# The Minster School, Southwell

The Minster School is a Church of England secondary school with sixth form in Southwell, Nottinghamshire, England, for children aged 11 to 18. There are approximately 1600 students on roll. It has a selective junior section (8 years- 11 years) for boy and girl choristers from Southwell Minster and other pupils chosen for their musical ability. It has a smaller than average proportion of pupils on free school meals, or of ethnic minority origin or with Statement of Special Educational Needs.
In December 2011 the School was graded Outstanding by Ofsted, in 30 out of 31 areas.

## Admissions

The Minster School is a Church of England school with its roots in the 10th century.The total number of pupils on the school roll is around 1700. There are roughly 1240 pupils in the secondary school (key stage 3 - years 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11) and 400 pupils in the Sixth Form. The attached Minster Junior School provides free education for 40 pupils spanning key stage 2 - years 3, 4, 5 and 6. These children are choristers of Southwell Minster and also other musically gifted pupils. Pupils from the junior school are automatically allocated a year 7 place in the secondary school.
Canon Blinston was the executive headteacher of the Minster School for 20 years. He served as the Head of Magnus School in Newark, the school with which the Minster School has joined. Mrs White was the head teacher up until December 2013. Mr C. Stevens was the acting head teacher until Matthew Parris joined the school in September 2014.
The school is on Nottingham Road next to Southwell Leisure Centre.

## History

The school was founded in 956 and is one of the oldest schools in England, and the 19th oldest school in the world. From a gift of land by King Edwy to Oscytel, Archbishop of York thence was created a Chapter, a Church and a school to teach the singing boys Latin. The earliest named master, in 1313, was Henry de Hykeling. In 1547 the churchwardens petitioned Edward VI "that our Grammar School may also stand with such stipend as appertains the like, wherein our poor youth may be instructed" – his Commissioners replied "that the school is very meet and necessary to continue". In 1580 Hugh Baskafield, the Master, was discharged by the Chapter as "he had notoriously slacked and neglected his duties" while William Neep in 1716 ordered the school's rules to be written in English after abolishing the Latin version.
The Education Act 1944 determined the governors to seek "Aided Status". The fund-raising at that time suggested that this school's life would run from 956 A.D. to 2956 A.D. Once a selective school, known as Southwell Minster Collegiate Grammar School, and more recently until amalgamation with the local comprehensive known simply as Southwell Minster Grammar School.
When comparatively small (intake was only about 35 per year during the 1960s), the school was in Minster Chambers, but those premises were vacated in 1964 for a site further down Church Street on the south-eastern side of the Minster. Upon amalgamation, this site, some considerable distance from the Nottingham Road site, became difficult to integrate into the life of the much bigger school. With the decision to concentrate redevelopment at Nottingham Road the Church Street site was sold. As the 1964 premises had been built upon the site of a Roman Villa an opportunity has arisen to restore this location. Amalgamation continued the school's traditional strengths and the school obtained specialist status in music and humanities.
Previously a privately instituted school, in December 2018 the school converted to academy status.

## Buildings

In April 2006, work began on a new £34m school building. On 16 July 2008, Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex officially opened the new school building, in operation since September 2007. The Minster School won the 2009 RIBA Sorrell Foundation Schools Award due to the highly functional design of the school. It no longer has boarding facilities.

## Old Southwellians

* Andrew Cooney, previously the youngest man to walk to the South Pole.
* Paul Franks, cricketer
* Charles Harrison, organist
* Mathew Horne, actor and comedian
* William Ivory, screenwriter, playwright and actor.
* Tom Ryder, rugby player
* Marie Toms, former British Waterski champion
* Hayley Turner, British jockey
* Sian Welby, TV presenter and columnist

### Southwell Minster Collegiate Grammar School

* Frederick Hutton, scientist
* Henry Fynes Clinton
* Alvin Stardust
* William Hodgson Barrow, Member of Parliament (MP) for South Nottinghamshire 1851–1874.
* The Rev. William Williams.
* Vaughan Grylls, artist and educationalist

## See Also

* List of the oldest schools in the United Kingdom