Durham School
Durham School is a fee-charging boarding and day school in the English public school tradition located in Durham, North East England. Since 2021 it has been part of the Durham Cathedral Schools Foundation.
Durham School was an all-boys institution from its foundation in 1414 until 1985, when girls were admitted to the sixth form. The school takes pupils aged 3–18 years and became fully co-educational in 1998.
A member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference, it enrolls 495 day and boarding students. Its preparatory institution, known as the Chorister School, enrolls a further 250 pupils.
Durham and Bow's former pupils include politicians, clergy and British aristocracy. Former students are known as Old Dunelmians. Founded by the Bishop of Durham, Thomas Langley, in 1414, it received royal foundation by King Henry VIII in 1541 following the Dissolution of the Monasteries during the Protestant Reformation. It is the city's oldest institution of learning.
History
The history of Durham School can be divided into four sections. Firstly there is the time from its founding by Langley in 1414, then in 1541 Henry VIII refounded it, the period from 1844 when the school moved from its site on Palace Green to its current location across the river Wear, and finally from 2021 when the school became part of the Durham Cathedral Schools Foundation.The school is often referred to in histories and the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography as "Durham Grammar School". It should not be confused with the Chorister School in Durham, which merged with Durham School in 2021 to form the Durham Cathedral Schools Foundation. There is strong recorded evidence of the existence of the school pre-1414: for example Simon of Farlington an Archdeacon of Durham, gave the manor of Kyhou to the Almoner of Durham Cathedral Priory in 1180 'for the maintenance of 3 scholars of Durham School...'
To 1541
Durham School was founded by Thomas Langley in 1414, which was the foundation date accepted by the Clarendon Commission into public schools in 1861, making it the 18th oldest in Britain. It is possible, however, that it may actually have origins in the Priory at Lindisfarne, being moved to Durham City to escape marauding Viking invaders around the time that St. Cuthbert's body was brought to what is now the site of Durham Cathedral. In Langley's time the school was situated on the east side of Palace Green to the north of the cathedral.1541 to 1844
At the time of the Dissolution of the Monasteries during the Protestant Reformation in 1541, the school was refounded by Henry VIII. It remained in the same location: indeed the Headmaster Henry Stafford remained in post during this period. In 1640 the "old School Buildings were utterly destroyed by the Scots, and the Head Master retired to his Rectory of Easingwold where he took pupils" and the School was "recognised and endowed by the Parliamentary Commission 1652-3". Homeless due to the burning down of its buildings, the school continued in various houses in the city.In 1661, the school moved to the building currently occupied by the Durham University Department of Music to the south west of Palace Green.
1844 to 2021
From its location on Palace Green outside Durham Cathedral, whilst Edward Elder was Headmaster the school moved to its present site in 1844.The School has been steadily expanded and updated since then. For example:
The school has been co-educational since 1985 and became independent from the Dean and Chapter of Durham Cathedral in 1996.
2021 to date
Durham School merged with The Chorister School in 2021, though both schools kept their own names, the resultant Durham Cathedral Schools Foundation created a new overarching brand. Numbers have steadily grown and both schools have benefited from the merger as demonstrated by their Excellent ISI rating in 2023.School site
The school is located to the west of Durham Cathedral and across the River Wear from it. The campus consists of a range of buildings, some of them listed, and sports fields. The school has a boathouse located on the bank of the river, just downstream of Prebends Bridge.Chapel and war memorial
The school chapel, built from 1924 to 1926 during the tenure of Richard Budworth as headmaster, sits on top of a hill overlooking the main school site.The building is used for services three times a week, with the major service held on Friday afternoons, that the majority of pupils attend. The School is within the Anglican tradition.
The chapel is also the war memorial, its walls are engraved with the names of those who died in World War I and the further 79 who died in World War II. There are 97 steps to the chapel, one for each of the Old Dunelmians who died in World War I. The steps were re-laid in 1954.
A further war memorial, which predates the building of the chapel, can be seen in St Margaret's, the local Parish Church. It consists of a large brass panel listing the names of former pupils fallen in the First World War and is fixed on the south side of the Chancel arch, with the Parish memorial facing it on the north side.
Academic subjects
A Level
The School offers a range of subjects at A Level: this varies from year to year as the needs of the students and the School change. Most students choose three subjects at A Level though some may study four or five.GCSE
Durham School, in common with most other schools in England, offers a varied curriculum at GCSE where students study mathematics, English Language and Literature and science. All students study a core modern foreign language of either French, German or Spanish. There are then a number of options that the students can choose from.Key Stage 3 (Years 7 to 9)
Durham School offers a range of subjects to students in Years 7 to 9 that lead into the GCSE programme starting, generally, in Year 10, with the exception of those in set 1 maths, who do their maths GCSE a year early. They start their course in Year 9.Pastoral care
Pastoral care at Durham School is based around the house system:House system
Although lessons are co-educational and sport takes place generally in year groups, for pastoral and sporting competition purposes, the school is divided into six different single sex houses. Each student is assigned to a house at the start of his or her time in the school and will, usually, remain in that house for the whole of their school career. The houses are separate buildings each with its own character in which the students are able to use the facilities and do private study. Currently the houses comprise:| House | Occupants | Founded | House colour |
| School House | boys, boarding and day | 1844 | |
| The Caffinites | boys, day | 1847 | |
| Poole House | boys, boarding and day | 1924 | |
| Pimlico House | girls, boarding and day | 1985 | |
| MacLeod House | girls, day | 2005 | |
| Lodge House | girls, day | 2024 |
School House boys are often nicknamed Bungites after the Headmaster Henry Holden who was also their Housemaster and himself nicknamed 'Bung' due to his ability to tell tall tales.
The Caffinites was also called The Second Masters House until it was renamed in 1924.
Co-curricular
Sport
With facilities that encompass playing fields, swimming pool, all-weather pitch and boathouse, Durham School has a wide-ranging sports programme that includes athletics, badminton, cricket, cross country, fencing, football, gym, hockey, netball, rounders, rowing, rugby, squash, swimming, tennis, golf and water polo.Cricket
Along with rowing, cricket is the major boys sport for the summer term. The school considers cricket to be one of its high-profile sports, with the 1st XI competing against a number of high-profile teams such as the MCC. The cricket pavilion was built in 1960.Hockey
The main sport for girls in winter is hockey. Each year a number of girls represent the county. Hockey is also played by the boys, predominantly in the Easter term.Rowing
Rowing has been a major sport at Durham School since at least 1838. The Club aims to provide rowing opportunities to any who wish to be involved - "All year groups at the school have the opportunity to row at the appropriate level for their physiological and physical development" - and also wins at regattas and head races at home and abroad.Rugby
The School has a number of playing fields, used predominantly for Rugby. The largest of these, Top Ground, was acquired in 1918. This has required work on its drainage over the years, 1921 and 1925 and again in 2009.Durham School Football Club was founded in 1850 and was from 1890 to 1930 one of the rugby nurseries in England - this was first recognised by the Barbarians who honoured the school by playing a full side against the Old Dunelmians in 1897. Just before the First World War the school supplied four England players as well as a number of England triallists. Between 1920 and 1930 the school produced seven full internationals as well as several triallists. The headmaster during this great period was Richard Thomas Dutton Budworth who was himself a former England international and Barbarian. The history of the sport is celebrated in the annual Veterrimi IV Rugby Tournament.
Newcastle Falcons rugby union club were founded as the old boys side and played in the school's colours of green and white hoops until 1996.