View source for Haberdashers' Boys' School

{{short description|Independent day school in Hertfordshire, England}}
{{Use British English|date=June 2015}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2021}}
{{Infobox school
 | name                    = Haberdashers' Boys' School
 | image                   = [[File:The Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' School coat of arms.jpg|100px]] <br/> Coat of arms <br/> [[File:Habsfrontcricket.jpg|250px]] <br/> Boys playing cricket in front of [[Aldenham House]]
 | image_size              = 150px
 | coordinates             = {{coord|51.6564|-0.3124|type:edu_region:GB_dim:100|format=dec|display=inline,title}}
 | established             = {{Start date and age|1690}}
 | type                    = 4–18 boys [[Public school (United Kingdom)|Public]] and [[Independent school|Independent]] [[day school]]
 | closed                  = 
 | religion                = [[Church of England]]
 | president               = 
 | r_head_label            = Headmaster
 | r_head                  = Robert Sykes
 | head_label              = Executive Principal
 | head                    = Gus Lock
 | chair_label             = Chairman
 | chair                   = Simon Cartmell
 | specialist              = 
 | address                 = Butterfly Lane
 | city                    = [[Elstree]]
 | county                  = [[Hertfordshire]]
 | country                 = United Kingdom
 | postcode                = WD6 3AF
 | urn                     = 117648
 | ofsted                  = 
 | staff                   = 
 | enrolment               = 1,095 pupils<ref name=ISC>{{cite web |url=http://www.isc.co.uk/viewPage.aspx?templateID=6&schoolId=84109&max=2 |title=Haberdashers' School |access-date=2007-08-28 |work=Independent Schools Council |url-status = dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927000119/http://www.isc.co.uk/viewPage.aspx?templateID=6&schoolId=84109&max=2 |archive-date=27 September 2007 }}</ref>
 | gender                  = Boys
 | lower_age               = 4
 | upper_age               = 18
 | houses                  = Calverts (Orange)<br>Hendersons (Red)<br>Joblings (Green)<br>Meadows (Purple)<br>Russells (Light Blue)<br>Strouts (Yellow)
 | colours                 = Navy and sky blue
{{color box|#000080}} {{color box|#87CEEB}}
 | publication             = Skylark, Skylight, SCOPE, Scribe, Timeline, Habs Geographical, Veritas, The Score, ENIGMA
 | alumni                  = [[List of Old Haberdashers|Old Haberdashers]]
 | website                 = [https://www.habsboys.org.uk/ Haberdashers' Boys' School]
}}

'''Haberdashers' Boys' School''' (formerly '''Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' School''') is a 4–18 boys [[ Public School (United Kingdom)|public school]] in [[Elstree]], [[Hertfordshire]], England. It is a member of the [[Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference]]. 

The school was founded in 1690 by a [[Royal Charter]] granted to the [[Worshipful Company of Haberdashers]] to establish a [[hospital]] for 20 [[Boarding school|boarders]] with £32,000 from the legacy of [[Robert Aske (merchant)|Robert Aske]] (equivalent to approximately £5m in 2019).<ref>{{cite web |title=Measuring Worth - Purchasing power |url=https://www.measuringworth.com/calculators/ukcompare/p |website=Measuringworth |publisher=The MeasuringWorth Foundation |access-date=21 May 2021}}</ref> 

The school relocated from its original site in Hoxton in 1874, eventually (1961) moving to 104 acres of green belt countryside in [[Elstree]]. The house names in the preparatory and pre–preparatory schools represent the patron saints of the four countries of the United Kingdom –  [[England]], [[Scotland]], [[Wales]], and [[Northern Ireland]].<ref name=pastoral>{{cite web |title=Pastoral |url=https://www.habsboys.org.uk/senior-school/pastoral#:~:text=Each%20of%20our%20six%20Houses,the%20original%20Head%20of%20House. |website=Habs Boys |access-date=22 November 2023}}</ref>

It sits on the same site as the [[Haberdashers' Girls' School|Haberdasher's Girls' School]].

==History==

===1690–1738 <span class="anchor" id="Aske's Hospital"></span>===
[[File:Haberdashershoxton.jpg|thumb|left|300px|[[Robert Aske (merchant)|Aske's]] Hospital, the school's first home]]

Following a bequest of approximately £20,000 made by the merchant [[Robert Aske (merchant)|Robert Aske]] to the [[Worshipful Company of Haberdashers]] on his death in 1689, an [[almshouse]] for twenty needy members of the [[Worshipful Company of Haberdashers|Haberdashers' Company]] was established in 1690 just outside the [[City of London]] at [[Hoxton]].<ref name=aboutus>{{cite web |title=History of Habs Boys |url=https://www.habsboys.org.uk/about-us/who-we-are-and-what-we-stand-for/about-us |website=Haberdashers' Boys' School |access-date=21 November 2023}}</ref> Designed by [[Robert Hooke]], the almshouse comprised a chapel and, at its centre, the school, which provided education for 20 sons of poor freemen between the ages of nine and fifteen. However, the chaplain, Thomas Wright, was then made master of Bunhill School and was thus unable to teach the boys at Aske's. In 1697, therefore, John Pridie was appointed to teach the boys English, the catechism, and basic grammar at a salary of £40 a month. Soon afterward, Pridie secured the right to admit pupils from paying parents, allowing him to increase the amount of money spent on the boys' education. However, this right did not last for long.<ref name=aboutus/>

In 1701, the school instituted new rules that introduced a cap and gown as the school uniform. The school created the position of a master to teach arithmetic and writing. The school continued to cater to poor pupils, requiring any boy who inherited £100 or more to leave to make way for a less lucky individual. However, the school began to run into financial difficulties; by 1714, the school had reduced itself to only eight pupils. Hardship continued until 1738 when the Court of Assistants, the senior governing body of the [[Worshipful Company of Haberdashers|Haberdashers' Company]], decided that the favourable condition of the company justified restoring the school. At the same time, caps and gowns ceased to be the school uniform, and the school removed Latin from the curriculum.<ref name=aboutus/>

===1738–1825===

In 1818, the Charities Commission announced that the school's buildings required repairs that were too expensive for the company's allotted allowance. However, errors in bookkeeping reveal that, whereas it was thought that the school was £7,000 in debt to the company, they were in fact £900 in credit. By 1820 the schoolmaster's basic salary was still fixed at £15. However, the master at this time, William Webb, received gratuities of £20 in both 1818 and 1819. By contrast, the chaplain, matron, and nurse received £50, £16, and £12 respectively, and each of the two maidservants received a salary of £8. The pupil body continued to comprise 20 poor sons of freedmen, and the curriculum consisted of [[the three Rs]] (reading, writing, and arithmetic) and the [[catechism]].<ref name=aboutus/>

===1825–1874===

In 1825, the school erected new buildings on the site. The schoolmaster at this time was himself a former pupil of the school and a liveryman of the company. The company increased the school's allowance by £4 and expanded the school's collection of books. Regular examinations were conducted, with prizes provided for exceptional performance.<ref name=aboutus/>

In the early days of the school, the chaplain and the schoolmaster both taught but had separate roles. However, in 1830, the school chaplain was dismissed following scandalous behaviour with a servant-girl. The school was temporarily closed, and when it re-opened in 1831, J. L. Turner was elected to take both roles and given a salary of £700, from which he had to pay for all costs of the school's management. He was forbidden to take pupils from paying parents. The school replaced the former reading, writing, and arithmetic curriculum with Latin (having removed it in 1738), geography, grammar, accounting, and mathematics. By the end of the year, Turner revealed he had spent £748, which exceeded his salary. However, the company committee was satisfied that the significant improvement in the boys' education merited an increase in funding to £800 per year. At this point, the school conducted examinations on a biannual basis.<ref name=aboutus/>

In 1849, F. W. Mortimer, headmaster of the [[City of London School]], criticized some of the textbooks used and the teaching of Latin, which he thought would be better replaced by French. In 1858, Thomas Grose, who conducted the school's examinations, echoed Mortimer's earlier criticisms of the study of Latin and repeated his suggestion that the school should teach French instead.<ref name=aboutus/> In addition, he also recommended the introduction of geometry, business studies, trigonometry, mechanics, and natural philosophy to the curriculum. The schoolmaster at this time, Mr. Carterfield,{{who|date=October 2021}} resisted these suggestions.<ref name=aboutus/> However, growing dissatisfaction among the school's older pupils led to his resignation later that year. A. Jones became headmaster, as the title had become known. In 1868, inhabitants of the surrounding area petitioned the school to accept the sons of parishioners as pupils.<ref name=aboutus/>

In 1874, though not directly related to this school, two new schools, one for boys and one for girls, were set up in [[Hatcham]], South London. They were known as the Haberdashers' Hatcham Schools until 1991, when the two were combined as Haberdashers' Hatcham College, now a state-funded [[Academy (England)|academy]].<ref name=aboutus/>

===1874–1961===

In 1874, the almshouse, which had housed the school since 1690, closed to give the developing school more space. The school was divided into two halves, one for boys and one, for the first time, for girls. Each half admitted 300 pupils, a significant increase on previous pupil numbers; £5,000 was spent on renovating the Hoxton buildings; and the chaplain, schoolmaster, matron, and almsmen were pensioned. The foundationers were moved to another boarding school.<ref name=aboutus/>

In 1883, the school increased the leaving age for pupils to 18. In 1898, the school moved the two-halves—the Girls' School to [[Acton, London|Acton]] and the boys' to a site just within Hampstead borough, in north-west London – but much closer to [[Cricklewood]]. Its formal name was the Haberdashers' Hampstead School. A preparatory section for boys up to 11 years of age was located at Chase Lodge, [[Mill Hill]]. In the 1950s, the closure of [[Mercers]] School led to transferring a substantial number of boys to the Hampstead site.<ref name=aboutus/>

===1961–1974===

In 1961, the Boys' School moved to its present site at Elstree, Hertfordshire, and was renamed Haberdashers' Aske's School, Elstree. In 1974, the Girls' School at Acton was reunited with its Boys' School counterpart on an adjacent site at Elstree.<ref name=aboutus/>

Starting with the move to Elstree, like most [[Public school (UK)|public schools]], Haberdashers' took several boarding pupils. In 1964, these numbered 75 pupils out of a total of 680 in the senior school. Since then, the school has reverted to being a [[day school]] with all pupils traveling in each day, mainly via an extensive school coach service.<ref name=aboutus/>

===1974–present===

More recently, several buildings on the Elstree campus have been opened, including the new Aske Building (2004), a multi-million-pound science and geography complex, and the Bourne Building, a classics series, information technology, history, and politics classrooms. The Bourne Building also houses the school's largest hall (the Bourne Hall) and the library.<ref name=aboutus/>

Another significant building in Haberdashers' is the T. W. Taylor Music School (named after a former headmaster),<ref name=virtualvisitItem12>{{cite web |title=Habs Boys Virtual Visit |url=https://virtualvisit.habsboys.org.uk/senior/#mapItems-12 |publisher=Haberdashers' Boys' School |access-date=6 December 2022}}</ref> containing at its centre the Seldon Hall (a concert hall), several classrooms used for class music lessons, and smaller tuition rooms used for individual (or small group) tuition in musical instruments. Every two to four years, the school hosts a concert at the Barbican in central London. The school has occasionally organised the concert in collaboration with the Girls' School next door. The director of performance music, Tom Taylor, is in charge of the concert.<ref name=aboutus/>

The Bourne Building also features an assembly hall inherited from the building that previously stood there. This hall is home to a fine [[pipe organ]], built-in 1897 by [[Henry Willis & Sons]] for Hove Town Hall and brought to Elstree in 1962. The instrument retains its original specification of 36 stops on four manuals and pedals and is maintained by the Willis firm.<ref>{{cite web|title=The National Pipe Organ Register – Haberdashers' Boys' School|url=http://www.npor.org.uk/cgi-bin/Rsearch.cgi?Fn=Rsearch&rec_index=C00921|website=Npor.org|access-date=2016-02-04}}</ref>

As a result of discussion in 2021, Robert Aske's name was dropped from the boys' and girls' Haberdashers' Schools in Elstree, due to his previous links with the slave trade; although it was retained by their governing body.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |date=2021-09-03 |title=Haberdashers' Aske schools drop slave trade investor's name |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-58436989 |access-date=2024-06-07 |work=[[BBC News]] |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Reaidi |first=Joseph |date=2021-09-06 |title=New motto for private schools that dropped slave trader links revealed |url=https://www.watfordobserver.co.uk/news/19559363.new-motto-haberdashers-askes-schools-revealed/ |access-date=2024-06-07 |website=Watford Observer |language=en}}</ref>  At the same time, the school's motto was changed, from "Serve and Obey" to "Together, boundless".<ref name=":0" /> The motto reflected the Christian values of the school, not its links with slavery, but was seen to be inappropriate following the discovery.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Haberdashers' Aske's schools change name over link to slave trade|url=https://www.thetimes.com/article/haberdashers-askes-schools-change-name-over-link-to-slave-trade-3b558w6qg|last=Woolcock|first=Nicola|date=2021-09-04|access-date=2021-09-09|work=[[The Times]]}}</ref><ref name=":1" />

The Hinton and Taylor buildings completed construction in 2022. They consist of 46 classrooms, academic offices and a drama studio.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Wilson |first=Rob |date=2024-01-02 |title=NVB completes academic hub and drama studio at Hertfordshire school |url=https://www.architectsjournal.co.uk/buildings/nvb-completes-academic-hub-and-drama-studio-at-hertfordshire-school |access-date=2025-03-30 |website=The Architects’ Journal |language=en}}</ref>

==Overview==

===Buildings and grounds===
[[File:Habsclocktower.jpg|thumb|right|180px|View of the Clock Tower from [[Aldenham House]]]]
Haberdashers' is located on the grounds of [[Aldenham House]], a stately home, which became the boarding house in 1961, with accommodation for 80 main school pupils, three staff, and their spouses. The Headmaster and his secretary have offices on the ground floor. Other administrative areas were housed there after boarding ended. Although the school uses the house for various purposes, teaching takes place in several buildings that have been built on the grounds, most built around the Quad, a rectangular area of grass that has restricted access to students.

At its centre is [[Aldenham House]], a [[Grade II* listed building]], that was formerly the seat of the [[Lord Aldenham|Lords Aldenham]] and home to [[Vicary Gibbs (St Albans MP)|Vicary Gibbs]] MP.<ref name="guidetoindependentschools.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.guidetoindependentschools.com/schools/view/176/Haberdashers-Aske-s-Boys-/HMC-IAPS/The-Haberdashers-Aske-s-Boys-School-Butterfly-Lane-Elstree-Hertfordshire-WD6-3AF|title=Haberdashers' Aske's Boys'|access-date=4 February 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110711133238/http://www.guidetoindependentschools.com/schools/view/176/Haberdashers-Aske-s-Boys-/HMC-IAPS/The-Haberdashers-Aske-s-Boys-School-Butterfly-Lane-Elstree-Hertfordshire-WD6-3AF|archive-date=11 July 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref> While the school once offered boarding to some students, it has since become an all-day school, with the boarding quarters having been converted to offices.

The Bourne Building, home to the largest of the school's assembly halls, the library, along with several [[history]], [[Information and communications technology|ICT]] and [[classics]] classrooms, is next to Aldenham House at the top of the Quadrangle. The library was quite recently refurbished by the school and now contains various open and screened seating areas, as well as desktop and laptop computers. A team of qualified librarians supervises the library, which serves as pupils' principal work area.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://virtualvisit.habsboys.org.uk/senior/#mapItems-6 | title=Senior &#124; Habs Boys | date=18 September 2020 }}</ref> 

On the opposite side of the Quad is the old Maths and MFL block, containing the Bates Dining Room and sixth form common room.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://virtualvisit.habsboys.org.uk/senior/#mapItems-5 | title=Senior &#124; Habs Boys | date=18 September 2020 }}</ref> To the left side of the Bourne Building is the Seldon (formerly TW Taylor) Music School which houses classrooms for the music department, instrumental lessons and a performance hall in the centre called the Seldon Hall which is also used for assemblies.<ref name=virtualvisitItem12/> Opposite the music school is the Aske Building, a complex of [[science]] and [[geography]] classrooms which also contains the Aske Hall used primarily for lectures given by visiting speakers.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://virtualvisit.habsboys.org.uk/senior/#mapItems-3 | title=Senior &#124; Habs Boys | date=18 September 2020 }}</ref>

[[File:Askebuilding.jpg|thumb|left|The Aske Building at Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' School]]

Behind the Aske Building, lies the recently constructed multi-purpose sports complex which was opened in 2016 and formally called the Medburn Centre, the complex boasts a 24.96m swimming pool, climbing wall, gymnasium, the Medburn Hall, squash courts, new changing rooms and Joe's Café in the lobby area. The complex was connected to the older McGowan Hall which is a large sports halls used for various activities as well as exams.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://virtualvisit.habsboys.org.uk/senior/#mapItems-8 | title=Senior &#124; Habs Boys | date=18 September 2020 }}</ref>

In June 2022, the school opened their 2 new buildings on site for core subjects, the Taylor and Hinton buildings, named after former headmasters of the school. The new buildings have state-of-the art classrooms and house the subjects: [[English literature|English]], [[Theology]] and [[Philosophy]] and [[Modern Foreign Languages]] (in the Taylor) and [[Maths]] and [[Economics]] (in the Hinton). As part of the construction a new drama studio was constructed between the Taylor and Bourne buildings acting as a "bridge" and the grounds around these buildings have been uplifted from being an empty playground space with spaces like the "Lime Walk" and "Rain Garden". Behind the new buildings is the oldest building on site: the Design and Art Centre housing the [[Design and Technology|DT]] and [[Art]] subjects. The lower floor has 3 distinct DT workshops and 2 DT computer labs for classes to use and the upper floor has four studios for drawing, painting, printing, sculpture, digital design, textiles and ceramics on top of a dedicated Sixth Form studio and Art and Design library.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://virtualvisit.habsboys.org.uk/senior/#mapItems-2 | title=Senior &#124; Habs Boys | date=18 September 2020 }}</ref>

On the other side of the school is the Prep School which was extended and renovated in 2019, the newly constructed Pre-Prep school which is set to be complete for October 2022,<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.volkerfitzpatrick.co.uk/en/news/detail/volkerfitzpatrick-awarded-contract-for-new-pre-preparatory-buildings-at-haberdashers-boys-school | title=VolkerFitzpatrick awarded contract for new pre-preparatory buildings at Haberdashers' Boys' School - VolkerFitzpatrick }}</ref> the Penne's Changing Rooms (which are for Rugby and Cricket players who are playing on the school fields). To the right side of the Penne's is the North Drive Car Park<ref>{{cite web | url=https://virtualvisit.habsboys.org.uk/senior/#mapItems-9 | title=Senior &#124; Habs Boys | date=18 September 2020 }}</ref> for teachers and support staff and to the left is the Coach Park, but in front of the Penne's is the main field area.

===Academic attainment===

The school admits pupils based upon a school-specific competitive examination (not the Common Entrance Paper) at either 11+ or 13+ (with entry into the preparatory school at 4+ or 7+). [[Oxbridge]] offers statistics are as follows:
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! 2001
! 2002
! 2003
! 2004
! 2005
! 2006
! 2007
! 2008
! 2009
! 2010
! 2011
! 2012
! 2013
! 2014
! 2015
! 2016
! 2017
! 2018
! 2019
! 2020
! 2021
!2022
!2023
|-
| 37
| 25
| 40
| 27
| 32
| 43
| 37
| 36
| 26
| 38
| 37
| 31
| 46
| 37
| 39
| 36
| 38
| 30
| 25
| 21
| 15
|12
|17
|}

<ref>{{Cite web |title=Future thinking |url=https://www.habselstree.org.uk/boys/sixth-form/future-thinking/ |access-date=2025-03-30 |website=Habs Boys |language=en-GB}}</ref>Older averages (2001–2006) placed the school at nineteenth in the country.<ref name="image.guardian.co.uk">{{cite report|url=https://image.guardian.co.uk/sys-files/Education/documents/2007/09/20/100topoxbridge.pdf|title=Top 100 schools by Oxford admissions hit rate|publisher=[[The Guardian]]|format=PDF|date=20 September 2007}}</ref>

The school was ranked 15th by ''The Sunday Times'' in their 2006 Parent Power feature<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.times-archive.co.uk/onlinespecials//topindependentsecondaryschools.pdf |title=News UK |publisher=Times-archive.co.uk |access-date=2016-02-04}}</ref> on the best independent schools, down from 12 in the previous year. According to the ''Times'' rankings, Habs came 12th (out of 1,150 schools) in GCSE rankings<ref>{{cite web|author=John Simpson|url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/displayPopup/0,,115677,00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060930232335/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/displayPopup/0,,115677,00.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=30 September 2006 |title=The Times |publisher=Timesonline.co.uk |date=2015-03-17 |access-date=2016-02-04}}</ref> and 72nd (out of 939) at A-level,<ref>{{cite web|author=John Simpson |url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/displayPopup/0,,114842,00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060923045202/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/displayPopup/0,,114842,00.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=23 September 2006 |title=The Times |publisher=Timesonline.co.uk |date=2015-03-17 |access-date=2016-02-04}}</ref> though this is largely because most boys at Habs only took three A-levels, and so received a lower total score than other comparable schools. In the same year, the ''Telegraph'' placed Habs in 15th place based on A- and AS-level results,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/08/25/utable1.xml |title=Top 100 independent schools according to A and AS Level results
|work=The Telegraph|access-date=2016-02-04|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080505080215/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/migrationtemp/1527238/Top-100-independent-schools-according-to-A-and-AS-Level-results.html|archive-date=5 May 2008}}</ref> and 8th (out of 2703) in their full list ranked by average score per A-level entry.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/main.jhtml?xml=/education/leaguetables/secondary2007/alevel.xml|title=Full list ranked by average score per A-level entry|work=Telegraph.co.uk|access-date=4 February 2016|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070714002857/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/main.jhtml?xml=/education/leaguetables/secondary2007/alevel.xml|archive-date=14 July 2007}}</ref>

In the 2015 private school League tables, ''[[The Daily Telegraph|The Telegraph]]'' placed the School 10th in the country for GCSE and achieved a 74% overall A* grade.<ref name=2015table>{{Cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/leaguetables/11825016/GCSE-results-2015-Independent-schools-table.html|title=GCSE results 2015: Independent schools table|date=29 August 2015 }}</ref> Similarly, at A-Level, the school gained several places and was listed at 7th in the country<ref name=2015table/> having received 83% A*-A grades.

For the main academic subjects taken by boys to GCSE (which consist of mathematics, the sciences, and English), IGCSE papers are written. Mathematics and the sciences use Edexcel IGCSE papers; English use AQA papers and the humanities – the school offers history, geography, and theology and philosophy – write the Cambridge International Examinations. The modern foreign languages department (MFL) also uses Cambridge International Examinations, apart from Spanish, which will start using the AQA specification from the 2024–25 year. Those pupils in the higher sets may sit an additional paper from the Institute of Linguistics.<ref>{{cite web |title=Curriculum Subjects |publisher= The Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' School |url=https://www.habsboys.org.uk/senior-school/academic/subjects |website=www.habsboys.org.uk}}</ref>

===Houses===

The school sorts the boys into one of six school houses,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.habsboys.org.uk/Houses|title=Houses|publisher= The Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' School|website=www.habsboys.org.uk|access-date=2016-11-22}}</ref> each house having their own 'house colour' used on the standard and house ties worn by pupils:

*Calverts (orange, previously dark blue)
*Hendersons (red)
*Joblings (green)
*Meadows (purple)
*Russells (light blue)
*Strouts (yellow)

The names for these houses derive from the names of their original housemasters. While the school places pupils in tutor groups, these are purely for pastoral purposes and are taught in mixed, or streamed, sets. The school awards several shields at the end of the academic year for competitions between the houses.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.habsboys.org.uk/Competitions|title=Competitions |publisher= The Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' School|website=www.habsboys.org.uk|access-date=2016-11-22}}</ref> These shields include:<ref name=pastoral/>

*Junior Work and Conduct
*Middle-School Work and Conduct
*Senior Work and Conduct
*The Crossman Shield, awarded for success in inter-house sporting competitions
*The Dunton Shield, awarded to the house with the highest number of points in the above four categories combined

Throughout the year, there are numerous inter-house events, including sporting and non-sporting competitions such as inter-house debating, inter-house chess, inter-house scrabble, inter-house backgammon, and inter-house bridge, inter-house MasterChef, and inter-house target shooting. The school expects each boy to represent their house in at least one activity. However, many boys represent their houses in multiple activities.<ref name=pastoral/>

In the preparatory and pre-preparatory schools, the houses are the following:
* {{colourbox|blue}} Andrews (blue, representing [[Scotland]])
* {{colourbox|yellow}} Davids (yellow, representing [[Wales]])
* {{colourbox|red}} Georges (red, representing [[England]])
* {{colourbox|Green}} Patricks (green, representing [[Northern Ireland]])

The house names represent the patron saints of the four [[countries of the United Kingdom]] ([[Scotland]], [[Wales]], [[England]] and [[Northern Ireland]]). Bands on students' ties reflect these house colours.<ref name=pastoral/>

===Fees===
The total cost of attending the schools are stated below:
{| class="wikitable"
|'''Year Group''' 
|'''Autumn 2024'''
|'''Total Termly Fees Incl. VAT'''
|'''Per Annum 2024-25'''
|-
|Pre-Preparatory School (Reception, Year 1 and Year 2)
|£6,995.00
|£7,974.00
|£22,943.00
|-
|Preparatory School (Years 3, 4, 5 and 6)
|£8,189.00
|£9,336.00
|£26,859.00
|-
|Senior School (Years 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11)
|£8,666.00
|£9,879.00
|£28,424.00
|-
|Sixth Form (Years 12 and 13)
|£8,666.00
|£9,879.00
|£28,424.00
|}
<ref>{{Cite web |title=Fees |url=https://www.habselstree.org.uk/boys/admissions/fees/ |access-date=2025-03-30 |website=Habs Boys |language=en-GB}}</ref> The termly cost excludes extras such as coach fare, lunch, and instrumental lessons.<ref>{{cite web |title=Fees |publisher=The Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' School |url=http://www.habsboys.org.uk/main-school-fees |access-date=2016-02-04 |website=Habsboys.org.uk}}</ref>

===Coat of arms===

The school's coat of arms and motto is lent by the [[Worshipful Company of Haberdashers]]. The [[coat of arms|arms]] are [[blazon]]ed:

''Barry wavy of six argent and azure on a bend gules a lion passant guardant Or, on a wreath argent and azure colours issuing from clouds two naked arms embowed holding a laurel wreath all proper, on either side a goat of India argent flecked gules and membered Or''

Motto: ''Serve and Obey''

These armorial bearings, including the crest of two arms holding a wreath, were granted to the Haberdashers' Company on 8 November 1570 by Robert Cooke, Clarenceux.<ref>{{cite web |title=TheWorshipful Company of Haberdashers |url=http://www.middlesex-heraldry.org.uk/publications/seaxe/Seaxe47-200403.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304190649/http://www.middlesex-heraldry.org.uk/publications/seaxe/Seaxe47-200403.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=2016-03-04 |website=middlesex-heraldry.org.uk |access-date=21 May 2021}}</ref>

==Co-curricular activities==

There are many pupil-run societies at Haberdashers', usually presided over by a teacher.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://habsboys.org.uk/activities/ecmiddle.php|title=List of school societies|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100923093324/http://www.habsboys.org.uk/activities/ecmiddle.php |archive-date=23 September 2010|publisher=The Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' School}}</ref>

In 2010, two out of the four members of the England Worlds Competition debating team were pupils at Haberdashers', while two out of the four teams in the [[Oxford Union]] finals were from the school.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Debating |publisher=The Oxford Union|url=https://www.oxford-union.org/debating|access-date=2021-04-29|website=www.oxford-union.org}}</ref>

Pupils in year 10 and above may take part in the Haberdashers' detachment of the [[Combined Cadet Force]] (CCF).<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.habsboys.org.uk/Main-School-CCF|title=CCF|publisher= The Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' School|website=www.habsboys.org.uk|access-date=2016-11-22}}</ref> The CCF comprises Army, Royal Navy, and Royal Air Force sections. The corps takes cadets on a field day each term to participate in section-specific activities. Pupils in year 10 have the option to partake in Outdoor Leadership instead of CCF, or SCS (school community service). It is run by James Dunlop, and activities consist of [[Scuba Diving]],  [[Rock Climbing]], [[Orienteering]], as well as others.<ref>{{cite web |title=Co-Curricular |publisher=The Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' School |url=https://www.habsboys.org.uk/senior-school/co-curricular |website=www.habsboys.org.uk}}</ref> 

Students who do not participate in the Combined Cadet Force or Outdoor Leadership are required to do school community service (SCS) once a week.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.habsboys.org.uk/Main-School-School-and-Community-Service|title=School & Community Service |publisher= The Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' School|website=www.habsboys.org.uk|access-date=2016-11-22}}</ref> This can range from helping out in local nursing homes to teaching skills such as debating to younger pupils. As with CCF, SCS is designed to encourage a sense of responsibility within a community and benefit other people both within and outside the school. Sport is a significant activity at the school, with a plethora of different teams and a wide array of sports, including cricket, rugby, [[fencing]] and [[Squash (sport)|squash]]. A new multi-million-pound sports complex was completed in January 2016, named the Medburn Centre.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.habsboys.org.uk/the-medburn-sports-centre-is-now-open|title=The Medburn Sports Centre is now open|website=www.habsboys.org.uk|access-date=2016-11-22}}</ref>

==Other Haberdashers' Schools==
*[[Haberdashers' School for Girls]] was established in [[Hoxton]]. It moved to Acton in 1898 and, in 1974, to its current location next to the Boys' School in [[Elstree]].
*[[Haberdashers' Hatcham College]], formerly Haberdashers' Aske's Hatcham Boys' & Girls' schools, based in New Cross, SE London.
*The Haberdashers' Company was also involved in the foundation of other schools such as the boarding [[Monmouth School]]. However, these are not associated with Robert Aske.
*[[Haberdashers' Crayford Academy]], formerly Barnes Cray Primary School, based in [[Crayford]], SE London.
*[[Haberdashers' Knights Academy]], Bromley Kent

==Notable former pupils==
{{main|List of Old Haberdashers}}

==Notable current and former staff members==
* [[Laurence Broderick]], sculptor, former head of Art
* [[John Dudderidge]], Olympic canoeist, taught chemistry
* [[Julian Hails]], former footballer, taught mathematics
* [[Jamie Hewitt (cricketer)|Jamie Hewitt]], cricketer, teaches PE
* [[John Knight (footballer)|John Knight]], former footballer, taught chemistry
* [[Clive Rees]], former rugby player, taught PE
* [[David Thomas (field hockey)|David Thomas]], Olympic hockey player, was director of PE 
* [[Doug Yeabsley]], former cricketer and rugby player, taught chemistry
* [[Wayne Thomas (footballer, born 1979)|Wayne Thomas]], former footballer, teaches PE

==Controversies==

In 2020, the former caretaker Justin Terry, 45, mixed cocaine with chemicals before pressing it inside his on-site lodge at Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' School, and was found by police with two kilo (2.2lb) blocks of the drug along with £37,000 cash hidden underneath his bed.<ref>{{cite web |title=Former private school caretaker charged with class A drug offences |url=https://www.watfordobserver.co.uk/news/18021689.former-caretaker-habs-elstree-charged-drug-offences/ |website=Watford Observer |date=7 November 2019 |language=en}}</ref> He was jailed for 8 years.{{citation needed|date=November 2025}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Other references==
*J. S.  Cockburn, H. P. F.  King, K. G. T.  McDonnell (1969) ''[http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.asp?compid=22132 A History of the County of Middlesex. Volume 1]: Physique, Archaeology, Domesday, Ecclesiastical Organization, The Jews, Religious Houses, Education of Working Classes to 1870, Private Education from Sixteenth Century''.  Boydell & Brewer ({{ISBN|978-0-19-722713-8}})
*J. W. Wigley ''Serve and Obey, a History of the School''

==External links==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20110512015159/http://guides.tatler.co.uk/WCS/Schools/2010/Details.aspx?Type=Public&Area=&ID=3060&List= Tatler Schools Guide page on HABS]

{{Haberdashers' Company Schools}}
{{Schools in Hertfordshire|independent}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Boys' schools in Hertfordshire]]
[[Category:Haberdashers' Schools]]
[[Category:People educated at Haberdashers' Boys' School| ]]
[[Category:Member schools of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference]]
[[Category:Private schools in Hertfordshire]]
[[Category:Educational institutions established in the 1690s]]
[[Category:Preparatory schools in Hertfordshire]]
[[Category:Relocated schools]]
[[Category:1690 establishments in England]]
[[Category:Schools with a royal charter]]
[[Category:Aldenham]]