Type Independent Chair Maureen Eade Phone +44 1842 752840 | Headteacher Mark S. Bedford DfE number 926/6128 Number of students 230 | |
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Established c.7th century1566 (refoundation) Location Bridge StreetThetfordNorfolkIP24 3AFEngland Motto Loyaute me oblige; (Loyalty binds me) Profiles | ||
Schools colleges independent thetford grammar school
Thetford Grammar School is an independent co-educational school in Thetford, Norfolk, England. The school might date back to the 7th century, which would make it one of the oldest schools in the United Kingdom.
Contents
- Schools colleges independent thetford grammar school
- Thetford grammar school year 11 prom 2013
- History
- Notable former pupils
- References
Thetford grammar school year 11 prom 2013
History
The school website conjectures its origin traces back to 631, and through its Roll of Headmasters to 1114. The Independent Schools Inspectorate assert in their 2012 report that "The school was originally founded in the 10th Century" but without any evidence provided. It appears to have ceased from around 1496 until its refoundation from the will of Sir Richard Fulmerston in 1566. The refoundation was confirmed by an Act of Parliament in 1610. Part of the school is built on the site of a thirteenth-century Dominican Friary, which was built on, and incorporated parts of, the Norman cathedral. This building, now known as "Old School", comprised the entire school for about 300 years, and is where Roger North and Thomas Paine were educated.
The school developed rapidly in the 1880s, and in 1888 Thetford Grammar School for Girls was built alongside the existing Grammar School. The school became a Voluntary controlled school in 1944, and remained in the state sector until 1981 when it regained its independent status. The original boys' school and the girls' grammar school merged in 1975 to form a new coeducational school.