Bury St Edmunds Free School
| Motto | Schola Buriensis |
|---|---|
| Established | c. 1550 |
| Type | Comprehensive |
| Religion | Church of England |
| Headteacher | Mr Lee Walker |
| Founder | King Edward VI |
| Location |
Grove Road Bury St Edmunds Suffolk IP33 3BH England 52°15′03″N 0°42′15″E / 52.25092°N 0.70418°ECoordinates: 52°15′03″N 0°42′15″E / 52.25092°N 0.70418°E |
| Local authority | Suffolk |
| DfE URN | 124856 Tables |
| Ofsted | Reports |
| Students | 1,600 (As of Sep.2016) |
| Gender | Coeducational |
| Ages | 11–18 |
| Houses | Kentwell, Ickworth, Wyken, Elveden, Melford, Hengrave |
| Colours | Crimson and Gold |
| Publication | Celebrate! |
| Former pupils | Old Burians |
| Website | www |
King Edward VI School is a co-educational comprehensive secondary school in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, England. The school in its present form was created in 1972 by the merging of King Edward VI Grammar School with the Silver Jubilee Girls School and the Silver Jubilee Boys School. The school occupies the site of the former Silver Jubilee schools in Grove Road Bury St Edmunds, the former grammar school site at The Vinefields now accommodates St James Middle School.
King Edward VI School was founded about 1550 and has occupied a number of sites in the town prior to moving to the current location in 1972. It is believed there was a school in Bury St Edmunds from the 10th century. In 903 the body of King Edmund was laid in the priests' college, of which the school was a part. King Canute established a Benedictine Monastery in Bury, and paid from the royal purse for boys of promise, even freed sons of slaves, to attend school. In 1550 lands were given to provide funds for a "scole ther to be founded by the kinges Maiestie in the like manner as the school at Sherbourne".
King Edward VI School is, therefore, the second King Edward VI School in the country, and in 2000 it had been founded for 450 years. Bury was privileged to have a Royal School. The charter with Edward's seal is in the Public Records Office together with documents and books from the early years of the school's existence. One of these is the list of rules for the masters and boys. Originally a grammar school for boys, who studied Greek, Latin and religious instruction, it has moved to various different sites in the town all of which are marked with plaques donated by the Old Burians' Association.
The oldest and most rare of the Grammar School's books and records are now deposited in the Cambridge University Library, including the Psalter which had survived from the Abbey of St Edmund. The University library has a collection of more than 500 books belonging to the school. Some of the books were used by teachers and students - texts in Latin and Greek, stories, the plays of Shakespeare - and some were donated to the school by former students. Some tell the history of the school; one - 'The English School-Master' - was written by former headmaster Edmund Coote and probably led to him losing his job.
Having been a foundation grammar school since its foundation in 1550 the school surrendered some of its independence in 1922 when it became a Direct Grant School meaning an annual grant was paid to the school by the Board of Education for each boy above the preparatory department provided an agreed percentage of free place boys were admitted each year. In 1944 with the enactment of the 1944 Education Act the governors of the school decided that they could no longer meet the financial demand necessary to meet the requirement of the Act in order to maintain charity and thereby Direct Grant status given the requirements for improved facilities for curriculum delivery that the Act demanded. Accordingly, in August 1946 the school became a Voluntary Controlled School under the aegis of the West Suffolk County Council Education Committee.
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