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 headmastersLeinster-Mackay, Donald P. The educational world of Edward Thring: a centenary study, Falmer Press, 1987, , . p. 100Other sources including some Headmasters' Conference papers say "Uppingham asked thirty-seven of his fellow headmasters ..." (Headmasters' Conference. Independent Schools Yearbook: Official book of reference at the Headmasters' Conference ..., A & C Black, 1987 p. xlv) to meet at his house to consider the formation of a "School Society and Annual Conference". Fourteen accepted the invitation, and twelve were present for the whole of the initial meeting: Edward Thring, George Blore (Bromsgrove School), Albert Wratislaw (King Edward VI School, Bury St Edmunds), John Mitchinson (The King's School, Canterbury), William Grignon (Felsted School), Robert Sanderson (Lancing College), George Butler (Liverpool College), Augustus Jessopp (Norwich School), William Wood (Oakham School), Steuart Pears (Repton School), T. H. Stokoe (Richmond), Daniel Harper (Sherborne School), and James Welldon (Tonbridge School). John Dyne (Highgate School) attended on the second day, and Alfred Carver (Dulwich College) did not turn up. 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 and Crown dependencies

England

Scotland

Wales The Cathedral School, Llandaff Christ College Howell's School, Llandaff Haberdashers' Monmouth School Rougemont School

Northern Ireland Belfast Royal Academy Campbell College Coleraine Grammar School (formerly Coleraine Academical Institution) Friends' School, Lisburn Methodist College, Belfast Rockport School Sullivan Upper School The Royal Belfast Academical Institution The Royal School, Armagh The Royal School Dungannon

Guernsey Elizabeth College

Jersey Victoria College

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 Christ's College, Christchurch, Canterbury, Christchurch 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 Bishop Wordsworth's School, Salisbury, Wiltshire Gordon's School, Woking, Surrey 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 were the Chairmen of the HMC until 1996.

Chairs of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference The following are the Chairs of the HMC after 1996. Michael Mavor, Headmaster, Rugby School, 1997 Patrick Tobin, Principal, Stewart's Melville College, 1998 James Sabben-Clare, Headmaster, Winchester College, 1999 Tom Wheare, Headmaster, Bryanston School, 2000 Chris Brown, Headmaster, Norwich School, 2001 E. Gould, Master, Marlborough College, 2002 G. Able, Master, Dulwich College, 2003 Martin Stephen, High Master, The Manchester Grammar School/St Paul's School, 2004 Priscilla Chadwick, Principal, Berkhamsted Collegiate School, 2005 Andrew Boggis, Warden, Forest School, 2006 Nigel Richardson, Headmaster, The Perse School, 2007 <*> Bernard Trafford, Headmaster, Wolverhampton Grammar School, 2007–2008 Tim Hastie-Smith, Headmaster, Dean Close School, 2008–2009 Andrew Grant, Headmaster, St Albans School, 2009–2010 David Levin, Headmaster, City of London School, 2010–2011 Kenneth Durham, Headmaster, University College School, 2011–2012 Chris Ray, High Master, Manchester Grammar School, 2012–2013 Tim Hands, Master, Magdalen College School, 2013–2014 Richard Harman, Headmaster, Uppingham School, 2014–2015 Christopher King, Headmaster, Leicester Grammar School, 2015–2016 Mike Buchanan, Headmaster, Ashford School, 2016–2017 Christopher King, Headmaster, Leicester Grammar School, 2017–2018 Shaun Fenton, Headmaster, Reigate Grammar School, 2018–2019 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 Girls' Schools Association Headmasters' Conference of the Independent Schools of Australia List of private schools in the United Kingdom Society of Heads

References

External links

Catalogue of the HMC archives, held at the Modern Records Centre, University of Warwick