Happy 90th Birthday, Mr Hockey

It is with great pleasure that we extend our warmest wishes to Mr Stuart Hockey on the occasion of his 90th birthday.

Stuart Hockey was Headmaster of Christ College from 1982 until his retirement in 1996. It is especially fitting that we celebrate his special milestone in the year that marks 40 years of co-education at Christ College, a transformation that began under his leadership. 

But the enrolment of girls was far from Mr Hockey's only achievement. Always with his wife Mary at his side and supported by the Governors, he carefully negotiated the school through a period of real transition in which academic standards improved and school facilities were modernised.  

Under his stewardship, an astonishing list of familiar buildings were developed on the school site, including:

• The Sports Hall (1983)
• Refurbishment of the Memorial Hall into a modern theatre and extended music school (1983) – rebuilt as Y Neuadd Goffa in 2012
• The new CDT block (1986) - now Geography and Photography
• The opening of de Winton House (1987)
• The Tuck Shop (1989) - now the Staff Common Room
• The Queen’s Building (1991)
• The relocation of School House Blue to the newly developed St David’s House and the reinstatement of School House as a single boarding house (1994)
• Development of Bannau House on Orchard Street to accommodate the first cohort of younger girls (1995)

He also encouraged the expansion of drama and music and widened the range of subjects in the curriculum to include Archaeology, Economics, Spanish, CDT and IT. Highly committed to broadening the activities available to pupils, he sought to establish wider recognition of pupils’ achievements by extending the range of prizes given on Prize Day. On their retirement, he and Mary generously gave the Mary Hockey Girls Games Cup and the Stuart Hockey Choir Prize to support that vision.

His most lasting legacy, though, is undoubtedly the work he did to bring about full co-education at Christ College after more than four centuries as a boys' school. Reflecting earlier this summer on those early years - from admission of the first female pupil in 1985 to the arrival of the first junior girls in 1995, Mr Hockey spoke of how the change helped bring the school more “in synch” with society to ensure a well-rounded education for girls and boys.

Bringing about such a change was not without its challenges but his final report to parents in 1996 is telling. Just a decade after the first girl arrived, his words reveal the extent to which co-education was embedded: while the first cohort of younger girls are given encouraging accolades to highlight their achievements despite their small numbers, the successes of the Sixth Form girls are simply described alongside the successes of their male peers - just as they would be today.   

In bringing about such momentous changes, including the successful transition to co-education, Stuart Hockey made a real and lasting difference to the life of the school. Christ College owes him a huge debt of gratitude.

Happy Birthday, Mr Hockey. Thank you.