates — Tom Duckling • GEMS FirstPoint, Dubai, United Arab Emirates — David Wade • GEMS Jumeirah College, Dubai, United Arab Emirates — Nick Brain • GEMS Wellington Academy Al Khail, Dubai, United Arab Emirates — Ann Haydon • GEMS Wellington International School, Dubai, United Arab Emirates — Maryssa O’Connor • GEMS Wesgreen International School, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates — James McDonald • Jumeirah English Speaking School, Dubai, United Arab Emirates — Shane O'Brien • St Christopher's School, Isa Town, Bahrain — Simon Watson == Associates ==

• Bangor Grammar School, Bangor, County Down • Gordon's School, Woking, Surrey • Methodist College Belfast, Belfast, County Antrim • Monmouth School for Girls, Monmouth, Monmouthshire • Pate's Grammar School, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire • The Judd School, Tonbridge, Kent • Wymondham College, Morley, Norfolk == HMC Projects in Central and Eastern Europe ==

HMC Projects in Central and Eastern Europe is a charity offering opportunities for students and young teachers from Central and Eastern Europe to develop themselves, by coming to HMC member schools in the UK for a year. == Chairs of the HMC ==

Chairmen of the Headmasters' Conference The following are the Chairmen of the HMC until 1996. • 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. In these years they served alongside the Chairman of the Conference (the 'annual meeting') until, in 1921, it was agreed that the Chairman of the Annual Meeting should always also be Chairman of the HMC Committee. • G Ridding, Head Master, Winchester College, 1870, 1871, 1872 • Daniel Harper, Head Master, Sherborne School, 1874, 1875, 1876, 1877, 1878 • G C Bell, Master, Marlborough College, 1879, 1881, 1882, 1883, 1885, 1886, 1887 • T W Jex-Blake, Head Master, Rugby School, 1880 • E C Wickham, Head Master, Wellington College, 1884, 1888 • E Warre, Head Master, Eton College, 1889, 1893 • W A Fearon, Head Master, Winchester College, 1891, 1895 • E Lyttelton, Headmaster, Haileybury, 1898, 1902, 1904 • H W Moss, Headmaster, Shrewsbury School, 1900 • J Gow, Head Master, Westminster School, 1906, 1907, 1908, 1911 • R Cary Gilson, Chief Master, King Edward's School, Birmingham, 1909, 1910 • F Fletcher, Head Master, Charterhouse, 1913 • C Lowry, Headmaster, Tonbridge School, 1916 == See also ==