School offers vegetarian fee cut

[Guest guest]

Thursday, 12 February 2009

 

School offers vegetarian fee cut

Pupils from Wycliffe College

The school's vegetarian ethos was established by its

founder in 1882

 

A private school in Gloucestershire is seeking sixth form

pupils to take up a special vegetarian scholarship.

 

The £15,000-a-year Wycliffe College in Stonehouse has

offered the 10% discount to non-meat eaters since it was

founded in 1882.

 

But in recent years, no one has taken up the £1,500

scholarship and new candidates are being sought.

 

The school's vegetarian ethos was established by its

founder, Methodist and vegetarian GW Sibly.

 

Good all-rounder

 

Spokeswoman Melanie Gray said: " People in the past have

taken it up but we haven't had any candidates for several

years.

 

" It would be great to get some good candidates to come

forward.

 

" They would have to be truly vegetarian of course. They

couldn't be caught having a burger. But not eating meat is

not the only criteria.

 

" They would have to be a good all round student and fit in

with the school academically and with its ethos.

 

" I don't know any other school that offers something like

this. Many of the teachers are vegetarian and I am myself

and the food that the school provides is very good. "

 

In 1910, Sibly's son experimented on the children in

Springfield, one of the school's houses, by giving them a

vegetarian diet.

 

He closely monitored their health, physical development and

intellectual achievements and compared them with those who

ate meat.

 

Former teacher and pupil, Frank Smith, wrote in a history

of the school: " He published a monograph, 'Vegetarianism

and the Growing Boy', which attempted to show that the boys

in his house were invariably fitter, as judged by success

in athletic competition, as those in the other houses.

 

" Although his results were impressive, his methods of proof

were not strictly scientific. "

 

In 1947 the World Vegetarian Congress was held at the

school.