Culford School, formerly the East Anglian School for Boys, is a co-educational private boarding and day school in the English public school tradition for pupils age 1–18 in the village of Culford, north of Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk, England. The head is traditionally a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference and the Prep School head is a member of the IAPS.
History The school was founded as the East Anglian School for Boys in 1881, incorporating an institution founded in 1873 by Congregationalist minister, Dr John H. L. Christien. It was one of a group of Methodist schools established in response to the growth of the middle class, the launching of the Woodard Schools and the 1867 Taunton Commission, which fuelled an expansion of secondary education in general and of non-conformist boarding schools in particular. The original school was in Northgate Street in Bury St Edmunds, but in 1886 it moved to Thingoe Hill in the town (a site later occupied by the East Anglian School for Girls).
In 1935 the school moved to Culford Park. This is the former seat of the Earls Cornwallis, then the Benyon family and finally the Earls of Cadogan. The 7th Earl Cadogan sold the estate to the Methodist Independent Schools Trust in 1935, and thereafter the school became known as Culford School. It is at the centre of East Anglia, c.90 minutes from London, 60 from Norwich, 40 from Ipswich, and c.30 minutes from Cambridge.
The school sits in of Repton parkland with grazing, formal gardens, lake, and the 16th-19th-century Culford Hall. When the school first moved to Culford the Hall became dormitories and classrooms; the laundry the sanatorium; the forge the art and woodwork studios (now the Pringle Centre for Art and Design Technology); and the stables the Junior Department (now the Preparatory School).
The first new building to be added by the school was Cadogan House, for junior boys, in 1937. The Leigh Memorial Swimming Pool was built in the same year.
The school was one of the 'direct grant grammar schools' in the system that existed in England and Wales between 1945Direct Grant and Independent Schools HC Deb 15 November 1945 vol 415 cc2498-501W HANSARD 1803–2005 → 1940s → 1945 → November 1945 api.parliament.uk, accessed 9 December 2020 and 1976.Tenacious, kind, and a man who helped change things for the better- Tribute: How go-ahead headmaster Derek Robson helped transform Culford School "Culford ... the first direct grant co-educational school in the UK" 30 April 2019, www.eadt.co.uk, accessed 9 December 2020 (similar at The Guardian- Derek Robson obituary) The system provided funds from central governmentEducation in England: a history -Derek Gillard www.educationengland.org.uk, accessed 9 December 2020 for a number of pupils per year to be admitted from local education authority schools within the County of West Suffolk, selected primarily on the basis of their Eleven-plus exam results.The Fleming Report (1944) The Public Schools and the General Educational System The Fleming Report (1944)- The Public Schools and the General Educational System, accessed 9 December 2020The Donnison Report (1970) The Public Schools Commission: Second Report www.educationengland.org.uk, accessed 9 December 2020
The Skinner and Hastings buildings were added in the 1960s, followed during the 1970s-1990s by an auditorium, pre-prep school, medical centre and biology laboratories. Purpose-built boarding houses and the Ashby Dining Hall (named after the then Chairman of the Governors) were constructed in 1972.
1972 was the year in which Culford amalgamated with its sister school, the East Anglian School for Girls (EASG), becoming one of the first fully co-educational HMC schools. New Houses were formed as follows:
Edwards House Senior Boys (boarding and day pupils) (named after G. S. Edwards, French & hockey master, Deputy Headmaster 1923–1962) Cornwallis House Senior Boys (boarding and day pupils) (named after the Marquess Cornwallis, of Culford Hall) Jocelyn House Senior Girls (boarding and day pupils) (name transferred from EASG) Storey House Sixth Form Co-educational House - closed 2003 (named after Dr C. Storey, Headmaster 1951–1971) Robson House Senior Day Boys - formed 1993 – closed 2012 (named after D. Robson, Headmaster 1971–1992) Fitzgerald House Originally Junior Girls - Senior Day Girls since 2003, now Senior Girls (boarding and day pupils) (name transferred from EASG) Cadogan House Prep School co-ed since 1996 – (boarding pupils only) (named after Earl Cadogan)
Coat of arms
The school today Although Culford is a selective school, it accepts pupils of a broad ability range. More than half of the senior pupils are boarders. Three schools are housed within the Park: The Nursery and Pre-Prep is for pupils aged from 1–7 years old. The Nursery, launched in September 2017, is housed in a newly converted building for 1–2 year olds and the Pre-Prep (for 3 to 7 year old) is based in Fieldgate House, at the east of the Park. The Pre-Prep School is overseen by the head of the Prep School. The Prep School is a boarding and day school for 7–13 year olds. It occupies the north of the Park, surrounded by its own pitches, but also uses Senior facilities. The present Head is Claire Bentley, and she is supported by Rory Parker (Deputy Head), Jon Herd (Assistant Head) and Emily Paine (Head of Lower Prep). The Senior School is a mixed boarding and day school for 13–18 year olds. The boarding houses overlook parkland and pitches, with academic pursuits taking place in various buildings in the centre of the Park. Pupils join from UK and overseas prep and maintained schools, with scholarships, exhibitions, bursaries, Forces allowances and Methodist Schools assistance being offered. Claire Bentley is the Head, and Dr John Guntrip is the current Deputy Head.
A library of historic volumes is located in an oak-panelled room overlooking Culford Hall's south front, completed for the visit of King Edward VII in December 1904 and now the Sixth form common room. A large contemporary collection of 10,000 books is housed in a free-standing modern building opened in 2015.New Library Unveiled at Culford School Retrieved 2015-09-08 The Centenary Hall, a facility containing a large hall/auditorium and Studio Theatre was opened in 2006 by HRH The Duke of Gloucester (twenty five years after his first visit for the school's centenary), and was constructed in what was previously a large courtyard enclosed on three sides by the main building.
The Culford Foundation exists to raise funds for special projects that will benefit the pupils of the school and has raised funds for the Pre-Prep nursery and dining hall; an astro-turf sports field; the William Miller Science Centre (built following a £1m donation by an Old Culfordian); the restoration of Culford Hall, the new library and the Art and Design Centre. The Foundation also supports the Old Culfordians Association.
The most recent inspection report of the Prep and Senior schools (February 2020) by the Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI) concludes that the schools are “Excellent” in all areas.
Academia
The ISI 2020 inspection rates academics as Excellent and the Good Schools GuideGood Schools Guide entry Retrieved 2008-12-17 say that the quality of the pupils’ achievement is good. Pupils are well educated, in accordance with the school's aims of providing an education that is challenging, enriching and fun.
There is a Scholars Programme,Culford Scholars Programme Retrieved 2011-10-03 plus many societies focused on subjects and areas of interest. Lecturers have included Sir Andrew Motion, Ann Widdecombe, George Alagiah and Henry Olonga.
A Sixth Form Enrichment ProgrammeSixth Form Enrichment Programme Retrieved 2009-08-29 offers Open University degree modules and pupils also compete in competitions such as the Intermediate Mathematical Challenge. Like many independent schools, Culford teaches the IGCSE.BBC News report on the IGCSE Retrieved 2009-01-25
Sport and activities Culford offers high performance academies in Tennis and Golf alongside the major competitive sports of rugby, cricket, hockey, netball, athletics, cross-country and swimming. Regional honours are achieved whilst European and England players and champions in hockey, tennis, horse riding, karate, polo and rugby are on the school roll. Pupils compete in events such as the National Schools Rugby Sevens, and the Inter-Schools Hunter Trials.
Numbered amongst current Old Culfordians are an Olympic horserider, a British modern pentathlon champion,Charlie Unwin Modern Pentathlon rankings Retrieved 2009-05-02 a Welsh hockey international, and club rugby and cricket players for Richmond and Middlesex respectively. Previous generations of Old Culfordians have included several hockey players for England and one for Scotland, a captain of the Welsh team, and a Great British hockey Olympian; as well as an England badminton player.Quoted in “Culford School, The First Hundred Years, 1881-1981” pp. 180-181 (see Further Reading) The school has also produced numerous Oxford and Cambridge Blues.
In addition to the major sports, Culford offers a wide range of other sports and activities utilising its of parkland and extensive facilities.
A sports centre (built in the 1990s) with 25m indoor swimming pool, sports hall with 4-lane cricket nets, bowling machine, squash courts, fitness suite, aerobics and dance studio, video assessment suite, and a climbing wall Floodlit astroturf Six rugby and five grass hockey pitches A 4-court championship standard indoor tennis centreIndoor Tennis Centre Opening by Greg Rusedski May 2009 Retrieved 2009-07-03 Six grass, six hard and six astroturf tennis courts Three cricket pitches including cricket square with thatched pavilion, views of the Hall and Park, and grass nets A lake, used for fishing and canoeing bordering Repton's gardens and crossed by a cast-iron bridge by Samuel Wyatt (the fifth-oldest in the world, listed Grade I)Film location site; ref. to Iron Bridge Retrieved 2010-01-23The Iron Bridge at Culford School- A Grade I Listed Building in Culford, Suffolk britishlistedbuildings.co.uk, accessed 23 February 2021 A 9-hole pitch and putt golf course. The school makes use of Flempton Golf Club to play its home matches. An indoor golf studio with simulator and radar technology and outdoor covered driving range
A further lake at Lackford is used for Sailing, and nearby Thetford Forest is used for outdoor pursuits. Golf is played at a course in neighbouring Flempton. 1962 saw the school become one of the 16 founder members of the Public Schools Old Boys Golf Association, and it competes regularly in the Grafton Morrish Trophy.Grafton Morrish Trophy Retrieved 2009-07-03
The school is linked to the LTA High Performance Centre in Cambridge, and 14 coaches offer a tennis scheme encompassing a junior Academy programme.Article in The Independent analysing tennis provision at schools such as Culford Retrieved 2009-08-28 The school also provides cricket coaching from former Italy international, Andrew Northcote. Culford play an MCC side annually. An Activities Programme offers over sixty pursuits including climbing, clay pigeon shooting, chess, critical thinking, Cub Scouts, debating, Duke of Edinburgh's Award, expeditions, fencing, horse riding, sub aqua and Young Enterprise. In addition, external organisations using Culford's facilities contribute to provision for pupils:
Northampton Saints Rugby Academy train weekly, as part of their Elite Player Development scheme The Eastern Junior Regional Performance Centre for England Hockey is based at Culford,England Hockey JRPC Page Retrieved 2009-04-29 as is a satellite of the Eastern Counties Rugby Union “Schools of Rugby” initiative Suffolk County Cricket Youth Squad train regularly, run courses and play matches West Suffolk Swimming Team train daily