Donald Smith, 1st Baron Strathcona and Mount Royal immortalised as the "Cheeryble Brothers" in Charles Dickens' book, Nicholas Nickleby. Donald's mother was the sister of the Canadian explorer John Stuart, partner of the North West Company who rose to become Chief Factor of the Hudson's Bay Company. Smith was educated at Anderson's Free School and on leaving at age sixteen he was apprenticed to become a lawyer in the offices of Robert Watson, Town Clerk of Forres. By the age of eighteen, Smith chose another career path: offered entry into mercantile life at Manchester, and a career in the Indian Civil Service, his choice was to pattern himself
The Charles Dickens School the sixth form have the option to study from a range of A Levels, and further BTECs. Some sixth form courses are offered in conjunction with St George's CofE School. Following an Ofsted report of 2011 which found The Charles Dickens School generally overall Grade 2 'Good', in 2014 it was judged Grade 4 'inadequate' and placed in 'Special measures' with ongoing monitoring inspections. The Charles Dickens School The Charles Dickens School is a mixed high school and sixth form, located in Broadstairs in the English county of Kent. The school is named after Charles Dickens, the 19th century writer