The development of Chiswick House School from the 20th Century into the early 21st Century

Abstract

The aim of this dissertation is to explore the development of private schooling in Malta throughout the twentieth and twenty first century. This study purports to achieve this objective by taking one of Malta's oldest and well-established private independent schools, Chiswick House School, and delving into its growth throughout the 1900s. Such a study involved looking into the School Archives and analysing the school's admission records, correspondence, curricula and methodology, as well as its financial organisation, in view of contentious issues such as fees, maintenance and sustainability. Moreover, this author also explored the social background and cultural capital of the students attending this school and especially how this background affected the school's ethos. All of this analysis was placed in the wider historical development of schooling in Malta, with special reference to the Language Question and also the controversy surrounding the church schools in the 1980s. This dissertation would not have been possible without the incomparable help of several persons, to whom I would like to express sincere appreciation and thanks. My first word of thanks goes to my tutor, Professor Dominic Fenech, who patiently corrected my work, giving me sterling advice and suggestions, all along my studies. I would also like to thank Ms Bernie Mizzi, the Director of Chiswick House School and St Martin's College for her availability and readiness to open the school archives and to clarify various issues with regards to the school's development. Heartfelt thanks go to Mr Chris Vella, one of my former teachers and mentors who was extremely patient with me throughout the years and who has helped me in my education with advice, encouragement and useful insights. To him I owe the initial idea to explore the development of private schooling in Malta. vi Finally, a last word of thanks goes to my family, who has been extremely supportive not only while writing this dissertation, but also throughout my life.