This list of the oldest schools in the United Kingdom contains extant schools in the United Kingdom established prior to 1800. The dates refer to the foundation or the earliest documented contemporary reference to the school. In many cases the date of the original foundation is uncertain. For concision, schools whose date is cited on their own page in Wikipedia are not cited again here. Though not in the United Kingdom, one school (Elizabeth College) in Guernsey – a Crown dependency – is included in this list.
England
Sixth century
The King's School, Canterbury (abbey founded in 597, new royal charter in 1541)
Seventh century
The King's School, Rochester (founded in 604, new royal charter in 1541) St Peter's School, York (627, new royal charter 1550s) Thetford Grammar School (631, mentioned 1114, refounded 1566) Hereford Cathedral School (676, mentioned 1384) The Pilgrims' School, Winchester (676) Royal Grammar School Worcester (685, first conclusive evidence 1291, Royal charter 1561) Trinity School, Carlisle, formerly Carlisle Grammar School (priory school founded 685) Beverley Grammar School (c.700)
Eighth century Sherborne School (705, royal charter 1550)
Tenth century Warwick School (914, royal charter 1545) Wells Cathedral School (909) St Albans School (c.948, refounded 1549) The Minster School, Southwell (minster founded 956, first mention 1313, refounded 1547) King's Ely (970)
Eleventh century Bedford School (1086, refounded 1552) Salisbury Cathedral School (1091) Norwich School (1096, refounded 1547 as "King Edward VI Grammar School") Abingdon School (possibly as old as 1100, endowed 1256, refounded 1563)
Twelfth century St Paul's Cathedral School (founded 1123) The High School of Glasgow (founded 1124) Colchester Royal Grammar School (1128, Royal Charters 1539, re-founded 1584)see: Vitae Corona Fides: The History of Colchester Royal Grammar School by Trevor Hearn Reading School (1125 as the school of Reading Abbey, refounded 1486, Royal charter 1541, closed in the 1860s, re-opened 1871) The King's School, Pontefract (1139, refounded 1548) Bristol Cathedral School (abbey founded 1140, refounded 1542) Exeter Cathedral School (founded 1179)
Thirteenth century
Lancaster Royal Grammar School (mention of master 1235, endowed 1472) Kingston Grammar School (chapel founded 13th Century, refounded 1561) Louth Grammar School (earliest reference 1276, refounded 1551 as King Edward VI Grammar School, Louth) King Edward VI School, Stratford-upon-Avon (1295 The Guild of the Holy Cross School, refounded 1553 as King Edward VI School, Stratford-upon-Avon)
Fourteenth century Stamford School (1309, re-endowed 1532) Northallerton School (1323) Hanley Castle High School (chantry school 1326, charter 1544) The King's School, Grantham (1329, refounded 1528) Hull Grammar School (1330 and endowed 1479 by John Alcock, Bishop of Worcester. Renamed Tranby School in 2021) Bourne Grammar School (earliest record of existence 1330, endowed 1636) The King's School, Ottery St Mary (1335, refounded 1545) St George's School, Windsor Castle (1348) Doncaster Grammar School now Hall Cross School, (first record of existence 1350) Beauchamp College (first record of existence 1359) Westminster School (first record of existence 1371, Royal charter 1541 and 1560) Prince Henry's High School (c. 1376, refounded 1605) New College School (1379) Wisbech Grammar School (1379, Royal charter 1549) Winchester College (1382) Katharine Lady Berkeley's School (Royal licence in 1384) Penistone Grammar School (1392) Ipswich School (1399, Royal Charter 1566)
Fifteenth century Oswestry School (1407) Durham School (1414, refounded 1541) Chorister School (1416) Royal Latin School (first mention 1423, Royal charter 1548) Sponne School (chantry founded 1430) Sevenoaks School (1432) Chipping Campden School (c1440) Eton College (1440) King's College School, Cambridge (1441) City of London School (1442) St Dunstan's College (earlier than 1446) Bridlington School (1447) Hartismere School (founded 1451) St. Bartholomew's School, Newbury (1466) Bromsgrove School (record of a chantry school 1476, re-founded 1553) Magdalen College School, Oxford (1480) Thomas Rotherham College (1483) Stockport Grammar School (1487) Pott Shrigley Church School (1492) Ermysted's Grammar School (record of a chantry school 1492, re-founded 1548) Lichfield Grammar School (1495, refounded as King Edward VI School, Lichfield ) Loughborough Grammar School (1495) The Prebendal School (1497) Queen Elizabeth's School, Wimborne Minster (1497)
Giggleswick School (1499, Royal charter 1553)
Sixteenth century
Seventeenth century
Eighteenth century Sir Joseph Williamson's Mathematical School (1701) Dame Allan's School (1705) St Mary's CE School, Banbury (1705) Bluecoat Aspley Academy, Nottingham (1706) Warminster School (1707) Blue Coat Junior School, Durham (1708) Box Primary School, Wiltshire (1708) Liverpool Blue Coat School (1708) Lucton School (1708) Imberhorne School, founded as East Grinstead Grammar School (1708) Collegiate School, Bristol, founded as Colston's Hospital (1710) Coventry Blue Coat Church of England School (1714) Nelson Thomlinson School, founded as Wigton Grammar School (1714) Bluecoat School, Chester (1717) Baines School, Poulton Le Fylde (1717) Birmingham Blue Coat School (1722) Churcher's College (1722) Sir William Perkins's School (1725) Godolphin School, Salisbury (1726) Portsmouth Grammar School (1732) Sir Henry Fermor Church of England Primary School, Crowborough (1734) Kingswood School (1748) St Edmund's School Canterbury (1749) Ackworth School (1779) The Mount School, York (1785) Cheney School (1797) Chatham and Clarendon Grammar School (1797), was Chatham House Grammar
Wales
Sixteenth century Christ College, Brecon (1541) King Henry VIII School, Abergavenny (1542) Friars School, Bangor (1557)
Seventeenth century Ysgol David Hughes Ynys Môn, founded as Beaumaris Grammar School (1603) Hawarden High School (1606) Ysgol Dyffryn Conwy, founded as Llanrwst Grammar School (1610) Monmouth School (1614) Botwnnog School (1616) Bishop Gore School, Swansea (1682)
Eighteenth century Ysgol y Berwyn, founded as Bala Grammar School (1712)
Scotland
Twelfth century High School of Glasgow (pre-1124) Royal High School, Edinburgh (1128) Stirling High School (High School of Stirling) (1129) Lanark Grammar School (1183) Kirkwall Grammar School (1200)
Thirteenth century Ayr Academy (1233) High School of Dundee (1239) Aberdeen Grammar School (possibly c. 1257, earliest mention 1418)
Fourteenth century
Knox Academy (Haddington Grammar School) (1379)
Fifteenth century
Brechin High School (1429) Dunfermline High School first founded in 1120 refounded (1468) Dumbarton Academy (earliest reference 1485)
Sixteenth century
Montrose Academy (c. 1534, earliest evidence of schooling 1329) Leith Academy (1560) The Royal School of Dunkeld (1567) Paisley Grammar School (1576) Kirkcudbright Academy (earliest record of existence 1582)
Seventeenth century
Musselburgh Grammar School (1626) George Heriot's School (1628) Kilmarnock Academy (as Kilmarnock Grammar School, 1630) Hutchesons' Grammar School (1641) Dunoon Grammar School (1641) Campbeltown Grammar School (1686) The Mary Erskine School (1694) Perth Academy (1696)
Eighteenth century George Watson's College, Edinburgh (1723) Wallace Hall (1723) Robert Gordon's College, Aberdeen (1750) Inverness Royal Academy (1792)
Northern Ireland
Seventeenth century
Royal School, Armagh (1608) Royal School Dungannon (1614) Foyle College (1617) Enniskillen Royal Grammar School (successor to Portora Royal School, founded 1618)
Eighteenth century Rainey Endowed, Magherafelt (1713) Friends' School, Lisburn (1774) Belfast Royal Academy (1785)
Channel Islands Sixteenth century Elizabeth College (1563)
See also List of English and Welsh endowed schools (19th century) List of founders of English schools and colleges List of the oldest schools in the world Education in England Education in Scotland Education in Wales Education in Northern Ireland Armorial of schools in the United Kingdom
References