Woodbridge School
Encyclopedia
Woodbridge School is an independent school
in Woodbridge, Suffolk
, England
, founded in 1577, for the poor of Woodbridge. It was later supported by the Seckford Scheme.Woodbridge School has been co-educational since 1975.
The Free School, Woodbridge, was an expression of the new confidence in England following the restoration of the monarchy in 1660. Local citizens contributed generously to the founding of the School in 1662, appointing a headmaster on an annual salary of £25 to teach, without charge, ten ‘sons of the meaner sort of the inhabitants of the town’. Additional pupils paid an annual fee of £1.
After a difficult start, including the ravages of the plague in 1666, the School flourished and enjoyed a glorious era in the eighteenth century when the East Anglian gentry enrolled their sons in great numbers. By the mid-nineteenth century, the cramped School building was proving inadequate and in 1861 the School integrated with the Seckford Trust
, an almshouse charity, becoming a part beneficiary of an endowment left to the town of Woodbridge in 1587 by Thomas Seckford
, Master of the Court of Requests to Queen Elizabeth I.
In 1864 the School moved from the centre of town to its present site with 45 acres (182,108.7 m²) of wooded grounds overlooking Woodbridge
on the site of the former Augustine Woodbridge Priory
.
The intervening years have seen Woodbridge School develop considerably into one of the top independent schools in the east of the country. In 1974 the School became fully co-educational and today thrives with over 950 pupils attending its three schools.
Despite an early low point in 1847 when the townspeople boarded up their windows because of the threat of the ‘disruptive behaviour of the scholars’, the Woodbridge town has always been aware of the participative role the School plays in the local community. It both contributes to the local community and relies on it for many aspects of its daily life.
in Public Services. The student body is divided into 4 houses, Annott, Burwell, Seckford and Willard. Additionally there are an additional 2 houses: for boarders, the School House; and for Year 7, Junior House. The school neighbours the state school Farlingaye High School
. Queen's House is a pre-prep division of the school (for years Reception to 2) and the Abbey is the prep school, for Years 3–6. Woodbridge School is renowned for its extra-curricular activities, particularly music.
It has a symphony orchestra, chamber orchestra, chamber choir and choral society as well as numerous smaller ensembles. The school produces a number of student musicians, many of whom have been members of regional and national ensembles including the National Youth Choir of Great Britain. There is a new professional quality theatre, the Seckford Theatre.
Woodbridge School is one of three schools in England to employ a full-time International Master chess teacher.
Woodbridge School also hosts a Combined Cadet Force
.
The school's international boarding house attracts pupils from many countries.
During the Michaelmas term, the sport curriculum is dominated by Rugby Union
for boys and hockey for girls. During the Easter term hockey is the main game. During Summer term, there is a more relaxed atmosphere with Cricket being the main sport as well as athletics. Pupils may also enjoy the occasional game of rounders or other, foreign games like baseball and handball.
Other games include sailing (which takes place at the nearby River Deben), riding, fencing, football, golf, netball, rowing, swimming, tennis, and windsurfing.
From Year 9 onwards, students have a choice of joining the CCF, the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award scheme (or both) or honing their skills in the many different sports, arts, music, and other activities available at Woodbridge.
Independent school
An independent school is a school that is independent in its finances and governance; it is not dependent upon national or local government for financing its operations, nor reliant on taxpayer contributions, and is instead funded by a combination of tuition charges, gifts, and in some cases the...
in Woodbridge, Suffolk
Woodbridge, Suffolk
Woodbridge is a town in Suffolk, East Anglia, England. It is in the East of England, not far from the coast. It lies along the River Deben, with a population of about 7,480. The town is served by Woodbridge railway station on the Ipswich-Lowestoft East Suffolk Line. Woodbridge is twinned with...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, founded in 1577, for the poor of Woodbridge. It was later supported by the Seckford Scheme.Woodbridge School has been co-educational since 1975.
History
The School was first founded in 1577; however, like so many others, it lapsed during the Civil War. In 1662 Robert Marryott, known as ‘the great eater’, hosted a feast for local worthies in Woodbridge which started at the Crown Hotel and finished at the King’s Head in Woodbridge. From this feast came the reincarnation of the School which today enjoys the curious claim of being the only independent school in the country to have been founded in two public houses.The Free School, Woodbridge, was an expression of the new confidence in England following the restoration of the monarchy in 1660. Local citizens contributed generously to the founding of the School in 1662, appointing a headmaster on an annual salary of £25 to teach, without charge, ten ‘sons of the meaner sort of the inhabitants of the town’. Additional pupils paid an annual fee of £1.
After a difficult start, including the ravages of the plague in 1666, the School flourished and enjoyed a glorious era in the eighteenth century when the East Anglian gentry enrolled their sons in great numbers. By the mid-nineteenth century, the cramped School building was proving inadequate and in 1861 the School integrated with the Seckford Trust
Seckford Trust
The Seckford Trust is a charitable trust founded in the 16th century by Thomas Seckford that remains active to this day. The trust is based in and operates in the area of Woodbridge, Suffolk. The trust operates the Woodbridge School, a co-educational boarding school founded in 1577 with over 900...
, an almshouse charity, becoming a part beneficiary of an endowment left to the town of Woodbridge in 1587 by Thomas Seckford
Thomas Seckford
Thomas Seckford was an official at the court of Queen Queen Elizabeth I.Born near Woodbridge, Suffolk, England, Seckford was educated at Cambridge, and in 1540 entered Gray's Inn, Thomas became one of Queen Elizabeth I’s two Masters in Ordinary of the Court of Requests which dealt with poor men’s...
, Master of the Court of Requests to Queen Elizabeth I.
In 1864 the School moved from the centre of town to its present site with 45 acres (182,108.7 m²) of wooded grounds overlooking Woodbridge
Woodbridge, Suffolk
Woodbridge is a town in Suffolk, East Anglia, England. It is in the East of England, not far from the coast. It lies along the River Deben, with a population of about 7,480. The town is served by Woodbridge railway station on the Ipswich-Lowestoft East Suffolk Line. Woodbridge is twinned with...
on the site of the former Augustine Woodbridge Priory
Woodbridge Priory
Woodbridge Priory was a small Augustine priory in Woodbridge in the English county of Suffolk. The priory was founded in about 1193 by Ernald Rufus and was dissolved in about 1537 during the dissolution of the monasteries. The site was given to the Wingfield family before passing to Thomas Seckford...
.
The intervening years have seen Woodbridge School develop considerably into one of the top independent schools in the east of the country. In 1974 the School became fully co-educational and today thrives with over 950 pupils attending its three schools.
Despite an early low point in 1847 when the townspeople boarded up their windows because of the threat of the ‘disruptive behaviour of the scholars’, the Woodbridge town has always been aware of the participative role the School plays in the local community. It both contributes to the local community and relies on it for many aspects of its daily life.
The school
The school is a co-educational school with a boarding component. The school offers a range of GCSE and GCE examinations as well as a BTEC First DiplomaBTEC First Diploma
The BTEC First Diploma is a vocational qualification taken in England and Wales and Northern Ireland by young people aged 16 and over and by adults. The qualification is organised and awarded by the Edexcel Foundation within the BTEC brand....
in Public Services. The student body is divided into 4 houses, Annott, Burwell, Seckford and Willard. Additionally there are an additional 2 houses: for boarders, the School House; and for Year 7, Junior House. The school neighbours the state school Farlingaye High School
Farlingaye High School
Farlingaye High School Maths and Computing College is a co-educational school located in Woodbridge, Suffolk, England. The school uniform consists of a light blue shirt for boys, a light blue blouse for girls. The school sports colours are also blue....
. Queen's House is a pre-prep division of the school (for years Reception to 2) and the Abbey is the prep school, for Years 3–6. Woodbridge School is renowned for its extra-curricular activities, particularly music.
It has a symphony orchestra, chamber orchestra, chamber choir and choral society as well as numerous smaller ensembles. The school produces a number of student musicians, many of whom have been members of regional and national ensembles including the National Youth Choir of Great Britain. There is a new professional quality theatre, the Seckford Theatre.
Woodbridge School is one of three schools in England to employ a full-time International Master chess teacher.
Woodbridge School also hosts a Combined Cadet Force
Combined Cadet Force
The Combined Cadet Force is a Ministry of Defence sponsored youth organisation in the United Kingdom. Its aim is to "provide a disciplined organisation in a school so that pupils may develop powers of leadership by means of training to promote the qualities of responsibility, self reliance,...
.
The school's international boarding house attracts pupils from many countries.
Sports
Sports are a major feature of life at Woodbridge. There are many playing fields including A cricket field, a heated sports dome with Gym facilities, an athletics track, rugby pitches and Toller's field. Boys and Girls have two compulsory games sessions a week lasting one hour and one and a half hours. They must participate in the main game of the term in the lower school but from year 11 boys and girls have a choice of GamesDuring the Michaelmas term, the sport curriculum is dominated by Rugby Union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
for boys and hockey for girls. During the Easter term hockey is the main game. During Summer term, there is a more relaxed atmosphere with Cricket being the main sport as well as athletics. Pupils may also enjoy the occasional game of rounders or other, foreign games like baseball and handball.
Other games include sailing (which takes place at the nearby River Deben), riding, fencing, football, golf, netball, rowing, swimming, tennis, and windsurfing.
Seckford Scheme
Woodbridge has a unique Friday afternoon activity session, known as the Seckford Scheme. Every Friday, academic education ends at lunchtime, and the afternoons are devoted to activities under the Seckford Scheme, an integral part of Woodbridge School life and hugely influential in the all round development of Woodbridge pupils and students.From Year 9 onwards, students have a choice of joining the CCF, the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award scheme (or both) or honing their skills in the many different sports, arts, music, and other activities available at Woodbridge.
Notable former pupils
- Nick GriffinNick GriffinNicholas John "Nick" Griffin is a British politician, chairman of the British National Party and Member of the European Parliament for North West England....
– Leader of the British National PartyBritish National PartyThe British National Party is a British far-right political party formed as a splinter group from the National Front by John Tyndall in 1982...
and member of the European ParliamentEuropean ParliamentThe European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world... - Edward du CannEdward du CannSir Edward Dillon Lott du Cann is a retired politician from the United Kingdom. He was a Member of Parliament from 1956–87, and served as Chairman of the Conservative Party from 1965–67, and Chairman of party's 1922 Committee from 1972-84.Du Cann was educated at Colet Court, Woodbridge School and...
– Conservative politician - Wayne GarvieWayne GarvieWayne Garvie is BBC Worldwide's Managing Director of Content & Production.Garvie took on the role in January 2006 as the director of content and production, leading the international production and format business for the corporation's commercial arm....
– Director Content & Production, BBC Worldwide - Nick LoweNick LoweNicholas Drain "Nick" Lowe , is an English singer-songwriter, musician and producer.A pivotal figure in UK pub rock, punk rock and new wave, Lowe has recorded a string of well-reviewed solo albums. Along with vocals, Lowe plays guitar, bass guitar, piano and harmonica...
– Rock musician and producer - Campbell MacKenzie-RichardsCampbell MacKenzie-RichardsCampbell Mackenzie-Richards was a pioneer English aviator, Royal Air Force test pilot, and air race contestant, who was killed testing experimental equipment in November 1927.-Early life:...
– Early British aviator and test pilot - Jeremy Marchant FordeJeremy Marchant FordeJeremy Neville Marchant Forde, is an English/American biologist and Research Animal Scientist at the United States Department of Agriculture - Agricultural Research Service's Livestock Behavior Research Unit, and Adjunct Faculty based in the Department of Animal Science, Purdue University, West...
– Biologist - Frank MorleyFrank MorleyFrank Morley was a leading mathematician, known mostly for his teaching and research in the fields of algebra and geometry...
– Mathematician - Jessica OyelowoJessica OyelowoJessica Oyelowo is a British actress.She attended Woodbridge School as a child and was a member of the National Youth Music Theatre. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband, actor David Oyelowo, and their three sons....
– Actress - Isabella SummersIsabella SummersIsabella Summers , also known as Isabella ‘Machine’ Summers, is a British songwriter, producer and member of British band, Florence and the Machine....
– Keyboardist of Florence and the MachineFlorence and the MachineFlorence and the Machine is the recording name of English musician Florence Welch and a collaboration of other artists who provide music for her voice. Florence and the Machine's sound has been described as a combination of various genres, including rock and soul... - Andrew TaylorAndrew Taylor (author)Andrew Taylor is a British author best known for his crime novels, which include the Dougal series, the Lydmouth series, the Roth Trilogy and the historical novel The American Boy.-Biography:...
– Crime novelist - Simon WiggSimon WiggSimon Wigg was a speedway, grasstrack and Longtrack rider who finished runner-up in the Speedway World Championship in 1989....
– Speedway rider - Camilla RutherfordCamilla RutherfordCamilla Rutherford is an English actress and fashion model.-Background:Rutherford was born to a journalist father and magistrate mother in Holland Park...
- Actress and Model - Luke RobertsLuke Roberts (actor)Luke Roberts is an English actor, most notable for his role as Joseph Byrne on Holby City. He has previously appeared as Captain Dan Pieterson in the Sky1 drama Mile High and before that had a principal role in the short-lived third series of the TV classic Crossroads...
- Actor - Charlotte Christie - Actress
- Clare Coulson - Fashion Editor of the Daily Telegraph and writer for Harpers & Queen and author of "House Rules"