The Thomas Cowley High School
| Established | 1719 |
|---|---|
| Type | Academy |
| Headteacher | Martyn Taylor |
| Location |
School Lane Donington Lincolnshire PE11 4TF England Coordinates: 52°54′18″N 0°11′57″W / 52.90506°N 0.19913°W |
| DfE number | 925/4507 |
| DfE URN | 138755 Tables |
| Ofsted | Reports Pre-academy reports |
| Gender | Coeducational |
| Ages | 11–16 |
| Website | School homepage |
The Thomas Cowley High School is a coeducational secondary school with Academy status, in Donington, Lincolnshire, England.[1]
History
Landowner Thomas Cowley by deed in 1701, and by will in 1711 and 1718, bequeathed his estate to endow an almshouse, and a charity school to teach twenty poor children to read English and write.[2][3][4] A pupil of the Cowley's charity school was Matthew Flinders, who at age 12 then attended Horbling Grammar School where his father expected him to learn Latin.[5][6] The Cowley school evolved into a grammar school, which by 1858 was governed by a scheme approved by the Master of the Rolls, John Romilly, which provided for an upper girls' school, an elementary boys' and girls' school, and an infants school. The grammar school held 80 pupils, with an average attendance of 40. At the time a new scheme was proposed to develop the Girls' department with a yearly endowment of £25 to provide minor scholarships and accommodation for resident pupils, with the inclusion of teaching of the "art of cookery." The Grammar and Girls' Upper School were not exclusive to Donington, but were open to pupils from the whole county, with fees being £4 yearly for boys, and £3 for girls. The school covered 5 acres and included a residence for the masters and mistresses, a house for the headmaster, a recreation ground, cricket field, gymnasium, and playgrounds.[3]
Grammar school status was held until 1949. A secondary modern school was then established in its place using the Thomas Cowley name, which in 1995 became a comprehensive school. In September 2006 the comprehensive school was designated as specialist Technology College, and in September 2012 it converted to Academy status.[7]
Notable alumni
Donington Free School:
- Matthew Flinders – navigator and cartographer[5]
Donington Grammar School:
- Donald Bruce, Baron Bruce of Donington – soldier, businessman and politician[7]
- Eric Houghton – footballer and manager[7]
- Sarah Swift – founder of the Royal College of Nursing[7]
References
- ↑ "Welcome", The Thomas Cowley High School. Retrieved 9 January 2015
- ↑ Cox, J. Charles (1916) Lincolnshire, Methuen & Co. Ltd., p. 118
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Kelly's Directory of Lincolnshire 1855, p. 380
- ↑ William White's History,Gazetteer and Directory 1882 Donington,Lincs
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Welbourne, Dave; "One of Lincolnshire’s famous sons is Matthew Flinders, the explorer. In 2014 we commemorate the 200th anniversary of his death", Lincolnshire Life, January 2014 issue. Retrieved 10 January 2015
- ↑ "Matthew Flinders", Spalding.net. Retrieved 10 January 2015
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 "Our History". The Thomas Cowley High School. Retrieved 19 February 2014.