Oswestry School
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| Motto | "Non scholae, sed vitae discimus" (Latin: We Learn Not For School But For Life) |
|---|---|
| Established | 1407 |
| Type |
Public school Independent boarding & day |
| Headmaster | Julian Noad |
| Chairman of Governors | Peter Wilcox-Jones |
| Founder | David & Guinevere Holbache |
| Location |
Upper Brook Street Oswestry Shropshire SY11 2TL United Kingdom Coordinates: 52°51′22″N 3°03′48″W / 52.85618°N 3.06338°W |
| Local authority | Shropshire |
| DfE number | 893/6011 |
| DfE URN | 123613 Tables |
| Staff | ca.65 |
| Students | 440 pupils |
| Gender | Coeducational |
| Ages | 4–18 |
| Houses | Burnaby, Donne, Oswald and Spooner |
| Colours | |
| Publication | The Oswestrian |
| Patron | The Earl of Powis |
| School song | "Gaude plebs redemptionis" |
| Former pupils | Old Oswestrians |
| Website | www |
Oswestry School is an ancient, co-educational independent school, located in Oswestry, Shropshire, England. It was founded in 1407 as a 'free' school, in other words it was independent of the church. This gives it the distinction of being the second-oldest 'free' school in the country, between Winchester College (founded 1382) and Eton College (1440). (See also the article on early grammar schools.)
Due to the fact that these Renaissance schools focused heavily on subjects such as Latin grammar, Oswestry School has long been known locally as 'The Grammar School' even during the period when Oswestry had modern state grammar schools. Oswestry School should also not be confused with other secondary schools in Oswestry, such as the Marches School.
One of the school's earliest sites, dating from the 15th century, can still be seen adjacent to St Oswald's Parish Church. It is currently used as the town's visitor and information centre, incorporating a coffee shop and exhibitions.
The present-day senior school is located on Upper Brook Street and the junior school is based at Bellan House on Church Street. Bellan House Preparatory School was a completely separate institution until its amalgamation in the 1970s.
Oswestry School was founded in 1407 by David Holbache, Member of Parliament for Shropshire and Shrewsbury, and his wife Guinevere. They are also known by their Welsh names: Dafydd ab Ieuan and Gwenhwyfar ferch Ieuan.
Later in the 15th century it took up residence in the ancient half-timbered building close to the Parish Church of St Oswald. The school later attracted the attention of Queen Elizabeth I and Oliver Cromwell; the former gave to the school an endowment of "forty shillings per annum" to help with its running, and the latter dismissed the headmaster at the time for being a "delinquent" (too "Royalist"). Early archive records show that a small percentage of the subsidised school-fees was set aside to pay for cockfighting, the pupil entertainment of that time.
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Wikipedia