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King Edward VI Grammar School, Shrewsbury, more commonly known as Shrewsbury School (founded 1552) is a leading British Independent School (sometimes called Public School) located in Shrewsbury in the county of Shropshire. It is one of the original nine English public schools as defined by the Public Schools Act 1868 and is now a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference. It is in the main a boarding school for boys aged 13 ("Year 9") to 18 ("Year 13") though day pupils are also accepted. The current enrollment is about 670 students.

On November 30th 2005, the BBC * confirmed that as of September 2007, Shrewsbury School would be accepting girls in the sixth form, initially aiming to admit 30 girls and eventually increasing this to accommodate 100 female students, and breaking the 453-year-long tradition of being a boys-only school.

However, in March 2006, the Headmaster announced that this would be delayed for a year, due to construction delays with accommodation for the girls.

History

Shrewsbury School ("The Free School") was founded in 1552 by King Edward VI, and in 1571 was augmented by Queen Elizabeth I. In 1868 the school was named one of the nine ‘great’ schools of England (along with Charterhouse, Eton, Harrow, Merchant Taylors' Rugby, St Paul's, Westminster and Winchester) in the Public Schools Act passed by the British Parliament. Headmasters include Sir Thomas Ashton, Samuel Butler, Benjamin Hall Kennedy, C.A. Alington, and Sir Eric Anderson. Sir Thomas Ashton, the first headmaster, gave the school a classical and humanistic tone that has been retained, though sciences and other studies are now also prominent in the curriculum.

Charles Darwin wrote, of his time at the school:

Nothing could have been worse for the development of my mind than Dr. Butler's school, as it was strictly classical, nothing else being taught, except a little ancient geography and history. The school as a means of education to me was simply a blank. (The Autobiography of Charles Darwin, 1887)

Alumni

Ex-pupils are named 'Old Salopians', and famous pupils include:

External links

Boarding schools | Educational institutions established in the 1550s | Public schools in Shropshire | Schools with Combined Cadet Forces | 1552 establishments | Old Salopians

 

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the "Shrewsbury School".

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