page_title: The Blue School, Wells
section_title: History of The Blue School
hierarchical_section_title: The Blue School, Wells / History of The Blue School
caption_attribution_description: English: Blue School Wells
context_page_description: The Blue School is a coeducational, secondary school located in Wells, Somerset, England. It had 1,570 students aged 11 to 18 of both sexes and all ability levels of which 284 were in the sixth form in 2013. It is currently a Church of England voluntary controlled school. The historic school motto is "Recta Certa" which means 'straight and true'. It became an Academy in August 2011.
  An Ofsted inspection in 2007 judged the school to be 'outstanding', while the next Ofsted inspection in 2010 rated the school as 'good', with outstanding elements. A further Ofsted inspection was conducted throughout October 2013 again giving a rating of Good.
  The school is a Specialist Science College and in 2006 the Princess Royal opened a new science centre.
context_section_description: The school was founded in 1641 as one of the first free schools in the country. The name Blue comes from the early uniforms which were blue in colour. Some visitors to Wells have expected the school itself to be blue in colour, but this is not the case.
  In 1654, Margaret, widow of Ezekiel Barkham of Wells, purchased a farm in Yenston, to endow a school in Wells. The Blue School retained the farm for nearly 350 years until it was sold in 1990 and 1992. The income from the endowment was to be used for paying a schoolmaster's salary of £20-0-0 pa. and the residue for apprenticing the boys when they could 'read, write and cast accounts'.
  The school owned a number of properties in the area scattered over several parishes.
  Other schools were united with The Blue School foundation, including Hodge's Charity School. As befitting a Church of England foundation, the Blue School has a Chaplain, plus partnership links with a school in Zambia.
caption: The pedestrian entrance
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